Low cost receiver for Polk Monitor 10Bs

nms

Hello all.

First post here.

I recently got hold of a pair of used Polk monitor 10Bs. I already know they're great speakers because my parents have a set, so I'm very happy to get a set of my own. I got them for free from a family member - please don't hate me ;-)

Anyway, now I'm looking for a receiver to power them. Polk rates them at no more than 125 wpc, and from personal experience I know they're plenty loud enough with about half that. I'm looking for a low cost (less than $300) no-frills receiver that will deliver a good clean signal.

USE: The speakers will be used in a dorm room for the first several years, so they will not see high power settings very often. The system will be used to play music only - no home theatre. Music types include classical, organ, rock, new age, pretty much a bit of everything but rap and country. They will be set up in stereo mode, so I'm trying to stay away from multi-channel receivers designed for 5.1 or 7.1 setups.

Again, I could care less about bells and whistles on the receiver, but I do care about clean power and good sound (I'm something of a closet audiophile). From what I've heard and read, the monitor 10s are pretty sensitive to a clean signal.

From a little bit of research, I've got the following as possibilities:
- Denon DRA-375RD
- Sherwood RX-4109
- Onkyo TX-8222
- Sherwood RX-5502

The Denon got pretty good reviews and seems to be a solid choice, with low distortion numbers, so currently that's the favorite. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with low cost receivers and the Polks, and if the speakers have any "preferences" for certain receivers that I should be aware of.

thanks,
nms

F1nut

You might consider going with a vintage receiver or integrated in that price range. You'll get more bang for the buck.

ESavinon

I agree with jesse's (f1nut) recommendation.
If you're going this route, i recommend the Denon dra-835r or the Luxman r-115 vintage receivers. They usually pop up often on ebay for less than $300.00

danger boy

F1nut wrote: »

You might consider going with a vintage receiver or integrated in that price range. You'll get more bang for the buck.

+1 look for an integrated amp (amp and pre amp in one unit) that will power those 10b's much more effectively than a low cost receiver.

One like this one would do nicely... shop around though. and the reason people would recommend a vintage integrated amp is you get much more oomph for your dollar going used.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-PIONEER-SA-7800-Amplifier-BEAUTIFUL_W0QQitemZ320186492515QQihZ011QQcategoryZ3280QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

here is another one that is a little rough around the edges, but is powerful even at 80wpc. http://cgi.ebay.com/PIONEER-SA-9500-II-80W-chan-9500_W0QQitemZ250190118374QQihZ015QQcategoryZ3280QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

mhardy6647

Receiver: vintage harman/kardon hk430 or hk730; Yamaha CR-820, CR-1020, CR-2020
Integrated: vintage Yamaha CA-600, CA-800, or CA-1000; CA-610II, CA-810, CA-1010, CA-2010




I've used a CA-610II with my Monitor 7As for almost 30 years...

McLoki

Personally this is what I would go for with Monitor 10's and your audio (and budget) requirements...

ND13

Find a vintage Marantz 2275. You can't go wrong there. But if not vintage the HK stereo receivers do a great job.

mhardy6647

Russ busts my chops when I recycle my photos :-)

I'll have to snap some photos of the other Yamahae around here sometime. The trick is to get good light.

The 1970s Yamaha components went very well with Polks of the same era; Soundscape in Baltimore sold tons of them (and not, I'm sure, just to JHU students such as your humble narrator).

nms

Thanks for the replies.

I am cautious about buying used because it's hard to tell what you're getting. From pics and a description, you can't tell if the equipment has been abused, misused, etc.

However, a retro looking receiver would go very well with the boxy polks...

F1nut

nms wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

I am cautious about buying used because it's hard to tell what you're getting. From pics and a description, you can't tell if the equipment has been abused, misused, etc.

However, a retro looking receiver would go very well with the boxy polks...

Since you're cautious about buying used, look for gear offered in our Flea Market or over at AudioKarma. In fact, for vintage power gear, AK would be the ideal place to shop.

I-SIG

Don't forget about NAD! They've made some great little integrateds over the years.

Check this brand new NAD integrated out.

I'll take 40 of NAD's watts over 140 from just about any receiver out there.

Wes

sda2mike

ND13 wrote: »

Find a vintage Marantz 2275. You can't go wrong there. But if not vintage the HK stereo receivers do a great job.

Yessir....get yerself a Marantz!:cool: Frank Zappa voice here: 'You'll love it!':D

mhardy6647

Don't forget about NAD! They've made some great little integrateds over the years.

Yup, that is so. Nice, non-grainy sounding (as is also the case for the aforementioned hk and Yamahas)

This little rascal followed me home from the swap pile at the town dump a few weeks ago. Haven't done much with it but verify that it works, though.

Danny Tse

Got myself a Sherwood 4109 at Radio Shack for $70.00 after rebate. It was a Black Friday sale item.

mhardy6647

OK, so Gordon Miller was pushin' the hk 430 with Model 7s, but 10s would be good, too!

Deadof_knight

and older Denon can be had for some good money denon 3300s are priced pretty good these days

Flash21

NAD would be my choice in your shoes.

G-2

We're using a fairly old Pioneer Elite Pre, a Parasound 205wpc into 8ohms, 10A's & an old Pioneer Elite Tuner (for when we want to listen to radio), and the 10A's simply sound incredible. We do almost all our music listening on the 2 channel setup, guess that's because it sounds gooooooooooood!!

Enjoy!!