New here, advice needed on M10's

shogun

Hello all! I have been a long time Polk person since I got some 5B's new in probably the late 80's.

Here is the situation.

I just got the new Harmon Kardon AVR 635 to run a Dolby Digital/DTS setup. I have 4 Polk Monitor 5B’s total but only use three in a HT setup where the 5B’s are in the front left/right and center and one is a spare. For the sides I am currently using a small pair infinity bookshelf speakers. I think it is really important to have the front three speakers matched but I wanted to increase the power handling of the L/R and get better bass response than the 5B’s can do. I just recently purchased some Monitor 10’s (M10’s) from ebay that I intend to use for the FL, and FR.

When I received the M10’s I found them to be damaged. Both of the M10’s each have a mid bass driver that is seized. I did read in the forum about the glue gets old and if they are dropped this can cause the damage to the drivers I have. I am currently working with the people I got the speakers from on ebay and UPS to work on resolving the damage to the speakers I have. From talking to Polk, I found I can replace the damaged drivers for about $48 each so about $100 to fix them.

When I ordered the M10’s, I didn’t realize there were different tweeters that they could come with. My Monitor 5’s have the SL2000 tweeter and the mid bass driver is a 6502. The Monitor 10’s have a different tweeter (the one with the small hole in the middle and visible wiring going downward from the tweeter at about 220 and 300 degrees) and they have the 6500’s. I would like to have the high and mid range matched across the front so I was just seeking some advice on what others would do in this situation.

When I talked to Polk, they did say it would be a good idea to replace all 4 of the 6500’s because of the age and I can get the exact replacement. I think Polk said they sell the 6503 to replace the 6500. Since 2 6500’s are good, I could ebay the two good ones and get 4 6503’s. Is the SL2000 a drop in to the version of M10’s I have of would I have to change the crossover? Would that affect the power handling of the M10’s? I think I will be working out with UPS/seller to get about $100 for the damage so I think I am OK there. If I have to replace three drivers in each M10, that would be about $300.

The overall condition on the 10’s is kind of rough. They have some nicks, scratches and two of the clips that hold the speaker covers on were broken during shipping. It is not what I expected when I won the auction so I was seeking some advice from others.

Should I total the M10’s, take the $$$ and try again to get another pair on ebay?

Should I replace only the damaged drivers and cal it even or replace all 4? If I have to spend another $100, that would be OK.

Will the tweeter be a good match between the 5B center channel and the M10’s?

I am not really concerned about the appearance of the M10’s because I can fix that. I could move some of the SL2000’s from the 5B’s to the M10’s (if that is OK with the crossover/power handeling).


Thanks for any advice.
Shogun

Loud & Clear

The M10 tweeters are either black peerless tweeters, or SL1000 clear plastic tweeters. In either case, the tweeter plates are smaller than the SL2000 tweeters. Most people agree that the peerless tweeters are the most pleasing of the three, with perhaps the SL1000 being second.

I would be inclined to do whatever is necessary to keep the M10s in front (move M5 drivers to them, buy used, or buy new from Polk). I would look for a Polk center, perhaps a used CS245i. I would then use two or three of the M5s for surround.

But that's just one way to approach it.

fredv

First, welcome to CP.

Based on your description, you probably have a pair of Monitor 10A's that have peerless tweeters (a small hole in the middle of the dome) which are better than the SL2000, IMHO, provided they are black. If they are kind metallic silverish, then they are Polk made SL1000. However, they are of different size than the SL2000 which is also discontinued and replaced by a new silk dome tweeter. Neither the SL2000 nor than silk dome is a drop in to the 10A. Noel, another CP member, also replaced his 10A's MW6500 with the MW6503 and has pretty result.

Quite honest, I will be hesitated to bid an MW6500 because they are all over 20 years old and can be damaged in shipping easily unless the price is low for the risk (think of Polk sells at 48 shipped). So if I were in you, I would order 2 MW6503's to replace the bad one's and start enjoying. When the others goes bad, order the replacement later. I will not spend $300 on the 10A. For this amount, you can buy a pair of smaller SDA's which are in a totally different league than the M10's. Where are you located?

Be warned if you ever plan to parts your 10A and put them up ebay, DO NOT post your ebay links here. If you want to try FM first, then set an asking price when you post the sale. In here, we don't bid against each other, so keep in mind.

ND13

If your 10s have the peerless(black with dimples) do whatever you can to ressurect them with out getting supid. That is a prized tweeter in a prized speaker. The 6503 is what you'll get from Polk to replace the 6500. It is sonically correct, but in my experience, the appearance is slightly different and the rubber surround is slighly stiffer than the one in the 6500, so it won't throw quite as far. I can't hear the difference, though. Put the 10s up front and use the M5s as the center, surrounds and rear center and run 6.1, you'll probably want to get a decent sub to add some supplemental bass.

