Originally Posted by
67jason 
After seeing several "whats the difference" posts between the New Monitors and the Series ii Monitors, I thought I would do my best to do a comparison between the New Monitors and the Series ii Monitors. I did my best to find the features and specs for both series'. I did not include any crossover information (save for the crossover note under the 70/75T section) because I could not find any crossover specs published for the New Monitors. Other then the tweeter being relocated to be above the mid drivers on the New Monitors, the biggest change is the "ugly" grill on the New Monitors and the fact that the New Monitor bookshelf models no longer feature dual 5 way binding posts, they only have one set of binding posts. Almost all specs between the two series' are identical. There is a slight frequency response difference between the Monitor 60 and 65T which may suggest there may be "more to it" then whats on the surface. However the spec difference is really minor so it just could be a misprint on Polks website. There is also some interesting wording on the Polk site regarding the feet on the New Monitors (self leveling and adjustable?). I suspect it is just more "marketing speak" because honestly I cannot tell a difference between the two series' feet by looking at pictures.
Monitor 30 Series ii:
New Monitor 35B:
Differences:
Tweeter relocated above the mid woofer on the 35B model.
Monitor 30 Series ii has dual 5 way binding posts for bi-amping/bi-wiring. Monitor 35B does not.
What they have in common:
They both use the same 1” Dynamic Balance silk dome tweeter and same 5 1/4" mid range Dynamic Balance Bi-laminate composite cone driver.
Same Frequency range: 55HZ-25kHz
Same Upper -3dB Limit 24KHz
Same Lower -3dB Limit 63Hz
Recommended Amplifier Power 20-100 watts per channel
Both are 8 ohm 89dB efficient speakers.
Both have the exact same dimensions and weight and both utilize the rear key hole mounting hook.
Monitor 40 Series ii:
New Monitor 45B:
Differences:
Tweeter relocated above the dual mid woofers on the 45B model. This also causes the two mid drivers to be much closer together
Monitor 40 Series ii has dual 5 way binding posts for bi-amping/bi-wiring. Monitor 45B does not.
What they have in common:
They both use the same 1” Dynamic Balance silk dome tweeter and same 5 1/4" mid range Dynamic Balance Bi-laminate composite cone drivers.
Same Frequency range: 47Hz-25kHz
Same Upper -3dB Limit 24 kHz
Same Lower -3dB Limit 57 Hz
Recommended Amplifier Power 20-125 watts per channel
Both are 8 ohm 89dB efficient speakers.
Both have the exact same dimensions and weight.
Monitor 50 Series ii:
New Monitor 55T:
Differences:
Tweeter relocated above the mid woofer on the 55T model.
**I also noticed a little verbage on Polks website regarding the feet on the New Monitor Series tower speakers, it reads: " Adjustable Footing: Floor-standing Monitor Series models feature fat non-skid leveling feet or carpet spikes, for stability on any type of floor. More stability equals more efficiency; less energy wasted, and better performance." I cannot tell from the pics of the New Monitors if they do indeed have adjustable leveling feet or optional carpet spikes or if this is just marketing speak. I do suspect it is just marketing speak, but will need an owner of one of the New Monitor towers to confirm. Looking at the pics it seems to my eyes the feet on the New Monitor towers look just like the Monitor Series ii feet.
What they have in common:
They both use the same 1” Dynamic Balance silk dome tweeter and same 5 1/4" mid range Dynamic Balance Bi-laminate composite cone drivers.
Same Frequency range: 42Hz-25kHz
Same Upper -3dB Limit 24 kHz
Same Lower -3dB Limit 52Hz
Recommended Amplifier Power 20-150 watts per channel
Both are 8 ohm 89dB efficient speakers.
Both have the exact same dimensions and weight.
Both feature dual 5 way binding posts.
Monitor 60 Series ii:
New Monitor 65T:
Differences:
Tweeter relocated above the mid woofer on the 65T model.
Frequency response Monitor 60 series ii: 38Hz-25kHz
Frequency response New Monitor 65T: 35Hz-25kHz
**I also noticed a little verbage on Polks website regarding the feet on the New Monitor Series tower speakers, it reads: " Adjustable Footing: Floor-standing Monitor Series models feature fat non-skid leveling feet or carpet spikes, for stability on any type of floor. More stability equals more efficiency; less energy wasted, and better performance." I cannot tell from the pics of the New Monitors if they do indeed have adjustable leveling feet or optional carpet spikes or if this is just marketing speak. I do suspect it is just marketing speak, but will need an owner of one of the New Monitor towers to confirm. Looking at the pics it seems to my eyes the feet on the New Monitor towers look just like the Monitor Series ii feet.
What they have in common:
They both use the same 1” Dynamic Balance silk dome tweeter and same 5 1/4" mid range Dynamic Balance Bi-laminate composite cone drivers.
Same Upper -3dB Limit 24 kHz
Same Lower -3dB Limit 48 Hz
Recommended Amplifier Power 20-200 watts per channel
Both are 8 ohm 90dB efficient speakers.
Both have the exact same dimensions and weight.
Both feature dual 5 way binding posts.
Monitor 70 Series ii:
New Monitor 75T
Differences:
Tweeter relocated above the mid woofer on the 75T model.
**I also noticed a little verbiage on Polks website regarding the feet on the New Monitor Series tower speakers, it reads: " Adjustable Footing: Floor-standing Monitor Series models feature fat non-skid leveling feet or carpet spikes, for stability on any type of floor. More stability equals more efficiency; less energy wasted, and better performance." I cannot tell from the pics of the New Monitors if they do indeed have adjustable leveling feet or optional carpet spikes or if this is just marketing speak. I do suspect it is just marketing speak, but will need an owner of one of the New Monitor towers to confirm. Looking at the pics it seems to my eyes the feet on the New Monitor towers look just like the Monitor Series ii feet.
**Crossover note:
The specs listed on newegg.com for the 75T's say that they are a 4 way speaker (I suspect this is wrong... the egg is listing the 75Ts as also using the smaller 5 1/4"' mid drivers which is wrong for the 75T's). According to Polk the 70's feature a "Cascade Tapered Array (2-1/2-way) design. Both drivers play bass frequencies but only one driver (the upper one) plays upper-midrange frequencies."
Polk doesn't list any special crossover feature for the 75T's. Perhaps a significant crossover redesign between the two or perhaps just more "marketing speak". If there is a significant crossover redesign then there could be a noticeable difference in sound between the two towers. Can anyone confirm?
What they have in common:
They both use the same 1” Dynamic Balance silk dome tweeter and same6 1/2" mid range Dynamic Balance Bi-laminate composite cone drivers.
Same Frequency range: 30Hz-25kHz
Same Upper -3dB Limit 24 kHz
Same Lower -3dB Limit 40Hz
Recommended Amplifier Power 20-275 watts per channel
Both are 8 ohm 90dB efficient speakers.
Both have the exact same dimensions and weight.
Both feature dual 5 way binding posts.
(I will add the center speakers to this post in a day or two)
.....
