Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne

Has anyone actually bought these loudspeakers ?
Tawa.

Tawa, Are they being shipped yet?

I haven't heard these speakers myself, but I see nothing wrong with pairing these speakers with extremely high quality, albeit very expensive gear while being demonstrated at a show. Why should higher priced speakers be allowed to shine with the best quality gear while these have to be paired with lower-priced gear just because they happen to be affordable? If these speakers were priced at $8,000 instead of $2,000, would it have been more justified to pair it with the Dartzeel due to people getting priced out from insane margins?

I think the ultimate point that was being conveyed is that these aren't supposed to be mid-tier performance 'bargain-budget speakers', but rather are 'reference quality' speakers at an insanely affordable price. Many have said these compared to and even bested speakers several times more expensive. If these do indeed perform at such a high level, I think the real question that should be asked is, "Why are those other speakers so expensive?"

Well said kevin2.

I would agree that these speakers sounded great at THE Show. I also think that they were not as good at the RMAF. Was it entirely the room?

Are Evolution Acoustics speakers available to audition anywhere near Boston? I read so many good things about them, but I have never heard a pair.

It sounds like they only exist to be demoed at audio shows. Is this speaker like Sasquatch, only seen by the lucky few?

Shakey

My friend and I heard the MMMicro Ones at the 2012 T.H.E Show which ran simultaneously with the CES in Vegas. We returned to the Evolution Acoustics room three times to listen to these little gems. We kept expecting a curtain to be drawn and the "real" speakers to appear. If these were not the best sound at the show they were certainly in the running.

Yes, they were being driven by a very pricey dartzell integrated amp. as well as expensive speaker cables and I too wondered what the Micro Ones would sound like with less expensive front end gear.

Never the less, the sound was incredibly airy, 3 diminutional, transparent, and the bass unbelievably fast and tight. It did not leave me feeling that it required a sub-woofer although that addition might even enhance the already
full range sound.

In a word, I love these speakers and I think the lovely aesthetics will even pass the WAF.

Does anyone who lives in MN,IA, or WI own the MMMicroONes?

Goldmanjay, did you hear them at last year's THE Show? I though those sounded much better. I did learn of the long saga of getting the parts together to manufacturer the speakers.

Are there different versions of this speaker that have been demoed? Or have they just demoed prototypes at different shows? Are they in production yet, and if so, could some owners describe how they sound in their systems? As an owner of small monitors, I'm curious about all the buzz that these speakers have gotten.

They've demoed prototypes at the show.
They have changed the stand design on them.
They're on the ship to the USA now.
A friend has one coming for demo.
I'm fortunate enough to get to hear a pair in Mine and two friends system befor making a purchase.
I'll post the results from the demo.

One-off, one-off, one-off...is the bottleneck satisfied; are they now in production?

As I understand it, they will be shipping production in March. I assume that only prototypes have been heard. As in most production, there have been major problems in getting these to market.

Yikes, what could possibly be the problems associated with bringing this simple, but overachieving transducer, to market? It has been extensively heralded by all of those remotely associated with this unique traveling pair. Maybe M, the transducer dudes, put a simple bump or two in the road...who knows?

Just a question; I thought I read that they were being shipped this time last year.

I remember reading that these micros were being favorably compared to various versions of the the M's, sort of like a Mini-me or simply a want-to-be-me... knows, the Shadow?

Is the bottleneck related to lightening only striking once, or maybe, it is possibly a shipping issue?

Just a few questions...anyone in the "know" care to share? BTW, have any of the early adopters, patiently waiting in line, have been able to extricate themselves without too many hurdles?

It is two parts no longer made issue, as I understand it.

