Polk Audio 10 User manual

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Model tO Studio Monitor System
Instruction Manual
IMPORTANT: Please read instructions completely
before proceeding.

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Congratulations on your purchase of the Polk
Audio Model 10 Studio Monitor System . Careful
design , frequent and critical testing , and use of
only the f'mest materials and components in s ure
prolonged physical integrity and troubl e free
operation. To realize the full potential of this extra-
ordinary loudspeaker system, please read and
follow all instructions carefu lly.
If you have any questi o ns or comments please ,
do not he sitate to call us directly or contact your
neare st Polk Audio dealer.
General Description
T he Polk Audio Model 10 Studio Monitor is a sop hi st i cate d three -way
loudspeaker system which achi eves unu sually high performance in a
mode ra te ly-priced, full-si ze book shelf format. The two year development"
program which pr oduced the Modcl lOhas as its major objectives ( 1) ope n,
boxless,
three - dimensional sound ; (2) smoo th , accurat e frequency respon se
across the mu sically relevant audio bandwidth; (3) co nsistently excellent
transient response not just in one or two ranges , but excellen tl y match ed
ac r oss th e tota l bandwidth (30 - 20 , 000 Hz); ( 4) nearly perfect hemispheri ca l
dispersion;
(5) stab le ste r eo and quad r aphonic imaging; (6) efficiency s uffi -
ci
ent to allow u se with virtually any high fi delity amplificati on; and ( 7)
reason abl e size to permit bookshelf mounting if de s ir ed.
Th e Mode l10utilizes a wide-dispersi on one -inch so ft dome high-frequenc y
u
nit , two six and a half inch upp er bass-mi drange units , and a ten in ch low
resonance s ub -bass rad i ator . Th e electrical cr ossover network used b etween
th e upper bass-midrange units and the do me tweete r ach ieves complemen -
tar y 12
dB/octav e s lopes wi th the use of tremendous air- co re coils and
precision capacitors and resistors. Th e acoustical cr ossover at 60 Hzfro m the
upper bassdrivers to the s ub -bass radiatorrai ses efficienc y, re duces disto rtion,
and ex t ends l ow - frequency response . Cl ean u sa ble r esponse is achi eved
down to the in-cabi net resonance of the sub-bass radiator (app r ox imatel y 22
li z).
Specifications:
Nominal
Impedance - 6 ohms
Frequency Response - 22 Hz-25, 000 l iz
Re c ommended Associated Amplification -10-200 watts per c hann el

Inspecting For Shipping Damage:
When you unpack your ModellO, inspect it for shipping damage. Each unit
leaves
our plant after thorough inspection and in perfect condition. There-
fore, any visible or concealed damage must of necessity have occurred in
handling after it left the plant. If you obtained delivery of the speaker directly
from a
Po lk Audio dealer, it sho uld be returned to him for i nspect ion. If you
received your speakers via publi c transportation, rep ort the damage at once
to the shi pping company and foll ow the directions for retu rning the sys tem to
the factory.
Connecting Th e Sp eakers To Your Amplifier or Receiver
Proper phasing of the speakers is essential if yo u are to realize the full
potential of your system. Note that one of th e terminals on the bottom of yo ur
speake r is colored red (+)and one is black ( - ). Make ce rtain that
you con nect the red ( +) termina l to the 8 ohm terminal on yo ur amplifier,
and the negative (-)terminal to the negati ve or ground (common) te rmina l
on your amplifier. It is essent i al th at bot h speake rs be connected in the same
manner, that is, in phase. If you notice a great loss of l ow frequency (bass)
so und fr om your system, it is quite likely that yo ur speakers are out of phase.
We recommend thilt you minimally usc #16 gauge lampcord, to con n ect
the speakers to your amplifier. This will ensure that the full power and
damping capabilities of yo ur amplifierwill be available to the speakers. Use of
lighter than #I6 gauge line , such as the thin clear coated line often sold as
speake r h ooku p wire , will result in line losses and an attendant drop in
performance.
For the best performance we recommend the u se of special speaker cables
particularly
those of the low -i nd u ctance transmission line type s uch as Polk
Audio SoundCables.
Take special
care to ensure a cl ea n, positive connection between the
speaker cabl es and the terminals on both the speakers and your amplifier.
When connecting the cables, first twist the loose copper stra nd s into a st iff
wire, th
en wrap it clockwi se around the terminal post , then tighten the screw,
making s ur e the connections are not s horted against one anot her .
Room Placement:
The decision on where to place the speake rs is a matter of personal
preference aswell asa matter of acou st ics. Although the Model 10 is unusually
free
of room dependent acoustical effects, proper po sitioning of the speake rs
will, nevert heless, enhance th eir performance.
The best three dimensional imagery will be obtained with the speake rs
placed far from the walls and corne rs. However, bass response will be
increased by placement against or nearer the back wall. Th e PolkStand I's or
II 's s hou ld be used whenever possible to elevate the speakers to the opt i mum
height. In addit ion, in most cases imagingwill be optimized by mounting the
s peak ers vertically. S peaker s usually will perform b est when oriented so that (
the listener faces the long wall of the room. Corner placement s hould be
avoided.

