Early Monitor 5jr vs. Monitor 40 series 2?
DrJay
Posts: 10
I have the Monitor 40 series 2 now and have an opportunity to buy a pair of functional, Monitor 5 jrs about a 1 hour drive away for $60. They are the early model with the small vent, not the PR. I like vintage Polk and am tempted to get these, but wonder if they would sound as good as the 40 series 2s. Input from anyone familiar with both would be greatly appreciated.
Best,
Jay
Best,
Jay
Best Answer
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Many thanks for the input guys, I'll be on the lookout for the 5jr+s and pass on these. I have Monitor 7s with glued magnets, damped baskets and renewed crossovers and they are pretty special. I have been looking for something smaller with the same type of great sound as the 7s and while the Monitor 40 series 2 are nice, they are not in the same league as the 7s, thus the interest in the 5 jrs.
Thanks again,
Jay
Is it not so much just the passive radiator that makes it better, but also the fact that the box is a good bit larger, and it has decent bass for its size.
The smaller models, seem to be a bit lacking bass wise to me.
Answers
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If you were talking the 5Jr+ I would say it would be better for sure, but maybe not as far as power handling and overall volume level.
But since you are talking the 5Jr, which is basically the monitor 4.6 with the SL2000 Tweeter, not sure of which would be better.
I heard the 4.6, and while pleasant, was nothing special overall.
To me IMHO, the 5jr+ is the smallest vintage Polk that really starts to sound fairly decent. -
I agree with the above. The 5jr+ is more sought after and can be had for ~$100, but they can go for more. 5jr's with the port are roughly ~$50, so ~$60 is within range. If the 5jr's have an ALL black tweeter with a rectangular face (peerless), they may be early monitor 4's, and then I would say worth getting for sure. If they for sure have the SL2000, then its up to you.
Hopefully someone can comment compared to the monitor 40's -
Many thanks for the input guys, I'll be on the lookout for the 5jr+s and pass on these. I have Monitor 7s with glued magnets, damped baskets and renewed crossovers and they are pretty special. I have been looking for something smaller with the same type of great sound as the 7s and while the Monitor 40 series 2 are nice, they are not in the same league as the 7s, thus the interest in the 5 jrs.
Thanks again,
Jay -
Yeah, hold out for the 5jr+. I had those and the 7s, and felt the sound quality was comparable. The 7s obviously had a bigger, bassier sound, but overall quality was there with the 5jr+.
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Vintage Polks (5jr+) always seem to sound better than the later, cost cutting models. There are exceptions of course. But the Monitor 40 Series 2 was never all that great. I'd wait for a pair of 5Jr+'s or 5B's as most will feel they are more musical than anything like the Monitor 40.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Listen to H9.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
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I doubt it!
My 5B's continue to impress after all these years. Yes, they've been updated, but that's something that should be done.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Having hung out with Brock.......Ummmm, no.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Love my M5jr+ series 2, but they aren't quite as good as the M7's with the same tweeter, SL2500. I went with them just for the slimmer profile.
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Jimbo18 Get some RD-0198's to replace the SL2500's and you will love them more. While the SL2000 was hot, the two sets of SL2500's I've had seem very flat, near dead. The RD-0198 wakes them up and adds much more detail.
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Jimbo18 Get some RD-0198's to replace the SL2500's and you will love them more. While the SL2000 was hot, the two sets of SL2500's I've had seem very flat, near dead. The RD-0198 wakes them up and adds much more detail.
Yeah, that's in my plans, everyone says how much of an improvement they are. Thanks.
