13 replies to this topic

[vmhf]

Mark and Daniel speakers do not seem to have a wide presense in the Australian market at the moment. I first read about them only last year at the Coem Audio website where they can be purchased from. Upon reading the specifications of the speakers with their unique marble compound cabinets and equally unique driver units got me very interested indeed. The asking price although very reasonable for what M & D were offering seemed a little too steep considering the similar prices well known Western brands had on offer. So I held back at the time and purchased a great pair of ATC scm19s instead. Now my sort of reference speaker.

This year with a sale on the M & D Maximus Ruby and Topaz at the aforementioned website I decided to take the plunge. I have never ever bought a pair of speakers without auditioning them first but the opportunity was there and I had the cash! What the heck I thought. I could always resell them on ebay if I disliked the sound!

I ordered the most efficient model in the range which is the Topaz. The next models in the lineup being the Ruby, Sapphire and the Monitor, the top model. The standard finish is in white but I decided to go for the black at a small additional cost.

The speakers arrived by courier one morning in a rather plain looking cardboard carton with Mark and Daniel tape all over it. It didn't look too promising but when I took the speakers out of the box I was immediately struck by the quality of craftmanship I was looking at. These speakers only measure 30cm (h) x 17cm (w) x 21.5cm (d) but weigh in at around 8.5 kg each! You really do feel like you are handling solid pieces of carved marble even though it is a marble compound.

The next step was the most important. Hooking them up to my system to hear how they sounded. I was absolutely amazed! The bass these babies produce is astonishing. With great articulation and the most punch I have ever heard from a bookshelf speaker. Transparency levels were almost on par with my ATCs whilst the treble though well extended was not at all fatiging after several hours of listening. I should mention that in my setup the speakers are in a small room about 3mx4m in size so the natural room boundaries would of course add to the scale of any speaker.

Comparing the Topaz with my other speakers was part of the fun too! These are the ATCs of course, a pair of cherished Quad 11Ls and Mission 782 floorstanders. Although a fantastic speaker, the Quads were clearly in a lower class to the Topazs. I would say the Quads have a nice rich, detailed sound that hardens when the volume is pushed. But with nowhere near the bass extension and overall scale of sound of the tiny Topazs. The ATCs had a more neutral if less 'exciting sound' but won out in ultimate transparency. The Topazs seemed to dig deeper in the bass department but the ATCs had the more natural, unforced sound with more scale. The attached image does show the size discrepancies between the two though! Finally the Mission 782s which have been with me for many years sounded a little slow and unexciting to my ears after listening to the Topazs. Amazingly the bass extension of the Topaz was similar to the Missions! I should mention that when the volume was raised the Topazs showed no signs of stress at all. Everything I had read about this speaker in the '6Moons' review seemed to be spot on in my opinion.

These speakers were powered by a 250W per channel power amp by Krell. The Topaz is only rated at 60W output so would probably be a better match with a lesser amp of around 50Wpc or so. The higher models in the M&D range are less sensitive so would suit my amp better. They are also claimed to offer superior sound to the Topazs. More alarm bells going off now with the upgrade bug in sight again!

I just want to mention that I am not in the audio industry or affiliated with any of these companies. Just a keen audio enthusiast who just loves to mix and match audio equipment whenever funds allow! Thought it would be interesting to share my experiences with everyone out there. Certainly if anyone has experienced the relatively new M&D speaker range it would be great to hear your thoughts.

Happy listening everyone! And enjoy the music!

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[Jake]

I must have a listen to these myself sometime.
Cheers,
Jake

[wolster]

Just checked the prices at Coem. That's some discount.
Thanks for the review vhmf. What music did you play?

Cheers
wolster

[vmhf]

Just checked the prices at Coem. That's some discount.
Thanks for the review vhmf. What music did you play?

Cheers
wolster

Hi Wolster,
Glad to spread the word on these fantastic speakers. Yes, a review doesn't mean much without reference to music material played. Shows my inexperience in writing up a review I guess!

