[nutsnbolts]

I'm considering 2 pairs of the 7' towers w/ bass modules and center. The price is good right now on remaining stock. Any and all opinions welcome. Thanks.

[doug s.]

I'm considering 2 pairs of the 7' towers w/ bass modules and center. The price is good right now on remaining stock. Any and all opinions welcome. Thanks.

imo, i would not willingly purchase anything made by that company, regardless of sound quality.  their biz practices suck big-time, imo.  and, looking at pics of the drivers used, the "discount" pricing seems about what the original price should have been...

ymmv,

doug s.

[nutsnbolts]

Thanks. By all means download the pdf's and give me more feedback. The drivers are apparently good quality and I can't touch arrays at this price point. Let alone 2 pairs with 4 subs and a center. I don't like Monster anymore than most people but a good deal is a good deal- I have auditioned alot of speakers in the sub 2k price area and nothing has come close to the dynamics, imaging and detail this system puts out. You can guess what I'm paying based on that

[EProvenzano]

What pics?  What PDF's?  Links please.
Thanks.

[nutsnbolts]

Here ya go :


http://www.mdesignlife.com/productPage.asp?pin=2236


http://www.mdesignlife.com/productPage.asp?pin=2237 


http://www.mdesignlife.com/productPage.asp?pin=2232 


7' towers-65-20khz 200 watts - 4ohms -82db sens.
bass modules - 33 -200hz - 250 watts 4ohms
center - 90 - 20khz 4 ohms -81db sens.

Will be adding a dedicated sub(s?) for LFE.Don't know what yet though...

[EProvenzano]

7' towers-65-20khz 200 watts - 4ohms -82db sens.
bass modules - 33 -200hz - 250 watts 4ohms
center - 90 - 20khz 4 ohms -81db sens.

I'm surprised by the low sensitivity.  I'd pass.  Just looks too gimmicky to me.


Get a pair of these instead:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=48030.0
 

I know they're in a different price category but the LS-9 and LS-6 can be had in different levels of completion and parts quality.  You'd likely end up with a speaker representing much better value than the Eleganza.

Just my $0.02. I haven't heard either one, but I gotta support the AC community 
Here's a thread with some additional info on the GR LS kits.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=37117.0

Good luck!

[nutsnbolts]

Yeah I was looking at those as well but out of my budget by nearly double at this point per pair - and I'd still need subs. I'll roll the dice on these and let you know how they work out.

[EProvenzano]

Yeah I was looking at those as well but out of my budget by nearly double at this point per pair - and I'd still need subs. I'll roll the dice on these and let you know how they work out.

Good luck 
A quick note: it is unlikely that you'd need subs with the GR LS speakers since they play flat into the mid 20's.  From my reading, most owners don't ever add subs.

[hmen]

82 db @ 4ohm for a 7 foot tower is ridiculously low. You're going to need a really good amp, even with the powered subwoofers. It looks to me like an overblown Home Theatre in the Box. I'd rather go to a company that builds speakers for music than a mass producer that has decided to get on the home theatre bandwagon.  There are so many places that you could do better sonically for that amount of money that those shouldn't even be a consideration.       

[nutsnbolts]

I understand how you feel. Mark's AV123 LS9 has tempted me - everything I own is rosewood , but here's the goods : 4x7' towers + 4bass modules and center less than 7k. The specs aren't OOC , I've been called insensitive Add a LFE sub  for movies and I'm finished . 18x18 x 10 ceiling condo....
Amps - I'm using 170 watts switching class D , 0 ag wire
Line array on a budget - for 5.1 - no? I read the white paper , so   

..it's easy to hate Monster... These may not sound as bad as you want them to .

[doug s.]

even if it were the absolute best sound awailable, i would settle for 2nd best.

ymmv,

doug s.

