Aerius vs Aerius i

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I'm contemplating the purchase of a pair of Aerius units, and wonder about the significance of the revision that the Aerius i represented? I get the impression that the low driver saw improvement (longer excursion, poly...vs. paper - is this true?). The pair up for grabs has seen very limited use (mainly stored) and is going for ~ $1200 (US$). If the 'i' revision is the way to go, I may keep looking.

Also, I currently use a Museatex power amp (conservatively rated @ 90w per/ch @ 4 ohms) to power my current mains [which are Museatex Melior 2 's (full range point source planars)]. Any opinions re. this amp's suitability for the ML's would be appreciated!

I've kept my eyes open for an opportunity to make the electrostatic leap, and have always been impressed by ML products. I've decided against a Quad ESL restoration project for various reasons (inc. wife).

Any input appreciated!
 
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Not sure about the Aerius i, but the Aerius' are excellent speakers. A bit harder to drive than the newer gen MLs, but very smooth sounding and easier to partner with electronics (ie more forgiving IMO).

I think that $1200US is very steep. Even if the speakers have been stored, stuff ages, and I think that most Aerius' are reaching the end of their panel service lives (easy to replace, but not free). Also, people sometimes store things in ways that are, um, less than optimal. For a pair of Aerius in top notch condition, I would pay $1000CDN (boxes included).
 
I can only make a guess for you on this since I do not own Aerius in any variation. I believe there was a woofer difference but not much and that the electronics were a little different also.
I believe the electronic differences were the crossover point(?) and I think this also had the change to make the electronics/panels turn off after no activity to keep them from collecting dust. :D

Jeff
 
good day hey. so like, today's topic is really great speakers.

KeenEaredCanuck said:
I've kept my eyes open for an opportunity to make the electrostatic leap, and have always been impressed by ML products. I've decided against a Quad ESL restoration project for various reasons (inc. wife).

Any input appreciated!

do what i did - get both :)

ESL-57 upstairs, CLS downstairs. if you are in the vancouver end of canada, private message me and we can have a listening session to compare ESL-57 and ML.

the ESL, in many ways, sounds richer and has a bit more presence on vocals. but it's imaging is not the best. remember, it was designed as a mono speaker, and the literature even said that listening to it was like standing outside the theatre listening to the orchestra through a big window.

but when driven by tubes, the beasts can make you melt.

i know, i'm not helping those "various reasons"
 
KeenEaredCanuck said:
Also, I currently use a Museatex power amp (conservatively rated @ 90w per/ch @ 4 ohms) to power my current mains [which are Museatex Melior 2 's (full range point source planars)]. Any opinions re. this amp's suitability for the ML's would be appreciated!


darn. i forgot to mention that all my logans (CLS, logos, scripts) are powered by meitner amps - STR-50, STR-55 or MTR-101. your meilor should power your MLs easily.

i demoed the Museatex full range point source planars when they came out and was nonplussed. interesting idea, but they just didn't cut it for me. similar to the museatex turntable that i [briefly] owned. just didn't cut it.

Ed meitner is a digital genius, but the analog gear always fell short of what his electronics acheived - they just suffered in the comparison.

check out my meitner page if you like.
 
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I have the original Aerius, not the Aerius i.

My understanding is that the power on/off feature (of the i) keeps the stats cleaner, giving them longer life.

My ears and reviews also say the Aerius i has extended highs, something you might be craving after owning the Melior-2 for so long (I loved that speaker, had the wrong room at the time).

I still don't have confirmation from anyone that the Aerius i is ported. I know the original Aerius is a sealed box (a sound I like).

Does the pre-amp have dual outs? Maybe a pair of super-tweeters would open up the sound for you.

I could not find any Melior-2's for sale..................but I'm thinking they are still worth a good price. Have you ever had them re-skinned?
 
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I have the Aerius i's, and the woofer is housed in a sealed box (no port). I never heard the original Aerius, but love the sound of mine.
 
sleepysurf said:
I have the Aerius i's, and the woofer is housed in a sealed box (no port).
Thanks for clearing that up. What sent me a loop was something I read in the product timeline, can't even remember what it was, but it opened up a question.

