M&K Speakers opinions/suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Aaron H]

In my never-ending search for a perfect home theater music system, I came across M&K's Tri-pole design that seems to give the best of both worlds - diffused sound for movies and direct radiating for music.

I have been reading about these today and from their site, put together 3 different five-speaker packages.

LCR 750-THX $750 pair
Center 750 THX $375 each
Surround-55 $800 pair
Total - $1925 msrp

Xenon system
LCR-35 $325 each
Surround-25 $365 each
Total - $1705 msrp

K-Series
K-17 $300 each
K-4 $450/pair
Total - $1350

I'd like to bring one of thse systems into my new theater to demo against the other contenders - Paradigm Studio's, Dynaudio, PSB, Axiom, Polk LSi's.

For any of you that know these M&K speakers, is there a huge advantage over one of the above speaker packages? What's the "normal" discount off MSRP that most M&K dealers will give? These will most likely be mated with a SVS.

Any other advice or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks, Aaron

 

[Jonathan Smith]

Aaron,

I bought the M&K 750 THX set (including the sub they show with the system on their website) in the spring of 2001. I have been very happy with the system. I am already missing it since I had to leave it with my parents for awhile while I do the grad school thing.

I didn't buy from an authorized dealer and I got about 30% off of msrp. From what I saw, the authorized dealers varied quite a bit on what kind of deal they would give you, but I can't remember any specific numbers. I'd recommend looking around as much as you can to get the best price. Good luck with your auditions!

 

[Roger Kint]

I was able to get 20% off msrp from an authorized dealer which I thought was pretty good.

 

[jason celaya]

I have the 750 set w/the 150 sub AWESOME! Very vertical axis dependent however. 30% off MSRP can be assumed.

 

[Aaron H]

FOr all of you with the 750 THX set - if I'm looking at the web site correctly, this doesn't seem to come with a tripole surround speaker. I guess the reason for this is that maybe THX doesn't endose the use of anything but direct radiators? Just guessing.
Anyway, if anyone has any opinions on this tripoles for both music and movies, I'd be very interested in hearing your opinions.
Thanks, Aaron
PS 30% off MSRP sounds awfully good.

 

[Roger Kint]

I guess the reason for this is that maybe THX doesn't endose the use of anything but direct radiators? Just guessing.

Nope. I have the SS-150 tripole surround and it is THX certified. It sounds amazing. Some sounds are diffused and others are direct - best of both worlds.

 

[jason celaya]

Due to their THX select rating meaning that they are for a room in the 2k cubic feet arena, the 750 set comes with 550s which are monopole which often work better if they need to placed closer then 12" from the back wall (i.e. if your seating position is set up against the back wall, monopoles will probably work better due to the limited space for 1 driver to raidate sound)

 

[Aaron H]

Jason, very interesting. Thanks. My room is about 20x15, with vaulted ceilings, so I'm estimating about 3000 square feet. Maybe the 750 set won't be enough for this room?
Below is a pic of my room. I thought the Surround-55 tripole speakers would provide a wide "sweet spot" since I have so many listening positions.
The red circles are the speakers (minus the center) and the blue is the sub. The rear surrounds I was planning on mounting on the side wall, but very near the rear wall. Maybe the M&K speakers won't work out in this application.

 

[David W Collier]

Jason, I am considering M&Ks also. I have my rears mounted on the rear wall and my seating area is about 24'-27' from the rear wall. I was considering using the M&K s-150 THX for the LCR and the Surround 55 Tripole for the rears. Will these rears work well mounted on the wall with my seating area so close to the rear speaker?

 

[Ben M]

To anyone interested:

My experience with M&Ks has been positive over the years. I applaud them for being THE innovators in sat/sub technology and for not selling out and mass producing everything overseas to save a buck. S-150s, the 750 system, even the old discontinued S-1b are all fine speakers.

I think their subwoofers are perhaps the best in the industry. There are many advantages to accomplishing deep bass using a sealed enclosure and if done correctly, always sounds tighter and more musical than a ported sub.

I happen to own a Hsu sub and it has been wonderful over the years. Unfortunately, M&K has become grossly overpriced in their products forcing me to look elsewhere for better values (Hsu and others for example).

My 2cents...

 

[Rob Rodier]

My 2 cents;
Considering the price, M&K makes the finest home theater speakers in the world. The subs are killer. I have seen a few high end retailers that use them in their 40k+ HTs. There is usually a good selection on ebay as well.


-rob

 

[DaleBesh]

I have the 750THX for a year now, and I am very pleased. After some very careful placement, and minor room tuning, the 2 channel sound rivals some fairly expensive speakers IMHO.
For 5.1 it is very rewarding. At times I wish the rears were larger, I think another pair of main speakers for the rear surround would do wonders for DVD Audio. But as it is, it is very good.
The sub is substantial. Some people would like even more oomph I'm sure, but it is a very honest bass with no evidence of boominess or sloppiness.
We are moving soon to a new home, and while the HT area will not be much bigger than what I have now (around 2K cu ft. ) it will be a more dedicated area, and I will likely add another 1250 sub for some more enveloping bass.
I may experiment with the full range speakers at rear if I can get a couple on trial. Overall these are fine speakers, and I don't know how much longer I will capitalize on them before moving to S-150 based systems. I guess I will need to provide the Mrs. some special attention before making that transition.