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Listening positi on is not particularly criti ca l. However, as w ith any fine
loudspeaker,
th e re will be one po siti on that will offer th e b es t stereo im age
and re p rod uction. With th e speakers ai med dir ec tly at the li stene r, this
position will be 8 to 14f
eet from the speakers, with the spea ke rs separated by
at least 6
to 8 feet.
Listening Levels and Amplifier Power:
The Model 10 is a highly efficient system and will easily achieve high
listening levels
with moderate amounts of power. H owever it will perform
best with the reser ve of power offered by large amplifiers so long as this
power is not abused.
When p roperly set up, the Model 10 will ha nd le th e ou tpu t of large
amplifiers on pr ogram material. However th e greatest chance of damage to
any speaker occurs whe n the amplifier, regardless of size, is over driven
Generally this
occurs only wit h sma ll or moderate p owered amp lifiers. Su r-
prisingly, the po ssibility of damage is usually gr eate r with sma ll amp li fiers than
with large ones.
In most cases when audible distortion is heard at high levels it is
caused by the overdriven amplifier a nd not by the speaker. It is
absolutely critical to understand that regardless of amplifier size or
speaker power rating, when you turn the vo lu me contr ol past the
point where distortion becomes audib le you are risking damage to
both the spea ke r and amplifier .
A
blown tweeter fuse is u sua lly a symptom of an overdriven
amp l ifier. Do not under any circumstances replace the tweeter fuse
with one of a larger value .
A
large amp able to deliver more clean power will enable the
speakers to go louder without blowing the fuse .
To see how this may happen, cons i de r that th e ampli fie r is a device wh i ch
a llow s a con tr olled amount of power to flow from the AC wall outlet to the
speaker. If the volume control isadvanced too far th e amp may lose contro l of
the flow and dump mwch of the power of th e AC outlet into yo ur loudspeaker.
The power rating of an amplifieris a measure of how much cl ea n power it will
safely produce. However, many amplifiers are able to pr od uce distorted
power several times greater than their rated power.
Troubleshooting Chart:
Pr oblem
1. No so und from speaker
So lut i on
1a . Ch eck rear connections a nd
amplifier connections.

2. No high frequency output
3. Bottomingof drivers
(clacking) or excessive
cone motion.
4. Unnatural bass emphasis
5. Howling
occurs at high volumes
(Acoustic Feedback)
6. Breakup or distortion on forceful
recordings (especially h orns,
female vocals, piano , etc.)
7. Distortion at very high
listeninglevels.
8. High
frequency fuse
blows repeatedly.
2a.
Check fuse in rear. It should be 1
amp fast-blo. If probl em persists re -
turn only the unit to your dealer for
service .
a. Make certain that loudness-contour
is off.
3b. Check for warped record.
3c. Use low frequency filter on amp
or preamp.
3d. Increase tracking force or effec-
tive mass of tonearm.
3e. Use
sturdier mounting for
turntable.
4a. Placespeakersfarther
from walls
or corners.
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4b. Use PolkStands to elevate
speake rs.
4c.
Reduce bass contro l on amp.
4d. Make
certain loudness-contour
is off.
5a. Place turntable farther
from
speakers.
5b.
Sturdier mounting for turntable.
(see also 4a, b, c, and d)
6a. If this occurs at all listeni ng levels,
check the stylus carefully for dirt. If
problem persists, increase tracking
force. For
best results, tracking force
should be set at the maximum re -
commended for that cartridge. Be
sure to use seve ral different records
when checking cartridge set-up.
7a. Listen at
lower levels.
7b . Purchasea larger amplifier.
8a. Amplifier
too small for li stening
level (see section on "Ustening Levels
and Amplifier Power. ") reduce
vol um e setting.
8b. Fuse
should be 1 amp fast-blo.
REPLACEMENT WITH
ANY OTHER
SI
ZE FUSE VOIDS WARRANTY
8c. Ha:e amplifier checked for pro17
operatton . \_

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Technical Assistance:
It is our pleasure to offer the assistance of our technical staffany time you
have a question or observation. Even if you r question has nothing to do with
loudspeakers we will be happy to help yo u with any aspect of your system
set-up . Call your local Polk Audio dealer or call us directly.
Service:
If forany reason you wish to have service work pe r formed on your speake r,
you
may either contact yo ur nearest authorized Po lk Audio dealer or return it
to the factory.
If you wish to r et urn your Model 10 to the factory for se rvi cing , please write
first describing your problem and req u esting pe rmission to return your
speake r. You will receive a prompt repl y by mail instructing you fully as to
how this is to be done. Our address is:
P olk Audio, Inc.
Warranty Service
1915 Annapolis Rd.
Baltimore, Md.
21230
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Each Model 10 Lo udsp ea k er is warranted to the original pu rc h aser to be
free
from defects in materia ls or workmans hip for a pe riod of 5 years from the
date of p ur chase.
D
efect i ve un it s must be s hip ped pr epaid insured to an Authorized Warranty
Service Sta ti on or to th e fa ctory. In most cases th e dealer from wh om yo u
purchased yo ur speake rs is an A uth orized Warranty Service St atio n and is
set -up to do the repairs. If upon exa m ina tion at th e factory or Auth or i zed
Warran ty Service Station it is determined that the unit was defec ti ve in
mate ri als or wo r kmans hip , the Au thori zed Warranty Service Stat ion or Polk
Audio will, at its discretion , r epair or replace the uni t at no cost to th e
cons u mer and return it via pr epaid freigh t.
· rhis warra nt y does not cover damage due to commercia l use, or voltage
inputs in excess of the rat ed maximum of th e unit, or other a bu se. It will be
vo id if u nauthorized se rvi ce has b een done on the unit or if the serial number
ta g is removed or defaced.
Th is warranty is in li eu of all other wa rr anties, ex pr essed or imp li ed.

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~ ® 1915 Annapolis Rd., Balto., Md. 21 230