New mains...

[twnoise]

I currently have a pair of Magnepan MMG's and REALLY like the sound quality. But, unfortunatly now I need a speaker that is not so placement critical. Bottom line is that I am looking to put together the Dayton Aluminum/ Silk MTM Kit. I have not been able to find any reviews on the speaker. Can anybody comment on the speaker tell me if the kit will come even close to the qualities of the MMG's?

I will be powering with an Acurus A150/Apt Holman preamp.

Thanks!

[dthomas]

Provided Link: http://www.partsexpress.com/projects...r701/index.cfm


> I currently have a pair of Magnepan MMG's
> and REALLY like the sound quality. But,
> unfortunatly now I need a speaker that is
> not so placement critical. Bottom line is
> that I am looking to put together the Dayton
> Aluminum/ Silk MTM Kit. I have not been able
> to find any reviews on the speaker. Can
> anybody comment on the speaker tell me if
> the kit will come even close to the
> qualities of the MMG's?

> I will be powering with an Acurus A150/Apt
> Holman preamp.

> Thanks!

Not even close. Are you referring to the DA175 kit? The kit is good but it would be an unfair comparison. Look at the Usher Kit in the project area. Definitely give your Maggies a run for their money.

I have a design using the Usher 8945P and the Vifa XT25 that I would stand up to Maggies. I have a 2 way and 2.5 way design with this driver combo. It is hard to top maggies for big soundstage. But you can easily match or exceed them in other attributes. The 2.5 way would probably be the best. You can build this design in the $400 to $600 range with high quality crossover components.

If you want to build something that will compete with a Maggie, I would suggest looking at kits with Focal, Seas or Usher midwoofers and good quality tweeters. The Focal drivers are still available over at Zalytron.com and the Seas can be had at Madisound.com. At least that is my opinon.

Dave

[Jim Holtz]

> I currently have a pair of Magnepan MMG's
> and REALLY like the sound quality. But,
> unfortunatly now I need a speaker that is
> not so placement critical. Bottom line is
> that I am looking to put together the Dayton
> Aluminum/ Silk MTM Kit. I have not been able
> to find any reviews on the speaker. Can
> anybody comment on the speaker tell me if
> the kit will come even close to the
> qualities of the MMG's?

A few questions and suggestions:

1. What is your experience level? Have you ever built a DIY speaker before and are you comfortable with soldering and reading schematics?

2. Maggies are essentially di-poles which create an extremely large (some think exaggerated) soundstage. Are you trying to build a speaker with that type of sound stage?

We can further help you once you answer the above questions. There are dozens of very high quality DIY speaker designs available but many require more advanced DIY skills that a kit provides. There are also many fine kits available that just require buying/building cabinets and very basic soldering to complete the assembly.

I can without hesitation say, the kit you're looking at won't sound anything like the maggies. They were designed to be a budget speaker using budget drivers.

Define your goals and skills, plus how high of end sound are you seeking? Then we can make recommendations.

Jim

> I will be powering with an Acurus A150/Apt
> Holman preamp.

> Thanks!

[twnoise]

> Not even close. Are you referring to the
> DA175 kit? The kit is good but it would be
> an unfair comparison. Look at the Usher Kit
> in the project area. Definitely give your
> Maggies a run for their money.

> I have a design using the Usher 8945P and
> the Vifa XT25 that I would stand up to
> Maggies. I have a 2 way and 2.5 way design
> with this driver combo. It is hard to top
> maggies for big soundstage. But you can
> easily match or exceed them in other
> attributes. The 2.5 way would probably be
> the best. You can build this design in the
> $400 to $600 range with high quality
> crossover components.

> If you want to build something that will
> compete with a Maggie, I would suggest
> looking at kits with Focal, Seas or Usher
> midwoofers and good quality tweeters. The
> Focal drivers are still available over at
> Zalytron.com and the Seas can be had at
> Madisound.com. At least that is my opinon.

> Dave

Thanks for the reply. I am a bit confused by the "2.5 way design". Can you explain a bit further and point me to that design?

Thanks

[twnoise]

> A few questions and suggestions:

> 1. What is your experience level? Have you
> ever built a DIY speaker before and are you
> comfortable with soldering and reading
> schematics?

> 2. Maggies are essentially di-poles which
> create an extremely large (some think
> exaggerated) soundstage. Are you trying to
> build a speaker with that type of sound
> stage?

> We can further help you once you answer the
> above questions. There are dozens of very
> high quality DIY speaker designs available
> but many require more advanced DIY skills
> that a kit provides. There are also many
> fine kits available that just require
> buying/building cabinets and very basic
> soldering to complete the assembly.

> I can without hesitation say, the kit you're
> looking at won't sound anything like the
> maggies. They were designed to be a budget
> speaker using budget drivers.

> Define your goals and skills, plus how high
> of end sound are you seeking? Then we can
> make recommendations.

> Jim

Jim, I have dabbled in the past with building speakers and am comfortable with soldering and reading schematics. I am looking to build something that will have a nearly prefinished cabinet; I have very limited abilities with woodworking tools at this time.

