Posted by Scott F. [ 66.82.195.10 ] on February 21, 2004 at 00:44:07:
Hi Guys,
Martin, I guess you are right (to a certain extent) when you say I "missed the boat" on your design. The thing you have to keep in mind is that I was driving them with a 2a3 and a 45. I guess I could have stepped up the wattage and gone solid state but I chose to stick to my SET's.
I've drifted (pretty much) away from solid state gear. I just don't care for the sound as much as I do tubes, especially SET's. I guess it's that whole simpler is better theory. Plus I simply enjoy the sound of tubes more. By no means think that I am poo-pooing SS and the MLTLs because I'm not. I just chose not to do it out of personal preference.
I could have messed with the filter a bit more but when I stuck the PM2A's into the Medallions, I was done for, honestly. If you've ever experienced these things, you'd know where I'm coming from. Your design is very good, as I stated in the article, well worthy of consideration for those not having the acreage or budget required for what I've done.
When it comes to being labeled and "enthusiast", I'll happily accept that one :-) This is a really cool hobby. When I find something that turns me on as much as the PM2A's have, it makes writing SO much easier. You guys have NO idea how difficult it is (sometimes) to write. Jeez, sometimes I even bore myself with my writing.
And yep, these are definately 3 way speakers. Big thing is I'm playing on the strong points of the Lowthers. Get them much below 100Hz in the Medallions and they need some help. Same with above 15k (or so). So what I did makes sense to me and my ears. I'm a bass fan and the Goodmans filled the ticket. The tweeters could be taken out without much degredation at all. They just fill in little bits and give you a tad more "air".
You know suprisingly, the Goodmans and the pair of ASL amps did't add much to cost of the total system. The ASL's were cheap when they were new (like $120ea or so) and cost even less used. The Goodmans I bought in an entire system from a flea market. I picked up an HH Scott 299 integrated, the HH Scott 330 tuner, a Dual 1210 and the Goodmans all for $175. You can occasionally find the Goodmans on eBay for about $75 per driver. As I mentioned, look at the lessor priced, large drivers (say 15") like a University or something. They are dirt cheap and should do the job very well.
When it comes to the AR EC3, thats a different story. Used, those things are going for $800. You can always go for one of the lessor priced XO's though. The vintage Pioneer SF series would be my next choice. They are a SS unit, have pleanty of funtionality and can be had in the $300 range. Now, this is a personal thing but I don't care for the sound of an opamp based XO but thats just me.
Akhilesh, you are right about the imaging but it didn't stop there. As dynamic as Martins MLTLs are, the back horns can't hardly be beat. Trouble was, the horns bass wasn't good enough for me so like many people I rolled in the 15's (actively) and everything snapped into focus. I'm one happy camper now.
Oh, and yes I have a VERY tolerant wife. That and I have my listening room in the basement.
Seeya,
Scott Faller