Hi Pierre, sorry for the delay - I never look at this and Agon doesn't seem to send any notifications...

The M1 are as you would imagine a completely different style of music reproduction. While I really liked the Usher, I love the M1. The inner detail and coherence is something I wouldn't want to do without. The JL F112 is a perfect match - it just fills out the bottom from about 45hz down - I have it placed between the 112 but now I can't see my ASR.. I'm going to get another 112 so they can both be placed right next to the M1.

mantis007 November 21, 2010 21:50

Tony what are P1-MX sound characteristics compared to Ushers?

How's that sub working out for you?

lapierre October 30, 2010 22:50

Nice to know the JL Audio integrated well with the Soundlab's - there is some controversy one the use of subs with electrostatics.

As Soundlab's have a very large radiating area, there is no thing as a defined main first refection point and the ratio of direct versus diffused sound is very different from box speakers.

In my room I have absorption in the back corners and in the part of the wall behind the A1's, diffusion in the central back wall and part of side wall's. Diffusion is done either with RPG diffractals or flutterfree strips.

Although I (and most of my friends who love music) like the type of sound I have, I know some people disagree on this use of diffusors, claiming that absorbers are best suited to get pinpoint image. But I prefer a spacious sound, with plenty of power and ambiance, to the sharp razor imaging you get with mini-monitors.

microstrip October 27, 2010 22:52

Hi Micro, thanks for the tip. Where do you suggest I put them? I'll put of some pics of the rear part of the room. I just got a JL Audio F112 sub and it's working out perfectly and I haven't even run the auto tuning on it. I have it placed between the speakers which I moved out to about 7' from the front wall. Now that the sub is right in front of the ASR I need to relocate the ASR main unit and then of course I'll need longer speaker cables and IC's... ;)
thanks!

mantis007 October 26, 2010 05:10

Tony,

Great to see your new Soundlab's and your room. Soundlab's are not an easy speaker, but once you manage to tune a system around them they are unique. I see your room only has absorption - may be you should also think about diffusion. Furniture, bookshelves and QRD diffusers can be of great help to get a full bodied balance.

microstrip October 24, 2010 16:34

Hi Flg, I have not owned the Viva. Maybe your thinking of someone else?

mantis007 October 24, 2010 02:58

I see you kept the ASR vs the Viva Solista, what differences did you find to arrive to that decision?

flg2001 October 18, 2010 00:43

System edited: Sound Lab pic added.

mantis007 October 02, 2010 14:11

Well, I purchased a brand new pair of M1-PX and have been using them for 2 weeks. They are certainly different than the Ushers and I'll need to get used to that. I've had different electos in the past (Acoustat, Audio Static, Innersound Kaya Ref.) and think these are the best of the breed. They are definitely going to take many hrs of breakin but I'll enjoy every minute ;)

mantis007 October 01, 2010 15:13

Hi, the M1's were damaged and one of the speakers doesn't play very loud at all before breaking up.. The dealer is working on getting me another pair. I update when I have a completely working pair. I can say though that with low volume the bass is nicely integrated - it sounds more of one cloth than multiple drivers/xover etc... That's one thing I've always loved about electros.

That said, I don't think the M1's will ever have the slam the 20's did - the 20's would certainly make your pant legs shake...

mantis007 September 07, 2010 18:08

Curious about what you think about the Soundlab M1 bass compared to the Ushers.

lapierre September 07, 2010 03:56

the Usher's are gone. I now have some Soundlab M1's that were damaged in shipping...

mantis007 September 04, 2010 19:22

in my system single ended is better because my ASR amp has an RCA direct input that bypasses relays etc.

mantis007 September 04, 2010 19:20

those of you who use a transporter - is it better balanced? or not?

melomaniac September 02, 2010 20:47

System edited: installed new Pure Note Designers Edition speaker cables. Very nice improvement - more transparency and tone weight - can hear deeper into the recording with volume lower. Very nice so far and the cables only have maybe 30-40 hrs on them.

mantis007 July 04, 2010 13:30

Alecog, I would notice that when an instrument was played like guitar, the first note would start forward in the soundstage and then as it played on it would move back a few feet - I used to notice this all the time. After the xover upgrade it was gone. It sounds much more coherent and everything is solid in the soundstage. Hope this makes sense ;) I haven't noticed a "forward" sound in the mids in my system.

mantis007 May 24, 2010 03:08

Thank you Mantis,
what do you mean for "phase problems with midrange" ?

With my Be20 I feel sometimes a too "forward" sound in the middle frequency..

May be this you mean ?

alecog May 20, 2010 19:03

Hi Alecog, sorry for the delay. I wish Agon would send an email when someone posts...

Regarding the xovers - the xover points were changed quite a bit - the woofers now cross at about 210hz instead of around 520hz(way to high for an 11" woofer IMO) - the tweeter also crosses much lower at 1.8K instead of 3k+. The bass output was lowered by 3db which balanced the the output of all the drivers leading to much more coherence. The bass output has adjustability to add more output via a resistor bundle on the xover board. Overall the 20's sound is much improved. The overall character is similar but they are much more refined and relaxed - much smoother but with better resolution and detail levels, also the drivers integrate much better. I used to notice phase problems with midrange sounds but that's been corrected as has the out of phase cancellation in the vertical plane. Very much worth the effort.

mantis007 May 16, 2010 14:33

Hi Mantis,
can you explain wich improvements you experienced with the new crossover ?

thank you.
Ale

alecog May 07, 2010 05:00

Hi, yes, I did the install. It took about 8 hrs of very careful work but was so worth it!

mantis007 April 24, 2010 12:52

Did you install the GR crossovers?

lapierre April 24, 2010 03:18

Hi, I may try them. Some like them and others don't - like everything else audio ;) With the current BE tweets micro-dynamics are already outstanding so I'll be surprised if its worth the $$$... I tell you though that the crossover replacement totally transformed the 20's and corrected several deficiencies IMO and of the crossover's designer.

mantis007 April 23, 2010 20:04

Ushers new DMD (diamond-metal-diamond) tweeter is implemented in the new BE-20 DMD. You trading up? Suppose to present more micro-dynamics. Measures the same frequency as last years Beryllium-Oxide dome tweeter at 40 kHz.

What do you think?

lapierre April 23, 2010 04:31

Paul, I look forward to your impressions. I've had a few different amps both tube and SS - the ASR pushes my buttons just right ;)
Tony

mantis007 January 05, 2010 14:15

Tony,

Thanks much. It looks like I am purchasing an Emitter 1 Ex. Blue from a friend and am quite looking forward to trying it out.

[I am very much a tube (SET) guy, and have been disappointed by every single solid-state amp I have tried that is "supposed" to sound like tubes. But I have never heard ASR or Dartzeel. So, we'll see!]

paulfolbrecht January 03, 2010 20:55