Receiver for Monitor 4's

iota

Hi All,
I picked up two Monitor 4's from a CL post and tried them out on my OLD OLD pre-amp (my grandparents, from the sixties) and they sound great to me. My problem is that as much as I like vinyl, most of my music is on MP3's or FLAC's and I need to get a new receiver that has both a phono jack and an mp3 audio in. I'm also looking for something around the $100 mark, because I student and don't have a lot of free cash at the moment. Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks!

Nick

skrol

Do you need a specific mp3 jack for processing? If your mp3 player has an audio line-out, you can use any line-in (except for phono). For example, you could get an older receiver and connect the player to the CD or Tape input. I do this with my old Denon receiver. If you only have a headphone out, it is less than ideal but workable. Just keep the volume of the player low enough that it doesn't drive into clipping.

AudioGenics

what type and make is your grandparents preamp/amplifier ?

iota

@ Skrol

I don't have a line out on my Ipod unfortunately. I'd prefer not having to do a workaround if I can pick up something relatively cheap. I'm willing to go around ~100 (tax refund just came in, better spent on music than booze or novels).

@ Jvc
I'm not sure what the model is, I think the brand is "fisher" but i'm not sure. It's just very heavy, and runs a bit hot.

I've heard that sherwood is a good company on the budget side of things. The 4109 is one i'm considering.

slowpolky

I was gona offer a sony for 100 with speakers ,stands, calibration mic and mp3 jack plus an mp3 player for that price .

But after reading about the receiver your considering ,seems your looking for 2 channel music. That 2 channel seems like it would be awesome for the job

iota

@SlowPolky

Yeah, 2 Channels is all I am looking for right now. This is purely for listening to music, rather than trying.

iota

Actually the Receiver I am looking at is the Sherwood RX 4105
Would that be a good pairing for my speakers, or would their be problems impedence-wise?

Edit: Nevermind, it appears that the 4105 has no phono input, so it's a no go.

skrol

Which version of the Monitor 4 do you have? I have a spec that shows the Monitor 4A as 4 ohm (peerless and SL1000 tweeter) and some that are 6 ohm (don't know the tweeter model but it has a square flange and is a dome with an acoustic lens). The Monitor 4 Series II is 8 ohm.

That receiver should not have any trouble with 8 ohms but 4 ohm would likely be a challenge.

greymatter

iota wrote: »

Actually the Receiver I am looking at is the Sherwood RX 4105
Would that be a good pairing for my speakers, or would their be problems impedence-wise?

Edit: Nevermind, it appears that the 4105 has no phono input, so it's a no go.

Can't go wrong with that.

nadams

That Fisher could be a tube receiver, which would explain why it runs hot! Corrections - if it's from the 60's I'd guarantee there's a tube in there somewhere! Would also explain why they sound so sweet.

iota

skrol wrote: »

Which version of the Monitor 4 do you have? I have a spec that shows the Monitor 4A as 4 ohm (peerless and SL1000 tweeter) and some that are 6 ohm (don't know the tweeter model but it has a square flange and is a dome with an acoustic lens). The Monitor 4 Series II is 8 ohm.

That receiver should not have any trouble with 8 ohms but 4 ohm would likely be a challenge.

How do I find out which version I have? The only immediate identifying mark is the heart logo in the "polk audio" on the front grill. Is there a serial number somewhere I can Google?

After doing some searching the Sherwood 4109 seems to be my best bet for low-end. It has a phono input and some slightly upgraded specs. Still not sure about the ohm factor though.

Thanks so much for the help ya'll

StantonZ

I've had a pair of Monitor 4's (Peerless tweeter) for quite some time, and in my experience you need an amp/receiver with low Ohm drive capability. I've had Yamaha amps for quite some time, but my Monitor 4's are old enough to where they cratered a couple of older amps (Denon, Technics, etc.).

iota

StantonZ wrote: »

I've had a pair of Monitor 4's (Peerless tweeter) for quite some time, and in my experience you need an amp/receiver with low Ohm drive capability. I've had Yamaha amps for quite some time, but my Monitor 4's are old enough to where they cratered a couple of older amps (Denon, Technics, etc.).

How can I find out if they sherwood will handle my monitors, and what Ohm's my 4's are rated at?

skrol

Post some pics. I might be able to match them up with one of my spec sheets.

In the pics below:

The 1st (mon4) has the Peerless tweeter. I don't have a spec for this one yet.


The 2nd (4a) started out as 4 ohm (31Hz - 25KHz) and later changed to 6 ohms (35Hz - 25KHz).
Specifications
Frequency Response: 31Hz - 25kHz (35Hz – 25KHz)
-3 dB Limits (55Hz – 20KHz)
Crossover Frequency 4500Hz
Impedence: 4 Ohms (6 ohms)

Recommended Power: 10-100 watts per channel
Efficiency: 92 dB
Maximum Output Level 114dB


The 3rd (monitor4_Series2) has the SL1500 tweeter and is 8 ohm (35Hz -25KHz)
Specifications
Frequency Response: 35Hz - 25kHz
-3dB Limits 53Hz and 20KHz

Impedence: 8 Ohms
Recommended Power: 20-100 watts per channel
Efficiency: 91 dB

iota

skrol wrote: »

Post some pics. I might be able to match them up with one of my spec sheets.

In the pics below:

The 1st (mon4) has the Peerless tweeter. I don't have a spec for this one yet.


The 2nd (4a) started out as 4 ohm (31Hz - 25KHz) and later changed to 6 ohms (35Hz - 25KHz).
Specifications
Frequency Response: 31Hz - 25kHz (35Hz – 25KHz)
-3 dB Limits (55Hz – 20KHz)
Crossover Frequency 4500Hz
Impedence: 4 Ohms (6 ohms)


Efficiency: 91 dB

Thanks Skrol,
I think mine are the second. The tweeter has the same "triforce" triple screw with the cabled styling around the cone. The cabinet color is different however; it is the same as the cabinet in the first picture. Did I get the crappy 4's, or am I alright? I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow.

Also,
I finally go the specs on my pre-amp. It is a "The fisher 700T" which is a solid state receiver rated at 105-120 watts. Supposedly it used to be top of the line, back in the late 60's. Now they go from 50-125 online, so not exactly the best but I prefer vintage and cheap over brand new and expensive any day.


There is a "tape head" input along with phono hi, phono low, and []
Is there anyway I can rig some sort of adapter, say 1/8 to RCA, and plug it in to the tape deck input? I'm a newbie to these things, but i've heard that there is some way I can connect them directly without having to rely on another piece of hardware (like a cd player) to play middle man?

Once again, Thanks!

skrol

The 1/8" to RCA should be quite common. Best Buy, Radio Shack or any store that sells audio stuff (do I dare say Walmart?) should have them.

Since you are using the headphone out on your mp3 player, keep the volume set low enough that you are not driving the receiver input into clipping.

I am with you on the vintage audio. You get some really good deals on some fantastic sounding stuff.

iota

I'm going to pick an adapter up after work tonight, hopefully It'll work nicely.
Not to prey too much on your good (and free) advice, but can you recommend a good budget sub to go with my monitor 4's? I haven't been able to try them out extensively because my record player is broken at the moment, but i've heard that they are not too good in the bass department.

skrol

The PSW10 is decent for the price but not spectacular. New Egg has them for $150 and I have seen them used for $100. I had my Monitor 5As sounding pretty well with the PSW10. The Monitor 4s probably extend down low enough to blend well also.

gdb

I have this Velodyne, not too shabby for the price.

http://reviews.pricegrabber.com/subwoofer-speakers/m/690869/st=product_page/sv=review/