Polk Monitor 7 Series 2 Audio quality question
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Basie1955
Posts: 10
Hi, I recently bought a set of Polk Monitor 7 series 2. The sound is generally excellent but the lower mid-range is kind of muddy. Cello, bari-sax, trombone, etc.
Highs and lows and upper mid-range are more crisp and clear. I’m thinking about
new caps or other upgrades. I’m asking
the Forum if this is just the way it is with
this model and very common- or if this is a sign of aging components and could benefit from a refresh? Thanks!
Highs and lows and upper mid-range are more crisp and clear. I’m thinking about
new caps or other upgrades. I’m asking
the Forum if this is just the way it is with
this model and very common- or if this is a sign of aging components and could benefit from a refresh? Thanks!
Answers
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@Basie1955 . Chances are being their age they are way overdue for a crossover refresh / upgrade. There may be a simple tweeter upgrade as well. There is lots of info listed here by search. Ask away & others will chime in. Welcome to the forum2ch.
RTA15tl crossover upgrade
by David WMG
Yamaha cr1000 cr2040
HT
Yamaha Parasound Acurus
MIT BJC Cs1000p Polk Rotation -
Thank you Boston1450. I did some searches
and I read a lot about caps and resistors. I’m
a non-technical musician who has an appreciation for good fidelity but little knowledge of how it’s produced in speakers.
I appreciate your post. I thought someone may write that these are good speakers for the listener who can’t go full audiophile - but they do have a reputation for muddy / fuzzy low midrange. The shop I spoke with said they’re
happy to do some work but it’s possible that
that’s just a poor feature of this model. Big thanks for the welcome! -
The original Monitor 7 with upgraded components is an excellent speaker, no muddy anything. I've never heard the Series 2 version, but dare say the crossover components are seriously in need of upgrading as they are way past their lifespan.
Do not use cheap components such as Dayton, Bennic or Solen caps.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 -
Thanks F1nut. If I have work done, what brand of caps should I ask for? I read Solen is OK but I’m more than happy to get your recommendation. Big thanks.
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Jantzen Superior Z, Sonicap Gen I or Clarity CSA are good choices. For resistors, Vishay-Mills.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 -
Jantzen Superior Z, Sonicap Gen I or Clarity CSA are good choices. For resistors, Vishay-Mills.
Big thanks -
The Monitor 7 Series 2 (and some others in the Series 2 line) make use of a liminated core inductor in parallel with the tweeter. The engineer who voiced them told me the first thing to do is go air-core. It won't do anything for the bass but orher XO component refresh may help that.
Also, make sure the cabinet is sealed. Gently press the PR in and hold. The MW should move out and stay for a few seconds. If not then you may have a leak, which would impact the bass.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 -
The Monitor 7 Series 2 (and some others in the Series 2 line) make use of a liminated core inductor in parallel with the tweeter. The engineer who voiced them told me the first thing to do is go air-core. It won't do anything for the bass but orher XO component refresh may help that.
Also, make sure the cabinet is sealed. Gently press the PR in and hold. The MW should move out and stay for a few seconds. If not then you may have a leak, which would impact the bass.
Thanks skrol,
I’m mentally underwater with your post because I don’t have the technical knowledge.
I have a vague concept of laminated core. Air-Core.
I intended to talk with the repair guy and show
him some forum comments. I’ll see what the costs are and if I can rationalize it.
PR= passive radiator?
MW= ? mid-range speaker
Post edited by Basie1955 on -
PR= passive radiator?
Yes
MW= ? mid-range speaker
Vintage Polk mid-driver part numbers begin with MW followed by 4 numbers.
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 -
I just replaced the caps on one 1982 Monitor 7B. I did one so I could pan back and forth between the two. Frankly, my 76 year old ears could not hear any difference even though I'm sure there is one. Perhaps my 42 year old son can, I'll have him listen before I do the other one. I have tinnitus and I know I can't hear much beyond 8khz any more. That said, I'm not sorry I did it. It was literally a 10 minute job. I didn't un-solder the old ones, just clipped the leads, wrapped the new leads around the old and soldered.
