Monitor 10B's

[wesley1959]

Hello Group. I am going to be the proud owner of my very first pair of Polk speakers tomorrow so I wanted to know some general information. I met a very nice lady that has a pair of Polk Monitor 10B's with stands for sale. She hasnt used them much the entire time she has had them since they were new. She got married 3 years after the purchase and has stored them in her attic ever since. I listened to them last night and WOW was I impressed with what I heard. I have a vintage Sansui 6060 thats in excellent cond that I want to mate these with. So here is the question, Will these speakers be ok with this receiver? Is $70.00 a decent price to pay, They honestly look BRAND NEW! There isnt a nick or scratch anywhere on them. Does anything need to be checked out before I CRANK them up on my system?
Anywho thanks in advance for helping a newbie.

[danger boy]

$70 is a very good price for near mint condition Monitor 10B's. with stands.. that's really very good wesley1959.

I'm not familiar with your vintage Sansui 6060 receiver. it's a good place to begin. but you may want to add an external amp to your receiver if it's even possible.. to look on Ebay or Audiogon for newer used gear. and those babies will really rock your casa nicely.

Good luck and welcome to CluB Polk.

What part of the country do you live? We have club members all over the place... ;)

[BlueMDPicker]

Welcome to the forum!

Grab the speakers immediately, we can talk power later. ;)

[wesley1959]

I live in the Raleigh NC area. Thanks for your reply. So do you think I should have these looked at before I let em rock since they sound so well right now. This lady is in her late 50's and she told me she never let em hang out so to speak so I am sure they have never been pushed at all. I cant wait to listen to some good old "Baby Love" by Mothers Finest ! What are these worth too? I think I am really getting a great deal too but I havent seen anywhere where they list what they are worth today.
Happy New Year
Wes

Almost forgot is there anything I need to do to them, other than wrapping them and other packing issues, since I am moving them about 30 miles in my truck?

[BlueMDPicker]

If they sound good, just buy them. You can visually inspect the rubber surrounds on the drivers for damage or deterioration, and check them for mechanical function by gently pushing in on the passive radiator and listening for any scratching noise. Blown tweeters are pretty easy to hear.

With original stands, and in the condition you describe, they're worth between 3 and 4 times what you're paying, IMO.

[wesley1959]

If they sound good, just buy them. You can visually inspect the rubber surrounds on the drivers for damage or deterioration, and check them for mechanical function by gently pushing in on the passive radiator and listening for any scratching noise. Blown tweeters are pretty easy to hear.

With original stands, and in the condition you describe, they're worth between 3 and 4 times what you're paying, IMO.

I will get them in the morning and try what you describe. Man I cant wait to listen to real music again. Thanks guys! Will let you know how they sound in the AM!
Happy New Year,
Wes

[nadams]

Lay them on their backs for transport. It will limit the possibility for damage to the drivers.

By the way, the Sansui 6060 is a 40wpc receiver from the late 70's. It will probably be adequate to drive the 10's to resonable levels, but watch your tweeters at higher volumes... they're going to be more prone to blowing with lower wattages. But the Sansui should be more "true" watts than you get these days...

I loved my monitor 10's, and only sold them to get a pair of SDA's...

[Polkersince85]

You better grab those before she finds out what they are worth. If the drivers look good, they probably are still ok. Wrap em in a blanket and let them ride home in the shotgun seat. Welcome to Polk.

[BobMcG]

Welcome to CP.

Nice find on the 10s but you better grab 'em now 'cause I'm searching for her phone# now to let her know just how bad a deal it is for her.












:D

[outlander]

Wesley,
I own three pairs of 10B’s and I love’em. IMO you can spend $2000 plus on new speakers and still not match the sound you get from the 10B’s. So ya, $70 is a good price. Welcome aboard!
O

[wesley1959]

LOLL @ BobMcG ! I didnt know I was getting such a great deal. I am EXCITED about getting them and I will make sure I wrap then and lay them on thier backs for the trip home. Should I use a wire to connect the + and - terminals like I have read elsewhere?
Thanks guys I love this place already
Wes

[rskarvan]

Wesley, yes... you are getting an exceptionally good deal. Those original tilted Polk stands are becoming increasingly rare too. They help the sound projection of the Monitor 10's immensely. Many people would pay $70 for just the stands (without the speakers). The Monitor 10's sound wonderful. Enjoy ! ! !

[halo]

Should I use a wire to connect the + and - terminals like I have read elsewhere?
Wes

That doesn't work with these drivers. You want to avoid any sharp blows to the speaker cabinets. Handle them carefully and you should be fine. The blanket is also a good idea. Welcome to the club! :)

[goldcrown4]

Wesley1959... just so you're aware, and others would agree, the monitor 10's have been written up in audio magazines as "... one of the world's best sounding loudspeakers" (I wish I still had a copy of that magazine ariticle.) despite their relatively inexpensive price... especially the price you got yours at.

Regarding the comments about the "amplifier":

I've had my Monitor 10B's since 1986. I have destroyed the wonderfully sounding silver coil domes on more than one occasion (thanks to Blue Oyster Cult's, "Take me away" and Mannheim Steamroller's "Taccata" (Fresh Airre III). The reason for this sad destruction is simply unclean power and perhaps pushing them a bit more than I should have. What I have long come to find out is there are certain "marriages" in audio... especially of that vintage for some reason.

