Polk 10-Clean up midrange?

ansley
ansley Posts: 2
edited August 2008 in Vintage Speakers
Hello,

New to this site, already I have a question:

Does anyone know whether it's possible to clean up the midrange on a pair of Polk 10's?
These seem to be the first version , with fuses on the back.
The label says simply "Polk Audio model 10" with serial numbers right around 65,000.
I bought them new in 1979 and they've been in continuous use since then, original crossover caps and all.
They are set about 8 ft. apart, slightly toed in, tilted back w/ shims, placed on carpet squares to de-couple them from the floor, the listening chair about 10 ft. away from them. The room is 15x20 w/ 11 foot cathedral ceiling, plaster walls, but also upholstery, drapes, and large carpet.
They're driven by a 60 wp/ch. solid state NEC integrated amp, very heavily built, through stock 12 gauge cable.

Although the Polks' bass and treble are very competetive sounding with high quality new speakers I've listened to thru solid state gear, e.g. Vandersteen, Thiel, Revel, large Magnepan,and B&W , even 15 year old Yamaha NS series speakers, my Polk 10's midrange tends to be more peaky and boxy sounding without the "space" between instruments and voices of most of the speakers mentioned, especially as the Polks' volume is turned up.

Is that just the nature of the Polk 10, like cabinet resonance or something, or is it a sign of detriorated crossover caps or anything else that can be fixed?

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Ansley
Post edited by ansley on
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Comments

  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited March 2007
    Polk 10's are what they are. They do a lot of things right. But, the mid-range mud that you hear is just part of the package. They simply aren't in the same category as Thiel, etc. Polk Monitor 10's are wonderful speakers. But, they aren't perfect.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,970
    edited March 2007
    The best cure is to swap them for a pair of Monitor 7A's of roughly the same vintage and pocket the change!

    EDIT: IMNSHO, of course. The muddiness (I call it "phatness") is a feature -- in the MicroSoft sense of the word -- of the 10's. The 7's are noticeably cleaner. I would argue that these speakers are still quite competitive in terms of sound quality per dollar spent -- new in 1979 as well as used in 2007.
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited March 2007
    Great analogy. The muddiness/phatness of the Monitor 10's is much like the blue-screen-of-death feature of Microsoft. Exactly.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,204
    edited March 2007
    The side by side mid drivers are what causes the muddiness and lack of focus in the 10b. A very popular Polk speaker in the day. Still a very nice package even by todays standards. Comparing it to newer more expensive designs really is comparing apples to oranges. Enjoy them as they are or move them along and as suggested look for a pair of Monitor 7's. The 7's have a smoother more open and effortless midrange, but keep in mind any of the Vintage Polk Monitor series are still going to be atleast 17+ years old.

    I'm getting ready to recap a pair of 5b's. Hoepfully that will help them sound their absolute best.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • ansley
    ansley Posts: 2
    edited March 2007
    Many thanks to the readers of my post for their helpful replies.
    Ansley
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  • hypertone
    hypertone Posts: 150
    edited August 2008
    That's funny, I've been comparing a bunch of different speakers that I own and I also feel the midrange is boxy in the 10's compared with other speakers. The 7's don't have this problem and are more open sounding.
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  • hypertone
    hypertone Posts: 150
    edited August 2008
    I just had an epiphany! I'll bet if you built some crossovers like those in the RTA-12's for the 10's it would solve this problem. That crossover basically crosses over one driver at a lower frequncy, so they both act as bass drivers, but only one acts as a midrange. You set them up so that they are a mirrored pair.
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  • ajanzalone
    ajanzalone Posts: 128
    edited August 2008
    hypertone wrote: »
    I'll bet if you built some crossovers like those in the RTA-12's for the 10's, it would solve this problem. That crossover basically crosses over one driver at a lower frequency, so they both act as bass drivers, but only one acts as a midrange. You set them up so that they are a mirrored pair.

    It is an interesting thought and I would love to know prior to recapping my 10's.
    Has anyone asked the Polk Team about this?

    I just love the creativity of the audiophile mind ... :)

    Curiously awaiting some input on this concept.
    Tony
    Audio Research SP5 Preamp
    Quad 405 Amp
    Pioneer Elite DV-48AV -
    Outlaw 950 preamp/processor
    Polk Monitor 10's
    Velodyne VRP 1200 Sub Woofer

    Success is having what you want ... but Happiness is wanting what you have!
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