Monitor 70 Series II return to the Egg

yz400e

I have been lurking on here for ages but was always able to find my answers and never had any questions or anything to add until now.

I have been watching (on the Egg) for a pair of either Monitor 75s or the Monitor 70 seriesII for quite a while ( Ok, nearly a year as I have had other priorities). Early this year the Monitor 70s sold out and they only had the 75s. A month or so ago the Monitor 75s went on sale and evidently sold out as there was nothing for a week or so and then the Monitor 70s reappeared.

My question is: Where did they come from ?
Production of the Monitor 70s ceased years ago and they have been out of stock for a minimum of 6 months. Where would this stock come from? Should I be concerned about age from them sitting in some warehouse in Asia ? Do they (POLK) occasionally fire up the production line and crank out 'new' monitor 70s from old stock ? I just doesn't make sense that POLK would have manufactured so many Monitor 70s they could still be available years after EOL.

thanks.

cnh

Don't know. But the series II, though an almost perfect facsimile of the original M-series has some production differences in colors, feet, etc. Since the drivers in most of the series after the original Ms are very similar or even the same, it is not surprising that there should be a surplus of parts (from TSI series, and other higher number M series runs-that could be used to fashion the II series). I do believe it would be possible to do small batch production of M-series II any time Polk wanted to? But we would have to ask them directly, as I am guessing based on my knowledge of Chinese factories, etc.

cnh

DaveHo

Don't know the answer to your question, but if you're in the market for some Polks, you should keep an eye on the Polk eBay store. They currently have Monitor 70's n Cherry for a very good price.

yz400e

thanks will check it out. the black monitor 70's are on sale right now $300 for the pair but the cherry ones look so much better.

Mystery

Here you go, black pair of Monitor 70 for $299:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.2008464

xjghost

How do these speakers sound? I have a few different old vintage monitors. 10's, 12's, 5jr's, and of course my SDA 3.1's and RTA 12c's. How do these newer speakers compare?

jeremymarcinko

They sound good given their price point, but not in the same league as the vintage Monitors.

yz400e

I ordered the combo deal. shouldn't have but I did.
Assembled over the past 2 years, the system now consists of all EOL components on closeout but bleeding edge would be wasted on me anyway as I am half deaf and near blind.

I now have the following:
HarmanKardon AVR 1650
Monitor 40 series II ..currently the front L and R
New Monitor 25C..which seems to over power the monitor 40s..unless the Front L and R aren't supposed to stand out.
PSW10..I set it up where and how one of the POLK guys recommended..I'm happy with it
Monitor 70 series II for Front. newest addition.
next up will be a good DVD/BlueRay player.

Mystery

Funny thing is local CL has monitor 60's listed for $300.

yz400e

DSkip wrote: »

Next up should be a new receiver with preouts and an amp for those 70's. They like power, and that 1650 simply isn't up to the job to push them the way they are capable of being pushed.

Used receivers w/ preouts and HDMI are pretty cheap now, as long as you're willing to go used.

Not that I expect to be listening to everything at "0 dB" so don't plan to upgrade the amp but I have to question this.

Manufacturers don't rate power output 'like they used to' but lets assume the Harman Kardon spec of 90watts per channel (2 channels driven) is actually 90 watts RMS into 2 channels.

If I play a CD in normal 2 channel stereo mode and 90 watts per channel isn't sufficient what is ? 150 watts per channel. OK, I'll look for an amp that outputs 150 watts per channel. lets see first amp I see near 150 watts rms is the Marantz MM7755 2 channels driven at 140 watts per channel for the low introductory price of $1200. Or maybe the NAD C275BEE for $1300 and $150 watts.

You're telling me I need to spend more than $1000 for an amp to drive a pair of $300 speakers. ? sounds nuts to me. I think if I had a decent amp I would want a pair of decent speakers not what I purchased.

Maybe I can find some used MacIntosh amps in a pawn shop and run them mono ? 1 for each channel on my 5.1 system ?

My point is I see tons of comments telling people "you need more amplifier' but no one ever says just what they consider 'more amplifier' but I am interested in finding out.

voltz

It has as much to do about good clean power also, If your only running 2 channel then there are cheaper (maybe buying used) options to save $$$ and get good clean power for a set-up, like maybe get a Integrated Amp instead of a preamp & amp setup. Now Tube amps run different and a 40-60 wpc in a tube amp is almost like a 100-150 solid state amp. I bought a MC100b tube integrated amp for $750 which runs about 65 wpc. but tubes are not for everyone.

cnh

M-70s will not hit their peak till you juice them. I have plenty of experience with these towers. Even on my Onkyo 805, which Skip refers to above, the sound is passable, in other words, it's OK for HT but not peak for music but I don't really use them for music now. And that Onkyo is 51 lbs and can hit its rated power at 5.1 (130 watts per channel) no problem, which is more than I can say for many other AVRs.

That does not mean they won't sound OK in a surround configuration on a lesser receiver if you have a GREAT SUB and lower the load to them to 80hz or so. But if you're going to have ONE system and do HT and music, you really need that extra amplification to make these sing. Otherwise they sound pretty mediocre in 2.0 stereo.

cnh

yz400e

Thanks for the responses. I'll look around for other options. I have time but getting too carried away is pointless as my comment about being 1/2 deaf is a fact.

Dskip: I like to think of it more as sarcasm. And sure, I am ignorant in the finer points of Audiophile-dum but that's ok and I think my original post made it pretty clear that I was buying EOL over a period of time. But I still think my point is valid that there are a lot of comments made about 'you need more this or that' but no specifics. The regulars on here assume others may know as much or more and for a 'newbie' that isn't all that helpful

As for MacIntosh in a pawnshop..that can be done. I was in a pawnshop in Houston not too long ago that specializes in Audio Equipment from the 80's and 90s (and newer stuff I didn't recognize) and I have seen MacIntosh amps in there along with other brands that I recognized as being considered 'higher end' back in the day. Not that Mac is the end all be all of amps but the marine division at a company I once worked for used between 4 and 6 MacIntosh amps to power the acoustical positioning system. When the 'boats' were decommissioned some people managed to find a way to fit one of those babies in their luggage. I wasn't one of them.

thanks again

[Deleted User]

Cool story and I wish I had a pawn shop near me like that.
Then again, maybe not!

tonyb

Don't take the comments the wrong way, people are just trying to help you get the most out of the speaks.

That said, will your receiver handle the 70's and you'll get sound ? Of course it will. However it won't be the sound the speakers are capable of delivering. If your OK with that, then rock on.

At the very least, I would look into a Pioneer Elite receiver with ice amps inside like the SC versions. More than enough grunt to push those 70's

yz400e

I apologize for the spelling error.. should have been McIntosh. It didn't feel right typing it so I had to check but was too late to change.
Again Thanks, will definitely start looking around and getting up to speed. Now I am interested in digging around to find a good older gem. maybe I'll have to stop by that place again.