Monolith 13" vs 15" V2 (Measurement Discrepancies?)

M

mj30250

Audioholic Intern
The optimum box is they one that gives the flattest frequency response and optimises Q.

Sealed subs are not optimal designs. They save box volume, but have high f3 without a lot of Eq, and are highly inefficient. So they consume a lot of amp power and therefore are prone to higher distortion than other designs. I personally use aperiodically damped transmission lines which give deep effortless bass that is extremely natural and very high quality. I use an integrated approach, so that in effect you get a full range speaker. Tri-amped dual TL speaker with infinitely variable BSC for integration to room.



Axis FR and impulse response.



Axis and off axis responses out to 60 degrees black line.

Roll off at 15K is due to the measuring omnimic limitation.
Nice! That's an interesting design, I imagine it's quite dynamic. I'm not seeing the off-axis plots, though.
 
M

mj30250

Audioholic Intern
Think there was a monolith 15 v1 then a 15 v2 came out recently Not sure the difference.

They weigh a lot so not sure I would want more than 2. LOL :)
I found the below comments, both allegedly made by Monolith reps. The comment about the driver being completely redesigned seems a bit exaggerated. The V2 shows 270oz stacked magnets versus the V1's 216oz. Outside of cosmetic improvements, there might be a small output and extension increase but probably not enough to make an appreciable difference. I do think the V2 looks much better (in-line with the 13" and 16").

"The main difference is that the enclosure was made new from scratch. FEA (Finite Element Analysis) modeling and Klippel laser-based optimization were utilized to create this durable, high-profile surround that's made from a unique formulation of NBR (nitrile butadiene rubber). This formulation was developed after months of modeling and prototyping to ensure the highest levels of excursion, without sacrificing linearity or distortion.
The driver has also been completely redesigned. FEA (Finite Element Analysis) modeling and Klippel laser-based optimizations were used to design a cone that is capable of astounding >80mm peak‑to‑peak excursions. The spider is made from multiple layers of NOMEX with integrated tinsel leads hand-stitched in place for low mass, yet high strength and durability. The purpose of these vents is twofold ‑‑ first, they allow convective airflow to cool the voice coil, and, second, they reduce asymmetrical compliance due to air compression under the cone/spider, which would appear as unwanted distortions.
The frequency response on Extended EQ in the vented mode now can reach a bit deeper than its predecessor.
So to conclude, both versions are great and the V1 has received really good feedback from most of our customers.
But the V2, like all upgraded items, is going to be a better performer in both frequency response on high SPL as well as increased overall cabinet strength and limit unwanted panel vibrations that would cause discoloration and distortion."

"We did measure more output across the frequency range of around 0.7db to 1.2db on the V2 subs versus the V1 subs. However, I felt this is within the variance of measuring on different equipment on different days, so I posted the measurements for the V1 subwoofers as to not overpromise anything. The obvious main difference is their appearance, and I think these look better. I hope you do too!"
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Nice! That's an interesting design, I imagine it's quite dynamic. I'm not seeing the off-axis plots, though.
Sorry about that.



I have not run them out of "gas" yet. They seem to have good headroom.
 
M

mj30250

Audioholic Intern
The dual Monolith 15" V2s arrived on Thursday. I spent a couple hours running sweeps in REW to find the least compromised positioning as simply placing them where the Hsu subs were did not result in nearly the same summed response (it was a mess). Once that was finished, I simply ran them through Audyssey XT32 and completed my normal tweaks via the app. The results are below. The Monoliths are delivering flat in-room extension to just shy of 10Hz. The Hsu subs rolled off well above that as you will also see below. I spun up a 16Hz pipe organ test track that would send the Hsus into very audible port turbulence and cranked the volume...no discernable chuffing whatsoever! These Monoliths are extremely clean and deliver infrasonics that I've never noticed before with plenty of headroom to spare. My house gives up way before these do (rattles behind the sheetrock galore). I'm extremely happy with the upgrade.

Dual Hsu VTF-3 MK5s in extension mode w/ 1 port open (summed):

Hsu Audyssey.jpg


Dual Monolith 15" V2s in extension mode w/ 2 ports open (summed):

Monoliths Audyssey.jpg
 
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