The D'Appolito, MTM Configuration
One speaker technology which is I think old but hasn't gotten the praise it deserves is the Joseph D'Appolito configuration. In short, it uses a tweeter vertically sandwiched between two midwoofers. Using two actual midranges is a variation on the theme.
What got me thinking of this was the $220,000 speaker pair that appeared on Stereophile's coverage of the Florida Audio Expo, which made me think, fondly, of the original, 1980's era Focal Utopia where I first heard this arrangement.
It's a very good arrangement for those who love detail and want a speaker that's relatively easy to live with.
How about you? Have a pair of D'Appolito-like speakers ever won you over?
Yep, for the past 30 years. Three pairs of custom design and build, before I concluded this was it for me. Kept my last set, final build. No need for anything else. Love the sound. 👍 |
I would agree with this assessment, and while I have tried other configurations where sound and stage went to the ceiling, what’s between my two MTM speakers now, and just to the outside of them on either side, the result produces amazing midrange and depth of stage. There is a cohesiveness in how the mids and high frequency blend together in a uniformed manner. Its just more engaging to me. Seeing more MTM configurations surfacing (or resurfacing) in the past year than I recalled seeing in prior years. Was just thinking about this recently, wondering why some design engineers just rediscovered this. Some of my original attempts were to essentially mimic the original Proac Response 3 speakers from a few decades ago. A good friend still enjoys my first set. For my 3rd built attempt I decided to pull the drivers even closer together. Some rough test mule cabinets helped get there, until making the final cabinets out of Walnut ply. I like the result more this way for this added cohesion i’m hearing. Don’t think I could ever go back to 2-ways or TMM/TWW. |
