Monster Godfather Sub.... (1 Viewer)

[MikeDuke]

I heard 2 of theses subs at the hometheater EXPO in New York this year. They sounded alright but nothing to get excited about. If I had that much money to spend on subs I would most likley look elsewhere. Not that the sounded bad, because they did not. It just wasn't up to other subs I have heard. Maybe the set up was bad. For 4,000 I would elsewhere.

 

[Robert Cowan]

agreed. mine sounded BAD. but, as i did say, its probably setup. but still, even at "11", they didnt have the punch i would expect out of $4k subs. my dual velodynes blew them away for output, and of course mine arent cranked up to max.

so, if you like furniture and arent as concerned about audio performance, these are for YOU. subs are ugly, its a fact. these really arent (although they arent my taste...)

 

[Kris_Smith]

Robert,

Now I'm going off the subject, but what did you think of the Monster amps?

3250 & 2250?

Did they sound as good as they should? (Not as good as claim, because we very seldom see products that match the advertisements)

 

[terence]

I did not see a FR for this sub. Anybody know?

 

[Lee Distad]

Robert (and the rest of you), I heard the Godfather when I was in San Francisco visiting the Monster factory last month. Their demo system was in a purpose built room, and they were running four Godfathers (one in each corner) as part of a THX-rated system. Obviously, the room was built and tuned by Monster's own propeller-head tech guys.

Was the system impressive? Yes. Did it deliver the goods? Yes. Should you expect US$90K worth of gear to deliver the goods? Duh.

The catch is that Monster isn't positioning their M-Design line to be one-off component sales. They don't want dealers selling a sub here, or a speaker there. they expect you to create a room built around an entire M-Design system from start to finish. Instead, they are targeting a Bang & Olufsen type customer looking for a whole "soloution" rather than just a piece of gear.

As far as subwoofer setup, we all know that setup, AVR settings, and room placement are all critical. Personally, I think subwoofers are the hardest element of a system to dial in effectively. And in a store setting, it's even more challenging.

 

[Lee Distad]

Postscript: the photos in the website are the actual demo rooms in Monster's display building, off their main campus in Brisbane CA, just outside of San Francisco.

FWIW, their slimline tower speakers are quite impressive. But quite frankly, you should expect a speaker that retails for US$2995 that's backed up by an amplifier that retails for US$2495 to sound "good."

 

[Robert Cowan]

Lee,

i understand that they can sound good, but i was hearing two of them and two of the other smaller ones that go in the rack thingie. it wasnt a purpose built room, but it was still terrible. i would qualify your statement by rating what other subs you like. i did notice that their products were very much focused on the general consumer. so there was a HUGE boost in mid-bass. (in the eagles demo, the mid-bass frequencies were SO overdone).

i would be curious to hear them in a proper setup though. but the fact remains, for $4k each, you can get 4 velodyne DD's, which im SURE will blow them away, or any of the SVS offerings. so, it is definately a "lifestyle" product.

Kris,

i have heard the amps before, and heard them again at this demo. if you check out my website, you see i do a bit of tinkering with building my own stuff. i would like to first say that the monster amps are well built. they have ample power supplies and their build quality is very good.

as far as their sound... they are pretty harsh, and their power ratings seem bogus to me (just speculating). i listened to them awhile ago when they were first launching them, and they played the 1812 overture on them. their meters were showing like 700 watts out of 3 channels. these were playing into deftech BP6's i think (wierd combo huh?)

first off, 700 x 3 = 2100 watts. thats a WHOLE lot, and more than a single outlet can handle at a sustained rate. also, i had a VERY hard time believing that the little BP6's were actually HANDLING 700 watts program power. most drivers would just die with that juice.

aside from that, their bass was muddy and sloppy IMO. i just really think there is better out there. they had a midrange boost to them, which is good for joe public. they were also big, heavy, expensive, and had great power ratings. all this looks good to the general public.

as we all know though, specs dont mean a thing when it comes to sound. personally, i would go with a higher powered rotel, b&k, adcom, etc... you would save money and get a brand that DOESNT have a reputation of duping its customers

this was all my opinions btw... if you think im an idiot, you wont be alone.

