Monitor 5B Find
skrol
Posts: 3,375
I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't help my self. My most recent find... A beautiful pair of Monitor 5B from 1989. These things are near perfect cosmetically and functionally. They do have polyswitches and could use XO refresh/upgrade, not to mention RDO.
Stan
Main 2ch:
Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.
HT:
Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60
Other stuff:
Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
Main 2ch:
Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.
HT:
Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60
Other stuff:
Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
Comments
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An actual bookshelf that sounds excellent on bookshelves....go figure.Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
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I was thinking about making some low speaker stands that angle up about the same as the old Polk stands. Maybe make them out of oak and stain the same color as the speaker cabinets. They would look great in my sun room.Stan
Main 2ch:
Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.
HT:
Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60
Other stuff:
Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601 -
I’ll always have a soft spot for the speaker that got me on this forum.
Just a dude doing dude-ly things
"Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
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"Audiophiles are the male equivalent of cat ladies." - Audiokarma Member -
I have a pair of 5B's, modded and RD0'd. They will never leave. When I started my serious audio journey in the early 80's. The Polk 5B was my first serious speaker. I ended up selling those 5B's in the early 90's to buy a brand new pair of RTA-11T's...
I bought my current 5B's about 10 years ago and did the mods and bought RD0's as well as Larry's rings. A very sweet sounding speaker that plays deeper than the size should allow. Fills a small sized room effortlessly.
Enjoy
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! -
I was noticing there is an SL-3000 mod schematic (TL-mod). Since I have a couple SL-3000 around I might do the mod. Then I could go RDO-198 if I want.Stan
Main 2ch:
Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.
HT:
Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60
Other stuff:
Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601 -
I have a pair of 5B's, modded and RD0'd. They will never leave. When I started my serious audio journey in the early 80's. The Polk 5B was my first serious speaker. I ended up selling those 5B's in the early 90's to buy a brand new pair of RTA-11T's...
Enjoy
H9
Ditto for me, 5B's were my first foray into decent audio (and Polk speakers) in the 80's...Remember, when you're running from something, you're running to something...-me -
I have a pair of 5B's, modded and RD0'd. They will never leave. When I started my serious audio journey in the early 80's. The Polk 5B was my first serious speaker. I ended up selling those 5B's in the early 90's to buy a brand new pair of RTA-11T's...
I bought my current 5B's about 10 years ago and did the mods and bought RD0's as well as Larry's rings. A very sweet sounding speaker that plays deeper than the size should allow. Fills a small sized room effortlessly.
Enjoy
H9
Funny, I started with the RTA-11TL that I won't part with.Stan
Main 2ch:
Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.
HT:
Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60
Other stuff:
Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601 -
I have a pair of 5B's, modded and RD0'd. They will never leave. When I started my serious audio journey in the early 80's. The Polk 5B was my first serious speaker. I ended up selling those 5B's in the early 90's to buy a brand new pair of RTA-11T's...
I bought my current 5B's about 10 years ago and did the mods and bought RD0's as well as Larry's rings. A very sweet sounding speaker that plays deeper than the size should allow. Fills a small sized room effortlessly.
Enjoy
H9
Funny, I started with the RTA-11TL that I won't part with.
I think everyone has a speaker (or two) that was a sentimental favourite!
I really love the 5jr+ ! Why....uh it sounds nice, love the look and dimensions and I guess....sentimental the rest. -
I found a minty set of these guys last summer too! Nice grab!
Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
Amen to that. Mine are Mission 770s.I have a pair of 5B's, modded and RD0'd. They will never leave. When I started my serious audio journey in the early 80's. The Polk 5B was my first serious speaker. I ended up selling those 5B's in the early 90's to buy a brand new pair of RTA-11T's...
I bought my current 5B's about 10 years ago and did the mods and bought RD0's as well as Larry's rings. A very sweet sounding speaker that plays deeper than the size should allow. Fills a small sized room effortlessly.
Enjoy
H9
Funny, I started with the RTA-11TL that I won't part with.
I think everyone has a speaker (or two) that was a sentimental favourite!
Nice find! They look new. -
Looking forward to a review of your mods. My polk introduction in the late 80's was a set of 5B's and 5jr+ in black currently acting was rear and center for the HT.
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I'll probably end up taking my 4's to my grave.
Yamaha RX-A2050 AVR (5.0.2); LG OLED77C2 4K TV(4) Polk Monitor 10B's w/SoniCaps, Mills, and RDO-194 tweets (R/L F/R)(2) Polk RC80i (Top Middle)Polk CS300 center channelAnalog: B&O TX2 Turntable, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1Digital: Pioneer CLD-99 Elite LD, Panasonic DMP-UB900 UHD Blu-RayBedroom: Arylic Up2Stream AMPv3 driving Polk Monitor 4's w/peerless tweets -
I just picked up a free pair of 5Bs. I just can't say no to any hifi gear that seems like it be might be above average in sound quality.
Glad I picked these up! They sound surprisingly open, with OK airiness and bass. I like the treble - detailed, and fairly extended, to my ears. Not as mellow as the tweeters in the NHT Super Zeroes, but they sound very much like the Goodmans Ministers in my bedroom.
They don't deliver quite as well as my custom planars, but the right planar reacts with distortion at around 200Hz on difficult sounds like timpani or horn cluster chords (think Rite of Spring) when I crank the volume to ear splitting levels (which I like to do every so often), and these little Polks can really deliver the high volume sound. I am surprised how little difference there is between the planars and these bookshelf speakers. Very little distortion, it seems?
Nice to have found this group, BTW. -
...Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
.... Ha, one more than you Bud.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
