AV123 x-mtm Tower Speaker Review

[admin]

AV123 is one of a handful of internet direct companies manufacturing quality loudspeakers at affordable prices. The company's Onix line of speakers has changed a bit, and they have dropped the Onix nomenclature. After having a pair of the x-ls monitors in my home for several months, I was excited when they shipped me a pair of the brand new x-mtm towers. After living with them for a couple of months, I'm ready to report to you my findings on what is surely a highly-anticipated speaker for many who are looking for a lot of bang for their buck.

Discuss "AV123 x-mtm Tower Speaker Review" here. Read the article.

 

[mazersteven]

A friendly, safe review.

 

[gus6464]

A friendly, safe review.

I'm having a hard time figuring out if they got a good or mediocre review.

 

[gene]

I'm having a hard time figuring out if they got a good or mediocre review.

Having heard these speakers in my own room, I think they are decent for the price. They are almost worth their asking price just for the cabinets alone. Though they are SUPER huge so be prepared for large boxes as the pics online don't really convey that.

I will warn you however that they are power hungry as they managed to clip the amp we were using when playing "The Chant" by Fourplay. If you are running them full range in a large room, I suggest a good 200wpc or more amplifier.

If you have good room acoustics, plug the ports and/or use your receivers bass management combined with a dedicated sub or two, you have quite a nice speaker system that looks better than anything on the market at double its price.

The fact that AV123 is scheduled to upgrade the tweeter and some crossover components is icing on the cake.

 

[Seth=L]

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful short review. With the kinds of music I listen to and movie watching (and space) I think these would fit in well in my home.

Gene,

When you say power hungery are you saying the rated efficiency given by AV123 is not accurate or rather the impedance is prone to fluctuate?

 

[gene]

When you say power hungery are you saying the rated efficiency given by AV123 is not accurate or rather the impedance is prone to fluctuate?

I have no reason to doubt their specified sensitivity. Since I didn't measure impedance/phase, I can only guesstimate that they must be a difficult load. I forgot to mention that when the amp was clipping, the woofers were bottoming out like mad so you definately shouldn't drive them so hard. The woofers in these speakers and especially in the xls bookshelf can't take much punishment which is why they need to be bass managed and mated with a good sub or two.

 

[autoboy]

Sounds like a good party speaker or a good tower for HT if you can't afford a sub. I'm really disappointed in the imaging and midrange. I was hoping these would be good speakers at at any price and the value would make them great.

 

[gus6464]

Sounds like a good party speaker or a good tower for HT if you can't afford a sub. I'm really disappointed in the imaging and midrange. I was hoping these would be good speakers at at any price and the value would make them great.

Yeah it's as if Gene wanted to give them a good review but he just couldn't because of their shortfalls in the SQ department so he commented most on their build quality. I guess you can take it as them getting both a good and bad review depending on how you look at it.

 

[gene]

Yeah it's as if Gene wanted to give them a good review but he just couldn't because of their shortfalls in the SQ department so he commented most on their build quality. I guess you can take it as them getting both a good and bad review depending on how you look at it.

Actually J wrote the review not me

 

[gus6464]

Actually J wrote the review not me

Ohh sorry I guess next time I should read where it says author of article. I just assumed you wrote it because you were responding in the thread lol.

 

[avaserfi]

I wonder how these compare to the X-SLS. I have heard the other floor standing model av123 puts out doesn't have the same boomy issues of the MTM which might help many of the problems J had with the MTMs like the muddy treble or extreme room dependency.

 

[birdonthebeach]

I have not heard the x-sls - I would be curious how they sound.

 

[billnchristy]

I would think if you want an MTM with sound quality and can live without all the booty bass, then a set of X-CS on stands would be the way to go.

 

[silversurfer]

I would think if you want an MTM with sound quality and can live without all the booty bass, then a set of X-CS on stands would be the way to go.

Well, that is if you want to stay with AV123. There are other MTM's with better sound quality. The Ascend CBM-340SE comes to mind...but it is more expensive, and does not look as good, but it is also not quite as big.

 

[billnchristy]

Yeah, I should have said "If you like the X sound"

 

[j_garcia]

I found the X-LSs sensitive to room and placement as well, so the comment in the review doesn't surprise me. Overall, the X-series seem to be great speakers, but they are intended for a budget audience so you can't expect them to have perfect response AND maintain that ridiculously low price.

I like the Ascends a lot, but they are certainly not perfect either.

 

[silversurfer]

I found the X-LSs sensitive to room and placement as well, so the comment in the review doesn't surprise me. Overall, the X-series seem to be great speakers, but they are intended for a budget audience so you can't expect them to have perfect response AND maintain that ridiculously low price.

How do they compare in that regard to your GR Research speakers? They are suppose to be quite similar.

 

[mazersteven]

Well, that is if you want to stay with AV123. There are other MTM's with better sound quality. The Ascend CBM-340SE comes to mind....

When I read some of the comments I have to laugh.

Someone please tell me what "Tower" speakers sound better at $449 a pair?

 

[silversurfer]

When I read some of the comments I have to laugh.

Someone please tell me what "Tower" speakers sound better at $449 a pair?

I am not understanding. Are you saying a tower speaker sounds better than a bookshelf?

If you want to compare tower to tower, I would like to compare the Athena F2.2 to the X-MTM. I have heard neither, but read good things on both.

 

[billnchristy]

I heard the MTMs in North Carolina but I didnt spend much time with them because I was trying to showcase my speakers which were in the room with the minis so I had to fight to get airtime!!

In the big room they were not too terribly boomy...in fact they seemed to lack bass, but I am sure it was the enormous room more than anything.