The Melior 2 and the orginal Aerius crossed paths market wise, one ending the other just begining. I'm guessing 5 years of technical innovation seperate them. We can only wonder what the next generation of Meliors would of matured into.

Did a company from Japan buy the rights to the design?
 
kach22i said:
The Melior 2 and the orginal Aerius crossed paths market wise, one ending the other just begining. I'm guessing 5 years of technical innovation seperate them. We can only wonder what the next generation of Meliors would of matured into.

Did a company from Japan buy the rights to the design?

the predecessor of the melior line - meitner - can drive ML no problem, i wouldn't imagine any trouble with the melior line.

museatex started in montreal
then they moved to calgary
at some point around there they got bought by a/d/c
then the line went away.

ed meitner moved onto SACD and emm labs. he designs uber highend audiophile and studio gear. i believe that he felt he could go no further with the designs of the meitner gear so stopped supporting it with upgrades.

John wright - who ran the repair dept for ed for a decade - has taken over the support of the meitner/museatex/melior line. he's still in calgary, doing a great job on these units.

so as far as i know, no japan takeover :)
 
zaphod said:
so as far as i know, no japan takeover :)

http://www.museatex.com/planar1.htm
This is the principle of the speakers originally developed by Highwood Audio and refined by Museatex.

It's been too many years for me to recall clearly.

I seem to remember a distribution company (Japanese pehaps) owning the rights to the original time ripple speaker. Museatex purchased the distribution company as it went under and inherited the technology. I don't remember this "Highwood Audio".

I remember a company called "Solex" or "Sonex" or "Solo-something". This speaker name with an "S" is mentioned and listed in old "Sterophile" magazines of the day - I think.
 
"...seem to remember a distribution company (Japanese pehaps) owning the rights to the original time ripple speaker. Museatex purchased the distribution company as it went under and inherited the technology. I don't remember this "Highwood Audio"..."



Highwood too, was Calgary based. The SUMO speaker was of the same/similar pedigree.

I thought that the buyout/takeover or whatever it was a few years ago, involved A/D/S, not A/D/C.

In addition to John Wright (a very busy, great guy!), Morry Campbell (Morry James Cables, etc. - another great guy) still resides in Calgary. The last I heard, Ed was still here as well. It's great to have these resources around, especially when you're hanging on (and who wouldn't) to your Museatex or Melior gear.

John gave me the impression that he felt that the Melior 2 worked out a bit better, overall, than the larger Melior 1 model. Mine were a pair of Morry's and have never (to my knowledge) had any form of service - they simply continue to work (like my Museatex amp as it approaches ~15 years of age!).

Should I get hooked by the ML's (if I buy), I'll regrettfully be selling the Meliors, as I simply don't have another room for them right now.

Thanks for the responses, eh!
 
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Sumo....A/D/S.........guess we are just a bunch of old guys losing our memories. :D

If I were you, I'd hang on to the Melior's, that is until you find a pair a M/L that you can fall in love with. Nothing does drums like the Meliors, but there are some oddities about sound localization I remember drawing undue attention. Overall they were "to die for" in my book.

PS: I still don't have the right room for the Meliors. :mad:
 
kach22i said:
Sumo....A/D/S.........guess we are just a bunch of old guys losing our memories. :D

If I were you, I'd hang on to the Melior's, that is until you find a pair a M/L that you can fall in love with. Nothing does drums like the Meliors

yeah, a/d/s not a/d/c - sigh. dyslexia or old-timers - you be the judge :)


i never heard the melior 2's - seen pictures, but never heard them. if i remember right, they were intended to be paired with one of ed's sub - the sw-12 or sw-15 - while the melior 1's were designed to handle the whole job without requiring a sub.

i don't think i ever heard drum heavy music on the meliors, but other than animal (see the guilty pleasure's thread) i am not a big drum solo fan.

of course the last thing i need is another set of planar speakers... hmmm, i think my work cube could fit the smaller meliors... hmmmmm..... :D
 

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