I just couldn't resist throwing a wrench into this discussion of a several thousand dollar front end driving a lower price speaker to make it sound better than it would with lesser priced electronics and in a sense accusing Evolution Acoustics of tricking buyers! I have always agreed with Laura Dearborn in her book "Good Sound" that everything starts with the source and works down stream and nothing along the way can improve the signal; that speakers only sound as good as what's driving them! Here's the wrench; after listening to the MicroMM1's at shows and always loving them, I sold my MAXX 2's and my JRDG Mono 9tiHC amps to take a chance on a pair of Evolution Acoustics MM2's. Went cold turkey without music since before Turkey Day. So here come my MM2's. I set them up yesterday and since I didn't have a new amp yet I connected a $100 Sony AV Receicer along with a $60 Sony DVD player, zip wire to the speakers and everything plugged into the wall (not my dedicated lines) and without any filtering. Since this speaker is 375lbs/side I had a couple fellow audiophiles over. We decided to listen to this embarrassingly low fi set up on this very over matched set of speakers! For all you doubters trashing Jonathan Tinn and Evolution Acoustics for stacking the deck with the best of best electronics I am here to tell you that this speaker out of the box with this cheap set of electronics was mind boggling! My friends and I laughed how engaging the sound was--huge sound stage left to right and front to back with unbelievable detail and musicality. These speakers are special and I cannot wait for the break in period to pass to truly enjoyed the capabilities of this amazing speaker. With the adjustability of the tweeter and bass unit I am convinced I will have the best speaker I have ever owned and will have it custom tuned to my listening. My final comment is a great speaker can still show it's greatness and potential with lesser quality electronics, but of course will sound that much better with electronics of equal or better quality! Stop with the bashing already! I was told this will be the last speaker I will want to own and so far I think that comment is on the money! I can only see myself adding the additional bass units and making MM3's.

Hifimaniac, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to hear these speakers with other electronics. They sounded great at THE Show in 2011. I fully understand why they have been long in reaching market as this is not uncommon. I look forward to hearing production versions of these very promising speakers.

JTinn-- one deep question:

Do any of your speakers come in black?

All I see is that same exact wood finish on every picture of every model Evo I've ever seen.

Black would be so sleek what with the silvery drivers and all...

Just my Manhattan metrosexual two cents.

Per conversation with JT, no black in plans. Also, fyi, stands not optional and a center is available for $1250. Looking forward to early recipients feedback!!

Not to beat a dead horse, especially since this thread is a little old, but I am sort of astonished by the arguments here.

The speaker, unlike anything else in the chain of a stereo, is the electro-MECHANICAL piece that actually produces the sound.
Being the last piece in the chain, it uniquely takes on the character of every other piece before it.
As such, why is it so unreasonable to mate an extremely good speaker, regardless of cost, with extremely good electronics, regardless of their cost?

The argument of "it's not a real world representation" is very much off the mark.
Mating something like the YG Anat with anything other than a brute force Krell (or something like it) is more akin to deviating from the real world. Here, cost has nothing to do with it.
Because the YG is such a ridiculously demanding load, even pairing it with the equally expensive Lamm ML3 would make is sound like dog crap. The YG REQUIRES a brute force amp.
This is what real pairing is all about when considering speakers/electronics.
The EA/Dartzeel combo is nothing of the sort described above.

If I had a budget of, say, up to $4,000 for a speaker, I would want to know which speaker sounded the best on the best equipment. This is patently logical to me.
A speaker that sounds state of the art on the best equipment is not going to sound like crap on modest equipment. At least not any more crappy than the electronics themselves. And definitely not any worse than a speaker that still sounds like crap when paired with the best electronics.
It's simple math here.
Crap+crap=lots of crap.
Excellence+crap= less crap overall.
PLUS, knowing that I had invested in a truly great speaker leaves me with the possibility of focusing on better electronics in the future while not worrying if my speakers are going to keep up.

How is this not logical?

"Looking forward to early recipients feedback!!" I have been looking forward to the same thing for eight months now! I am so glad that I didn't put a deposit down when I first spoke to JT about them nine months ago or I would be getting rather irritated by now.

Zmanastronomy, Have you had the demo yet? Would love to read your impressions.

Per telco with JT, and his website, May 1st looks good for first shipments.

Now understand May 1 will slip several weeks.

Peter, no, the friend that was going to be getting the demo speaker was told by JT that he would have to buy the speaker without a 30 day trial. So my friend isn't going to do that.
I know these speakers are in limited supply, but I don't blame him.
When he bought his Dartzeel amp he was told he could audition a pair. A year later he was told he can't.

Zmanastronomy,

That is quite puzzling. I don't blame him for not taking the risk. I year is a long time to wait for a $2,500 speaker. I've just read such glowing statements about these speakers, yet I'm not aware of anyone who actually owns a pair.

I was hoping to hear from some satisfied owners by now. I own a pair of two-way monitors and am curious about what else is out there. I had thought that these had potential.

I'm new posting here but have followed this a while since there's been a lot of talk about the speakers.

> When he bought his Dartzeel amp he was told he could
> audition a pair. A year later he was told he can't.
You're kidding. Either production is really screwed up or your friend was conned, or both. Either way it doesn't look good and you don't know what to believe. It's time to move on.

