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Polk 10B thrift find: Which tweeters and impedance?

J

jbpollock

Well-Known Member
The lightning today took out our cable modem and while I was out at the Comcast store I stopped by a thrift store where I picked these up for a good price. Can anyone tell me which tweeter this is and what the nominal impedance is? I have them in the living room running on my Fisher tube amp in place of the Aristocrats and I want to make sure that I have them hooked up to the right output.

 
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Impedance is 6 ohms for most (all?) of the 10s, and looks like you got the best tweeter, the Peerless.

MHardy, who is the closest thing we got to a "Polk Expert" (scary:yes:) should be able to verify.
 
Here's an original version of the Polk Model 10 with the Peerless. This one lacks the slightly later, Polk modified version of the Peerless with the center hole.

P1020559.jpg


Here's a closeup of one of my 1978 Monitor 7A's with the Peerless with the center hole.

7Atweetwoofsn4900.jpg


Here's a Polk Monitor 5(B?), recently given to me by Paul, with the somewhat infamous SL2000 tweeter. It's definitely a bit bright, but not as bad as some of the Polk Folk implore.

Monitor5.jpg
 
Ahh, here's the sine qua non of info on the original "Monitor Series" Polk tweeters from the SL1000 on:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25377

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/service/models/modelpartslist.php3?model=monitor

EDIT: Through the magic of the interweb, I've 'borrowed' photos from the above-mentioned thread, in case they're not visible to nonregistered folks at the Polk Forums.
From left to right: The SL1000, the "Peerless replacement for the SL1000" (which looks to be a standard-issue Peerless, perhaps quite a bit newer than the ones in my 10 and 7A in the previous post), then the SL2000, and finally the SL2500.
 

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Finally, there's an improved replacement for the SL2000 which is supposed to be pretty good (tho' not as mellifluous as the original Peerless silk dome) called the RD0194.

Here, again courtesy of the Polk Forum, is a pair of Monitor 10B's with the improved, retrofit tweeters:
 

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Close up they do look just like the SL1000's in the link, with the clear dome.
Thanks for all of the great input!

I have been listening to these since my first post and they sound great and work perfectly. They are VERY detailed in the mid to upper octaves. Its a very different sound than what i have become used to with my EV horns and AR-5's (although they both have adjustments for midrange and treble that I rarely turn up past 50%)

The only concern i have with them in the living room is that with classical lp's I am not sure that my little tube amp gives them the power they deserve without me worrying about working it too hard. This is the same reason the AR's stay in the office with the more powerful solid state amp. The tube amp is plenty powerful with rock cd's though.
 
Paul made the mistake of calling me "expert" -- flattery will get you everwhere :-)


EDIT: The 10's are actually fairly efficient but to my ear a bit "phat"/tubby sounding. They benefit from a diet of tightly damped LF; you might well be happier with an SS amp with those. They sound mighty fine with Yamaha gear of similar vintage (e.g., a CA-800 amp).

BTW, I got my Model 10's from fine, upstanding AK member JoZmo earlier this summer. I was remiss not to mention that!
 
I concur. Great speakers. I have a pair of the Monitor 10B's (SL-2000 tweeter), a pair of SDA-1C's (with 4 RD0-194's) and the bigger SDA SRS2's (also with the RD0's). The newer tweeters take care of a bad 5dB peak around 14kHz that some people don't mind, others do. They can get a little screechy on some music and the RD0's do a great job of smoothing that out.

I run the Monitor 10B's typically on a Pioneer SX-750 or 890 or a modified RCA console tube amp teamed with a Carver Preamp/Tuner. The SDA's get the Carver M-1.0t's on them and do a phenomenal job. All of these speakers have had their crossovers upgraded to Solen PB series caps, Mills resistors, and new binding posts.
 
Good find. I have a pair of Monitor 7's Series 2. I replaced the SL2500's (blown when I got them) with the SL1000 with the little hole, they sound amazing on my CR-840 Yammie
 
All these Yamaha reccomendations make me wish I didn't have to sell my CR-2040 when I moved to TX. I currently only have 2 amplifiers to choose from. The Fisher in the living room (24 or so WPC) and the Luxman in the office (55 WPC). Maybe its time to indulge in another amp.
 
You could always grab a Yammie 810 for around $100.

A great match, my Polk 7s sound great paired with the 810 I have.
 
...The Fisher in the living room (24 or so WPC) and the Luxman in the office (55 WPC). Maybe its time to indulge in another amp.
Click to expand...
If it's a vintage Luxman, it ought to be a pretty good choice.
 
Its actually an early 90's Luxman R-351. I think it was the last line of receivers before they pulled out of the states. I actually like it quite a bit though. It would be underpowered with my AR's in a large space, but is fine in a small room like my office.

Not sure what will become of the Polks at this point. I listened to them all last night and some this morning over coffee and like them quite a bit. But they are not as good of a matchup with the tube amp as the EV's and are too big for the office.

If only I was in a house and had some extra rooms.........

Edit: I just tried these with my Luxman and I guess I am going to have to find somewhere to keep them :o) Great imaging and more open sounding. I am starting to "get" why these have so many fans.
 
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