Montis

[edwinr]

I've had these speakers for about 3 months now. I thought the bass response was pretty good after a couple of weeks.

Now, I wasn't very supportive of the theory that the bass drivers in ML speakers take a while to run in. I thought most of the running in would occur relatively quickly. Well, I'm wrong. After maybe 100 hours of playing music and watching movies, the Montis have turned a corner - low frequency wise.

I can now hear really low frequency stuff coming through my speakers when playing CDs that's just freaky! Even with my bass control set at -2dB. This the kind of stuff that I can feel in my belly when I'm playing only moderately loud.

I can only say... Wow!

Anyone else had similar experiences with their Montis speakers?

 

[roberto]

Yes, I have a customer who is reporting the same thing. I went to his house, and we pull the sofa where is the listening sweet spot about 15 cm toward the speakers, and also we move the speakers about 12 cm forward their back wall. The bass became smooth and what a deepness! The setting at the knob was -4. He has a Mark Levinson power amp, and his Montis are more dynamic than my beloved Audio Research with my CLXs! I did like his sound very much. Happy listening!

 

[ktchnman]

Hola, Roberto. My Levinson Power Amp has the "biggest" bass of all my amps, and I think they're known for that. But, more to the point, the bottom end on my Theos evolved with time as well, and I think 100 hours is just a starting point. Anxious to hear results after another 100+ hours or so.

 

[roberto]

Yes, the bass from the Montis is very good, and I know that there is a digital amp driving the woofer. But the bass info in coming from the Levinson. Happy listening!

 

[edwinr]

I have to pay tribute to my amplifiers as well. I'm driving the Montis' with a pair of Naquadria Fireblades which are tube mono bloc power amplifiers. They feature 4 x 6550 tubes per amp and output 60 watts of pure class A in triode mode. Obviously the digital amplifier drives the woofers, but the amplifiers are still feeding the digital amplifiers with a high quality signal so they can do their job properly.

Additionally, my system is fully balanced from CD through to the power amplifiers. Custom Naquadria silver wired connecting cables are used throughout. I guess every little bit helps. And you have to view the system as a whole.

Just inserting a silver cored cable here or there in your system, or some other ad hoc tweak isn't going to work very well. Just my opinion.

 

[coolcobramatt]

Your speakers are defective. Send them to me and I will evaluate the problem and get back to you within 48 years.

 

[edwinr]

Your speakers are defective. Send them to me and I will evaluate the problem and get back to you within 48 years.

That's what I like about the people on this forum - always willing to jump in and help out a fellow forum member!

Actually, I now realise that as well as extreme low bass, I'm also hearing what I think is an air conditioner humming and other extraneous noises that I've never heard before on my CDs. It's not so much that I'm hearing waffle or boom or that the bass is excessive - it's actually quite a lean sound. It's just that the clarity and the definition of the low frequency response is stunning.

I guess this clarity and definition is only possible from active designs which feature custom crossovers and dedicated internal amplifiers all specifically designed to match custom drivers. Some of the very best sounds I have ever heard have come from active studio designs like ATC and PMC.

 

[Bevensee]

Run in of especially bass drivers is not a joke. I have seen measurements of bass drivers free-air resonance frequency lowered by as much of 20 % (e.g from 50 Hz to 40 Hz) after 200 hours. Never judge a bass-driver straight out of the box!

 

[Bevensee]

Yes, I have a customer who is reporting the same thing. I went to his house, and we pull the sofa where is the listening sweet spot about 15 cm toward the speakers, and also we move the speakers about 12 cm forward their back wall. The bass became smooth and what a deepness! The setting at the knob was -4. He has a Mark Levinson power amp, and his Montis are more dynamic than my beloved Audio Research with my CLXs! I did like his sound very much. Happy listening!

Moving the sofa just 5-15 cm away from the wall is a good idea. It allows a considerable part of the bass energy at the room resonant modes to escape behind the sofa so that the highest pressure point is under/behind the sofa instead of just behind ones ears. It is in my opinion the simplest, cheapest and most efficient room tuning. Placing a thick couch pillow behind ones head when listening helps further. And in addition kills the strong reflection in the mid/treble. This can really tame reflection induced hardness to the sound. In my room, I have a window wall behind the speakers and a concrete wall behind the sofa. For critical listening, I always pull the curtaing behind the speakers, pull out the sofa 15 cm and place a thick pillow behind my head. Simple but very efficient.