Accuracy, bass, looks. Engineering wise, an excellent design and execution! Polk was a high-end company way before they went mass-market, and these speakers are one of those era's magic creations from the man in the white labcoat!

Speaker terminal screws tend to strip after a while

I have had my all black Monitor 10B's since 1986 and absolutely LOVE THEM!!! I also have Martin Logan Aerius', as well as Joseph Audio RM22si's in other rooms throughout my house, and will never get rid of the 10B's. They sound just as good in their own way. They were my first foray into true high-end sound, and the sound they produce is revealing and timbrally accurate. These speakers are magic! And they look so cool without the grilles! I have mine on black Polk Stands that I got right from the factory in the U.S. The Polk's are part of my bedroom high end system, and I am driving them with the following:

Parasound P/HP-850 preamp
McIntosh MC162 amplifier
Denon DCM-370 HDCD decoding CD player
DH Labs T14 speaker cabling
Straightwire Symphony interconnects

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At the time... Rogers, KEF, Boston Acoustics, 3A

Very little distortion at higher levels, perfect for the hard rock fan.

Too large for the dorm room!

I was lucky enough to stumble onto a schmuck at a pawn shop who had no idea who or what Polk speakers were. I told him I was doing him a favor by taking a pair off his hands for 200 dollars. I didn't know a lot more than he did at the time, but I've realized how lucky I was to have these as my first "high-end" speakers. I've listened to plenty of hight end stuff that's been manufactured in the last 5 years but nothing compares to the days when analog source and very high-quality speakers were affluent. The only thing that has made me replace these speakers was the pair I built for myself that surprised the hell out of me by sounding just a bit brighter without going overboard. I agree that the bass gets muddy below a certain point, and that's the main reason I decided to construct a new pair. Granted I've got something that sounds better now, I will never sell the Polks as long as I have the room and an extra receiver!

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Wow, I wouldn't expect to see a review of these here, since Polk hasn't made them for many years. I've had my Monitor 10Bs for about ten years, and they were two years old when I bought them. They survived three preamp/amp changes in the last eight years. I think they still beat out many similar speakers made today, including the mass market models with which Polk replaced them. Great bass and midrange, with a deep soundstage, but not very bright on the highs though. This is a speaker with a laid back sound. If you don't like "the Klipsch sound", you probably will love the sound of these Polks. Either my ears aren't what they used to be, or my tastes have changed - I'll probably trade up or sell these in the near future. Nevertheless, if you find a pair of these somewhere, they are worth a listen.

Just replaced mine after 18 years. Could never bring myself to replace them until now. Full bodied sound and they can play loud driven with a decent amplifier. Those rugged 6.5" drivers will soak up anything you throw at them. Not the last word in detail, but no Polk speakers are. These are excellent for Rock music since they only lack fine detail which isn't an issue with this type of music. My new speakers do sound better, but they cost four times as much.
These were the speakers that put Polk Audio on the map. They sold a ton of them.
If you only have a couple hundred dollars to spend and are looking for fairly clean bass you can feel, high SPL's, and flat frequency response, look for a used pair of these. The 10B has an upgraded tweeter which should improve upper detail a bit.

I would have given them 5 speakers in 1981, but given what's available for $500 a pair today I'll give them four.

Overall, these are pretty good. Good highs and midrange. Lots of bass - crank these up and you can really feel it. Bass is punchy but a little muddy - below a certain point bass notes sound alike. Had these for 7 years or so, getting ready to sell 'em.
Just bought a pair of Klipsch KG-4's on Ebay. At first I wasn't sure I liked the Klipsch's as much, but they've really grown on me. They're not as punchy, but there's a lot more definition in the bass. More realistic (i.e. "I like 'em better"). Also a bit too bright, but I think a large part of that is room response - hardwood floor, no rugs, thin drapes.

Rating: If I'd paid more, 3 stars. For what I paid, 4 stars

I'm not sure these are the same as the 10B's which I've had for about 17 years. In any event, my 10B's have been great for many years and have served as both stereo speakers as well as studio monitors for my little home studio. I've really enjoyed them over the years.
Lately though, I've been looking into new speakers and these sound a little muffled in comparison. I.e. not as much detail. 'Course, I'm looking at higher end stuff like JMLabs and B&W so the comparison is not fair. Still, a product that performs this well for 17 years can only get a high rating. They've been great for what they are!

Crisp highs, punchy bass, great imaging, classic looks!

cheap plastic screws on the speaker binging posts! They strip after years and years of use.

I have owned and loved my Monitor 10B's since 1986. I first got turned onto Polks when I suggested a friend of mine buy a pair. He bought Polk's 5jrs and I was so impressed at how well those little speakers sounded that a few months later I replaced my Advent 6003's with the Monitor 10B's and oh what a difference! These Polks have been powered by an NAD 2200PE, NAD 7130 and are currently used in basement with a Proton D940 receiver. They sound great and the only reason they were sent to the basement was because my wife wanted something sleeker in the living room. I took a long hard weekend choosing between the Polks and a pair of B&W 620i speakers...but honestly, the B&W's came out on top for accuracy...especially with classical/jazz music. Other than that, the Polks rocked. (and they still do in my little stereo nitch in the basement!)

I've only had to replace one of the base drivers and a tweeter and I think both of those problems were a result of my cranking the 2200PE (100 watts per channel, 6db of headroom).

I will never part with my Polks and agree with most of the folk who say that the modern Polks don't compare...they don't.

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None for that price when purchased.