ELS 11A TAS review

[Gordon Gray]

Quite the gush. Almost makes me want to try. If true, sounds like the "blend" issue has been resolved.

 

[tonyc]

I heard a pair of these in Austin at a dealer driven by tubes (I think Prima Luna) and it sure was sweet. And it did sound more continuous than my Summits.

 

[amey01]

If true, sounds like the "blend" issue has been resolved.

It's just advertising speak. If you read the 1994 review of the Aerius then you'll be led to believe "the blend issue" has been resolved.

Not that any of us believe there is any issue with blend (obviously, otherwise we wouldn't have bought the speakers!)

 

[Gordon Gray]

I think the lack of response to this thread is very indicative of the current state of this website. Very sad.

Yet people bitch about the threads devoted to politics, etc.

Frankly don't know why Tom continues to keep it alive. Bless his heart but I think it is on life support.

 

[Gordon Gray]

Not that any of us believe there is any issue with blend (obviously, otherwise we wouldn't have bought the speakers!)

Adam,

I think this issue is much like how quiet and resolving one's system is. Or how "black" your TV is.

You don't know until you lower the noise floor and realize more transparency. Only then do you know you've taken your system up another notch.

Gordon

PS: I had the Aerius and the "blend" was better than my SL3's and my Summits.

 

[amey01]

PS: I had the Aerius and the "blend" was better than my SL3's and my Summits.

Interesting comment.

I also had the Aerius. I think blending in ML speakers is more than acceptable, given the overall advantages/disadvantages/ROI/Design ethos of the speakers overall.

That said, I would never go so far as to say "blending has been resolved" (not that i've heard the 11A). If nothing more, a point source and a line source are markedly different in their dispersion characteristics. And for better or worse, there is that damned crossover network in the panel's signal path.


=====

As for the website, I wouldn't call it sad. Most of the senior members here joined pre-Facebook / social media. In those "prehistoric times", this was the way internet communities thrived.

Many of those members have moved to other speaker marques, so discussion is somewhat limited.

Most new owners of ML continue to partake in thriving communities on Facebook (Owners' groups) and other social media. And they probably do so from their phones on the way to and from work. Not something this website is suitable for.

 

[twich54]

I think the lack of response to this thread is very indicative of the current state of this website. Very sad.

Yet people bitch about the threads devoted to politics, etc.

Frankly don't know why Tom continues to keep it alive. Bless his heart but I think it is on life support.

with all due respect Gordon you started a 'half assed' thread ............you pointed to a review but gave us no link ?? your bad !

 

[JonFo]

'Blend' between panels and woofer(s) has always been a series of progressions/regressions, but the new line with the DSP engine and ARC is a step forward.

Not as big as going all active with dedicated, matched amps, but 'market appropriate' nonetheless.

Also, blend is much better if the mid-bass / woofer is a line array as well, such the one in my SL3XC center. I really want to do a set of line arrays for the Monoliths and rear Sequels.

BTW- Massive 'punch' can be had with something called a near-field mid-bass module. I'll be posting more on that solution in the near future. Really fun for Movies and strong ProgRock music.

 

[JonFo]

As for this site, usage is a function of activity, and I notice I participated less, the lower the overall activity level. But I've recently pushed myself to come here more regularly. This site is a treasure trove of unique information and it would be a shame to lose it.

Facebook might be where more of the action takes place these days, but it has a serious temporal presence issue. Same questions time and time again, so tedious. And threaded conversations are ephemeral. It is not a platform for extended discussion. It more about 'Look at this (or me)' with 'Oh cool' / 'U so lame' responses. This site is eminently discoverable, and has many valuable long-form discussions by many savvy members.

I for one appreciate that Tom still maintains this site, and encourage all of us 'old-timers' to keep it alive and relevant.

 

[Bernard]

with all due respect Gordon you started a 'half assed' thread ............you pointed to a review but gave us no link ?? your bad !

True. I was looking for the link!

 

[RCHeliGuy]

As for the website, I wouldn't call it sad. Most of the senior members here joined pre-Facebook / social media. In those "prehistoric times", this was the way internet communities thrived.

Gee... I remember posting on dial-up BBS servers.

Then I used newsgroups for a long time.

rec.sport.waterski
and there was one like something.something.microsoft.crm.development

I remember sending email in late 80's in college when the Internet mostly connected college campuses. The idea of sending an email to someone on the other side of the earth was amazing back then.

