10B’s
caryking
Posts: 9
Hey folks, I’m new here. I’m in the process of picking up a pair of 10B’s this week. I’ve never owned any Polk speakers, so, this is a new adventure.
I’ve owned plenty of brands, in my past (Vandersteen, ADS, Magnepan, Acoustat, Monitor Audio, Celestion, and more); however, as I was looking for some vintage speakers, I had a number of people recommend the 10B’s. So, here I go…
Now this is where I’m probably going cause some people concerns… I plan on using a a 4 watt SET amp to drive them.
I do not listen loud, at all. I listen mostly to Jazz from the 50’s and 60’s. One could say that my listening is more background than outright listening.
The speakers I’m getting have the 2000 tweeter. I’ve read many of the upgrades people have done and will take that on soon enough. I have changed crossover parts, all wiring, binding post in a set of ADS 780/2’s. I moved the crossover off a PCB and onto a piece of wood and placed in the bottom of the speaker. So, I’m fully adept at modifications. That said, I will listen for some time before I make the change.
All, I look forward to healthy discussions as I’m about to be part of the Polk family soon…
I’ve owned plenty of brands, in my past (Vandersteen, ADS, Magnepan, Acoustat, Monitor Audio, Celestion, and more); however, as I was looking for some vintage speakers, I had a number of people recommend the 10B’s. So, here I go…
Now this is where I’m probably going cause some people concerns… I plan on using a a 4 watt SET amp to drive them.
I do not listen loud, at all. I listen mostly to Jazz from the 50’s and 60’s. One could say that my listening is more background than outright listening.
The speakers I’m getting have the 2000 tweeter. I’ve read many of the upgrades people have done and will take that on soon enough. I have changed crossover parts, all wiring, binding post in a set of ADS 780/2’s. I moved the crossover off a PCB and onto a piece of wood and placed in the bottom of the speaker. So, I’m fully adept at modifications. That said, I will listen for some time before I make the change.
All, I look forward to healthy discussions as I’m about to be part of the Polk family soon…
Comments
-
Welcome to Club Polk.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 -
Indeed, welcome, and congratulations. The Monitor Series models 7 and 10 were and still are nice, high-value loudspeakers.
Nice looking amplifier. Looks to be pretty serious iron on board. Looks like SE EL84? If so... kind of hard to go wrong, sonically.
So, so, so...
The SET won't be optimal for the 10Bs, but you probably know that.
Is it worth a try?
Of course!
I've had plenty of good experiences with "ridiculous" combinations of amplifier & loudspeaker (e.g., push-pull EL84 Magnavox console amp, ca. 10-12 wpc, with notoriously insensitive Acoustic Research AR-3 loudspeakers), so I'd never write off the combination out of hand.
This being said...
FWIW 1): My daily driver amp is SE 2A3 for 3-ish wpc -- but I don't use it with any of the Polk loudspeakers here.
FWIW 2): I have a purchased-new (well... demo) pair of Monitor Series Model 7A. One day, expecting good, perhaps even great, things, I hooked them to my much-beloved EICO HF-81 (stereo PP EL84 integrated amplifier, ca. 12 wpc). The match wasn't a "synergistic" one. The issue wasn't sensitivity per se, it was tone. The sound was harsh and a little thin; neither of which are typical characteristics of the classic "Monitor Series" Polks (nor of the EICO, which is a dandy sounding little amplifier). Not sure why the pairing wasn't propitious -- it wasn't the lack of power of the amp per se, though. All in all, one can't beat empiricism!
By all means, let us know how the 10Bs do with your amp!
Good luck & have fun!
-
mhardy6647 wrote: »Indeed, welcome, and congratulations. The Monitor Series models 7 and 10 were and still are nice, high-value loudspeakers.
Nice looking amplifier. Looks to be pretty serious iron on board. Looks like SE EL84? If so... kind of hard to go wrong, sonically.
So, so, so...
The SET won't be optimal for the 10Bs, but you probably know that.
Is it worth a try?
Of course!
I've had plenty of good experiences with "ridiculous" combinations of amplifier & loudspeaker (e.g., push-pull EL84 Magnavox console amp, ca. 10-12 wpc, with notoriously insensitive Acoustic Research AR-3 loudspeakers), so I'd never write off the combination out of hand.