I understand how you feel. Mark's AV123 LS9 has tempted me - everything I own is rosewood , but here's the goods : 4x7' towers + 4bass modules and center less than 7k. The specs aren't OOC , I've been called insensitive Add a LFE sub  for movies and I'm finished . 18x18 x 10 ceiling condo....
Amps - I'm using 170 watts switching class D , 0 ag wire
Line array on a budget - for 5.1 - no? I read the white paper , so   

..it's easy to hate Monster... These may not sound as bad as you want them to .

[S Clark]

Yeah I was looking at those as well but out of my budget by nearly double at this point per pair - and I'd still need subs. I'll roll the dice on these and let you know how they work out.

Having spent several hours listening to both the LS6 and LS9, I can assure you that no sub will be needed.  Not probably, not possible, no equivication- no sub will be needed. Also, the price from AV123 is an absolute steal.  Just my 2 cents.

[nutsnbolts]

Thanks. For subs I meant for the .1 - I'm looking at home theatre not just stereo.

[Rick Craig]

I've not heard them but have listened to the McIntosh arrays that use dome tweeters. IMO the planar and ribbon drivers are better suited for arrays. With domes the top octave is rolled off and you don't benefit from the higher sensitivity that the ribbons have.

[Cyrpinodon]

I know, lots and lots of people are down on Monster due to their marketing strategy concerning connections, power conditioners, etc. etc.  Monster originally priced their Eleganza systems the same way they priced their other products when they first started offering these speakers back in 2004 for around $6000 per pair (7' streamline stereo speakers without the bass modules).  I would agree with the negative comments you will read concerning pricing... up to a point.  That point came when the M-Design systems started dropping in price to what is now around the 30% mark of the original MSRP.  I listened to the Eleganza system at CES back in 2004 and was very impressed.  They had a great setup at the high-end audio section at Alexis Park and the blue light strips really did add a dramatic touch to the show.  I had a couple of concerns back then, like how M-Design seemed to have missed the boat when designing the the towers as full-range speakers, adding the bass modules on in what appeared to be an after-thought.   But, like the other components made by M-Design, the bass modules were still beautiful pieces of cabinetry.  If you haven't seen these speakers in person, you won't believe the workmanship!  I left the 2004 show thinking that $20,000 for the 2 streamline towers, 1 center channel speaker, 2 surround speakers and 2 "Godfather" sub-woofers, was way over the top.  I have to say, if you are going to spend $20,000 for a surround system, you can do a lot better than the M-Design speakers, at least acoustically.  So, to cut to the chase, I now own a 7.1 version of the M-Design streamline system (I added on another set of the surrounds to the 5.1 system with 2 sub-woofers).  My wife thinks that she is in heaven as these replaced 8 foot tall electrostatic speakers paired with fairly large sub-woofers.  If you do a really good search for reviews on this system you will find at one of the M-Design sites a review that is not all that kind towards the Eleganza speakers.  The review goes into great detail about the drop-off on the super-tweeter (a point source compared to the tower configuration of the mid and low range drivers).  The review still gives the $20,000 system considerable credit for being able to pay loud and with great accuracy in most of the frequencies.  When all is said and done, at the current street price, the system is not only one of the most beautiful home theater surround systems, but sounds fantastic.

[doug s.]

i am down on monster due to their proclivity to sue anyone - anywhere, anytime, anyplace - if they have anything to do with anything named "monster", whether or not it has absolutely anything to with monster's product line...  i have no issues w/any of their other marketing hype.

therefore, i stand by my initial statement:

"even if it were the absolute best sound awailable, i would settle for 2nd best."

ymmv,

doug s.

