Impedance Anyone?

[Robert D]

A solution cheaper than new panels though well I replaced my Cinema i with the Focus - definetly not cheaper, but the repair would apparently add up to the same as a new C model. The sound in the focus is a few levels up and since I'll add the ESL X as replacement of my 18y old Aion i, it ended up a bit pricy 🫣 but defenitly a real upgrade that make it worth it

I replaced my theater i with the Focus and am very happy I did.

 

[Russr]

I replaced my theater i with the Focus and am very happy I did.

Matter of interest, was your Theater functioning properly? I bought a second-hand one, and the tweeters were fried, and the panel not doing so great. eBay seller was very gracious and refunded me most of my money. I had bought replacement mids, and was about to order ML replacement tweeters (all 3 of them) when a Stage came up at a price I could not resist. Wondering if I should complete the repair on the Theater (tho' I do not think ML is refurbishing panels for that... anyone know?), and throw it into the mix. I now have a Cinema and Theater in boxes, and a Stage (currently not in use)... could probably do some wicked stuff with a line of centers stretching from front to rear! All fr future reference when (a) I get the cat hair under control, and (b) get out of "Startup mode" when it comes to income!

 

[Robert D]

Matter of interest, was your Theater functioning properly? I bought a second-hand one, and the tweeters were fried, and the panel not doing so great. eBay seller was very gracious and refunded me most of my money. I had bought replacement mids, and was about to order ML replacement tweeters (all 3 of them) when a Stage came up at a price I could not resist. Wondering if I should complete the repair on the Theater (tho' I do not think ML is refurbishing panels for that... anyone know?), and throw it into the mix. I now have a Cinema and Theater in boxes, and a Stage (currently not in use)... could probably do some wicked stuff with a line of centers stretching from front to rear! All fr future reference when (a) I get the cat hair under control, and (b) get out of "Startup mode" when it comes to income!

One woofer went out while I owned it, and I replaced it. Everything else worked well. I can't say for sure if the panel was shot or not.
The Focus I think would still sound better even if the theater i was brand new. Better design with the panel having a back behind it. The theater i seemed muddied, and vocals weren't very clear.

 

[Leporello]

Well, I am glad some people on this thread do not care about prices, but for myself, if I had that amount to spend, I would invest it into a pair of brand new ESL15A. I very much doubt anybody in a blind test could make the difference between the outrageously priced JC1+ and the Purifi 1ET400A I currently use with my old Summit X.
Furthermore, I very much prefer a 6 kg amplifier to a 75kg one, especially when I have to carry them...

It's not at all that I don't care about prices. My means are relatively modest compared to people who have HT setups with multiple ESL panels and multiple subwoofers, as well as pricey amps. We all have to set priorities for whatever funds we have available (well,most of us).

I needed something that would handle the CLS II's which are more challenging than most, including hybrid ESL's. I am fully sympathetic to your choice of speaker upgrades first, but I love the full range ESL's. I found the JC-1's used on USA Audio Mart, at about the price they were going for at the time--incidentally, far less than a pair of ESL 15a's. Among other amps I considered were the Odyssey Stratos. But I had no opportunity to audition amps locally with the CLS and shipping back amps I didn't like would be a major issue. The Stratos and JC-1 both seemed promising for my needs, from specs and reviews. New JC-1+'s at about $16,000 the pair were off the table for me.

I too am skeptical about some insanely high priced things audiophiles like, but not power amps (well, maybe $100,000 ones). First thing I noticed when replacing the Adcom 555 I had temporarily pressed back into service was the brilliant dynamic rendition of the treble notes of the piano on a Garrick Ohlsen disk of some Brahms I had recently acquired. I don't need to prove anything to anybody by sitting for a blind test, but I heard the results instantly.

I wouldn't rule out going with Class D, but as I said, my opportunity to audition them as well as my gut feeling about how they would sound with my speakers is limited.

I'd love to sell my M-125's to someone near Albany, NY who would appreciate them but in order to ship them I'd probably have to build my own shipping crates. Originally they came as bags of components, many of them packed inside the heavy stainless steel chassis.

 

[Nuri58]

If you're talking about the power spectrum of typical music signals, true. But a drop in impedance at higher frequencies that results in attenuation will still be perceived as a loss of highs.

I am getting back to this as I would think the SPL vs Frequency response. My understanding, which might be wrong, is that when you use e.g. Dirac it will send a signal at a given level from the receiver and the mike will measure the SPL across the frequency, which will impacted by the difference in impedance, you room etc. in other words an integrated effect of all parameters. My response curves for the two fronts are as shown, and my take is that the SPL actually is quite high at the higher frequencies where the impedance of the EM X is about 1.6 Ohm. Even at 20kHz it is above zero dB. Now compared to some of the graphs like post #23 this seems quite the apposite. So I might need to be educated here. And don't worry I run the speakers as small with a crossover to the sub at 80Hz and the the corrected response is in the lower image where I have left the peak in the higher frequencies - still playing wth this and position of LS so any good advise appreciated.