Which 5's are these?

audiomagnate
audiomagnate Posts: 48
edited July 2014 in Vintage Speakers
These just popped up on my local CL. Which version of the Monitor5 are they and how do they compare to the other versions? TIA
Post edited by audiomagnate on
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    edited July 2014
    5B's. If you upgrade the tweeter to an RDO-194 it would arguably be the best Monitor 5 of the series.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • audiomagnate
    audiomagnate Posts: 48
    edited July 2014
    What's wrong with the original tweeter? I like to keep things stock.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    edited July 2014
    The stock tweeter can get shrill at times. Especially at higher volumes.
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,639
    edited July 2014
    Ive heard alot here dont mind the sl2000 & if its not your cup of tea-switch it out
    ..
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited July 2014
    That "silver coil" dome tweeter (SL2000) is a little tizzy and tingly for those of us used to the very smooth and musical Peerless silk dome used on earlier Polk Audio "Monitor Series" loudspeakers. I don't find the SL2000 unbearable -- but that may reflect more on the HF hearing loss of my 55-plus year old ears than on the tweeters :-P
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited July 2014
    mhardy speaks the truth! For some of us geezers, we just can't hear that Sl2000 bump as well as you youngsters can so if you're less than 45 you will HATE the SL2000s. If you're older or spent a LOT of time at ROCK concerts in the front row, they won't bother you! lol

    It's not that we can't hear to 15 Khz or so, which would include the bump zone, but we hear that at a diminished dbs. So if you BUMP something from 13-15 Khz by a little. Well, you know!

    I find myself less bothered by the SL2000s then I was when I first joined this forum.

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • PolkieMan
    PolkieMan Posts: 2,446
    edited July 2014
    Of course the price and cabinet condition would be a large part of the consideration.
    POLK SDA 2.3 TLS BOUGHT NEW IN 1990, Gimpod/Sonic Caps/Mills RDO-198
    POLK CSI-A6 POLK MONITOR 70'S ONKYO TX NR-808 SONY CDP-333ES
    PIONEER PL-510A SONY BDP S5100
    POLK SDA 1C BOUGHT USED 2011,Gimpod/Sonic Caps/Mills RDO-194
    ONKYO HT RC-360 SONY BDP S590 TECHNICS SL BD-1
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  • Mikey081057
    Mikey081057 Posts: 7,127
    edited July 2014
    I switched my SL2K's to the 194'4.... big improvement.
    My New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160

    Family Room| Marantz AV7704| Usher Dancer Mini - 2 DMD Mains |Usher Dancer Mini-x DMD's Surrounds | Usher BE-616 DMD Center | SVS Ultra Rear Surrounds | Parasound Halo A21 | Parsound Halo A52+ | MIT Shotgun S3's | Dual SVS SB 4000 Ultras | Oppo UDP 203 | Directv Genie HD DVR | Samsung 75" Q8 QLED | PSAudio Stellar GCD | Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ | Lumin U1 Mini | HP Elite Slice PC | ROON'd for life |

    ManCave: HT:Polk LSiM 706VR3 LSiM 703's LSiM 702's|| Marantz AV7002 AV PrePro Sunfire TGA-7401| Sony PS4 Pro| Sony PS4 Pro|SVS PB13 Ultra| Oppo UDP 203 | Music Hall MMF 5.3se TT w/ Soundsmith Carmen | Samsung 55" SUHD TV | Sony PS4

    Patio | Polk Atrium 8's | Yamaha R-N303BL |

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    Garage | Polk Monitor 5B's

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  • audiomagnate
    audiomagnate Posts: 48
    edited July 2014
    Mikey081057 wrote: »
    I switched my SL2K's to the 194'4.... big improvement.

    Which begs the question...how old are you?
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  • Mystery
    Mystery Posts: 2,546
    edited July 2014
    I had over 15 pairs with SL2000 and didn't bother me.
    I've heard RDO's but never did a direct comparison.

    Klipsch RB81, KG3.5, B&W DM602.5, Polk.
    Subwoofers: Klipsch RW10, Triad ProSub Bronze.
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  • audiomagnate
    audiomagnate Posts: 48
    edited July 2014
    I bought them off of a nice lady who bought them new. Definitely I little strident in the highs, but because I'll be using them for computer speakers I can tame them with my PC's EQ. I have RT-25s and RT 15is, but now I feel like I'm finally a real member of club Polk!
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    edited July 2014
    Very nice, man. Get some RDO-194's in there now. :wink:
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,639
    edited July 2014
    Congrats. Yes sir. Those are beautiful. Now tell us what you think of them
    ..
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  • audiomagnate
    audiomagnate Posts: 48
    edited July 2014
    I've moved them into the bedroom, where they have displaced my RT-15i's. I ran the the 15i's flat, but have turned the treble down 4 dB for the 5's, and they sound very good that way. I don't think this tweeter is inherently strident, I think the speaker was "voiced" that way. Just as TV makers insist that stores demo their products in "vivid" mode, I'm sure speakers set up with jacked up treble stand out in showrooms and are more likely to sell than their flatter competitors. The bass really seems to benefit from being set up near a wall as well. Comments I have read here indicate a peak in this tweeter's response, so maybe all I'm doing is taming that, but the end result is very satisfying. If someone could direct me to FR curves for this speaker I would be very grateful.
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