 

[Kris_Smith]

Robert,

I respect your opinion and don't think you're an idiot....Any man that can explain why he likes or dislikes a product *based on an actual test/demo* is a valuable asset even if you don't agree....

I would like to check out your web page...What is the link?

I am actually looking into adding an amp into my rotation....5 channels with at least 200 w per....

I am looking at the rotel and maybe parasound, but the monster was definately at the top of my list.....

My criteria is it must be somewhat silver to match my HK630 receiver.....Yes, I like a balance between aesthetics, performance and value...

I have not demo'd anything yet, just been reading reviews.....

 

[Robert Cowan]

Kris,

i appreciate it. i would just steer clear of monster. their company has a philosophy which is based soley on making money. (yes, that is the purpose of a company), but monster takes it a step further and really tries to make an extra cent everythere they can. there are plenty of other companies that care about making a solid product first.

my site is:

http://www.cowanrg.mesanetworks.net/

it has both my HT system and my projects sites on there now.

 

[Chu Gai]

Sounds like a good company to buy stock in!

 

[Lee Carbray]

The same reason people pay to have flooring installed or there house painted. The same reason some people change there own oil and others go to the quick lube. They either don't have the time or the skill or both. And even then if you do have the time and skill you need the space and tools build it.

 

[Lee Distad]

Mr. Carbray makes an interesting point. I wrestled for about a week on whether to buy a subwoofer or two, or build one. After doing a lengthy cost/benefit analysis I concluded that at this time, with all the other things pressing on my attention, I can't be arsed to futz around with a custom box, plate amp, and car sub driver. Besides, there's that WAF, and I can guarantee that she would loathe whatever I build, from both an aesthetic and a complexity standpoint.

Right now though, my plan is two 8" Velodynes.

 

[Dan Hine]

Car sub driver? Why the hell would you use a car sub driver?!!!

 

[Lee Distad]

Dan, in the words of Sir Edmund Hilary, "Because it's there!"

Any reason why if I were to build a box, I wouldn't use a JL W7 8 or 10" and an amp of appropriate power?

 

[Dan Hine]

Sure, you could get a driver for less money that would work A LOT better for your home. See Adire Tempest, Tumult, Brahma, Blueprint drivers, Dayton Titanic drivers. For instance, it would take approximately 5.5 of the JL W7 8" drivers to get into the league of a single Adire Audio Tumult. Five 8" W7 = about $1650, one Tumult = $499. And the Tumult with a lower Fs and XBL2 motor topology would still have a good advantage in the home environment.

For the most part, car audio drivers are flashly looking and overpriced because, generally speaking, there are more teenagers that don't know what they are doing that are involved in car audio than there are in HT/DIY audio. Kids that only see "watts" and "chrome."

- Dan

 

[Lee Distad]

That's very interesting Dan. Thanks for the input.

However, since:

a) I work in the industry.

and

b) while I don't know jack about mobile, I know people who do.

and

c) it behooves me financially to purchase products from vendors we have a direct relationship with.

Product selection for me can be pretty clear cut.

You are right on about car subs in general. The W7's however, are pretty tight.

However, if I feel like taking on the challenge, I'll keep the Tumult, and any other contenders in mind.

 

[Dan Hine]

Yeah, I looked them up. They don't really seem that bad. But an Fs over 30hz? Scary. No doubt fine for a small enclosed environment like a car but not ideal for your home where there is a lot of information 25hz and lower. And like I said, the price. Sure, you can get a discount. But unless you can get 5 of the 8" drivers for $90 a piece you'll still be paying more than you have to AND you'd need a larger box. Car audio subs need to stay in where they belong.