Alesis M1 Active (re)Build

[Jason]

I managed to piece together a pair of the Alesis M1 Actives using the Alesis buyout drivers PE had at one point, along with the original M1 amps that Apex Jr. sold years ago. I haven't had a chance to fire them up yet so I can't comment on the sound (yeah, this is a pretty worthless post).

From a build-quality standpoint, both drivers appear to be pretty decent. Since this is an active bi-amped system with electronic crossovers in the amp, there isn't really anything to comment on regarding the crossover.

The cabinet is 3/4" birch plywood with an additional 3/4" MDF layer on the front baffle. The veneer is bubinga and finished with just poly. Turned out nice, although the veneer split on me all over the place. I'm hoping that it's stable now and that it won't buckle when the humidity increases.

[Paul Carmody]

Looks sharp! Those M1 Active are pretty nicely priced; hard to beat even at DIY prices. But still, yours look much nicer! I have been using a pair of [store bought] M1 Active MKII for 6 or 7 years now. They're real workhorses. They've worked without a hitch all this time, despite me dropping them and knocking them off the stands numerous times. Plus, they put out a pretty good sound. I really ought to measure mine one of these days...

[depthsounder]

Did you try filling any of the splits with stainable filler? I had some cracking on my ZMV5's and I filled them. For now I cannot even make out where the cracks were, but we'll see if they show up when I apply the finish.

Your monitors look good. I bought some of the Alesis amp modules back then as well, but haven't yet put them to use!

-David

[Jason]

Yeah, I used some "red mahogany" sandable sealer. It hid most of them pretty well. You can see them pretty easily up close or in the right light, but I think you'd have to be looking for it. Still frustrating.

We hooked them up in my son's room and he's been playing video games with them all day. Definitely not critical listening, but they sound pretty good. A lot more low end than I was expecting for some reason. I think the drivers should be pretty well broken in by now, so maybe later we'll thrown on some CDs and see how they handle music.

I think I have about $200 in them (including the cabinets/finish), which doesn't seem too bad, as it includes the amps. I think originally they were around $600/pr, but I'm sure over time they've come down, and I'm sure you can get a used pair for $200 or less.