Sound Lab Millennium 1 spl ability?

Greetings Mejames,

The Sound Lab M-1 is capable of 105 dB at the listening position, but this is pushing the speakers very hard. And according to a customer of mine, the VTL 450 won't do it. This customer tried the 450's alongside the Wolcotts that Albert Porter is talking about, and said the Wolcotts were a much better match with the Sound Labs, so that's what he bought. Disclaimer - I'm a Wolcott dealer (also a Sound Lab dealer).

The Sound Labs are more a finesse speaker than a high-volume speaker. With the Sound Labs, you can hear more going on at 75 dB than you can at 105 dB on most speakers. I actually enjoy them quite a bit late at night at between 50 and 60 dB.

I can suggest a few amps that can deliver the sound pressure levels you're looking for, if you'd like. Also, I'd be happy to take a shot at any questions you might have.

Best wishes,

Duke

Hi

I do not think you can get anywhere near the sound levels you expect, I just sold my M1s as I got fed up with playing string quartets and could never get any sound level with any good rock or large orchestra.
The volume concept is different with the soundlabs, they sound great but at a compromise. I drove them with the Wolcotts, rgards

Although I have been able to reach 100 dB or so with my Sound Lab U-1s, this is much louder than I normally listen - even some well recorded rock records that almost demand that you turn up the volume can be very satisfying (and subjectively, quite loud) at 90-95 dB. Pink Floyd DSOTM and others such as Steely Dan Aja don't leave much to the imagination - lots of punch and drive. With the right amps, they have plenty of dynamics and all the bass you could want, well defined and accurate in pitch. The bass is of a different quality - not as much in your face as speakers with moving coil drivers, yet they move a lot of air - it kind of envelops you. Never a problem getting good playback levels, in my experience. More importantly, the speakers convey a large amount of musical and subtle information even at low levels.

I had the opportunity to audition a pair of Manley NeoClassic 250's some months ago. They didn't drive the Sound Labs all that well, though (yet in all fairness they are very nice amplifiers, and this was before the speaker backplate update which smooths the impedance curve and makes them a bit easier to drive).

Disclaimer: I'm a Sound Lab dealer (in the Chicago area). Feel free to ask more questions.

Brian Walsh
Essential Audio

Nadimgargour, it is unfortunate that 100 plus DB at 12 feet is inadequate for your needs. My system delivers that consistently with Wolcotts and I have a fairly large space.

The problem with Soundlab is that they seem to produce no volume due to ultra low distortion. I had a listener here a few weeks ago that kept insisting I "turn up the volume." The music he was listening to was a selection on CD that he brought with him, so this material was very familiar to him.

After the third time I raised volume and he ask again, I told him we were listening well over 90 DB and was louder than we would hear this vocalist in a live venue (un- amplified). He insisted that we were NOWHERE near 90 DB. I went for my analog Radio Shack meter and it read just over 102 DB. The measurement was beside his head, nearly 13 feet from my Soundlab U-1.

Low distortion and accurate phase make the sound so effortless that it appears to be low volume. I remember an old audio advertisement from the 1970's, "When they say turn down the volume, they mean turn down the distortion."

It's true in reverse as well.

Although quite late to this thread, I wanted to concur with Albert's above assessment.

Prior to the Soundlab M1's, the higher the SPL, the better, or so I thought. After obtaining the M1's, I too thought volume was low, only my SPL meter told me otherwise.

After owning the M1's for over a year now, I relish being immersed in the sound. It's different listening to undistorted rock -- less in your face -- but everything is still there, and for the better (after retraining myself to recognize and appreciate the sonic results).

The M1's have been a unique and much appreciated experience. I now know what low level detail and dynamics are; specific passages continue to startle me with their impact and resolution – one of the best speakers available at any price.