I've been looking for what is considered the epitome of the 2 (or 2.5) way design loudspeaker. Be it active or passive! I'd like to get some tips, please chime in Preferably would be stand mount monitor, but floorstanding would be ok to. (Today i use Barefoot Sound Micromain 27)
Its true though. Anybody could have tapped the egg and stood it up. Same with building speakers. In fact Im not even suggesting you get out a saw and start sawing. You just get a cabinet maker to do it. Which is probably the same thing some speaker companies do. Even the cabinet size is done on a computer simulation. Same with crossovers. Its not rocket science. Its just laziness that prevents people.
OP, if you’re used to an active 3-way there’s no way back :-) Standmounted 3-ways are for me the most interesting speakers today. Try the ATC 50, 100 or 110, Quested v3110, PMC IB2i, IB2SE, Kii 3, Dutch & Dutch, Sp Acoustics, Geithain or similar. Quested being a little (100 pounds!) favourite for me.. If you still want a 2-way you have the active ATC20 and the Quested v2108. Any 2-way passive or active will naturally need subs if you'd like to feel the bass.
Gosta, well, i have had PMC IB 2S and those i liked. I got a good price for them, so i sold them. But perhaps you're correct saying i'd better stick to a 3 way design.
Folks don't seem to bother to look what MM 27 really is.
For those that read this, it's 2*10´ bass drivers and 2*5´mid/bass drivers and 1´soft dome tweeter and they are monitors.
So anything smaller than an 8' driver is not going to happen.
I went with studio monitors simply because "hifi" is too expensive. Had Barefoot been deemed home audio toys, the price had been way up. I spoke to Tony Gee (acoustics) about a custom build speaker like MM 27. He told me right away, it's impossible to build anyting like that for those money.
Kenjit, if you think MM 27 are harsh, i wonder if you've heard the latest gen 2 and not gen 1? No way gen 1 is too harsh. If you think so i don't know, but you simply must hate all hifi speakers and if so, why aren't you hanging at a DIY forum? I don't say this to be rude, i've probably owned 10+ speakers. I can't keep count on everything i've heard over the 27 years i've been around. I suggest you look up studio monitors, the big ones and listen a bit. Perhaps you'd get a view of what the best of them sounds like.
I should also say, i don't say anything to be rude. That's just ridiculous. I've never understood those seeking forums to be a rude idiot. I am merely seeking interesting ideas and to have an open mind is always good. It doesn't mean we have to agree on what others like. But learning others ideas and preferences is no heavy burden to bear.
What can I say. Would be great to listen to these. Quested I think would bring you the british voicing compared to Barefoot’s american. A very fine combo. Quested has a very fine 10" Volt woofer driven directly by 700 watts. That gives some power...
For "cheep" money you could buy the ATC 19. A little more "home" voiced compared to the 20. No brand will give you the same quality drivers for less money. Far from. Compared to ordinary high quality speakers they present the music without any "curtains". Too clear for many audiophiles of the old school it seems. And they can play loud.
Mucho interested in your opinions regarding the PMC because I have for a rather long time been looking to add some pro PMC to my collection. What is your thoughts on the transmission line bass? Did you have an active or passive version?
Gosta, i think the IB 2S is a superb speaker. You'll for sure adore the fast punchy bass. It's no boom but full of detail. Actually, in an A/B, they would hammer my MM 27. Overall it's probably a better speaker. Ofcourse, i drove these with Krell FPB 600c, Plinius SA-102, Classe CP 47.5 pre and Krell FBP 25SC. Stand alone cdp was Meridian 588. I sold the Krell combo and bought FPB 700C, KCT and KPS 28c. The cdp was not to my liking. I should have had my Wadia instead in this combination. I sold all my hifi and went clean for a few years. I was tired of the sickness. Never ending quest and it went too far. When i began again i bought Monitor Audio PL 300, Jeff Rowland Continum 500 and Wadia 381. I couldn't stand the tweeter of PL 300. It was simply to much focus on this region. I felt a need to go as minimal as possible to avoid hifi hysteria. So i bought MM 27 and used it with my Wadia. But again, PMC's best speakers are IB 2S and MB 2. But MB 2 demands a room of size. MM 27 is easier as it allows a more near field. I think with PMC's, you should have 3 meter.
Kenjit, if you think MM 27 are harsh, i wonder if you've heard the latest gen 2 and not gen 1?
The barefoots are not designed for pleasing sound. They are designed to sound bad. Thats what the studio engineers want and thats what studio monitors deliver.
Kenjit, studio mid-field monitors at this level sounds incredibly good if they are mated with a fine source. That's what we want. We don't listen to crappy Motley Cru recordings on them. For that we have Gamut speakers.
Kenjit, the later version have several voicing settings, mine have two. Flat and Nice. According to Thomas there’s about 0.5db difference. Actually, i tried now and perhaps i like the "Nice" better when using Nuprime Evo dac. With my Wadia 381 flat were very good. Oh, i guess you hate top of the line Focal speakers? A Swedish custom loudspeaker builder measured a few Focal speakers and they were not linear.
Oh, i guess you hate top of the line Focal speakers?
i heard the diablo. Are they top line? It wasnt very good. Just like most high end speakers ive heard. Not surprising since theyre not custom tuned to your ears are they? 0.5db is a joke
rird, I run a simple sytem with Sonos Connect toslink to Martin Logan Unison (for ARC) toslink to Anti-mode 2.0 (for digital eq.) toslink to REM ADI-2 dac and finally xlr to Quested V3110/ATC 150 ASL. The RME will soon replace the Anti-mode for eq. A Trinnov would replace the whole package Unison/Anti-mode/RME.
You probably had me to find a PMC IB2S or SE soon :-)
Maybe something offering a quite different soundstage would interest you, like a MBL or other omni directional speaker.
Kenjit, the later version have several voicing settings, mine have two. Flat and Nice. According to Thomas there’s about 0.5db difference. Actually, i tried now and perhaps i like the "Nice" better when using Nuprime Evo dac. With my Wadia 381 flat were very good. Oh, i guess you hate top of the line Focal speakers? A Swedish custom loudspeaker builder measured a few Focal speakers and they were not linear.
Pay Kenjit no mind, he's only here to lay his troll turds.
x2 on the Wavetouch Audio Antero (and Grand Tetons) being the best stand mount monitors youve heard... but... with the Proac RD2’s, ATC’s, Gamut’s, Legacy Audio’s being close, but at much higher prices.
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