I've always bought speakers first, then an amp that works well with them and with others, in case I get tired of them, which sometimes happens.

This is turning out to be more of a joke than anything else.....

Shakey

At the time I was frustrated, but I’m happy as hell now, that my purchase inquiry went unanswered... Whew!

I find these speakers intriguing. Been keeping my eyes open for a review. I came across a recent article that mentions that they speakers may be made overseas:

http://www.stereoaudio.com.au/evolution-acoustics-mmmicroone-loudspeaker/#more-254

The Evolution Acoustics web site says they were supposed to have started shipping May 1.

Anyone know if that has happened yet?

I spoke to Jonathan Friday and he said they were about 4 weeks away from shipping the first MicroOnes. Apparently they have had production issues typical of startup companies and/or products.

so what's the latest word on these speakers?

Jonathan says they are in customs and should be out soon. I hope these long awaited speakers will finally become available.

Rlawry are the MMMicro ones for sale yet? If so thru whom?

...my dog..well, he ate my homework...

Seadogs1, I am not completely sure but I do not believe any mmmicro ones have shipped either to customers or to the few dealers they have. I am on their waiting list but have heard nothing for a few weeks.

Being held up in Customs? Are these, by chance, being made in China?

BTW, how will that affect future repairs.

I thought that these were out last summer-2011

I believe that they are indeed being made in China. I came late to the game with these after reading the rave reviews online and hearing them at the recent Newport Beach Show, and I ordered a pair. I am aware that there have been a lot of production delays but I would imagine EA will have an arrangement to repair them here in the US. Sooner or later they will have to deliver them to customers or cut bait. Hopefully it is the former.

I was pretty tempted last winter to put a deposit on a pair of these with a dealer in my state, but now I'm glad I held off. Too much potential aggravation waiting. Let's see when people actually begin to receive their orders.

Hello Rlawry,

Thank you for your reply and update regarding this speaker. Good luck on your upcoming delivery!

BTW, do you happen to know if this "made-in-China" version of the MMMicro1 has the same drivers, crossovers, wiring, and connectors as the "Show" model?

I would think there will be no reason to only have parts for this MMMicro1 assembled in China; I would think that the mtg. of all the constitute parts are also mtg. In China.

Also, do you happen to know if all of these Evolution Acoustics speakers (MM2, MM3, and/or MM7) are mtg. In China?

Thanks!

Unoear,
I recall from conversations with Malmgren at Newport 2011 that the MMMicro One is the first EA speaker with overseas mfr. I understand all other models to be designed and mfr'ed in the states. Design, control and distribution for MMMicro One are I think all done here in USA.

For what it's worth, my impressions of Kevin M. are that he is a straight shooter. My bet is that once they get these new mfr. and shipping processes solved to his high standards, he will be distributing a great new speaker at a new value point and taking good care of his customers as he's always done with the rest of the EA line.

Hi, Unoear. You are starting to ask questions for which I have little knowledge. Regarding the other EA speakers, I know that their volume is a fraction of potential MMMicro One sales, so I doubt that there would be much of a potential overall cost reduction on a small volume of manufactured speakers in China. My guess on the Micros is that all production will be in China including the component manufacture and assembly, i.e. a major labor and regulatory compliance cost reduction. For confirmation of my best guesses, you will have to speak to Jonathan Tinn. And if the production model differs from the "show" model, I will be very disappointed, so let's hope that is not the case.

I placed an order for these in late January 2011 - can't believe I've been this patient. Hope they're all the reviewers say and more. Maybe the long wait is creating unrealistic expectations. Any additional delays and my enthusiasm will seriously wane. A typical pair of speakers only lasts one or two years with me - the wait has already pushed them to the end of their life-cycle! Insane hobby...

Groovybassist, just curious, did you have to pay a deposit when you ordered these speakers ? If so, what % of total cost ?

FWIW, the dealer in Texas wanted $500 to reserve a pair.

I put down 20% of speaker cost + estimated shipping. Just to be clear, I've never been concerned about losing my deposit or legitimacy of Evolution Acoustics operation. Simply a little frustrated at the wait time. There's something to be said for Evolution's insistence that the product be of a quality level they feel represents their brand, regardless of how long that takes. I just wish it had been a much shorter wait.

I have heard of other sagas getting audio components from prototype to production, but this one wins first place.