ESS AMT-Rock Monitors vs. ESS AMT-1 Towers

[stevepsych22]

I already own the AMT-1 towers, the taller one, not the shorter, wider AMT-1. They sound excellent with my chain, including 400 WPC into each, monoblocked. They don't seem to have the mid- hole you hear about all the time with the AMT-1s. But I'm curious, has anyone heard the AMT-3 Rock Monitors alongside the AMT-1 towers? And, if so, what can you say about the difference(s)? I'd really appreciate it. As you likely know, it's hard to hunt down those AMT-3s!

 

[GordonW]

Having the woofer up higher, can help with avoiding the midrange "suck out" that I hear in the original AMT1 "low boy" speakers. This is ostensibly due to the off-axis response drop-off that a 10" woofer will have, just due to the narrowing dispersion of a relatively large woofer at higher frequencies (a 10" is effectively directional above 1.3kHz or so, and only effectively, truly, omnidirectional below about 650Hz or so).

The closest I've heard to the towers, is an original AMT1, on about a 12" tall heavy-duty stand. That DID sound better in the mids than when it was on the floor- ostensibly because the woofer was more on-axis, improving the midrange response. That said, IME, the AMT3 still had it in midrange definition and transient response (better "snap" on drums and such).

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[jcidave]

First. Welcome to AK. Yes. I have the 1 towers and AMT3's side by side. These speakers play together in a large ESS system. I have not spent any time isolating these pair for in depth comparisons. My impressions are that the 3s are high energy and punchy. The 1 Towers are more refined with deeper bass which is tighter and better controlled than the 3s thanks to the transmission line enclosure. This improves the transition between the woofer and the Heil which is better than the original 1s. ESS used the same inexpensive woofer in each model. Don't know if yours have been modified. I think your power match is perfect.
My speakers are all original. So they are a blank canvas for someone who wants to tinker. At this point I'm really past all that. There are lots of better woofer choices on the market these days. Plenty of posts on AK about changing these woofers.
If you are looking for a pair of 3s, I think the main place to go is EBAY. You might also find them on US audio mart, Reverb, Craigslist. there is an eBay seller: 83fj who has supplied many ESS parts and speakers. you might look him up. Enjoy your speakers.

 

[jcidave]

Checking the sold auctions on EBAY, I see 3 pair of AMT3s sold in the last 2 months for pretty good money for the sellers. Some other ESS speakers as well. Prices have really ticked up this year. The pairs that sold looked decent. I guess my collection is increasing in value. WooHoo! Just a few years ago, ESS speakers didn't seem to have much resale value. I bought my first pair of AMT3s new in the 70s with salesman's discount of 50% off MSRP of $435. Free shipping no sales tax.