Did I waste my money on unnecessary wattage?

[Auditor55]

So the verdict is in. Yes, he did waste money on unnecessary wattage/amps.

 

[mossman77]

You are correct Bill... good memory. The Motion 60 way outperformed the Motion 40, though I did not hear them side by side. The Motion 40, with good Subs, would be a decent performer, I think.

Found minimal difference between the MA Silver 300 and 500... still preferred the larger of the two.

Between the Silver 300 and the Motion 40, I would say no contest and happily listen to the Silvers.

The Silver 300s sound like a contender for sure. Not too large either, so that's good. Do these have a rear firing port?

 

[mossman77]

So the verdict is in. Yes, he did waste money on unnecessary wattage/amps.

No, I wasted money on return shipping

 

[highfigh]

Crutchfield adverstized "handles up to 250 watts ", no idea where they got it from and the wording "handles up to..." is really wishy washy at best..

When I started working at a stereo store in the late-'70s, one of the guys would answer "Will they handle 100 Watts?" with "Sure, they'll handle 100 Watts. Once".

That was back when a Watt was a Watt, we got seven miles to a hog's head and that's the way we liked it". (the last part is from Grampa Simpson)

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

No, I wasted money on return shipping

Just ignore him...

 

[Auditor55]

No, I wasted money on return shipping

So did you ultimately achieve the audio performance you were seeking?

 

[mossman77]

So did you ultimately achieve the audio performance you were seeking?

Things are sounding very good at this point. However, I am still looking to improve a couple things (e.g. sub isolation and decay time).

 

[Auditor55]

It just seems like the preponderance of opinions, from those who are knowledgeable on the subject, was to return the amps. The OP, at first and for the most part, rejected the guidance of the prevailing opinion of knowledgeable persons to return the amps. However, he eventually accepted expert advice and returned the amps.

 

[Pogre]

It just seems like the preponderance of opinions, from those who are knowledgeable on the subject, was to return the amps. The OP, at first and for the most part, rejected the guidance of the prevailing opinion of knowledgeable persons to return the amps. However, he eventually accepted expert advice and returned the amps.

Hey, you read the thread!

 

[John Parks]

Hey, you read the thread!

 

[Auditor55]

View attachment 35416

Yes I did, good thread.

 

[JStewart]

I already made irreversible modifications to my cabinet to accommodate the XPA-3, so I think I'll be keeping it. Plus, I like having the extra power should I need it in a future setup. That being said, I'd appreciate some recommendations on some "better" wall speakers (meaning larger drivers and perhaps higher sensitivity).

These look interesting and priced right. https://www.monoprice.com/pages/monolith

I expect they are the same drivers in the mini tower reviewed HERE by @shadyJ

 

[ryanosaur]

The Silver 300s sound like a contender for sure. Not too large either, so that's good. Do these have a rear firing port?

yes. Most will.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

If you don't have room for bigger speakers maybe a nice pair of wireless headphones is an alternative? I bought the Beats Studio3 wireless noise cancelling on ear headphones. They last 20 hours on a single charge and the wireless range covers most of my home. I use them to listen to music or movies on my MacBook or Samsung TV. Great sound. They can play louder than you can stand. https://www.amazon.com/Beats-Studio3-Wireless-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B07JPJP1SW/

 

[mossman77]

I'm also looking at some in-wall speakers with larger drivers (6"+) that Monitor Audio has to offer (Sound Frame 1 and 2), but the sensitivity for these speakers is only 88dB. They have several other in-wall options, but most are 6 ohm also with low sensitivity. Putting speakers in the wall isn't a possibility, but I could easily fabricate some MDF housings for them and paint them the same color as the wall for a custom solution. Except another issue with getting larger L/R is that finding a smaller center channel would be tough. The taller the center, the higher the TV will have to be, and it's already high enough.

Something like this with a pivoting tweeter would maybe work out well since it would allow me to aim the tweeter towards the MLP, as opposed to 20" above ear level, which is what I have now. If I could pair two of these with a Silver C150 or Bronze center then that would be sweet. Both of these speakers have the RST C-CAM woofers and Gold Dome tweeter, so I should good in the timbre matching department right?

CP-WT380IDC | In-Wall Speakers | Monitor Audio

Monitor Audio's Controlled Performance CP-WT380IDC in-wall speakers offer improved driver specialisation, higher efficiency and power handling.

www.monitoraudio.com

Silver 6G | Silver C150 | Monitor Audio

Compactness and quality combine in Monitor Audio’s Silver C150 centre channel loudspeaker to ensure you don’t miss a word of your favourite films.

www.monitoraudio.com

 

[Pogre]

I'm also looking at some in-wall speakers with larger drivers (6"+) that Monitor Audio has to offer (Sound Frame 1 and 2), but the sensitivity for these speakers is only 88dB. They have several other in-wall options, but most are 6 ohm also with low sensitivity. Putting speakers in the wall isn't a possibility, but I could easily fabricate some MDF housings for them and paint them the same color as the wall for a custom solution. Except another issue with getting larger L/R is that finding a smaller center channel would be tough. The taller the center, the higher the TV will have to be, and it's already high enough.

I'm pretty sure that in wall speakers are designed with using the entire wall as a baffle in mind. If you build some housings for them I think you'll still want to be flush with a wall. Not my area of expertise tbh, but I think it worth bringing up and looking into before you decide for certain.

I think, if you can make it work, the MA Silver 300s should be on your short list for regular speakers. I've not heard a negative thing about them.

 

[mossman77]

I'm pretty sure that in wall speakers are designed with using the entire wall as a baffle in mind. If you build some housings for them I think you'll still want to be flush with a wall. Not my area of expertise tbh, but I think it worth bringing up and looking into before you decide for certain.

I think, if you can make it work, the MA Silver 300s should be on your short list for regular speakers. I've not heard a negative thing about them.

The MA CP-WT380 have the baffle built in, so maybe they would work. 89dB sens and 6 ohm though. I'd probably need that Emo amp back! Haha.

 

[mossman77]

Thoughts on mixing two MA CP-WT380 (left/right channel) with a C150 center, or better yet the Bronze center? The bronze uses the same C-CAM drivers but different tweeter. Is that really going to be noticeable to the human ear?

Also, other than the wood veneer vs vinyl veneer cabinet, are there any other differences between the Silver 300 and the Bronze 6? If I understand correctly, natural wood (unless birch) isnt a good material for cabinets due to resonance. MDF with the vinyl veneer would be less resonant wouldn't it?

 

[ryanosaur]

Wood veneers don’t resonate. All natural-wood cabinets would be bad. That wood veneer is on an mdf cabinet, most likely.

IIRC, the Silver line uses drivers that are a step above those in the Bronze line. It’s been a while since I’ve really looked at them though.

Voice matching is more a function of the tweeter than the woofer, according to one designer I’ve conversed with. Consider that the details that occur in sound, in the range starting around 2000 Hz where our hearing is more sensitive, is likely output by the tweeter alone.

 

[mossman77]

Wood veneers don’t resonate. All natural-wood cabinets would be bad. That wood veneer is on an mdf cabinet, most likely.

IIRC, the Silver line uses drivers that are a step above those in the Bronze line. It’s been a while since I’ve really looked at them though.

Voice matching is more a function of the tweeter than the woofer, according to one designer I’ve conversed with. Consider that the details that occur in sound, in the range starting around 2000 Hz where our hearing is more sensitive, is likely output by the tweeter alone.

Just took a closer look. The Silver 300 is a 3-way design with tweeter, 4" midrange, and dual 6.5" woofers. Bronze is 2-way with tweeter, 6.5" mid, and dual 6.5" woofers.