With the fantastic bass ability of these small speakers I enjoyed music from the likes of Michael Jackson's Thriller, Chris Isaak, Tracy Chapman, UB40. They excelled at female vocal jazz from Norah Jones and Diana Krall. I could really feel the emotion in the voice on one of my Andre Bocelli albums as well. This shows a very clear midrange that I didn't mention in my review.

Can't imagine what the bigger brothers of the Topaz will sound like considering it is one of their lower Mark and Daniel models and performs to such a high level already!

Have an enjoyable weekend filled with music,
Victor.

[yif]

I am really interested in listening to them as well! Might be good for my small apartment

My biggest concern though is the power bill!

[soundfan]

Great reading here and timely for me as I will soon be looking for speakers to replace my huge Tannoys and am looking at shelfstanding speakers at the moment.

I have made contact with Coem Audio and hope to audition the Topaz next week, as well as driving to the Gold Coast to audition the Lenehan ML-1 made by Mike Lenahan.

Chris

[vmhf]

Great reading here and timely for me as I will soon be looking for speakers to replace my huge Tannoys and am looking at shelfstanding speakers at the moment.

I have made contact with Coem Audio and hope to audition the Topaz next week, as well as driving to the Gold Coast to audition the Lenehan ML-1 made by Mike Lenahan.

Chris

Hi Chris,
We really are spoilt for choice with speakers nowadays. I'd be interested in your thoughts of the Topaz's when you have auditioned them. I have ordered the higher model Sapphire in the M&D Maximus range which is due early next week. As usual, I can't wait!
Victor.

[soundfan]

Hi Chris,
We really are spoilt for choice with speakers nowadays. I'd be interested in your thoughts of the Topaz's when you have auditioned them. I have ordered the higher model Sapphire in the M&D Maximus range which is due early next week. As usual, I can't wait!
Victor.

Hi Victor,

I never got a chance to audition these as Coem Audio here in Brisbane suggested that they come to me, rather than allow me to visit their show room to try them. A bit frustrating actually as I don't have a room suitable for my Hi Fi set up at the moment, and I would have preferred to hear them at their store.
I ended up auditioning and then buying a pair of Lenehan ML-1's from Lenehan Audio on the Gold Coast instead. I am sure they (The M&D Topaz )are great speakers, but was a bit concerned that most models needed a minimum of 80 to 100 watts to drive them and are power hungry. My Jungson is capable at 85 watts although it did test at 100 watts output through a few reviews I read, but those concerns were there, so I had them on the backburner until I auditioned the ML-1's. (see my review under the Lenehan ML-1 thread.)
But my quest for new bookshelf speakers is now over , but will try and get a chance to hear them one day. I was quite interested in the M&D Monitor too.

Enjoy.

Chris

[vmhf]

Hi Victor,

I never got a chance to audition these as Coem Audio here in Brisbane suggested that they come to me, rather than allow me to visit their show room to try them. A bit frustrating actually as I don't have a room suitable for my Hi Fi set up at the moment, and I would have preferred to hear them at their store.
I ended up auditioning and then buying a pair of Lenehan ML-1's from Lenehan Audio on the Gold Coast instead. I am sure they (The M&D Topaz )are great speakers, but was a bit concerned that most models needed a minimum of 80 to 100 watts to drive them and are power hungry. My Jungson is capable at 85 watts although it did test at 100 watts output through a few reviews I read, but those concerns were there, so I had them on the backburner until I auditioned the ML-1's. (see my review under the Lenehan ML-1 thread.)
But my quest for new bookshelf speakers is now over , but will try and get a chance to hear them one day. I was quite interested in the M&D Monitor too.

Enjoy.

Chris

That's a shame about missing out on an audition of the M&D speakers. Usually the guys at Coem are great but they must of had a legitimate reason for not allowing you to visit their showroom.