I know, lots and lots of people are down on Monster due to their marketing strategy concerning connections, power conditioners, etc. etc.  Monster originally priced their Eleganza systems the same way they priced their other products when they first started offering these speakers back in 2004 for around $6000 per pair (7' streamline stereo speakers without the bass modules).  I would agree with the negative comments you will read concerning pricing... up to a point.  That point came when the M-Design systems started dropping in price to what is now around the 30% mark of the original MSRP.  I listened to the Eleganza system at CES back in 2004 and was very impressed.  They had a great setup at the high-end audio section at Alexis Park and the blue light strips really did add a dramatic touch to the show.  I had a couple of concerns back then, like how M-Design seemed to have missed the boat when designing the the towers as full-range speakers, adding the bass modules on in what appeared to be an after-thought.   But, like the other components made by M-Design, the bass modules were still beautiful pieces of cabinetry.  If you haven't seen these speakers in person, you won't believe the workmanship!  I left the 2004 show thinking that $20,000 for the 2 streamline towers, 1 center channel speaker, 2 surround speakers and 2 "Godfather" sub-woofers, was way over the top.  I have to say, if you are going to spend $20,000 for a surround system, you can do a lot better than the M-Design speakers, at least acoustically.  So, to cut to the chase, I now own a 7.1 version of the M-Design streamline system (I added on another set of the surrounds to the 5.1 system with 2 sub-woofers).  My wife thinks that she is in heaven as these replaced 8 foot tall electrostatic speakers paired with fairly large sub-woofers.  If you do a really good search for reviews on this system you will find at one of the M-Design sites a review that is not all that kind towards the Eleganza speakers.  The review goes into great detail about the drop-off on the super-tweeter (a point source compared to the tower configuration of the mid and low range drivers).  The review still gives the $20,000 system considerable credit for being able to pay loud and with great accuracy in most of the frequencies.  When all is said and done, at the current street price, the system is not only one of the most beautiful home theater surround systems, but sounds fantastic.

[nutsnbolts]

I know, lots and lots of people are down on Monster due to their marketing strategy concerning connections, power conditioners, etc. etc.  Monster originally priced their Eleganza systems the same way they priced their other products when they first started offering these speakers back in 2004 for around $6000 per pair (7' streamline stereo speakers without the bass modules).  I would agree with the negative comments you will read concerning pricing... up to a point.  That point came when the M-Design systems started dropping in price to what is now around the 30% mark of the original MSRP.  I listened to the Eleganza system at CES back in 2004 and was very impressed.  They had a great setup at the high-end audio section at Alexis Park and the blue light strips really did add a dramatic touch to the show.  I had a couple of concerns back then, like how M-Design seemed to have missed the boat when designing the the towers as full-range speakers, adding the bass modules on in what appeared to be an after-thought.   But, like the other components made by M-Design, the bass modules were still beautiful pieces of cabinetry.  If you haven't seen these speakers in person, you won't believe the workmanship!  I left the 2004 show thinking that $20,000 for the 2 streamline towers, 1 center channel speaker, 2 surround speakers and 2 "Godfather" sub-woofers, was way over the top.  I have to say, if you are going to spend $20,000 for a surround system, you can do a lot better than the M-Design speakers, at least acoustically.  So, to cut to the chase, I now own a 7.1 version of the M-Design streamline system (I added on another set of the surrounds to the 5.1 system with 2 sub-woofers).  My wife thinks that she is in heaven as these replaced 8 foot tall electrostatic speakers paired with fairly large sub-woofers.  If you do a really good search for reviews on this system you will find at one of the M-Design sites a review that is not all that kind towards the Eleganza speakers.  The review goes into great detail about the drop-off on the super-tweeter (a point source compared to the tower configuration of the mid and low range drivers).  The review still gives the $20,000 system considerable credit for being able to pay loud and with great accuracy in most of the frequencies.  When all is said and done, at the current street price, the system is not only one of the most beautiful home theater surround systems, but sounds fantastic.

Thanks Cyrpinodon for your non-Monster bashing opinion! Wow 7.1. Which towers encircle you?I agree for 20k there are a lot of better choices today for a 5.1 system , I guess it won't hurt to say what I paid for the entire setup now that it's a done deal : $6455.00 for 2 pairs of 8400 towers , 2 pairs of the bass modules and the center - all brand new. Should be here by Dec. 18 I assume you are using the Godfather sub(s) ? Can you give me your opinion on them? Do tell And I haven't seen them in person nor have I heard them ! I'm kinda taking a chance on this purchase aa. Do you mind if I ask what you are using for amplification? Cheers!

