Due to a recent move into an open floor loft in downtown NY with basically zero interior walls and measuring a difficult 60 x 22 x 9.5 feet, I am reluctantly letting my mind-blowing favorite pair of speakers go as I re-approach my system to accommodate for a strong amount of slap echo and the need to respect my girlfriend's desire to "turn it down!" These do go loud and produce much more than realistic levels without a hint of strain; that said, headphone listening and something that does not interact with the room, electrostatic and the size of two refrigerators, may work better in this cavern.
This sale is local pickup only, so you are welcome to audition them here in Tribeca; they even sound surprisingly good in such a challenging context but they'll be even more breathtaking in a more traditional listening space (like my old one, where they blew the socks off myself and many listeners in ways other speakers I love like those from Devore, Trenner & Friedl, and Spendor did not)! I can deliver them within about an hour of NYC at my asking price, which is $5k (they cost $6.7k).
Made in the summer of 2020, this is the first pair of Studio Electric M5 speakers ever produced and started out as a personal commission as they are PERFECT for a regular listening room. Well what a sound! These are like BIG Harbeths but a fair bit more exciting and wayyy faster, more transparent, and phase accurate (read, they image better and hit transients more forcefully) due to their sealed box loading and overkill, perfectionist crossover quality.
To make matters worse for me, they also look stunning to match their massive soundstage with perfect center fill. The second pair went directly to a very well-known audio reviewer, and this is the only pair of which I know out in the wild.
The main reason this is a local sale is that I am a perfectionist and don't feel the packaging for this pair is ideal (Dave is perhaps working that out for the production models as these deserve the best), and one of the mid-woofers has a screwhole orientation at a 90-degree offset from the other if you look really, really closely. While a pre-production pair, they are in excellent condition (I'd say a conservative 8/10), which makes sense because of my definitely obsessional care (love) for them. If you look at them from below, there's some mild scuffing on underside inevitable from the custom metal stands also produced by Studio Electric (also included in the sale, and I do not believe included with the price of the production models to come). Together, sound is 10/10 in my book!
For now, I just acquired a higher-end model of German Physiks omnis that work ok with such a large and live space (which will occasionally double as an art viewing room, so room treatments are out of the question). I think stats may work even better but have been hesitant because of my cat (to which the m5s are impervious due to their stunning metal grilles, and the GPs just have a DDD my cat can't reach). Those omnis I acquired cost a ridiculous, nose-bleed sum (like ten times this), and though a smidge friendlier to my space (working with the echo chamber, and not as friendly as headphones), I wouldn't say they would necessarily sound any better in most aspects (which is saying a lot). The M5s, then, are those proverbial giant slayers. I'm very impressed.
SPECS
LF: SE10SL / 1O" / 250mm / gel coated paper
MF: SE HighXs™6.5" / 170mm /copolymer
HF: 1" / 25mm soft dome
Frequency Response: 34Hz-22kHz
Sensitivity: 89dB @ 1W / 1 meter
Recommended Amplifier Power: 75 to 450 Watts
Impedance: 4 Ohms
Crossover Frequencies: 55Hz / 3.1kHz
Construction: HDF and MDF with hardwood veneer
Cabinet Dimensions: (HxWxD): 24”x14x13.625" (sans grill)
Weight: 51 lbs. / 23 kg (shipping weight: 56lbs. / 25kg)
Images are on the Studio Electric website (in the factory and my old space) and below:
