Hello S7horton,
I have owned both the M20 and the 1.3MkII and I liked the 1.3s better. I purchased the M20 and ran them with a Krell KAV-500. These speakers made a mockery of what was considered, in its time, a powerful amp. At more than moderate volume levels the soundstage would collapse. I got rid of the Krell and purchased a Plinius SA-250MkIV and that took care of the power needs of the speakers. They sounded very nice but I found them a bit forward for my taste and after a while the effect wore thin on me. I then heard the 1.3MkII at a local dealer and I thought they were very smooth and relaxed in their presentation. I brought them home for a shootout and what I heard at the shop came out even more in my system. The difference, for me, was the metal tweeter in the M20, as apposed to the silk dome on the 1.3. I did have the Revel stands at the time, but I heard both speakers on them and the results caused me to sell the M20s and purchase the 1.3s. Of course, there are many variables that affect the sound you will get with any speaker but what I've mentioned above were the differences I found in my home, in my system, YMMV. I can agree with Warren about the stands. He has been singing the praises of the Sistrum System for a very long time and I have been a slow but steady convert. I've just purchased two amp stands and I cannot believe the difference they have made on my overall sound. I now have my current speaker stands for sale to finance the purchase of the Sistrum speaker stands. If you have an opportunity, get both sets of speakers in your home for a test on your system. That is the best way to know if you prefer speaker "A" or "B". If not, try them at a dealer. They may not have both sets in the one shop but I've compared different speakers in different shops and have always been able to hear what I like and whenever I've gotten them home, I find that I've made some good choices.........John
I have owned both the M20 and the 1.3MkII and I liked the 1.3s better. I purchased the M20 and ran them with a Krell KAV-500. These speakers made a mockery of what was considered, in its time, a powerful amp. At more than moderate volume levels the soundstage would collapse. I got rid of the Krell and purchased a Plinius SA-250MkIV and that took care of the power needs of the speakers. They sounded very nice but I found them a bit forward for my taste and after a while the effect wore thin on me. I then heard the 1.3MkII at a local dealer and I thought they were very smooth and relaxed in their presentation. I brought them home for a shootout and what I heard at the shop came out even more in my system. The difference, for me, was the metal tweeter in the M20, as apposed to the silk dome on the 1.3. I did have the Revel stands at the time, but I heard both speakers on them and the results caused me to sell the M20s and purchase the 1.3s. Of course, there are many variables that affect the sound you will get with any speaker but what I've mentioned above were the differences I found in my home, in my system, YMMV. I can agree with Warren about the stands. He has been singing the praises of the Sistrum System for a very long time and I have been a slow but steady convert. I've just purchased two amp stands and I cannot believe the difference they have made on my overall sound. I now have my current speaker stands for sale to finance the purchase of the Sistrum speaker stands. If you have an opportunity, get both sets of speakers in your home for a test on your system. That is the best way to know if you prefer speaker "A" or "B". If not, try them at a dealer. They may not have both sets in the one shop but I've compared different speakers in different shops and have always been able to hear what I like and whenever I've gotten them home, I find that I've made some good choices.........John