Vintage Polk 10 b....2nd system, vinyl based...


Never owned a Polk product...but I am assemblying a budget, vinyl based sytem...would these fit the bill? Are they overly warm speakers with flabby bass or just the oppostie?
128x128phasecorrect
30 some years ago, I had a pair of Polk Monitor 10 driven by a Harmon Kardon 60 watt integrated. They needed more power to rock out, but 60 watts was good for moderate listening levels. I'm sure they'd sing with 200 watts. They were nice sounding speakers, but not remarkable in my opinion. The bass was a little shy, and imaging seemed somewhat boxy and two dimensional. A much more impressive speaker IMO from the same era was the Dahlquist DQ-10. Mate them with a good amp and I promise you'll have a grin on your face. They sound incredible. I see lots of them selling for $150-500.
I never thought they were overly warm. I enjoyed them very much, especially when you feed them good power.
I worked for Polk in the late 70's and helped to design the RTA12. I prefered the sound of the Model 7 to the model 10. It would not play as loud, but offered a more clear voice and balanced tone. The 10 could get boomy and the mid-bass a bit defocused. The RTA12 was a better choice over the 10 as a lot more went into the crossover design and a lot more testing to get it right.