Just scored some Monitor 5A w/ Peerless

billbillw

I'm surprised at this, but I just won a nice looking pair of Monitor 5A with the Peerless tweeters and the original boxes! Nobody really bid it up and they were sitting at $54 with only a few minutes to go, so I slapped a manual bid in the last 10 seconds won for under a hundred. I asked the guy if he would reduce the shipping since I am so close to him. He hasn't responed yet. Can't wait to finally get some vintage Polk groove on. My spare RT25i will FINALLY be going to my HT rear channels like I've been saying for months.

(See my showcase for actual pictures)

billbillw

The seller did reduce shipping by $10. I'll be praying for no shipping damage. Since the trip is short, there should only be a few transfers, so hopefully that will mean less chance of being dropped from the truck.

jakelm

Congrats Bill...They look in mint condition too..

billbillw

Thanks, hopefully no surprises. They guy owns a A/V shop, so I would think he knows what Excellent condition means. 1070+ feedback w/ only 2 neg. I felt safe bidding without having the best pictures available.

jakelm

Now the wait

billbillw

jakelm wrote:

Now the wait

FedEx is only 2 days from IL to GA. Probably see 'um Saturday if they get picked up today. The seller said they are already packed and ready to go and send tracking#. Now that's a prompt seller.

reeltrouble1

Cool Beans Bill.

RT1

billbillw

Well, they arrived today. Original boxes look great, no punctures or dents. It looks like these came from the orignal owner because the boxes have only been re-taped once. Open the boxes and I find a pair of speakers that looks almost new! I mean they really look great for a 20+ year old speaker. Only one lower rear corner with very slight damage. No rust on the screws, the drivers are all clean looking and shiny (except for the dusty Peerless). I just had to vacuum the cloth grills and wipe the vinyl with a damp paper towel and they look like a pair that you would find on the showroom floor. Checked the mechanical function of the drivers, everything was fine.

So I unhooked the RT25i in my office 2-channel system and hooked up the 5A. Gave them a quick listen and the seemed to sound clean with no problems. Didn't really have tie to give them a good listen at first. (My wife was calling me for something)

Now I have some time and I'm giving them a good listen. They really have quite a different sound compared to the RT25i that I was previously using. At first I couldn't put my finger on it, but the more I listen, the more I think the 5A have a much more open midrange.

There is also a big difference between the Peerless and the tri-laminate tweeter. I'm not sure which I prefer. The Peerless is very upfront and detailed, but I don't know if its as clean as the trilam. I have lots of listening to do before I really decide on that matter.

The boat is still out on the bass. I don't have the speakers in a final location and for now they are pretty much in the middle of the room with no wall or corner reinforcement. As they are now, the bass is kinda weak. I'm sure that will improve with placement. I also don't have them set up to A-B compare, but I plan to as soon as I cut some extra speaker wire. For now, I am very happy with this pair. It finally frees up my RT25i to use in the rear channels of my HT setup.

Polk65

Keep the boxes, what a great find. Lucky on the shipping too.

billbillw wrote:

There is also a big difference between the Peerless and the tri-laminate tweeter.

Try a comparison between movies and music. Also try different widths until you find the sweet spot.

billbillw wrote:

The boat is still out on the bass. I don't have the speakers in a final location and for now they are pretty much in the middle of the room with no wall or corner reinforcement. As they are now, the bass is kinda weak. I'm sure that will improve with placement.

I like my 5jr's around 8" from the wall.

george daniel

Great snag Bill :cool:

billbillw

Man, just as I was really enjoying these last night, the fricking CD player that I've been using in my office **** the bed. I replaced the laser in the thing just a couple months ago and everything was working great, but now its acting like its possesed! The damn spindle motor spins about 5 times as fast as it should and won't stop. I spent half the day looking at the service manual, but haven't gotten anythign really figured out. Looks like I won't be hearing them much until I get it fixed or replace it. For now, I've packed them back up and put them away for safe keeping.

billbillw

Finally got the 5A back into service in my "budget 2-ch system".
Here are some pics. They really are just about perfect cosmetically.

Edit: See my system showcase for newer pictures.

polksda

Yummmm.... minty!!!

Just lament the travesty of all the brainwashed masses that are shelling out hundreds and hundreds of dollars on Bose that can't hold a candle to these vintage Polks...

schwarcw

Congratulations Bill! They look great! I saw those on eBay but I wasn't following to buy. Glad someone from the Forum got them. Happy listening!

billbillw

Just need to get some speaker stands for them. The chairs work ok for the time being, but its obviously not permananent (even though the chairs are extras).

jakelm

Is it just me or do these look like 2 different speakers. One with the logo on the wood and the other witht the logo supposed to be on the grill.

nadams

Good eye... the original auction pics look like they're the same, but not hte pics billbillw posted...

billbillw

They are identical in every way. The colors match perfectly, etc. Its just the angle that I took the photos. They both have the logo attached to the speaker. I took the pix from above to show that the edges are perfect, no dings, no peeling.

jakelm

Ok, it did look alittle funny. I'm enjoying the hell out of my 7b's, which are same as the 5a's just with a 10"PR instead of an 8"PR.