Polk Audio Monitor 7 version ID

[JamVal]

I'm totally unfamiliar with Polk Audio speakers and have come across one that only has the Polk Audio grill badge, no other identification.
The back speaker connector plastic plate shows the Polk Audio logo, serial number, fuse, but no model number that I could see. Not even sure if these are Monitor 7, but that's as close as I could find:

If they are Monitor 7, how to determine which version. Is this the Peerless tweeter or the SL2000?
Looks like this one has the 'pin hole' in the center of the tweeter dome, so I'm thinking Peerless on a Monitor 7b? Cabinet dimensions seem about right for the Monitor 7 - about 24" tall.
Thanks for any help.

 

[E.Auer]

Looks like the Peerless in my 5a's

Eric

 

[darkblue94]

They are Polk Audio Monitor 7's with the Peerless tweeter. Nice.

 

[mhardy6647]

Looks like a very late Monitor 7A or a very early Monitor 7B. How many fuses on the back panel (crossover cup)? Zero, one or two? I'm guessing one.
Earlier 7As had the 'super-Velcro' grille attachment points, and very early 7As had two fuses (tweeter & system fuses).

Polkmonitor7Asn4900 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Peerless soft dome tweeter indeed.

Nice loudspeakers.

 

[Tim D]

I'm totally unfamiliar with Polk Audio speakers and have come across one that only has the Polk Audio grill badge, no other identification.
The back speaker connector plastic plate shows the Polk Audio logo, serial number, fuse, but no model number that I could see. Not even sure if these are Monitor 7, but that's as close as I could find:
View attachment 1038199
If they are Monitor 7, how to determine which version. Is this the Peerless tweeter or the SL2000?
Looks like this one has the 'pin hole' in the center of the tweeter dome, so I'm thinking Peerless on a Monitor 7b? Cabinet dimensions seem about right for the Monitor 7 - about 24" tall.
Thanks for any help.

Peerless tweets. Looks just like my 7B’s. Usually there is a label on the back that tells 7A, 7B, etc.

Post 4 looks like an early set of 7A’s with the Velcro grill hold downs. The passive radiator on the A model has a deeper cone and a smaller weight on the center. I gave away a later set of 7A’s early this year. That set had the plastic nipples that hold down the grill instead of the Velcro. Mine also had one fuse on the back. Many early A models had two fuses.

 

[JamVal]

One fuse on the back of these. Not knowing what they were, I passed on them.
May go back in the morning and see if they are still there.
Something will have to go, if I get them. No room for more speakers.
I'm just curious as to how they will sound compared to my Pioneer CS-99A's.
Fairly large dead room 22 x 15, carpeted floor, upholstered furniture, ceiling to floor drapes on the windows.
I mainly listen to '60's-70's rock, Jazz, and Classical.

 

[mhardy6647]

Well, I've owned the Monitor 7As since 1978. I've never had, nor do I now have, a whit of interest in the CS-99As.
But, of course, de gustibus non est disputandum, so that may not help you at all.

 

[JamVal]

Well, I've owned the Monitor 7As since 1978. I've never had, nor do I now have, a whit of interest in the CS-99As.
But, of course, de gustibus non est disputandum, so that may not help you at all.

I know, I have to bite the bullet and have a listen in my room on my system, and then decide for myself.

 

[mhardy6647]

You'd be well advised to check if they're still available & then check the price. The other thing you need to check is the health of the "midwoofers" -- the glue that was used on the magnets tends to fail after a few decades; if the loudspeakers have been banged around too much, the magnets can shift, and the voicecoils will lock. If you press "in" on the passive radiator, the cone of the midwoofer should move "out". If the cabinet is still airtight, the 'relaxation' of the effect shouldn't be instantaneous.

Check the Polk Audio forums for more info.
EDIT: Here's one such discussion: http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/100863/sealed-cabinets

The Monitor 7 family was probably the single most popular entry to serious hifi in the mid-Atlantic in the second half of the 1970s. They provided a pretty good approximation of the "British monitor" sound (KEF, Rogers, Spendor, Chartwell, etc.) at a fraction of the cost. Smooth, sweet, clean, transparent, and just a pleasure to listen to. Dollar for dollar there was nothing in their day that would touch 'em (at least, as far as I was concerned).


Scan0013 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
(the catalog page above shows the original 7 with uncoated paper 8" PR rather than the 7A, which had a coated 10" paper PR)

whatmore by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
(that's a proper 7A!)

Polk's specs for the orginal 7 and 10 (FWIW):

origpolkmonitorspecs by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

 

[Tim D]

One fuse on the back of these. Not knowing what they were, I passed on them.
May go back in the morning and see if they are still there.
Something will have to go, if I get them. No room for more speakers.
I'm just curious as to how they will sound compared to my Pioneer CS-99A's.
Fairly large dead room 22 x 15, carpeted floor, upholstered furniture, ceiling to floor drapes on the windows.
I mainly listen to '60's-70's rock, Jazz, and Classical.

I'd say get em if the price is right - and it usually is - at the second-hand places. Some personal notes on the Polks I've had.
- Vinyl covering. This is about the only serious downside. Your pic seems to show a wood color that I'm not familiar with. I've had rosewood (red) and walnut (brown). The vinyl covering though seems to be good quality and seems to stand up well and is easier to clean than real wood veneer, so not a total downer.....
- Great sounding. Really, you can't go wrong with a properly functioning set. My listening tastes are about the same as yours. I can't comment on your ears or what you like in the sound, but for me they are terrific. I have 25 sets of speakers and there is only one set that I have that have bumped these to second in the herd. They don't have huge thump to them, but they have sufficient thump to reproduce almost anything you want to listen to satisfyingly (if that's a word).
- There is a huge following for these and the Polk website forums will fill you with joy and information. You can get some decent help here too.
- There are some mods for these and one of them is a "must do". That is to run a bead of epoxy around the magnets for the mid-drivers. Polk used a glue on the magnets that over time can give out and ruin the driver. This is an easy fix with JB Weld or some other such good quality glue/epoxy. There are other mods you can read about that are for cool upgrades, etc. Again the Polk website is full of info.
- You can still get parts/drivers for these even almost 40 years later.
- Because of all of the above they mostly hold their value. Still, for some unknown reason they are affordable. Someday the market will catch up because these are simply great speakers (my opinion).

As I said. I have 25 pairs, so I'm confused by you saying you have to make room. I'm just now hitting the WAF on how many I have. lol.

I'll be very interested to hear what you decide. Good luck!