All right John, I'm doing some listening here. I am using Spotify so, I have access to just about all of the music you have. Unfortunately it's in 320kbps though, so it's not as faithful as it could be (which does make the midrange sound a tad on the colored side) but it should give me enough information to see if my Mk IVs are lining up with what your Pro Monitors are doing.
First of all it's been quite some time before I have critically listened to my IMFs. The last time would have been when I was comparing them to the Kef 107s to see which would stay or go.
I'll just say right off the hop that, yes, I do find there is less midbass presence than most speakers. This was one of the key differences I found between the Kefs and the IMFs - and is also why I kept the IMFs as opposed to the Kefs. Ultimately, I found the midrange to have more richness and a more natural presentation over the Kefs. The midbass was definitely emphasized which added a warmth and touch of coloration to the midrange which I felt is what made them inferior. I think it's mostly because of the enclosure the midrange sits in. In the Kefs it was in a very tight space so defeating rear waves was quite challenging, and likely the cone saw more rear waves as a result of this even though it was designed quite well. The IMFs absorb the waves and because of this I think this is where you may find the midbass becoming less present. What you have to think about is, is this more correct? Is this higher in fidelity? It depends on your objectives with sound, of course. If you are like me, then being true to the original is what I seek, and this is something desirable.
I guess I could equate it to bass in rooms. Acoustically bass is the worst offender. I learned this when I bought my DSPeaker and ran the sweeps and then heard the system with the bass corrected. At first, it sounded sort of flat and lacking in bass. However the more I listened, the more I realized "No, this is how bass is supposed to sound". Perhaps this is a similar case with the IMFs. I don't know for sure, to be honest, but it's a possibility. So I would focus your thoughts when you listen for the midbass to, "Is this really more natural? Or does something seem lacking here?" In the end it's always difficult to really know what one track is supposed to sound like because likely your memory around it is based on a home audio system which could be a large contrast to what it sounded like in the studio. It's hard to say without being there. In my opinion this is what makes it so difficult to ascertain what a stereo system is doing right, and so you're simply left with trying to decide if this is something you like or not. In my mind, tastes are formed around perception. It's like tasting a very fine wine for the first time - your tastes may not be developed enough to really appreciate it, but then as time goes on and you begin to understand the difference you gain a bigger appreciation for it and thus, begin to prefer that taste more.
All right that was quite long-winded, but based on my experience with my IMFs and what I'm hearing just tonight doing critical listening, those are my thoughts. 'cause I prefer the way these IMFs do the whole range, from bass, to midbass, mid to treble, over anything else I've heard. It just sounds "right" to me. But hey, I've only been doing this for a couple years and my "taste" isn't fully developed either. Just some food for thought
Now onto my listening impressions.
So first of all I had to check out Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Flight of the Cosmic Hippo.
Jesus. This is like THE IMF demonstration song. Wow is that bass ever deep and open. What a treat this was. Very well recorded and overall excellent.
Acoustic Alchemy - The Very Best Of - Mr. Chow
I picked this song because I figured this one might give me a sense of the midbass in the song. About halfway through after the initial guitars are over with, there's a deep, percussion instrument that gives you a very strong sense of space and shows off the impact of a speaker. I thoroughly enjoyed this and this is still my favourite part of the song reproduced through the IMFs. It gives you a sense of dynamics and openness that some speakers struggle to show.
Fleetwood Mac - Never Going Back Again
I love this track. A particular favourite of mine to show off the acoustic capabilities of a speaker. Here the guitar plucks are "strong" with attack and the guitar sounds faithfully reproduced, as though the guitar is here in the room playing. No sense of coloration or being unnatural. When the vocals start they sound rich and true. And then the first time it goes "Hmmmmm" it's just beautiful. Ear to ear vocals that put a smile on my face. It's easy to get lost in this one.
Fleetwood Mac - Tango In The Night - Little Lies
Yeah I know, 80s Fleetwood Mac. But I love the openness this song has. I feel like it transports me to this space of 80s bliss. I like 80s music, can you tell?
Now the vocals on this song have always sounded processed to me. A bit of shrillness, but sounds good nonetheless. I have yet to hear it sound anything different on any other system, but I like the way it sounds the best on the IMFs. I'm sure the 320 bitrate isn't helping this either. However, the strong point of this song is the synthesizers and just how nice they sound. A very clean and enjoyable presentation.
Diana Krall - Live in Paris - East of the Sun (West of the Moon)
John check this one out if you can. This might give you an idea of what I'm talking about above with the midbass. This song has a good range of stuff going on. First of all, this album is an excellent litmus test for any speaker because it is a very well recorded live performance. On the right system you will have no trouble imagining you are there hearing the performance in your living room live. Right off the bat, with the piano on the right side you can easily tell what the midrange is going to be like on the speaker. I found on my IMFs that the piano was not piercing, or dull, it sounded balanced and good. Interestingly I am finding a slight lack of dynamics here, like there should be a
bit more, but I wonder if this is because of the source? I really need this album on CD or LP (there is a 45RPM release of it that is to die for, apparently). Now moving on, the percussion here is not harsh at all and sounds great. No fatigue whatsoever. Diana's voice sounds rightly husky with no emphasis anywhere. She sounds live like I remember her to sound like (I've seen her live, what a performer, see her if you get the chance). The bass solo here is what I was referring to when it comes to the midbass. It just sounds
right. Nothing emphasized and it's all there. Certainly this instrument is also playing into the low registers but if the midbass was lacking this instrument would lack impact, and lacking impact it isn't. A fun track to listen to. This whole album is particularly great and worth checking out.
Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2 - Scenes from a Memory - The Spirit Carries On
I really like this album. One of my favourites of DT's. Such a variety of music here, lots of highs and lows. This is one of the lows and carries a lot of emotion. It starts off with very forward vocals, brings in the guitar and I like the part where the drums kick in. This is the first time I've listened to this song through the IMFs, and I have to admit the drums aren't quite as powerful as I'd like. The snare is very good but the bass kick could be a little better. I'm beginning to wonder if I need to redo my DSPeaker? Well, I decided to pop on my headphones (Audeze LCD-2s) because they sound quite a bit different than the IMFs to see what difference there might be. As my suspicions confirmed there is something funky going on with the lower bass on the IMFs. The snare was just as impactful but there's something a little missing. Is this my DSPeaker not being dialed in correctly anymore? Or is it the speaker? Maybe both. I'll have to redo the DSPeaker and give it another try. But what I like about this song overall is the emotion in the voice and the song overall, which the IMFs have no trouble with at all.
Well I have run out of time for music listening for now, but those are my thoughts for now. I'm going to explore this midbass thing more and do more critical listening. As I said above it's been a long time! And it's rather refreshing to explore once again what I like about these speakers - as I come away tonight after this listening session remembering again what I really love about the way these sound. Such a great sound.
You'll have to swing in and check them out when you're mobile.