cerrot- I checked out the website(in UK) & looks very professional with proof in the graphs. I’m curious what difference & how much of a difference you heard of the stock unit? I just may want it for the right price! ; -)
Mr Porter- I agree the Focal Grand Utopia EM is an awesome speaker(although I’ve never heard it but want to) & superior in many ways as you mentioned given the major price difference. I could only imagine what killer 16HZ linear bass they have with the 16” EM Focal woofers! (BTW- I love the stealth piano black look & wish the ML’s came in that finish) But, a point source speaker is a point source speaker no matter what the costs or material or design. To me, nothing compares to a line source dipolar ribbon.
I didn’t mention that my subs are a pair of the new JL Gotham V2’s(I owned F212’s in the past) so I have no need for the ML’s to go lower 35HZ.. So combining them at 60HZ at 24DB with the ML’s 24 6” woofers running fullrange down to 35HZ is giving me more ‘sledgehammer slam’ factor than I ever heard or imagined being it at loud or low volume. In fact, try any track(especially at the beginning of #11 ‘Sifting’) from Nirvana’s Bleach & listen at the kick drum. In the past 30 years with any speaker I have owned with this track there would be a loudness level were distortion would set being it from the amps or driver(s) hitting there limit. Not so with the ML’s 24 6” woofers! In fact when it was slamming hard I checked the woofers & they were barely moving! The combo with the low distortion big JL Gotham woofers & low distortion mid/high bass ML woofers is just freakin’ incredible! BTW- My room is 17’Wx26’Lx8’H.
Regarding driving the ribbons beyond there limit is something I want & will avoid as I had to replace one of my first pair of Apogee Stage ribbon’s(back in 89’) after burning it up in the past when it arced to the protective mesh due to over driving it. When I went to audition the speaker at the previous owner’s house the ribbons were flapping loosely on a simple vocal tune with the stock crossover. I thought they were loose & I would have to adjust them when I got home. But when I hooked the up to the Beringer at 800HZ at 48DB the ribbons have not moved at all even when cranked up! So if they don’t move at all I should be fine should I not?!
Also when I auditioned them with a close friend who is an audio engineer(former Threshold & Coda designer) is much smarter than me & is a bigger audio nut than me noticed a hollow sound to then right off the bat. He knew right away what it was which is no damping material in the cabinet what so ever. Since the stock crossover is set at 1200HZ with a shallow slope we were hearing it echoing in the cabinet. So stuffing the cabinet & crossing it over lower with a much steeper slope cured that bigtime as my engineer bud recommended & knew. Yes, I’m sure stuffing the cabinet will affect the low bass slightly but that is not an issue with the Gotham’s!
I too want to replace the spikes in the future & Stillpoints would be perfect. I will have to go into more detail on how you planned on doing that & along with the cap replacement you mentioned. I was wondering also Mr. Porter if you were unsung the provided template as a listing guide?
Still up in the air on what perfect crossover I will be using in the future………