bhobba Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 The imaging IS superb though and does supersede other BS (and FS) in this respect. It's always interesting reading the comments of others about products you have or even better having them over to hear them.. I often have guys over checking out the DAC's I have (I have a bit of a penchant for collecting them) and hear all sorts of comments about my speakers. I agree with the comment about imaging but some guys I had over thought their imaging was poor and didn't like them at all - they thought they were too forward and in your face and invited me over to hear their speakers. They were a seas magnesium open baffle 3 way with a seas excel tweeter (it wasn't an Orion). I thought it had a crystal clear sound but were recessed, slow, dull and boring with a wide sound-stage but blurred imaging. My PDX sounded way overly smooth and far too polite. I tried my Patek amp and that has amazing speed in my system but was totally un-involving. My favorite amp is my Trafomatic SET - they hated it - too buttery. Thanks Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I think bhobba's comments must be taken in the light of the ML1Reference going round in the US, where it has been up against some stiff competition including a 29k Magico bookshelf. I think the fact that there's a waiting list of orders in the US plus some potential owners already calling dibs on Bhobba's box is quite telling. I don't know how much the Magico bookshelf costs to build but I reckon Mike is right that a lot of that goes into dealer margins and also to advertising. Far be it for me to question the value of advertising. I recall speaking to a number of dealers in Singapore and one of the conditions that they will make of their principals is that they advertise their products and ensure samples are sent to the major periodicals for reviews. I know the more jaded here will question the relationship between the money pumped into "advertising" with the number of stars a product gets. But them's the breaks, as they say. Most dealers here want customers to walk in and ask to see a product. Rather than trying an uphill task of selling them something they've never even heard of. Mike on the other hand is very transparent about what goes into his box. The Dueland caps on the Reference. He has more than once called the drivers the cheapest component of the box. And he prices it accordingly. Which makes them great value for money for the buyers but in places like Singapore, I think as 13Cashew has found out, there's very little resale market. And that's a real shame. As for me, I am not in a habit of buying and selling. Which probably explains why I have enough gear for a second or worse, a third system. Nuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quest88 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I understand your point DH, but dealer margins is a reality, even to Lenehan - unless he wants to only sell direct or restrict the price. To do this I guess he needs to have a more flexible policy with his dealers, else the risk on inventory and demo units is higher. The difference in dollars is probably marketing and this I agree, for some brands. But I think we have to realise we have the luxury of being able to go down to a nearby dealer over in Singapore - whereas I'd think the major markets like US and Europe have different challenges. Marketing does help in the context of a global market. I am also not aware of which Magico was being compared. Mini is >6 year old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhobba Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I understand your point DH, but dealer margins is a reality, even to Lenehan - unless he wants to only sell direct or restrict the price. I am also not aware of which Magico was being compared. Mini is >6 year old. I think Mike basically sells direct. He recently tried a retail model with increased prices and it generated a huge amount of posts over on SNA. It failed and he again now only sells direct - people were simply not willing to pay the increased prices - which is what many of the posts were saying. I don't know which Mini was used either. I rang the Swap Meet Audio guy to get a few more details, but couldn't get a hold of him and will try again a bit later. Hopefully he will do a post about it on their forum. Thanks Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Here's a gamble. I think I might have found THE ONE to match the Lenehans. Seems to check every box in my original list. Class A. SS. High current. Plus it looks amazing in black. Haven't heard it with the Lenehans hence it's a bit of a gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quest88 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Why not mcintosh since that's what it seems like it's voiced with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Too many dials. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimi1624705950 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I think they can be turned off. But then again I'm not a fan of MacK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I wanted a Class A. I don't think the Macs were. They've been designed with a whole bunch of amps. Saw a few KT88s as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hw Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Sharing some pics of the ML3 Reference at yesterday's Sydney Audio Club Meeting - http://flic.kr/ps/2bNaVo I was very impressed by the off-axis performance, though some people commented they don't sound "real" enough, and some blamed the bad recording of the source material. Well, good enough for me! Mike shared that one of the key aspect of the design was the thick foam that covers the entire baffle, and also how they used their in-house crimping method to build the crossover circuit. If I heard it correctly, the price is A$15K. BTW, the speakers were driven by some pretty decent Rotel gear (Rotel RB 1592 power amp, RC 1580 preamp). Source was his Mac Mini (didn't notice the media software) feeding into their latest PDX DAC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Nice. This is the final production design I think. With the round baffle around the woofer driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petng Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Never heard a pair, but would loved too. Mikes philopshy is unique in that he feels the crossover is really where the $$$ should be spent. Having lived with his pdx dac with Duelands for a year, I can beleive that. I really feel the magic in the pdx dac is in the Duelands . Lovely and expensive stuff. Any one got a pair in Melb??