For example, Carver amps and Infinity speakers seemed to be well matched for each other, as were teams of Adcom and JBL products. What I and many others have figured out is perhaps the best overall sound-for-the-buck you can get happens to also be a musically blessed marriage of NAD and Polk. (I used to use Proton receivers which were an excellent partnership as well.) NAD products are well designed, some have soft clipping features that are helpful, but the warmth is undeniable. Treat yourself to your choice of music types, and the Polk's mated with NAD will truly invoke an emotional response.... positive one's of course. Whether it's soft background music, or gut thumping hard rock, the Polk's will sound good at low or loud volumes. You will always use the Monitor 10's as a reference for other speakers to compare to.

Enjoy... Immensely!

[wesley1959]

I got the 10B's today and I am running them thru a Sansui 6060 that I got with them. WOW is all I have to say. I havent heard music like this since I was in my teens over at my cousins house. He had a Pioneer mated with Advents that would and did blow out one of his windows in his room. ( His mom almost killed him ) Anyway I missed out on the Dual turntable as she let her brother have it. Oh well I will find one soon, as for now I am playing some CD's thru the Aux on the receiver. Man what sound. About the only thing thats missing is smoking some wacky tobacky but those days are long over LOL! I have been jamming to some Mothers Finest, Zepplin and Bad Company and I am in HEAVEN. The wife asked me a few minutes ago if I were deaf yet. Its so clear that it doesnt seem loud like todays speakers sound. They are crystal clear. Oh Man what a day for me. Thanks for all the replies guys. When I get everything setup with the turntable and other things I will post pics of my 70's room.
Later Dudes !!!
Wes

[danger boy]

very groovy Wes.....

enjoy. nice snag on the 10B's.

[nadams]

glad to hear you're happy with them. Make sure to post some pics :D

[joelll]

I know I'm jumping in late, but a Sansui 6060 should be a great match for the Monitor 10s; something seems to work right with the Sansui house sound and old Polk Monitors. I'm running my RTA-12's (big brothers to the M10's, they were also called Monitor 12's in some literature) with a Sansui Eight receiver, and they sound fabulous.

I try not to mention competing forums in posts, so if you'd like a pointer to a friendly and active Sansui forum, send me a PM and I'll get it to you.

Enjoy!

[wesley1959]

Well guys I got them home and was running them thru the Sansui when I had the opportunity to get a Pioneer SX-1050 for free last saturday. So I went and picked it up. I cleaned all the switches/pots etc also checking the DC Offset BEFORE I plugged it up and connected my Polks. When I turned it on WOW ! Much better sound and I didnt think that would be possible. These things can really pound out the lows! My son ( 19 years old ) was here and wanted to hear some music with alot of base so I let him play something that had alot of lows and he was like " DAYAM Dad, You have the best sounding system I have ever heard " So I think I will now stick to the Pioneer SX-1050 and my Polks until I get that SX-1250 I have been looking at.
Here are some pics:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/wesley.../ph//my_photos

Have a good one guys.
Wes

[danger boy]

Well guys I got them home and was running them thru the Sansui when I had the opportunity to get a Pioneer SX-1050 for free last saturday. So I went and picked it up. I cleaned all the switches/pots etc also checking the DC Offset BEFORE I plugged it up and connected my Polks. When I turned it on WOW ! Much better sound and I didnt think that would be possible. These things can really pound out the lows! My son ( 19 years old ) was here and wanted to hear some music with alot of base so I let him play something that had alot of lows and he was like " DAYAM Dad, You have the best sounding system I have ever heard " So I think I will now stick to the Pioneer SX-1050 and my Polks until I get that SX-1250 I have been looking at.
Here are some pics:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/wesley.../ph//my_photos

Have a good one guys.
Wes

There's a reason why vintage silver faced Pioneer stereo gear has a big following.. and now i think you've found it.. and know why too. :p

congrats on your 10's and the freebie Pioneer. Nice combo. :D

[nesticle]

How many watts is the 1050? My SX-650 is 35wpc rms and it can pound out the tunes quite competently, so I cant imagine what a 1050 sounds like!

[nadams]

The 1050 is a beast at 120wpc, RMS - http://www.classic-audio.com/pioneer/sx1050.html

That receiver will last you until it dries up and turns to dust. Very solid units, the old SX series. My SX450 is only 15wpc, and it used to drive my Monitor 10's. Not to very high volumes, but it would do it.

NICE score on that 1050... you must have some good karma built up to get all these deals...

[nesticle]

Holy crap that thing is a BEAST!!! Excellent find man!!! I hope one day I can find a Pioneer amp like that for a good price.

[joelll]

Another good site for classic Pioneer (and yes, I want a 1250/1280/1980 someday... and a SPEC 1/SPEC 2 amplifier set, too...)

http://www.silverpioneer.netfirms.com/

[wesley1959]

Thanks guys, I am getting a SX-1250 soon. It needs the pots/switches cleaned and I may have to replace the caps but it will look new when I am finished. When all is said and done I will have around $250.00 in this beast and I will be very happy. I am putting that one in my den when its clean and ready. I will then be searching for some more Polks to go with it !
I wouldnt sell or trade either one for anything out there. Theres something special about those big silver aluminum faces looking at ya while the room is shaking and the windows are rattling.

[HBombToo]

This thread keeps getting better and better!!!

KEWL

HBomb