XR290 Listening Impressions
- Thread starter Velocityboat
- Start date
Velocityboat
Super Member
I can't wait. I only heard a few songs until the one went down. How long have you had your pair?
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Velocityboat
Super Member
Yes that is quite a Christmas Present. What speakers do you drive with them? Have you compared to MC1000s same speakers and room?
Velocityboat
Super Member
I have not tried tube amps. I suppose someday curiosity will get me. i have been drawn to speakers that suck up crazy power and committed big time to that pursuit. Is your version of speakers the ones with the visual separate driver aesthetics's and 300 degree tweeter dispersion? How do they image?
Velocityboat
Super Member
I got tired of waiting for the other MC1000 and calibrated the Room Perfect room correction. All I can say is why did I wait?
It released highs, mids and bass muddied up by this room I will admit the line arrays design covers room problems. Room Perfect eliminates them. These XR290s moved from phenomenal to indescribable. Neutral focus will drill music details like a diamond bit through titanium. The global mode lets music be alive and enrapturing. Totally a level of music reproduction beyond what i have ever been blessed.
It released highs, mids and bass muddied up by this room I will admit the line arrays design covers room problems. Room Perfect eliminates them. These XR290s moved from phenomenal to indescribable. Neutral focus will drill music details like a diamond bit through titanium. The global mode lets music be alive and enrapturing. Totally a level of music reproduction beyond what i have ever been blessed.
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Velocityboat
Super Member
Some interesting Room Perfect observations. The XRT20 and XR19 stack took a calibration volume setting of 50 dB. XR290 required 60DB. Seems the Stacks driver number of 72 tweeters versus 48 wins.
Stack room correction 55 percent XR290 only 33 percent. Inference less corrections needed not having as many tweeter side wall and plasma TV front screen corrections.
Percussion sharpness with XR290 wins across the board.Tthe focus position with XR290 wants to drill details of music all volumes. Not as forgiving with the stack at focus position. On global position the XR290 outshines the stack in imaging even compared to Focus on the stack.
In neutral Room Perfect mode. The XR290 bass can cross section your spleen. The stack is more of a heavy weight boxer rope a dope move with bodily distribution of power blows.
XR290 sucks up more watts to equivalent SPL.
Stack room correction 55 percent XR290 only 33 percent. Inference less corrections needed not having as many tweeter side wall and plasma TV front screen corrections.
Percussion sharpness with XR290 wins across the board.Tthe focus position with XR290 wants to drill details of music all volumes. Not as forgiving with the stack at focus position. On global position the XR290 outshines the stack in imaging even compared to Focus on the stack.
In neutral Room Perfect mode. The XR290 bass can cross section your spleen. The stack is more of a heavy weight boxer rope a dope move with bodily distribution of power blows.
XR290 sucks up more watts to equivalent SPL.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
I had a talk with Chuck at Mcintosh the other day about MX 150 and 151's. basically the 151 is the same machine part for part except for the face plate, a few labels and upgraded software.
Anyway we spoke about room perfect and I mentioned that room perfect didn't show me much using the focus mode. He asked me why and I said I had a 1/6 octave spectrum analyzer with me and the results were pretty poor. And he agreed saying we should use the more rigorous method taking many sample readings throughout the space and exspect to take an hour for the process. The process will give a much more satisfactory result than the single point focus mode.
I did learn one thing. The tweeters of the older line arrays give a mush smoother response out of the box. They may not reach into the stratosphere, but I find their rendition much more accurate and pleasing compared to the 1K and 2 K speakers. If the 290 never exsisted I could live with the XRT 28 or XRT 30, Id take the 28. Even though the dynamic range is compromised a bit. At concerts I prefer to sit back a bit to allow the instruments to blend. I don't need to hear the valve springs on brass instruments or people tapping their feet. I want definition but not at the expense of musical enjoyment. Some times IK and 2k speakers can be two intimate with close miked recordings. Not so much with the 290. So in that respect thats another plus for the 290. Though a 290 can't reproduce the levels of the 2k continuously, I still prefer the 290.
Besides if you want to create live full symphony, Brass wind band, or big band sounds as if you are the conductor, you better scrap 99% of consumer speakers. And dig out commercial line arrays and do it right. Home stuff comes up about 10 db short at 4 ft.
Its a good thing most of listen at moderate levels of 85 to 90 db with 10 + instantaneous peaks at our listening locations. That means our speaker only need to produce peaks of 110 db or so. Easily capable with most top of the line loudspeaker systems.
