Markaudio MS 11 problem?
I built a pair of rough all be it in ply mid size nostromo's to run the drivers in, gentle for first 10 hours now have 20 hours on them.
The problem being they sound flat/ lifeless my chr 70.3 in a planet mini tower are running circles round them. Is it a break in issue? Company states 10 hours only for the MS, is it the cabinet? Want to get them in a MTL cabinet as they feel restrained in this box almost suffocated if that makes sense.
Bass seems fine but the mids seem stifled and no sparkle up top.
I built a pair of rough all be it in ply mid size nostromo's to run the drivers in, gentle for first 10 hours now have 20 hours on them.
The problem being they sound flat/ lifeless my chr 70.3 in a planet mini tower are running circles round them. Is it a break in issue? Company states 10 hours only for the MS, is it the cabinet? Want to get them in a MTL cabinet as they feel restrained in this box almost suffocated if that makes sense.
Bass seems fine but the mids seem stifled and no sparkle up top.
I built the exact same speakers a couple of years ago, and can confirm they need much more than 10 hrs break-in. Having said that, my ears probably adjusted to the 'new' sound during that time as well. In the end I liked the sound but remember they are best partnered with a highish output impedance (valve) amp.
Thanks for your reply, I remember my chr70.3 lacking sparkle at first. I've got them running now 24/7 via a TPA 3110 amp which sounded better than my valve Amps on the CHR ,70's .
My room is well damped so equipment needs to be on the brighter side of the scale.
I completed my small Nostromos in early September, and they are probably at about 60 hours now. The HF is still opening up slowly, and they have smoothed a bit. Using a Neurochrome Modulus86 amp which is very low output impedence and very clean. They have exceeded my expectations.
Promising that you say they have opened up a bit, I don't need mine to be any smoother.
Coming up to 40 hours now as on 24/7.
I recently bought a pair of A11MS speakers, but unfortunately, they seemed to be defective.
They made strange noises when playing sounds at 50 Hz and gradually became unusable. Additionally, despite producing good quality highs, they was very dim. I had no choice but to dispose of them, resulting in a loss of my investment. However, I am grateful that my Alpair 10M and Pluvia 7 HD speakers after many years continue to work perfectly fine with the same equipment.
They made strange noises when playing sounds at 50 Hz and gradually became unusable. Additionally, despite producing good quality highs, they was very dim. I had no choice but to dispose of them, resulting in a loss of my investment. However, I am grateful that my Alpair 10M and Pluvia 7 HD speakers after many years continue to work perfectly fine with the same equipment.
I have no problems with my pair of Alpair 11MS.
Works perfectly.
I tried different lengths of the bass reflex tube and the amount of damping material.
Best tips from me.
Works perfectly.
I tried different lengths of the bass reflex tube and the amount of damping material.
Best tips from me.
Generally speaking, if you purchase drivers (any) from a dealer, you should be able to send them back if defective (unless any damage is as a result of misuse etc.). That's a fairly standard consumer-right in most nations I believe.
I had them in similar size box but made from thick pine with a resistive slot (~1:20 aspect ratio), did not find them flat at all, though resistive port sounded much better than normal round port with 11ms for whatever reason. Personally didn't notice much change from break in.
Wouldnt expect it to sparkle like CHR70.3, 11ms cone is over twice the area, 3 times the weight. 11MS has a bit more of u-shape response too, maybe impacting how you perceive the mids.
Box related issues are most easily heard in the mids ime, so wouldn't rule it out. You could try put them on an open baffle and have a listen, might give an idea what is the driver and what is the box.
Wouldnt expect it to sparkle like CHR70.3, 11ms cone is over twice the area, 3 times the weight. 11MS has a bit more of u-shape response too, maybe impacting how you perceive the mids.
Box related issues are most easily heard in the mids ime, so wouldn't rule it out. You could try put them on an open baffle and have a listen, might give an idea what is the driver and what is the box.
I was in the same situation. I had a CHR 70.3 in a 10 liter basereflex and loved it. I decided to go with 11ms and found it lacking in base and sparkles at the topend. It definitely takes some time to settle in. I have it in a pensil enclosure and it is one of the best speakers I have. I keep them close to 15 feet apart and the center image is still spot-on.
Still a bit lacking on the topend sparkle though.
@scottmo Thank you for the pensil design.
Still a bit lacking on the topend sparkle though.
@scottmo Thank you for the pensil design.
I don't think the 11MS is their best, but it should sound good after the run in that takes longer than they say. But if you want the best, the Alpair 10 series is much better i think. And even the cheap CHN110 is. But i would do a 100h run in before make a final judgement.
The Alpair 11MS was the second driver I purchased from Mark Audio. First was the Alpair 12.2p. Loved it on first impression. The tube amp gave a smooth sound to the 11MS.
Recently purchased the SMSL A300(amp) and SMSL SU-1(dac) and got another picture of the Alpair drivers.
11MS is well much better now.
But I have now realized that the size 10 series might be the optimum for Mark Audio drivers.
10.2Maop 10P and 10.3M.
CHP-90 is very very good too in a BlueBuck box.
Recently purchased the SMSL A300(amp) and SMSL SU-1(dac) and got another picture of the Alpair drivers.
11MS is well much better now.
But I have now realized that the size 10 series might be the optimum for Mark Audio drivers.
10.2Maop 10P and 10.3M.
CHP-90 is very very good too in a BlueBuck box.
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Remember guys -system-matching is often key. A typical valve amplifier has a higher output impedance than the majority of solid state amplifiers, so as well as raising the effective Qts' and alter the system alignment, the overall FR will tend to follow the impedance to some extent. Hence one major reason valve / tube amplifiers often sound different. Other causes too, but it's a big one. About a week ago, I finished designing a speaker for a set of vintage 1960s drivers that had been measured (so some data was actually available); they are to be driven with an amplifier with an output impedance of almost 4ohms in the LF. So not only did the box need to be designed with that and a modicum of additional R for wire-loop & connections factored into the alignment, you also ideally need to keep an eye on the expected balance given its effects on the HF, and as far as possible adjust the bass alignment with that in mind. One of the things that's always interested me is how adjustments at one end of the range can alter the perception of what goes on at the opposite end of the spectrum.