[Cyrpinodon]

Nutsnbolts: I have two 8400s, two bass modules, one center 3500, four surround 3600s and two Godfathers.  I think your idea of running four 8400s is a better surround solution than mine as the rear channels will match perfectly with the front speakers.  The 3500/3600 speakers do sound different from the towers, but this is to be expected as they have less than half of the drivers than the taller arrays.  I'm powering all but the 8400s with a Yamaha surround receiver, 140 watts per channel at 8 ohms (the streamline speakers are rated at 4 ohms).   I run the front channel right and left signal out of the Yamaha receiver (pre-amp out) to an old Nakamichi PA-7 (which was great with my replaced electrostatic speakers as they too were 4 ohm speakers).  The PA-7 produces 200 watts per channel at 8 ohms and is a powerhouse (Nakamichi did a demo where they arc-welded with this amp, something I think someone known as "nutsnbolts" might appreciate).  Nothing special in the electronics section.  I just can't stand to part with my old amps and they will just not give up the ghost.  To answer your question concerning the sub-woofers... One of the fair criticisms of the Eleganza system was that the sub-woofers were so powerful that they overwhelmed the arrays.  This is true if you don't fine-tune the system.  I have these all speakers installed in a room 13' wide x 24' long.  In this environment the gain for the bass modules and sub-woofers are set pretty low.  The variable cross-over frequencies were determined using DTS and Dolby-Digital master discs.  I made the mistake of playing for my first audition Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor.  This was prior to the adjustment with the subs set half-way on both gain and cross-over.  I thought that I had broken some of my wife's favorite dishes in the kitchen when they started vibrating like we were having an earthquake.  Even with the subs set correctly now, the sound pressure from the sub-woofers is enough to cause the Mylar mirror on my rear-projection television to flex, distorting the image during high LFE passages.  I still have my Hsu sub-woofers, so I didn't really need the Godfathers.  Still, I'm glad I purchased these as they really offset the 7 foot arrays.  The high-gloss finish on the cherrywood on all of the speakers is something to behold.  Hope this helps with your selection.

[nutsnbolts]

Thanks for your input and info Cyrpinodon. Your 7.1 system must sound and look tremendous! I used to have a pair of Martin Logan CLS II's which I loved dearly, what electrostats did the Eleganza's replace?

I know what you mean about old amps , I have a Technics SEA5 MKII 150 watt that still performs flawlessly. I'll be using Sony da7100ES 170 watt @ 8 ohms receiver to run everything , I'm hoping it'll be enough juice. I will of course post my impressions when they arrive .

[Cyrpinodon]

Nutsnbolts, I have two sets of electrostatic Acoustats: the 1+1 (7.5 feet tall) with Mediallion transformers and a set of the Model 2 hybrids.  The 1+1 Acoustats were the speakers paired with the Hsu sub-woofers that I mentioned earlier (Dr. Hsu and I met when he was just starting out and he customized the electronic cross-over for the subs, a little name-dropping here).  I purchased a Martin Logan Logos for the center channel, but that speaker never matched the Acoustats.  I bought the Model 2s thinking that I could make one of them into a center channel that would blend in with the 1+1 speakers.  A total failure as all of these speakers not only have extremely focused "sweet-spots", but also have to be placed at least 3 feet from any walls.  This long answer is why I bought the Eleganza system.  I'm getting ready to buy a front projector (waiting on seeing the newest models at CES in Vegas next month) and want to have a system where I can place the speakers at each end of a 10' wide 2.35:1 screen.  The electrostatics would have had to have been placed too close to the side walls to clear the projection area.  The "sweet-spot" and imaging limitations of the Acoustats just wouldn't allow me to use them in this floor plan.  Sigh, I LOVE these speakers!  Question: how do you like the Sony 7100 ES?  I'm thinking about purchasing the new ES version of the Blu-Ray player and wonder if it is worth the extra dollars for the "elevated standard" designation.  I would assume that 170 watts per channel should do the trick.