I had been on a quest for a new pair of speakers for quite some time. I had been listening to a pair of Legacy Focus's for 8 years. That I was very satisfied with, but after reading reviews I would make the rounds and audition numerous pairs of highly regarded speakers. I always walked away satisfied with the pair Focus's and their ability to play music. Until a buddy called and wanted me to come over and hear his new pair of Tyler Woodmere's. Very nice speakers but at 15,000.00 they were not in the budget. I was intrigue with the sound of the Seas drivers used in the Woodmere's. I was back on my quest to find a speaker using the Seas drivers with in my budget. After a lot of reseach I realize to get the optimum performance out of the drivers you really had to know the science of building really great crossovers.
I got lucky and along the way I found Phil Bamberg at
www.bamberglab.com. Phil fills the gap in his offerings between ready made products and the diy guy, as I turned out to be. Phil is well known for his ability to design total speaker systems and standing behind his products. In my search I read the reviews on his speakers and all of them had the same theme. Their voice! I'm a music lover first and a audiophile second, and so is Phil.
Rather than buy his ready to play speakers. I choose to build a pair of Series 5 MTM and Dual XLS subwoofers with the active crossover he offers. I wanted to match a Walnut entertainment center I was building. With the outstanding plans he provided and Phil's support via phone and email the project was a HUGE success!
The sound, well it was every thing I had hoped for and even more! I had the system up and running before my wife got home from work. She loved the Legacy's and thought I was foolish for replacing them. I meet her at the door and didn't lot on that the new speakers were playing, just gave it some time. Into the second song she came into the room with a big smile on her face which said it all. She stated it was like the Claritin commercial where a film had been lifted off of the sound stage. Every sound was now crystal clear and you could see the performers in 3D. From the top to bottom octave they were the best speaker system we had ever heard. I knew; it but that doesn't count, she heard it and that's what does!
My listening room doubles as our living room. So what ever goes into it must be aesthetically pleasing to all concerned. It's a large room 22' wide and 24' long with 22' high cathedral ceilings. It also opens up into a loft above. My equipment is set up along the 22' wall, and I have to sit back further than ideal, about 17'.
The Series 5MTM are a monitor speaker consisting of Seas Millennium T25CF002 Tweeter and 2 - 7" Seas W18E001 all from their Excel line. The tweeter sets in between the two 7" woofers. The tweeter also is not directly in line with the woofers, it's offset slightly toward the inside edge of the cabinets. The cabinets are solid and well reinforced. Built out of 2 layers of 3/4" MDF. The monitor sits on top of the Dual XLS Subwoofers in my case. They are separate units, and could be setup differently. The subs use 2 -10" Peerless XLS drivers and 2 -12" Peerless Passive's. The 10" drivers sit on the bottom of each side with the 12" passives above them on both sides. Their again a well designed cabinet; solid as a brick. Phil builds all of the crossover himself. They're works of art. Well organized, excellent part selection, and build quality.
These speakers were not fussy about their set up. Within about 1 1/2 hours of listening I was satisfied with their placement. They are 4' into the room from the wall and very close to the same from the side walls. Easy enough.
Well how do they sound? The midrange was exceptionally pure, and the timber just sounds right. Voices are as good as I have experienced. Transitions to treble is seamless. Crystal clear, but not bright and it wasn't soft. They disappear much like a good electrostatic speaker. All you can hear is a holographic performance. The bass was well extended and controlled. No bloat here, it's tight and tuneful bass. Imaging and the sound stage is first class.
I listen to rock, blues, jazz, and some country, mostly all on cd's. Listening to Dianna Krall's "Live in Paris" on Verve 440 065 109-2 CD. One of my favorites is "The Look of Love". The brushes on the drum in the beginning of that cut are so clean and clear. Dianna's voice, well all I can say WOW, she's here in my listening room. Her piano is correct. The sound stage was wider than my room and the depth was amazing.
I had to hear Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" on Reprise 945024-2 CD. I listened to cut # 12 "Malted Milk". I heard Eric tapping his foot as he played. The decay of the strings between each note was unbelievable. You could hear his fingers as they slid up and down each fret, and his pick as he plucked each string. Eric's voice is so right.
As for equipment used;
Digital: Alchemy Product 8 Transport feeding a Musical Fidelity TRI-VISTA 21 DAC.
Pre-amp: Welborne Labs tube linestage
Power amps: Pass Labs ALEPH 1.2 mono blocks feeding the monitors and a Hafler 9500 connected to the subwoofers all run though a Behringer DCX2496 crossover.
If your interest in new new pair of speakers, a truly great pair, I know you'll be impressed and they won't break the bank either.
Thanks for letting me bend you ears.
Steve
