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Some questions about ML speakers..

I went to Magnolia Hi-Fi last week and listened to acouple different ML speakers. I really liked the sound out of them. Very detailed. Jethro Tull and the beatles sounded great out of them. There was a big lack in bass as well as I didnt like how they sounded great while kneeling down or sitting down and when you stood up they sounded very different(not bad but not even close to as good as they could). the guy there didnt have the aeon's setup which were in the middle in price of the 2 sets he did have. the big ones were too much out of my range and the little ones were too small..

So my questions...

1. how would I fix the problem of the sound being so low to the ground?...I want it to sound great while I'm standing up.
2. What amp/rcvr/preamp would be best suited for the aeon's?..I hear krell/sunfire are nice on them...what model of these is best?
3. should I get the cinema center channel for HT? I would like it to sound as good as possible for HT as well as stereo.
4. Should I even get the aeon's or what model ML for my room?...look at bottom for room specs...
5. whats a good dvd player/radio tuner in this setup?
6. what wires go best for these speakers...
7. what sub can keep up with these speakers?

The room i'm putting it in for now is like 10X15. stairs on one side. Window behind the speakers. the other side has no wall which goes into the kitchen/dining room....not the perfect place i'm sure..

I listen to oldies/classic rock mostly...my wife listens to country/modern rock...I would also like techno to sound good..

I want to stay under 10k for all for sure...I would like it way under that if possible. I'm not rich so it will be piece by piece...$2400pr for the aeons at the store and $1100 for the cinema. I might buy used if I find a good deal...

thanks a ton

wes
surewest
ljgj
955 posts
 
It takes some work to setup ML's to get maximum benefits and the room is definitely a major player. I have the Odysseys and have owned the Aerius and Quest Z's. To raise the sound tilt the speaker back by using the leveling legs. You mave also want to raise the speaker from the floor a couple of inches using a homemade speaker stand - this helped my setup tremendously but my room is 22 x 22. The Aeons will probably not have the bass you want nor will the Ascents - the Odyssey is full of bass as is the Prodigy comparatively speaking. The ML sub will more than cover this but is pricey - an M&K sub will also work well and cost much less. Many amps will work as long as they can produce plenty of current and handle 2 ohm loads. I use Mcintosh but have used Krell , Levinson and Electrocompaniet. The Cinema is a good center to match but I use a Legacy Silverscreen and adjust the gain as it is really sensitive but gives vocals a really great presentation - better than my Cinema did. I use the LAT International speaker cables but also had great success with Alpha Core copper. The Aeons with a sub should give you all you are looking for in that size room. Dvd players are so many now but I own two really good ones - the Mcintosh 851 (pricey) and the Panasonic 2000 (also pricey). My kids have a Sony 7700 and it is really good. Some Sony units even have the SACD capability should you venture down that road. A friend has the Aeons with Silverscreen center (after hearing mine) and a M&K sub with Gallo Due rears and uses the latest Mcintosh HT receiver. His player is a Pioneer and it all looks and sounds really awesome. His room is 12 x 16.Good luck and have fun with it.
danish
30 posts
 
You will never get it to sound the same when you are standing up, it is a characteristic of the planar speaker. You CAN help this by tilting them as the previous poster mentioned.

I have a pair of SL3s (the precursor to the Ascent) and I use a Bag End Infra 18 sub. It mates pretty well, but you have to play around with how you hook it up. I am using the Logos center which is no longer produced. A used one will run you about the same as a new Cinema.

I am using the Alpha Core MI3, double biwired and have pretty good success with them, although I haven't tried anything else for a while.

Good luck!
surewest OP
10 posts
 
how much of a range does these speakers have?...like a foot or so of listening hieght?....if I tilt them would they still sound as good sitting down or would I have to take the tilt off everytime I want to sit and watch a movie?....

Also would I be better off going with preamp/amp or a all in one?....would tubes be better or SS with these speakers and the type of music I listen to as stated above?

I love the sound out of these things and just want to know what I should be doing to combat these before I buy them.

Also how would you compare the B&W line to these? I'm going to check those out tomorrow at another shop.

thanks a ton

wes
s7horton
1,077 posts
 
ML has fixed the problem of bad sound while standing up. Atleast I've heard. They have done this on their new clarity speaker. Which, if I'm not incorrect, is one step below the Aeon. They have placed a tweeter on top of the woofer cabinet directly behind the panel that fires up towards the ceiling. They claim this is to help the high frequency loss as you stand up.
danish
30 posts
 
Your amp (of whichever style, tube or SS) needs enough current output to drive the speaker. I prefer SS and there are many smooth sounding SS amps out there. A BAT VK 200 or VK 500 would be great, for example.

I have owned 2 pairs of ML and 2 pairs of B&W speakers, all different price ranges. I like the ML in the price range you are looking at. I used to ave some Nautilus 802s which were awesome, but at that time, I hadn't had a chance to try Odysseys. It's good that you are going to try B&Ws, then you can decide for yourself.

When I got my 1st pair of MLs (Aerius), my other choice was B&W CDM 7SE. I chose the ML because they had a more transparent sound. The B&Ws were good sounding as well.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any more questions.
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