 

[amey01]

Gee... I remember posting on dial-up BBS servers.

Then I used newsgroups for a long time.

rec.sport.waterski
and there was one like something.something.microsoft.crm.development

I remember sending email in late 80's in college when the Internet mostly connected college campuses. The idea of sending an email to someone on the other side of the earth was amazing back then.

Mark,

You have illustrated the progression of the internet quite well.

Facebook might be all the rage today, but it will disappear one day most certainly. And we'll all be saying "remember that clunky Facebook site we all used to use"?

Personally, I remember sending broadcast messages around the school IBM PS/2 network in the late 80s. We didn't have email, but we could send broadcast messages to the entire network - teachers and all! I used to do the same on the X-terminals at Dad's work during school holidays. How much more relaxed was the world back then?

I dare say - many of the younger generation these days wouldn't even own the computer necessary to view this website. Their phones do all that they need!

 

[timm]

I think a lot of it has to do with the difficulty in hearing the speaker. I have no comment on something I haven't heard and will have difficulty finding to hear. I like to read what others think of course.

 

[TomDac]

I think the lack of response to this thread is very indicative of the current state of this website. Very sad.

Yet people bitch about the threads devoted to politics, etc.

Frankly don't know why Tom continues to keep it alive. Bless his heart but I think it is on life support.

I log on nearly every day.. saw this thread and wondered where the link was... figured you would edit and put it in there and i'd then move the post to the correct part of the forum.

I don't want to pull the plug on the site... the ads almost pay for the maintenance of the site and moderation is easy... Quite regularly there are people who find us and get their questions answered.. so it's worth it. But someday it will all be over..

 

[Gordon Gray]

with all due respect Gordon you started a 'half assed' thread ............you pointed to a review but gave us no link ?? your bad !

Well amigo, excuse me. I am not computer literate and don't know how to do that.

And if people are so lazy that they can't goggle for the review, so be it. A big statement on what we've become as a society.

 

[RCHeliGuy]

As someone who likes to consider himself computer literate, I googled "ELS 11A TAS review" and couldn't find it.
I changed the search parameters around and still have no idea if I found the review you were talking about.

All you have to do to give us the link is select the web address at the top of your browser, then copy it and paste it into the body of your post here.

On a Windows machine I would suggest the following:

1. Click on the web address
2. Press CTRL A to select the whole line
3. CTRL C to copy
4. Put a cursor into an editor window here
5. CTRL V to paste.

On a Mac it is different.

I hope that helps.

 

[timm]

And Tom. You can't shut it down. I have had 1963 earth shattering posts that have changed people's lives. Think about that for a minute....lol

 

[Gordon Gray]

My bad and my apologies regarding access to the TAS review.

Have been sick for too long but now on the mend.

If someone can tell me how to link and paste on my MAC, must appreciated.

PS: Review in hard copy.

 

[Joey_V]

I log on nearly every day.. saw this thread and wondered where the link was... figured you would edit and put it in there and i'd then move the post to the correct part of the forum.

I don't want to pull the plug on the site... the ads almost pay for the maintenance of the site and moderation is easy... Quite regularly there are people who find us and get their questions answered.. so it's worth it. But someday it will all be over..

I may not be as active as before, but if this MLO site goes away someday, that's definitely an end to an era.

 

[sleepysurf]

Quite the gush. Almost makes me want to try. If true, sounds like the "blend" issue has been resolved.

I'm not a huge fan of TAS, but still have a subscription. Of note, the review was actually (erroneously) listed on the cover of their Feb issue, but wasn't inside! I went crazy trying to find it! I wonder if it was held up for a re-write. The review is in the March print issue, but not yet available online. I'd post a scanned copy, but don't want to violate copyright protection. I assume they'll post it online at some point.

Although favorable overall, the reviewer (Paul Seydor) did note a slight harshness in the upper mids/highs which was more noticeable to him than the Montis he formerly owned. He spoke highly of the improved bass performance, but states that some "purists" might not be happy with the A to D, then D to A conversion utilized for the bass phasing and ARC room correction.

I have the 13A's, and haven't noticed any "harshness" or "glare" in the mids/highs, but then again, I'm using a hybrid tube preamp (C-J CT5). As for the bass, even with DSP conversions, it's much tighter, and better integrated with the panel, vs. my legacy Summits. No complaints from me re their use of DSP!