Anyway we spoke about room perfect and I mentioned that room perfect didn't show me much using the focus mode. He asked me why and I said I had a 1/6 octave spectrum analyzer with me and the results were pretty poor. And he agreed saying we should use the more rigorous method taking many sample readings throughout the space and exspect to take an hour for the process. The process will give a much more satisfactory result than the single point focus mode.
I did learn one thing. The tweeters of the older line arrays give a mush smoother response out of the box. They may not reach into the stratosphere, but I find their rendition much more accurate and pleasing compared to the 1K and 2 K speakers. If the 290 never exsisted I could live with the XRT 28 or XRT 30, Id take the 28. Even though the dynamic range is compromised a bit. At concerts I prefer to sit back a bit to allow the instruments to blend. I don't need to hear the valve springs on brass instruments or people tapping their feet. I want definition but not at the expense of musical enjoyment. Some times IK and 2k speakers can be two intimate with close miked recordings. Not so much with the 290. So in that respect thats another plus for the 290. Though a 290 can't reproduce the levels of the 2k continuously, I still prefer the 290.
Besides if you want to create live full symphony, Brass wind band, or big band sounds as if you are the conductor, you better scrap 99% of consumer speakers. And dig out commercial line arrays and do it right. Home stuff comes up about 10 db short at 4 ft.
Its a good thing most of listen at moderate levels of 85 to 90 db with 10 + instantaneous peaks at our listening locations. That means our speaker only need to produce peaks of 110 db or so. Easily capable with most top of the line loudspeaker systems.
Velocityboat
Super Member
Twiii,
Is he tecommending more measurements or to load up all the availale focus positions? I stopped at eight measurements and 99 percent room knowledge.
Currently I use three focus positions. Focus 1 sweet spot and focus 2 left and focus 3 right seats corresponding to a love seat and recliner.
I will say XR290 sounds clinical in Focus and sound the best with more blending in the global mode. I have hung out in Lyngdorf forums where factory reps recommended globlal as most pleasing. I do know too many added Focus positions gave a disappointing global mode. I really do not care for any equalization modes beyond neutral.
Results of room perfect seem speaker dependent as well as how you measure.
Did XRT28 and XRT30 use philips fabric domes for tweeter arrays?
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twiiii
Lunatic Member
Yes they were fabric, but I don't remember if they were Phillips or not. I'm going to try enclose an article about the XRT 28. But notice the roll off above 18 KHZ . Is it the tweeters, I don't think so, I think its because the tweeters are't close enough to gether causing destructive interference, and why Mac changed to a smaller driver they could put closer together and increase the HF extension even though the metal tweeters resonate and are compromised. There is an Article on the internet from the reviewer of the XRT 28 from Absolute Sound. Just google XRT 28 reviews and read the supplementary article. Then you'll understand why your XR 290's shine.
Velocityboat
Super Member
That is an interesting theory on tweeter separation distance creating the 18KHz roll off. i thought the XR290 tweeters looked mounted on a taller plate but it was an optical illusion caused by the vertical gold accent lines. it is interesting the reviewers observation that the lack of mid and tweeters floor to ceiling required tilting speaker forward for seated listening.
I will try to do some XR290 RTA measurement postings today for head to head with the XRT28.
Velocityboat
Super Member
The MC1000 is ready. Hope to pick up tomorrow when I get back from Wichita Falls. About four and a half Franklins to fix so I got a great discount still.
Can wait for MC2500s play off. Having over a month with XR290s should be able to establish differences between ween old school and quad balanced designed amps.
I'm certainly looking forward to your listening impressions. You may have mentioned this already but how are you running the 2500's strapped or bridged?
Velocityboat
Super Member
Bridged
Velocityboat
Super Member
The MC1000 had some leaky capacitors in its 12V supply. And had new lamps installed.
Spent about five hours rearranging and connecting equipment yesterday. Put side rails back on the MC2500s. Will shuttle one in to run the XRT20s.
Placed MC7106 in the system bridging for XR19s doing rear surrounds. C39 is running phono preamp duties and channels for outdoor system.
Finally fired up the MC1000s around 1230 AM. Still need to recalibrate Room Perfect. So far the change is quiet astonishing. Definitely more solid bass. Midrange more prominence. The highs more clarity and less congestion. Did notice right amp meter reading higher consistently . Maybe a Room Perfect balance thing since rightspeaker is next to an open door. I had noticed similar meter outputs with MC2500s more with these amps. I'll swap amps to see if follows if Room Perfect recalibration does not resolve. Can't hear the difference.
So far all instruments and voices are notched up realism level. The background is dead quiet. Sound stage is full of more depth. Percussion knife sharp. I truly get the quad balance fuss. More dialing in to do, but clearly a step up.
