The one that put Polk 'on the map'...

[B3Nut]

If they're the version with the Peerless, grab 'em. I was kicking back with my 7B's last night, chilling with a little Mark Knopfler before bed. Always a good buy, and they have good resale if you decide they're not a match for you. Everyone should try a pair at least once though...

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

 

[mhardy6647]

I've been happy with my 7A's since I bought 'em in 1978. So, yes, you should buy them (IMNSHO, of course)

 

[joelll]

Does anyone know when Polk first released the called "Monitor 12", later called "RTA-12"?

They had one Peerless tweeter, two of the midranges, and a flat 12" passive radiator. (There was also a later, different speaker called Monitor 12).

 

[Jack Keck]

I had a pair of 7 cs that I got on 1979 that I recently gave ot a friend. I was considering either the 12s or 10s, but the salesman talked me down. He said I'd do better to put the money into a better turntable, and sold me a Rega P2.

didn't the 12s have four of the mid-wooers and the tweeter mounted on top in some primitive typpe of time alignment? Thesse were the first Polks I had seen without stands that tilted them back.

 

[mhardy6647]

time aligned was the 12, but only two of the mid-woofers and a flat-foam faced 12" PR in a pretty big box. The tweeter and XO were mounted on the top, set back from the front face. There are photos of many early Polks to be found on the Vintage forum at www.polkaudio.com

EDIT: A nice photo from someone, courtesy o' Google:

 

[merrylander]

When this thread first started I see I was driving my sevens with a CR-1020, times have changed now it is a CR-2020. I have a switch box just inside the glass doors of the rack so that when we play DVDs the picture is on the TV but the sound is all Yamaha and Polk - it can get loud. We have some DVDs of Andrea Boccelli and also Sarah Brightman - simply bloody marvelous.

There was a pair of SRAs going locally and the bidding did not get too high, but I simply do not have the space to put them in the Family Room. Even though the master bedroom is 18 x 19 they would probably have overwhelmed the room. Hmm, has anyone ever been underwhelmed? English she is a funny language.

Rob

 

[bigphil]

Man... I think I *just* missed them.... told the guy I was a guaranteed sale, but he said he's had lots of callers/messages for them... so chances are slim that I'll get them after all... too bad I was really looking forward to hearing the passive woofer.

 

[rallycat]

Phil

Don't worry, some more will show up. I saw a pair at Amvets a few months ago, decided to check here first, & when I went back there was only one. Wasn't about to buy another orphan... At the time I only had personal experience with a pair of Polk micro-bookshelf speakers.

Yesterday at Amvets, what do I see but another pair of 7Bs - checked to make sure I could get some noise out of them & bought 'em. Apologies to mrhardy, but I like the rosewood vinyl wrap better than the gloomy black. Since it's pretty scratched up though, it's likely to get redone anyway.

What I find impressive about Polk is that they still sell parts for a 25+yr old speaker. All the drivers and even a grill - if one from a 7C fits a 7B.

 

[mlhm5]

I think Polk was economizing, this sheet that came with my 7s says the bass radiator is 8 inches.

Here is a page from the Polk Audio site


Series 2 Monitor 7

 

[B3Nut]

The original Monitor 7 had an 8" passive. IIRC it didn't stay that way for long, it changed pretty early on to a 10".

Russman I think knows the total history on the 7 and 10...

TP

 

[DKak]

Polk locations and Model Nine

1205 South Carey Street is the earliest known addy I have. Wethersville could have been Matt's garage? If so, you can't get much earlier than that - unless you have his old dorm addy.

The Wetheredsville Rd location wasn't the garage. It was the location prior to South Carey St. It's in the Wetheredsville / Dickeyville area, just east of Woodlawn. The building was quite old and didn't heat well in the winter. But it had a lot of character and sure felt like being out in the woods even though it was in the city - it was surrounded by trees. Very scenic.

A few years after Polk moved out, an ex-Polk person (Melvin Hecht) ran his custom electric guitar company, KT Instruments, from the Dickeyville location. Great guitars if you can find 'em.

From Dickeyville, Polk moved to Carey Street, then Annapolis Road and finally to the current location they built on Metro Drive -- not all that far from the Dickeyville location!

I don't recall the location(s) before Wetheredsville Rd.

In another post, someone mentioned the Model Nine. It used a Motorola piezo tweeter. The Nine had drivers on the front and back, kind of an early di-polar design, according to the info sheet. It used a passive radiator, too, so that indicates the drivers were probably all in phase, so it may really have been a bi-polar design. Info attached for you Polk history buffs.

There was another speaker made after the PA stuff but before the 9. I believe it was contracted by one of the DC area retailers for their own product. I definitely do not recall a name and never saw one -- just heard about it.

Enjoy! I'll keep digging for other old info.

DKak

 

[mhardy6647]

Thanks for the Polk info. I remember the Model 9's in the Rathskellar at JHU (Matt's alma mater, as well as mine) quite well... from three decades ago :-(

 

[Hoser Rob]

Ah, nostalgia

Now I'm getting nostalgic ... the first decent speakers I owned were Monitor 10s, bought sometime in the late 70's. I think that was the one that started to give them real credibility. Used them with a Connoisseur BD2A and a NAD 3020.

I wouldn't trade my Paradigms for 'em now though. No way.