One thing is for sure, your set up will definitely be superior, musically, compared to any of the mass produced HTIBs, and most likely in movies also.

Welcome and enjoy those wonderful vintage Polks, as they just don't make 'em like that anymore. That's not a knock on the newer Polk monitors, either, just imo, fact. :cool:

Noel

shogun

The tweeters in the M10’s are black with a tiny hole in them so it does look like I have the preferred tweeters. I did take one out to check the back and there was just a big long number on it. (55140882).

I did think about moving drivers from the 5B’s but there is no indication on any of them what the impedance is. I would guess that the M10 use a higher impedance driver than the 5’s so the two can be wired in parallel.

I am located lust outside of Rochester NY (fredv asked).

Noel, since you did the upgrade 6500 to 6503, what do you think about replacing just the two drivers or all 4 in the M10's?

As for subs, I have two boxes I made where each box has two NHT 1259’s. I run the subs in parallel so my amp is driving three ohms per channel. The amp I use for the subs is a Haffler JF2000 but it really is the Rockford Fosgate RF2000. I use the subs for speaker stands :cool:

fredv

I have a Polk catalog ('89??). It says both 10B and 5B have nominal impedance 6 ohms. I guess the 10A is also 6 ohms.

shogun

I was thinking the if the 5B's were 6 ohm and had one mid bass driver then the mid bass driver would be about 6 ohms. If the 10B is also 6 ohms but has two mid bass drivers then each mid bass driver would have to be 12 ohm and wired in parallel to give a 6 ohm load to the amp. I do not know for sure that is how they did it because the drivers do not indicate what impedance they are but this would not allow me to take one of the drivers from the 5B and put it in the 10's.

I could be worng on this...

Shogun

fredv

I wouldn't worry about the driver's impedance and how they are wired that much because the speaker's nominal impedance is based on everything inside - Xover, tweeter, mid-bass driver(s) etc, and their design. Just swap the bad drivers, and you are done. Make sure you match the polarities when you replace the drivers. Also, the early M10A's have the wire soldered to the drivers whereas the 5B are "clip" connected, be aware of that.

ND13

shogun wrote:

Noel, since you did the upgrade 6500 to 6503, what do you think about replacing just the two drivers or all 4 in the M10's?

Just swap out the bad ones at first to see what YOU think. If it sounds good to YOU , then let it stand. If not, get another two.

shogun

If I were able to come across some more peerless tweeters, would I be able to use a peerless tweeter in a 5B to have a more seamless center channel? I don't really mind using a 5B for a center channel but I have not yet listened to the 10's with the peerless to know how matched it would be to the tweeter I have in the 5B (currently a SL2000).

Thanks,
Shogun

fredv

Shotgun, ebay has the following that you maybe interested:
Peerless tweeter,
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-Audio-Monitor-10-7-5-Tweeters_W0QQitemZ5801074934QQcategoryZ71571QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
MW6500, read careful, only 3 are good,
http://cgi.ebay.com/six-POLK-Audio-Monitor-10-Drivers-MW6500_W0QQitemZ5801078988QQcategoryZ71571QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
No afli.

shogun

Thats exactly what I was thinking about. I could use a Peerless tweeter in the 5B (my center channel) but I want to see how much the 6500's go for because I may just buy new 6503's.

Loud & Clear

Remember, the peerless plates are smaller than the SL2000 plates.

Personally, if I were going to go with the M5 for your center, I'd either leave the SL2000 in there or buy the Polk replacement for the SL2000. The replacement tweeter, while not a perfect match with the peerless, will be smooth like the peerless.

halo

Welcome aboard! I went through a very similar situation - I purchased a set of Monitor 10A's frome eBay & when they arrived 3 out of 4 drivers were frozen and they had two completely different tweeters (One was a Peerless & the other was an Sl1000 - Factory warantee replacement for a faulty Peerless from back in the day). The seller, Ken - Polk Audio Customer Service, & some Polkies all helped me get things up and running again. I ended up getting 4 new drivers from Polk & replacement tweeters to compare the Peerless vs. Sl1000. I found the Peerless tweeters to be much smoother than the Sl1000's so I replaced the Sl1000 w/ a Peerless. In my opinion the bass is deeper and tighter with the new drivers (I also have a set of 10B's & I used it's original drivers in the 10A for comparisson). Just my $.02