With regards to what sound I am trying to achive... really just want something that sounds "quick" and has a good tonal balance for now. My needs are more with a speaker less critical with regards to room placement and doesn't require that I sit in a narrow sweet spot to enjoy. I not a bass freak; I find that the MMG's provide me with an enjoyable low end. I realize that the soundstage issue is a tough one but until I get into a space that I can really enjoy them, they are not really doing me much good now. So if I can find something that sounds quick and balanced I think I would be happy.

Thanks

[bogie]

There's no way you're gonna get the same results. If possible, keep the maggies, because for the same money, you're not gonna get the same sound from box speakers... About the only benefit you'll see from the boxes is that you're not gonna need to have them sitting 3' out from a wall.

Now, in the "good enough for horseshoes, hand grenades, and old guys with bad hearing" department...

When Pedro visited The Bunker, he brought the Schumakubins. And we set 'em up in the living room. Compared to my MMGs, they don't sound _quite_ as "big," but they did sound VERY darn good... Considering I've got about a thousand in my MMGs (counting the speaks and subs/stands), I think that $250 is a VERY good price for the components for those puppies... Did not require a sub for music with 'em either.

Downsides are that they also really like their juice, and they don't have near the power handling capabilities of the MMGs.

[Jim Holtz]

> Jim, I have dabbled in the past with
> building speakers and am comfortable with
> soldering and reading schematics. I am
> looking to build something that will have a
> nearly prefinished cabinet; I have very
> limited abilities with woodworking tools at
> this time.

> With regards to what sound I am trying to
> achive... really just want something that
> sounds "quick" and has a good
> tonal balance for now. My needs are more
> with a speaker less critical with regards to
> room placement and doesn't require that I
> sit in a narrow sweet spot to enjoy. I not a
> bass freak; I find that the MMG's provide me
> with an enjoyable low end. I realize that
> the soundstage issue is a tough one but
> until I get into a space that I can really
> enjoy them, they are not really doing me
> much good now. So if I can find something
> that sounds quick and balanced I think I
> would be happy.

> Thanks

OK, here's what I'd recommend depending on your budget. 1st, I'd suggest you look at Selah Audio's monitor or 35F floor standing speaker. They'll all work in a PE or Madisound pre finished cabinet depending on which one you like. Many are based on the Morel MDM-55 mid-dome which will give you a very expansive and detailed sound stage. It is an exquisite mid, IMHO. If you have the budget for it, the Tanzanite is a killer design.

<A HREF="http://www.selahaudio.com/">http://www.selahaudio.com/</A>

Next, I'd recommend the following designs based on Jon Marsh's work. Jon is an excellent designer that has created many professional quality speakers. Here are links to his Modula M/T and Natalie P. designs.

<A HREF="http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=13154">http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=13154</A>

<A HREF="http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=13969">http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=13969</A>

I have built both the Modula M/T and Natalie P's. Rick has done a number of custom designs for me including a speaker similar to the Tanzanite on up to my reference line arrays. The Modula M/T, Natalie P. and the JH3 Reference Rick designed for me have all been selected as best in class at various DIY events so they have been judged by their peers.

(ahem) all of mine are for sale to finance my continuing addiction to speaker building. :-)

HTH

Jim

[johnastockman]

> I currently have a pair of Magnepan MMG's
> and REALLY like the sound quality. But,
> unfortunatly now I need a speaker that is
> not so placement critical. Bottom line is
> that I am looking to put together the Dayton
> Aluminum/ Silk MTM Kit. I have not been able
> to find any reviews on the speaker. Can
> anybody comment on the speaker tell me if
> the kit will come even close to the
> qualities of the MMG's?

> I will be powering with an Acurus A150/Apt
> Holman preamp.

> Thanks!

Well, while that kit is very nice for the price (especially since they are on sale right now), I don't think it will be adequate for your needs. I've built a few pairs of that kit for friends...compared to similar retail brands that cost more, the consensus among those who have had the chance to compare, was that they offered an overall better SQ; smoother, more listenable, and no fatigue. How's that for subjective? I'm no professional reviewer, but I do have a lot of experience in this area, retail vs DIY. dthomas and bogie are on the right track...I'd go with their recommendations as they have more experience with those types of speakers. Good luck and post back with any ?'s or decisions.

John A.

[johnastockman]

[bogie]

We actually had the Schumakubins and the MMGs in the same room... General consensus was that the MMGs were better speakers, but not $750 worth of better ($550 for my MMGs, and about $400 worth of subs/amps).

[natediggidy]

> My needs are more
> with a speaker less critical with regards to
> room placement and doesn't require that I
> sit in a narrow sweet spot to enjoy.

One thing that I've found to be a big contribution to that narrow Maggie sweet spot, is the "contribution" the room makes to the sound. If you haven't tried killing the first reflections from the sidewalls with absorber panels and adding dispersion behind the speaker, it's worth a try. There will still be that spot that is magic, but the fall off, once outside that spot will be less.