[capwkidd]

Twice now I have had the chance to hear Soundlab's Model A1's.... Many years ago, and just recently at the new port show, Room 303. Once I listened to them, I thought "What the heck am I doing bothering with all theses other speakers? Theses sound increadible!!". I actually had an emotional reaction, even though through most all the other rooms, I was just listening, and mostly enjoying what I was hearing, but the Soundlabs sounded so good, I was surprised. I bet part of it was the MSB DAC, which I ended buying one at the show, and some other items. I am sure the large sound had allot to do with it. And the sound just seemed so natural sounding as well. Now the problem is, I live in an apartment (for now at least), could I actually have a pair of Soundlabs in my place? Then I noticed the M-3PX, smaller, and affordable.... But, I wonder, what is the difference in sound between theses and their big brothers? Can anyone comment? I know they do not go as low in the bass, but I am not concerned about that, I can always get a sub later, and the speakers I listen to now are only rated to go down to 35hz (yet, them seem to go much deeper, or maybe they just have a full sound to them?).... Thoughts? Thanks!

[Duke]

Hi Capwkidd,

I remember my first pair of SoundLabs.  They were the first pair of Millenium 1's, serial number M0001, and I bought them unseen and unheard.   The only amp I had on hand was a woefully inadequate 50-watt Adcom.  Well, within the limits of that little Adcom, it was the best sound I had ever heard outside of a concert hall, by a very large margin.  Later when I began manufacturing my own line of speakers, I told Roger West that my goal was to build the second-best speakers in the world. 

I've lived with every size and every model speaker SoundLab currently makes except for the nine foot Majestics, even if I haven't lived with the latest version of every model. 

It's not really a matter of the bigger speakers not working in smaller rooms; the wavelengths and time delays of reflections don't change with speaker size, and those are the things that matter most in setup.   The full-size models will work just fine in smaller rooms... I use the analogy of a grand piano:  Sure it will be at its best in a good recital hall, but it will still sound better in your living room than an upright will.

Okay as we go down in scale from M1/A1 to M2/A3 and then down to M3, we trade off low end extension and efficiency.  The latter is not obvious from the published specs, but I've heard it and measured it.  The efficiency difference is roughly 3 dB between the full-sized models and the "little" M3, with the M2 falling roughly in the middle, but maybe a little bit closer to the big ones.   Three dB doesn't sound like much, until you realize that it's equivalent to a doubling of amplifier power, and historically SoundLabs like big amps.  So the most cost-effective way to hit high SPLs with SoundLabs was often to go for the bigger speaker, instead of the smaller speaker + bigger amps. 

The picture has shifted somewhat with the new toroidal transformers that Roger West is using now.  Efficiency and amplifier-friendliness have improved considerably, so that the hidden amplifier cost is not as bad as it used to be.   

Over the years, I've probably sold more M1s than everything else combined.   I have taken very few orders for the M3, and most of the people who ordered the M3 changed their order to the M2 within a week or two.   And for that matter, about half of the people who originally ordered the M2 changed it to the M1 within a week or two.   Just mentioning this in case you find yourself pulled to upgrade your order (if you place one) - it can be done, but try to do it before they get started on the actual build. 

Back to the M3.  The smaller panel size and resulting reduction of low-end energy does reduce the warmth a bit relative to the bigger models, but it is by no means a thin sounding speaker.  My customers who stuck with their original order and bought M3s absolutely loved them.  I loved mine, but mine were an earlier generation that didn't have the efficiency and amplifier friendliness of the current generation.  Today's M3 is a significant improvement over its predecessors.

One area where the M-3 has the advantage over its bigger siblings is, soundstage width in a narrow room.  Soundstage width is closely related to the center-to-cener speaker spacing, and the narrower speakers can be spaced farther apart in a given size room.  That may or may not be a factor in your situation.  And any of the SoundLabs can be placed within inches of the side walls without a problem, as they inherently have a null to the side.

Distance to the back wall is usually the biggest factor in setup.  Ideally, you'd like to have at least five feet.  If that's not feasible, it often helps to have some diffusive treatment along the backwall, at the first reflection point of each speaker.  Imagine where you'd put a mirror to see the back of each speaker.  You want to intercept the sound that would bounce off of that spot and diffuse it.   You can also place diffusion at the focal point of the faceted-curved panel, right behind the back of the base that the backplate sits in.  And in an extreme situation, you can place absorption at that focal point location.  I consider absorption to be a last resort, because much of what makes the SoundLabs so delicious is the powerful, spectrally-correct reverberant field they set up in the room. 

[capwkidd]

Duke, thank you for the very clear explanation, using the piano as a caparison was perfect!

[jimdgoulding]

Duke, hi.  I'm guessing the same thing would apply to other bi-directional planars such as Magnepan.  Wouldn't that be correct?

[Roger Gustavsson]

I have had my Tympani IIIA in 12 m² room. Tympani IIIA had eight panels. Worked great in that small room.

[Duke]

Duke, hi.  I'm guessing the same thing would apply to other bi-directional planars such as Magnepan.  Wouldn't that be correct?

Hi Jim,

I think the same principles apply to other dipoles (planars) like Maggies, but it's a little bit more complicated with bipolars.   Because the front and rear outputs are in-phase with a bipolar, we increase the boundary reinforcement in the bass region when we move them close to the wall(s).  Dipole bass may actually decrease with proximity to the wall behind the speaekrs, as it's the out-of-phase backwave that's getting reinforced.   Very close proximity to the sidewalls can increase the bass output of a dipole, as wrap-around cancellation in that direction is reduced.

[bonzo75]

Hi Duke, came across this older thread. What's the difference between A3 and M2? Also, the guy who had the A3 that I heard had it directly placed on a wood floor. What's the best way to isolate it from the floor instead of putting the whole base frame down?