Monitor 7 or 10? Which one to buy?

nashbap

I am considering purchasing either Monitor 7 or 10 speakers. My music preferences are mainly classical and jazz. Having done a bit of research I find that there are several different models of each available. You guys seem to rave about the models with the Peerless tweeters; so amongst the 10's for example which is the preferred model the 10 or 10A or 10B? Also I understand that the early models had an impedance of 6 ohms while the later ones all had 8 ohms. Does this mean that the 10A and 10 B are 8 ohms? What I would really like to know is whether to purchase 7's or 10's as best suited for classical and jazz and if so which model in the series. Thanks very much.

danger boy

first off welcome nashbap,

i can only speak to the Monitor 7B's that I have. Yes, you are correct.. the monitors with the peerless tweeter are preferred.. but that's not to say that if you find any other pair of 7's or 10's you should rule them out totally.

YOu can replace/upgrade the tweeters if you run into a pair of 7's or 10's that do not have a Peerless tweeter, with an updated silk dome tweeter for those models. It sounds much better than the old SL2000 tweeters.. which were very harsh sounding.

I like my 7B's. They image very well.... on occasion they can be a little shy on bass.. and other times when the music has good bass in it.. they are able to keep up quite nicely.

If bass is important to the type of music you enjoy... maybe the 10's would be a better fit for you.

good luck... have you ever heard either model?

mhardy6647

The 10 is a bit more efficient, probably goes (a little) deeper and definitely sounds a little fuller -- and you'll pay more for it, relative to a 7. You should really listen before you buy... although, that being said, they sound more similar than different. If you like the early, "high definition" Polk monitor sound (I do), you'll like either. I am heavily biased towards the earlier models (unsuffixed or the "A" versions) and the venerable (and excellent) Peerless silk dome tweeter.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20598
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4962
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4961

TroyD

I prefer the 7's...early models.

BDT

ND13

I have 10As and 7As and I prefer the 7s.

Zen Dragon

The 7's are probably more of a purists speakers. There are some sonic disadvantages to the side by side mid drivers in the 10's.
That being said I have owned a pair of 10B's for about 20 years and I do love the sound. You'll get a little more bottom end out of the 10's, but it can lean just a tad towards muddy. Not bad mind you, just not the most well defined. If you use a sub the difference in the low end will likely not make a difference to you.

nashbap

Thanks for the replies guys and for the links. I am presently looking at two ebay items- Item number: 9726295974 and Item number: 9726749132. The first one is advertised as 10A's while the second one when you go thru the ad shows the serial # as 10 xxxxxx on the speaker while on the box it says 10B. The tweeter looks shiny. Could you please look at these ads and educate me as to which one has the Peerless and which does not. I asked the seller with the 10A's to measure the DC resistance and he wrote back saying that it was 4.6 ohms. I thought the 10A's were 8 ohm impedance so I was expecting an answer around 6 ohms. Now you can see why I am confused! Thanks again.

jtgranby

Where are you located? I have 10 b's and aset of 7B's with peerless tweets if you would like to here the diff.

JT

mhardy6647

here's a wholly holy, holey Peerless tweeter and "plasticized Polk mid/bass unit" from a known Polk Monitor 7A (s/n 4900) with a fetching "rosewood" vinyl finish :-P

nashbap

Jtgranby I am in south NJ. Thanks for the offer. Also thank you mhardy6647 for posting the picture of the Peerless tweet. Is this what is referred to as the SL 1000?And is there another version of the Peerless tweet also used? Is it correct to assume that all 7A's and 10A's and some 7B's and some 10 B's used the Peerless tweet?

mhardy6647

AFAIK Polk never called the Peerless anything but a "European soft-dome tweeter"... but I know very little of Polk products post 1980

billbillw

nashbap wrote:

Jtgranby I am in south NJ. Thanks for the offer. Also thank you mhardy6647 for posting the picture of the Peerless tweet. Is this what is referred to as the SL 1000?And is there another version of the Peerless tweet also used? Is it correct to assume that all 7A's and 10A's and some 7B's and some 10 B's used the Peerless tweet?

The Peerless is not the same as the SL1000. The SL1000 has a shiny dome and says Polk on it. The outline looks similar though. I wouldn't assume anything as far as which model has which tweeter. Visual confirmation is the only way to be sure.

nashbap

Thanks for clarifying. So the Peerless tweet is the only one with the outside wires pointed down at an angle like in the pic above. The ones with the outside wires pointing out horizontally are Polk tweets?

danger boy

i think there is also another Polk tweeter that has the wires pointing down.. not sure the model number but it's silver color.. the SL2000 has the wired pointing straight outward

jtgranby

nashbap wrote:

Thanks for clarifying. So the Peerless tweet is the only one with the outside wires pointed down at an angle like in the pic above. The ones with the outside wires pointing out horizontally are Polk tweets?

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25377&highlight=identifying+vintage+tweeters

Everything you want to know about tweeter ID
JT

nashbap

Now that's an informative link. Can you identify the tweeters used in these 10A's that I am considering to purchase. Thanks.

jakelm

Thats Peerless,

rskarvan

I've owned both the 7's and the 10's at the same time.
Go with the 10's. NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE.

The 7's were a great disappointment.

jtgranby

rskarvan wrote:

I've owned both the 7's and the 10's at the same time.
Go with the 10's. NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE.

The 7's were a great disappointment.

Not to get in a pissin contest:) but I prefer my 7B's with peerless tweets.Whatever rocks your boat.

JT

danger boy

jtgranby wrote:

Not to get in a pissin contest:) but I prefer my 7B's with peerless tweets.Whatever rocks your boat.

JT

+1 same here.

for the record, i like good pissin contest.

jakelm

Thats what I have (7b's)

mhardy6647

I thought that was, like, writing your name in the snow...