DIY 10B Design

markmarc
markmarc Posts: 2,309
edited August 2005 in DIY, Mods & Tweaks
I would like to take a beat up pair of Polk 10B's and remove the the drivers, tweeters, and crossovers. Then take a pair of MTM cabinets from Ebay, finish with maple veneer in a hard rock stain. I think the sound results would be pretty stunning, especially with a decent subwoofer.

(If anybody has the necessary pieces let me know.)

Any opinions??
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Comments

  • Polkersince85
    Polkersince85 Posts: 2,883
    edited August 2005
    Sounds feasible. You may want to maintain the volume of the M10 to preserve the acoustic suspension properties. IMO, if you have ever heard the imaging of the vertical array of the M7, then a vertical array using the M10 volume and bass would be awesome. It would be closer to a RTA 11T design.
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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited August 2005
    I recently rebuilt a set of Monitor 7's I found at a flea market. The cabinets had been water damaged but the fronts, rears, and all drivers were like new. It wasn't real challenging to rebuild the cabinets using cabinet grade particle board, keeping the same dimensions.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • jcaut
    jcaut Posts: 1,849
    edited August 2005
    Wait a second-

    You're talking about the old Monitor 10b's with the side-by-side midwoofers, a tweeter centered above, and a passive radiator? And you're proposing putting them in an MTM configuration- presumably ported- and ditching the passive radiator? If I understand that correctly, then I don't think it's a good idea. You'll almost certainly come up with something that sounds inferior to the original. The crossover will no longer be ideal, you'll likely end up with serious vertical lobing issues with the MTM configuration, due to the center-to-center spacing of the drivers.

    A much better bet, IMO, would be to rework the original enclosures, or rebuild them from scratch.

    Jason
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  • markmarc
    markmarc Posts: 2,309
    edited August 2005
    Jason:
    The passive radiator is the one issue I'm struggling with. Have thought about using it either on the bottom as the RT towers, or on the side.
    The idea is to have some fun based upon finding a beatup cabinet. DIY is all about experimenting. I won't be out of pocket much, so I will chalk it up to fun entertainment. Having owned a pair of 10B's back in the 80's, I am very aware of the VERY basic nature of the cabinet design. The insulation used was packed into each speaker differently. Goes to show how very basic speaker design was back then.
    Thanks for the opinion.
    Review Site_ (((AudioPursuit)))
    Founder/Publisher Affordable$$Audio 2006-13.
    Former Staff Member TONEAudio
    2 Ch. System
    Amplifiers: Parasound Halo P6 pre, Vista Audio i34, Peachtree amp500, Adcom GFP-565 GFA-535ii, 545ii, 555ii
    Digital: SimAudio HAD230 DAC, iMac 20in/Amarra,
    Speakers: Paradigm Performa F75, Magnepan .7, Totem Model 1's, ACI Emerald XL, Celestion Si Stands. Totem Dreamcatcher sub
    Analog: Technics SL-J2 w/Pickering 3000D, SimAudio LP5.3 phono pre
    Cable/Wires: Cardas, AudioArt, Shunyata Venom 3
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  • jcaut
    jcaut Posts: 1,849
    edited August 2005
    You can replace a passive radiator with a port, since they function in the same manner, but the best bet would be to keep it, IMO. If you do, and can keep the cabinet volume about the same, you should be able to maintain the bass response of the original. You could experiment with the MTM configuration. Personally I think it would be difficult to get right, but it might be worth a try. And I agree that the experimenting is part of the fun.

    I'm still working on a DIY project that was obvioulsy inspired by the Mon 10. I haven't had much time to spend on it lately. HERE is the thread, if you're interested.

    Jason
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