The Topaz speakers are the most efficient of the Maximus range. I was also concerned about the power hungry nature of the speakers but needed not worry with the Topaz. They went very loud with a Cyrus 3 amp rated at only 50W pc. I even tried them with my 15Wpc T-amp and got decent levels of sound. I too have the Jungson JA-88D amplifier. One of the best Class A amps on the market providing a truly holographic sound. Splendid sound with the Topaz speakers. The warmth of the amp matches perfectly with the very detailed presentation of the little Topaz speakers.

The M&D Maximus Sapphires arrived a few days ago and these do require an amp with muscle. They are a significant step up in sound quality to the Topaz and match perfectly with my Krell amp. I guess if you want almost floorstander scale of sound from a small standmounter some compromises must be made. In this case the requirement of a meaty amplifier. Mine are in the classic white marble look as seen in the attached photo.

I have been following the thread on Lenehan ML-1 speakers including your review. Will check out the website myself. They do look fabulous in the pictures. Enjoy your new speakers.

Victor.

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[soundfan]

That's a shame about missing out on an audition of the M&D speakers. Usually the guys at Coem are great but they must of had a legitimate reason for not allowing you to visit their showroom.

The Topaz speakers are the most efficient of the Maximus range. I was also concerned about the power hungry nature of the speakers but needed not worry with the Topaz. They went very loud with a Cyrus 3 amp rated at only 50W pc. I even tried them with my 15Wpc T-amp and got decent levels of sound. I too have the Jungson JA-88D amplifier. One of the best Class A amps on the market providing a truly holographic sound. Splendid sound with the Topaz speakers. The warmth of the amp matches perfectly with the very detailed presentation of the little Topaz speakers.

The M&D Maximus Sapphires arrived a few days ago and these do require an amp with muscle. They are a significant step up in sound quality to the Topaz and match perfectly with my Krell amp. I guess if you want almost floorstander scale of sound from a small standmounter some compromises must be made. In this case the requirement of a meaty amplifier. Mine are in the classic white marble look as seen in the attached photo.

I have been following the thread on Lenehan ML-1 speakers including your review. Will check out the website myself. They do look fabulous in the pictures. Enjoy your new speakers.

Victor.

Thanks mate, and enjoy you're new speakers as well. Thats a great looking set up you have there also.


Chris

[mihifi]

I suspect the reason the (excellent) team at COEM didn't invite you to their showroom is that they don't have one; they combine online and word of mouth marketing with in home product trial. IMO, that's far more useful that a showroom environment test.

FYI, I auditioned the Maximus for a while - truly excellent and, as appears to be the case with the Topaz, hard to believe bass definition and extension

[vmhf]

I suspect the reason the (excellent) team at COEM didn't invite you to their showroom is that they don't have one; they combine online and word of mouth marketing with in home product trial. IMO, that's far more useful that a showroom environment test.

FYI, I auditioned the Maximus for a while - truly excellent and, as appears to be the case with the Topaz, hard to believe bass definition and extension

The guys at Coem are the best people I have ever dealt with. Nothing seems too much trouble for them and they go that extra mile to make sure you are happy. Recently I had to have something sent back to them via Courier and they covered the costs. I don't know too many dealers who would do that!
Plus they really know their products inside out and with their 30 day money back guarantee on most of their lines you really can't go wrong.

Sounds a bit like a plug but I wanted to get this out for everyone to hear!

[smaat11]

I also have a pair of the Sapphires. I purchased them from COEM and found the service to be excellent. They gave me a free upgraded pair of drivers + crossovers, when I sent one back because it was making a strange noise (X2 Speakers).
Like you say they are power hungry and my 50W just does the job.
I recently attempted to sell them and over the time they were up for sale, I spent a fair bit of time listening to them and started to wonder why I was selling. On the final day I invited over a guy who had previously purchased a pair of B&W 804's of me. He seemed fairly impressed and said if it had of been a blind listening test he would have assumed that they were floorstanders.
In the end I'm glad they didn't sell. But I think I will still upgrade to something more efficient in the near future.

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[vmhf]

That's an amazing looking setup! I recall with the right gear behind M&D speakers they sounded awesome.
Brings back memories looking at the gear I had back then. Thanks for posting.