This being said...
FWIW 1): My daily driver amp is SE 2A3 for 3-ish wpc -- but I don't use it with any of the Polk loudspeakers here.
FWIW 2): I have a purchased-new (well... demo) pair of Monitor Series Model 7A. One day, expecting good, perhaps even great, things, I hooked them to my much-beloved EICO HF-81 (stereo PP EL84 integrated amplifier, ca. 12 wpc). The match wasn't a "synergistic" one. The issue wasn't sensitivity per se, it was tone. The sound was harsh and a little thin; neither of which are typical characteristics of the classic "Monitor Series" Polks (nor of the EICO, which is a dandy sounding little amplifier). Not sure why the pairing wasn't propitious -- it wasn't the lack of power of the amp per se, though. All in all, one can't beat empiricism!
By all means, let us know how the 10Bs do with your amp!
Good luck & have fun!
Yea, I know I’m pushing the envelope on SE amp. That said, we just ran it with some vintage stuff, this past weekend (JBL L300 and Tannoy something…). Like I said, I’m mostly a background listener, at low volumes. I don’t know anything about Polk speakers; however, I’m excited about what this can be…
These are coming from the original owner. Appear to be in excellent shape…
-
The L300 is... rather more sensitive than are the 10s.
The big Tannoy coaxes do pretty well with low-power and fleapower, too.
I really don't mean to discourage you -- but do manage your expectations.
You'll likely like the tone and definition of the Polks. I prefer the 7 to the 10, but the latter are still very pleasant to listen to. Both were pretty much unbeatable (in the US, at least) for their price when new.
(these, of course, are the original morphs, with the Peerless KO10DT silk dome tweeter, ca. 1977 in the case of this Gordon Miller Music catalog)
-
Well, I always can break out my Rega Elicit-R integrated amp, I have. That should drive them; however, I’m not sure about the match…
-
mhardy6647 wrote: »(these, of course, are the original morphs, with the Peerless KO10DT silk dome tweeter, ca. 1977 in the case of this Gordon Miller Music catalog)
I pretty sure the 10B’s I’m getting have the 2000 tweeter in them. What are these tweeters? I know there are a number of tweeters in Polk speakers, which ones are the drop in replacements for the 2000’s? -
RD0194-1Political 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 -
Good morning everyone, I am a new member of the forum, although I have been following you for months.
I have the Polk 10B and several amplifiers, from 5w to 120w. That said, the amplifiers that I use the most with the 10B on a day-to-day basis are the Sansui 210 (10w) and the Philips 22RH591 (20w) and I can tell you that I like them better (how they sound and they don't fall short when it comes to producing deep bass) than the Technics SU-V9 that I also have and is 120w.
I would encourage you to get them and try it with your 4w amplifier. I have a 5w Philips 22RH580 and I don't turn the volume over 50%...and it sounds amazing.
Greetings -
Good morning everyone, I am a new member of the forum, although I have been following you for months.
I have the Polk 10B and several amplifiers, from 5w to 120w. That said, the amplifiers that I use the most with the 10B on a day-to-day basis are the Sansui 210 (10w) and the Philips 22RH591 (20w) and I can tell you that I like them better (how they sound and they don't fall short when it comes to producing deep bass) than the Technics SU-V9 that I also have and is 120w.
I would encourage you to get them and try it with your 4w amplifier. I have a 5w Philips 22RH580 and I don't turn the volume over €50...and it sounds amazing.
Greetings
I do plan on trying the 4 watt amp. I’m looking forward to it. I do not listen loud, at all…. I’ll probably never get past 1 watt. Yea, I think it’s going to please my ears… -
Well, I tried the single ended amp (pictured above). Mhardy, you were right…. It isn’t enough to drive the 10B’s! I put in an old Marantz 2226 and I’m having significant success creating excellent sound! I’m actually blown away at how these older Marantz receivers sound.
-
caryking - how are you liking the 10's compared to some of the other speakers you've had? I just picked up a near mint pair of 10A's with the Peerless tweeters and think they're fantastic speakers. The only thing I've had that compares I think are ADS L710's and 810's. Wish I still had them to do a direct comparison. I had a pair of 10B's about 15 years ago and I upgraded the tweeters to the RDO's which was a significant upgrade. Almost a must really. Enjoy.
