Hi George Again!
To further expand on the mid bass hump that David Berry speaks of, I too am of that impression with the Montana's. Now this is not to say some might not prefer this, especially when listening to classic rock music. I have a buddy that has a pair of Montana ESP's and he too listens primarily to rock. I always notice the cabinet resonance in the mid bass when I listen to his speakers. Fortunately this doesn't bother him. His impression of my Milleniums is pretty muched summed up by you and your buddies, apparently less bass (lean?) that is until I finally got the cabling right and added several pair of tube traps in my quite uncooperative room. He isn't saying they lack bass these days although he still prefers his Montanas in the bass. Of course from the mids up there is no comparison as we both agree. When I added a second Berning (a temporary situation unfortunately) what became readily apparent was how much air these speakers are capable of moving. What is always interesting is the wide range of amplification that can be used but in my experience there is no substitute for plenty of power when the music calls for it, particularly large scale. I really enjoy listening to music through his system providing it is rock which is what it is balanced for.
Speakers are indeed a matter of tradeoffs. In a large room there may be other options besides the Merlins that are in their performance peer group, unfortunately, as noted, they will cost considerably more. I look forward to owning the MX in the future but find it difficult to believe that the top end of this speaker can be improved upon too much beyond what I am hearing at present, famous last words!
P.S. We both agree that the Merlins can and DO rock. One of his favorite cuts from Alan Parson always blows him away. The sense of space and dynamics not to mention the clearly defined bass line puts him in the groove.
To further expand on the mid bass hump that David Berry speaks of, I too am of that impression with the Montana's. Now this is not to say some might not prefer this, especially when listening to classic rock music. I have a buddy that has a pair of Montana ESP's and he too listens primarily to rock. I always notice the cabinet resonance in the mid bass when I listen to his speakers. Fortunately this doesn't bother him. His impression of my Milleniums is pretty muched summed up by you and your buddies, apparently less bass (lean?) that is until I finally got the cabling right and added several pair of tube traps in my quite uncooperative room. He isn't saying they lack bass these days although he still prefers his Montanas in the bass. Of course from the mids up there is no comparison as we both agree. When I added a second Berning (a temporary situation unfortunately) what became readily apparent was how much air these speakers are capable of moving. What is always interesting is the wide range of amplification that can be used but in my experience there is no substitute for plenty of power when the music calls for it, particularly large scale. I really enjoy listening to music through his system providing it is rock which is what it is balanced for.
Speakers are indeed a matter of tradeoffs. In a large room there may be other options besides the Merlins that are in their performance peer group, unfortunately, as noted, they will cost considerably more. I look forward to owning the MX in the future but find it difficult to believe that the top end of this speaker can be improved upon too much beyond what I am hearing at present, famous last words!
P.S. We both agree that the Merlins can and DO rock. One of his favorite cuts from Alan Parson always blows him away. The sense of space and dynamics not to mention the clearly defined bass line puts him in the groove.