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Where does dalami live? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quest88 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 hmm the ML3 looks smaller than I thought it would be. Cute. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 It's a 2 way design. About the same height as the ML2s with stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petng Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 dalamaii lives in Sydney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Ah. You can always take a short holiday to the Gold Coast ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Heard from Mike there's a new ML2R order from Singapore :) also a Thiel CS3.7 owner. 'fess up. Who is it? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinite Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 DH! It's me :D, u who recommended me the Bel Canto setup with Ref Mono 1000m amps, Thiels 3.7 speakers & 2 JL Sub F110 and Qsonic system. FYI. After the installation, the system sounded different from what I've in SD Showroom. Not satisfied after each visit to SD, so early this year added Synergistic PowerCell 10SE MK 3 and power cords. Wow! Worth every cent I pumped into my system and enjoyed listening to my system till late nights! Recently, was looking for gd bookshelf speakers. Narrow down to the Joesph Audio Pulsar, Dynaudio C1 or ML2. As I'm heading to Melbourne for holidays in July, hands itchy. Email Caxton Audio in Melbourne to enquire abt ML2 Lenehan speakers for audition, surprised it was Mike who replied to me! Happened one of them had switch frm ML2 Ref to ML3 series, so he offered me if am keen, orelse have to wait for 6 wks shipment. Was even offered with the Ref. box without extra charge if am keen with ML2PlusR setup! But warned not to listen the ML2 Reference, it alot better and sure to regret. After many emails enquires, decided the ML2Ref speaker together with Ref damping stands! Will sea freight my speaker stands once speakers are fully paid next week(2 ctns weight 88Kgs) and receive it before leaving in July. The speakers will deliver to me when I'm in Melbourne and check-in baggage back to home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Welcome to the club :) I am also contemplating the stands too but haven't figured out where I'll be putting them so putting them on hold. Was just at Mike's two days ago and listening to the ML3Reference. Damn, they are transparent. I'm almost inclined to think that it is more transparent than my Thiels. Then again they actually cost more than the Thiel 3.7s! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhobba Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Congratulations on the ML2 Reference. Got one on order myself. I hate to say it but Mike is correct - the speaker with the full Duelunds is the one to get. I had two very experienced audiophiles over my friends place in Canberra to hear the the ML3 Reference and ML2's with only Dueland bypass - not full reference - and the ML3 was defintiely preferred by everyone. Yea those Duelands make a big difference. Some there thought it made a huge difference - different league type difference but myself and my friend thought is was closer than that - appreciable difference yes but not necessarily a different league. Thanks Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromelang Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 What does lenehan thinks of time-alignment in speakers? Most speaker designers/dealers get all denfensive when comes to this subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Will have to ask Mike about it. But his work focuses a lot on cabin bracing and reinforcement as well as on crossover design. Seems to make huge gains to me. His obsession is crazy. The S2 we heard was already pretty good but he's just binned the old design for a completely new model just cos he thought they measured wrong. If he's not careful, he'll end up stealing customers from a pricier ML1 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhobba Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 What does lenehan thinks of time-alignment in speakers? Most speaker designers/dealers get all denfensive when comes to this subject. Check out the interview he did: http://www.stereo.net.au/articles/articles/mike_lenehan_interview/ He tried it and to his ears it made no difference except at the crossover where he uses a quasi topology (so he told me when I asked about it anyway - I looked it up -quasi simply means phase coherent through the crossover) to ensure it is phase coherent there. Thanks Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhobba Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 His obsession is crazy. The S2 we heard was already pretty good but he's just binned the old design for a completely new model just cos he thought they measured wrong. If he's not careful, he'll end up stealing customers from a pricier ML1 :) Gee I already thought they were better than the ML1 or ML1 Plus R - but not up to the ML1 Reference - those Duelunds are hard to beat. I was pretty sure they would take away from ML1 Plus R sales anyway - if they are even better - well ML1's will take even a bigger beating. Yea as anyone who actually visits Mike knows he is a total fanatic. I was at Caxton Audio checking out some gear and the guy there said since you have visited Mike why to you think his speakers are so good. My reply was there is no secret - he is simply obsessive about it - really obsessive. Thanks Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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