Thoughts on XRT-28 Speakers
- Thread starter JosephH
- Start date
Velocityboat
Super Member
Congratulations and welcome to the McIntosh Big Line Array Speaker club.
One of the smaller groups here but growing.
So they were only playing one line of drivers. Lucky break and kudos for being quick to notice. Sometimes destiny drops things in your lap.
I figured you would love the line array XRT28 over the Aerial Acoustic . My wife is always telling me. I never heard this or that in that song until we got the McIntosh XR290 or Previous XRT20 and 19 speakers. She mentioned brushes on a drum on Sunday. . Sometimes it is an instrument. Other times it is vocals or another singer in harmony.
When you think you have heard it all with the XRT28, find yourself an MEN220 or MX150 or 151 and set up Room Perfect . The stuff hidden in bad room acoustics take you to an even higher level. The Global mode is great but the focus mode is the most revealing. It will also balance that open doorway bass suck out. In the meantime a MQ equalizer will help.
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Velocityboat
Super Member
I saw from the manual that the XRT28 us s the gold plated bus bar biamp/triamp jumpers. You should see if McIntosh still has them and whether common to current models. Chances are a standard sourced part in stock.
I was also thinking the three other potential buyers who heard those with only a mids playing are out perpetuating the McIntosh speakers suck myth only hearing 300Hz to 2000 Hz. But definitely your win.
I was also thinking the three other potential buyers who heard those with only a mids playing are out perpetuating the McIntosh speakers suck myth only hearing 300Hz to 2000 Hz. But definitely your win.
JosephH
Super Member
That scheme was discussed......
JosephH
Super Member
Thanks Velocity! Without the prodding of those on the forum, especially you, I would have walked away because of the other large purchase this week. However the "toy fund" will eventually regenerate, but these are mine forever! Again last night I was up way too late just sitting there listening. It is like Christmas morning, I think of another favorite album and jump up to seek it out and play it because of some favorite remembered lick or passage that I think will sound awesome! And it does! I am finding the the Hammond B3, vibes and well recorded vocals sound especially good! one thing for sure I am seeing the PG lights twinkle on the MC452 for the first time. Not often, just when I am being excessive with Telarc recorded classical, but I never got there with the Aerials. Just more of the fun. It is nice not to have to worry about inadvertently taking out a bank of those 38 drivers per speaker!
Wow a used MEN 220 is as expensive as a used MX-151. The current speaker placement is temporary and definitely not ideal, but I am pondering the opportunity to be creative, as I can run speaker wire from the built in unit into the basement and up any wall. Now you have me looking for the next piece of equipment!! Sheesh.
I touched up the bases and they look terrific! Thanks again!
Velocityboat
Super Member
JosephH,Thanks Velocity! Without the prodding of those on the forum, especially you, I would have walked away because of the other large purchase this week. However the "toy fund" will eventually regenerate, but these are mine forever! Again last night I was up way too late just sitting there listening. It is like Christmas morning, I think of another favorite album and jump up to seek it out and play it because of some favorite remembered lick or passage that I think will sound awesome! And it does! I am finding the the Hammond B3, vibes and well recorded vocals sound especially good! one thing for sure I am seeing the PG lights twinkle on the MC452 for the first time. Not often, just when I am being excessive with Telarc recorded classical, but I never got there with the Aerials. Just more of the fun. It is nice not to have to worry about inadvertently taking out a bank of those 38 drivers per speaker!
Wow a used MEN 220 is as expensive as a used MX-151. The current speaker placement is temporary and definitely not ideal, but I am pondering the opportunity to be creative, as I can run speaker wire from the built in unit into the basement and up any wall. Now you have me looking for the next piece of equipment!! Sheesh.
The Hammond B3s do sound incredible and stand out on the line arrays. As does any accoustic string instrument. Voices, horns brass, drums...... the room perfect makes double bass one of my favorites by cleaning up room interactions masked by bass accoustics uncorrected . The line array overcomes most other interactions quite well when unaided by DSP. Quite frankly more than enough for 90 percent of listeners untill you hear even more and better with Room Perfect. After you hear the difference unfortunately, you can’t unhear it and it becomes super addictive until you get a bad source. It is then less forgiving since a bad mix is then terrible. But this is usually quickly fixed if using streaming sources.
I agree Christmas comes everyday you have time to listen even if you plan 15 minutes that turn into four hours.
It is fun to find someone else to share my enthusiasm for McIntosh Line Arrays and even better to hear your excitement in discovery. .