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What caps and resistors did you use?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 -
For the life of me I've never understood this method. It sure doesn't save time but now you have more solder joints and points of possible problems.I didn't un-solder the old ones, just clipped the leads, wrapped the new leads around the old and soldered. -
^THIS^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 -
Based on minimal experience, I’m having my Polk 7’s worked on by a pro shop. I realize it’ll
be more expensive than DIY but they have the expertise. They will call me in a week or so with what they would recommend. It’ll be interesting to hear about the component’s current condition and what might improve the audio performance. -
Be curious to know what is recommended, so let us know.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 -
I’ll let you know. I suggested and they agreed
at drop off that the 0198 tweeters would be
a good idea. The guy said these M7’s sell for around $300 so I’ll want to be judicious
about what they do and how much the upgrades
will really pay off. I appreciated that because it told me they weren’t interested in sucking money out of my wallet for no reason.
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If you look at it that way don't bother doing anything with the speakers.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 -
So you don’t agree that some upgrades
will be beneficial and some are not useful?
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So you don’t agree that some upgrades
will be beneficial and some are not useful?
If you are basing the cost of upgrades on what the market price of the speakers might be then don't bother upgrading them.
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 -
If you are basing the cost of upgrades on what the market price of the speakers might be then don't bother upgrading them.
You couldn't ask for an easier set of speakers to upgrade/work on yourself, and the rewards are well worth the extra using quality components..
My advice, do them right, even if you don't do the work yourself, or just leave them alone..
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I appreciate your comments and I get what you’re saying. The tech was saying “Look,
you’ve got a pair of speakers that are worth
about $300 if you sold them. I’ll do whatever work you want done but you may want to
weigh sinking hundreds of dollars into these.
Maybe you just want better speakers”
I really like these Polks. I also have M 4’s
and M 5jr’s and Polk towers. I’ll wait to see what the tech says.
My point was that I didn’t any see any logic
in replacing every resistor, capacitor, coil, etc. if it wasn’t going to improve the quality of
Stephane Grappelli’s violin. If the opinion comes back that replacing everything top to bottom will improve the audio quality, I’ll do it.
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He is probably feeling out where you are at and doesn't want an unsatisfied or irate customer 🤣
How good is your hearing? Are you someone who has heard better audio quality by, say, changing cables? How much do you enjoy better sound?
If you have heard and enjoyed better sound by changing cables ever before, I don't think any of the mods we talk about in this forum will not pay off for you, within reason. I would be hesitant to go with high end Dueland capacitors unless money is no object lol.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
Yes, it’s good business to satisfy a customer with what they’ve been charged and the results they’ve produced. I do love great sound. My friend has Bowers and Wilkins that are astonishing but I don’t have 15k for speakers.
I’ll let the forum know how it all came out.
I listen pretty hard to music. I mean I concentrate on what I’m hearing. I’ve been a musician for years and I have opinions about how instruments and voices are ‘supposed’ to sound. Obviously it’s personal. Poor audio reproduction is a distraction from the music in that my attention is diverted from the music to
the flaws in the speaker system. -
The big one is Jantzen audio and the small one just said BP. I got them from Parts Express. I didn't do the resistors.What caps and resistors did you use?
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For the life of me I've never understood this method. It sure doesn't save time but now you have more solder joints and points of possible problems.
It certainly does save time. I'm not worried about the solder joints. -
Gardenstater wrote: »He is probably feeling out where you are at and doesn't want an unsatisfied or irate customer 🤣
How good is your hearing? Are you someone who has heard better audio quality by, say, changing cables? How much do you enjoy better sound?
If you have heard and enjoyed better sound by changing cables ever before, I don't think any of the mods we talk about in this forum will not pay off for you, within reason. I would be hesitant to go with high end Dueland capacitors unless money is no object lol.
I see no reason to put Duelands in a pair of Monitor 7’s. Sonicap, or Clarity will do just fine..
It certainly does save time. I'm not worried about the solder joints.
I disagree, are you in some sort of race to get them done? You literally saved, what? 5 minutes of your time? Not like its hard to pull them off with a soldering iron..
People like this, are people I don’t want working on anything I own..
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The big one is Jantzen audio and the small one just said BP. I got them from Parts Express. I didn't do the resistors.
So, you put a cheap electrolytic in for the tweeter, a higher quality film cap in for the shunt and didn't upgrade the resistors. No wonder you didn't hear a difference.
If anything, the tweeter cap should have been a high quality film type and the shunt an electrolytic. High quality resistors also make a positive improvement.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