The XRT28 manual recommends using a Real Time Analyzer and professional for placement which was surprising to read. If you have a long wall, Roger Russell recommends placing them on that wall. My recommendation would get a RTA app for iphone or tablet and a blue icecicle and camera connection kit for USB and do 1/6 octave plots to optimize placement If you have placement flexibility the response of speakers at listening position can be optimized. Both with speaker placement and how they couple or by moving your listening position for bass wavelength modes.
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twiiii
Lunatic Member
Wow such a deal, don't you feel Quilty getting all that great equipment at that price. You basically robbed a bank. How much money did you save, 10, 15 or more Thousands of dollars? Now if you want to sell your 452 so you can get a pair of 1201 or 1.2K amps just drop me a note.
JosephH
Super Member
Nope, I don't feel guilty, just very fortunate and lucky! Many thanks for your sage advice as well. There are several members I always look to for their opinions on all things McIntosh, you are one of them, as well as several others on this thread. I am really happy that I did not let this opportunity pass.
So Twiiii, are you offering an even trade???
lol
JosephH
Super Member
I got the MX-136 up and running last night. I really wish it have HDMI audio inputs too. For now I will run the video directly to my 4k TV and the audio will have to go via analog RCA cables. Oppo has throttled the digital outputs except for HDMI due to copyright protection. Such crap. The analog inputs allow me to listen in "Pure Audio" 2 channel stereo mode and it sounds great! It seems to be a sonic upgrade from the MX-132, but it likely isn't a large difference. Hopefully I will have a chance to finish the owner's manual tonight.
Velocityboat
Super Member
You can by HDMI audio splitters that strip off the digital and send out to Toslink from China that preserves encoding . I have one. Or see if your TV sends out an optical digital signal problem is TV usually only splits off digital two channel not multichannel. I have a box I used to use before the MX150 with my MAC-3. They are less than 50 bucks on Amazon or other outlets.
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So very happy for you, JosephH!!!!
Don't listen to Velocityboat or damacman unless you're fully prepared to enter a new realm of great sound. They provoked and prodded me into the single greatest leap in my search for perfect sound.
Nary a regret here in Ky, I'll tell ya that.
Great score!!
Don't listen to Velocityboat or damacman unless you're fully prepared to enter a new realm of great sound. They provoked and prodded me into the single greatest leap in my search for perfect sound.
Nary a regret here in Ky, I'll tell ya that.
Great score!!
damacman
Resident Psycho
For the time being, it would appear that I am still the keeper of your MC7300 . . .
Velocityboat
Super Member
Here is a good read on line array designs and some great graphs. He covers to a greater extent some concepts on Roger Russells site.
He covers woofers quite well and effects in a line source. His covering of near and farfield distancegraphs versus Frequency is quite telling also.
https://audioroundtable.com/misc/nflawp.pdf
Thanks Velocity! Without the prodding of those on the forum, especially you, I would have walked away because of the other large purchase this week. However the "toy fund" will eventually regenerate, but these are mine forever! Again last night I was up way too late just sitting there listening. It is like Christmas morning, I think of another favorite album and jump up to seek it out and play it because of some favorite remembered lick or passage that I think will sound awesome! And it does! I am finding the the Hammond B3, vibes and well recorded vocals sound especially good! one thing for sure I am seeing the PG lights twinkle on the MC452 for the first time. Not often, just when I am being excessive with Telarc recorded classical, but I never got there with the Aerials. Just more of the fun. It is nice not to have to worry about inadvertently taking out a bank of those 38 drivers per speaker!
Wow a used MEN 220 is as expensive as a used MX-151. The current speaker placement is temporary and definitely not ideal, but I am pondering the opportunity to be creative, as I can run speaker wire from the built in unit into the basement and up any wall. Now you have me looking for the next piece of equipment!! Sheesh.
I don't think you would have walked away.
We can be pretty persuasive when we want you to buy stuff
JosephH
Super Member
We are our own greatest enablers!I don't think you would have walked away.
We can be pretty persuasive when we want you to buy stuff
The forum members who are so helpful made me realize that these opportunities don't come along very often.
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JosephH
Super Member
Thank you sir! No regrets here either! Their sage advice has been very helpful and much appreciated!
JosephH
Super Member
Great article! Thanks for sharing!
I thought you were getting very good advice.
Obviously no one can make you do that which you do not want to. I thought the face imparted that that was a joke. Sorry you took me seriously
. Enjoy your new speakers
