So I’m going to take REW graphs this weekend or early this week but for the time being my system consists of the following
AVR - Denon x4300h w/ a Marantz 200 WPC monoblock for my CC and a 4 channel Adcom 125 WPC for the 4 height layer speakers. The Denon runs the mains and surrounds
Mains - M&K LCR 750THX MKII; sealed cabinet with dual 5.25” midrange drivers and a 1” tweeter
Center - M&K Center 750THX MKII; sealed cabinet with dual 5.25” midrange drivers and a 1” tweeter
Surrounds - M&K Sur550 THXMKII; sealed cabinet with a single 5.25” midrange and a 1” tweeter
Front height - Definitive Technology ProCinema 1000; sealed satellite with a 5.25” BDSS midrange and 1” pure aluminum dome tweeter
Top middle - Definitive Technology ProCinema 1000
Subwoofers & MiniDSP 2x4 - Mirage BPS-400 (2x 12” sealed drivers) Dayton Audio Titanic MK II 10” sealed and an Atlantic Technology BPM272 12” THX Select sealed.
I’m using a bit of mix match for subs as I’m in the process of re-doing my entire 1960’s wood paneled basement and have discovered whoever originally constructed it just randomly placed the studs so it’s turned into much more of a project than I had anticipated and is going to take at least another month so my current 5.4.3 setup is temporary. That being said the subs are +/-5dB from 12hz to 200hz.
My MLP is 9ft from my TV. The left and right mains are 8.2’ from me, 6” from the rear wall and about 6’ apart. The center channel is directly below the tv, about 1.5’ from the rear wall and angled upwards towards my ears and 6.5’ from me. The mains have the tweeters at ear level and are slightly towed in towards my shoulder area when seated. Each surround channel is 18” from the wall and 4.3’ away from the MLP at 90 degrees and fire towards the MLP. My front heights are 9.2’ from me and as high as my 8’ ceilings allow with mounts and are angled slightly down towards the MLP with the top middles being 4.9’ from me and angled down at 45 degrees towards the MLP. Both height layer speakers are the same distance apart as the mains are. I have done extensive listening and between an 80hz, 100hz or 120hz crossover have found 120hz to work the best. I’ve had no issues with localization and in my specific acoustical environment so far it’s been the most optimal setting in regards to listening pleasure. All subs are level matched to 75dB as are all speakers using a calibrated decibel meter set at slow response and C weighting.
The M&K left and right mains reside on 22” MDF speaker stands on each side of my tv. When I initially decided I wanted to experiment with changing my system from all towers (as far as the mains and surrounds) I was a bit hesitant but even with using larger speakers like my Mirage OMD-28’s and OMD-15’s for surrounds, OMD-5’s for height layer and an OMD-C2 for a center, I crossed everything over at 100hz so I don’t feel like I’m really giving up a lot in terms of dynamics. I’ve setup a dedicated two channel system which allows my Atmos system to be used solely for movies and video games. After the long process of packing away my OMD’s for the basement overhaul I unpacked and setup the M&K speakers I had bought for $270 shipped to my door. I was surprised at the weight of the 750’s and even the smaller 550’s. They appear very well built and the cabinets are all sealed. They use a metal type grill which doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy, however I removed all of them for my listening.
After getting the speakers placed I ran Audyssey through the Multi EQ app on my phone and found it set an 80hz crossover all around with 60hz for the height layer. I initially set everything at 80hz and after a few days changed it to 100hz and a few days later 120hz as I mentioned. I limited frequency correction to 300hz and loaded the new calibration to my Denon after verifying that all channels were at 75dB.
First I watched a few scenes in 13 Hours via my LG UBMK-90 4K UHD player in native Atmos. The M&K’s throw up a huge soundstage and if anything I’ve become so accustomed to the Mirage OMD/OM series sound that going to a direct radiating speaker system has exposed A LOT of detail in movies I’ve seen dozens of times that I was missing. When the outpost is attacked by 60mm mortars the direct radiating ProCinema 1000’s really gave the impression of substantial ordinance descending onto your position (I spent 18 months in Iraq during OIF with the 82nd 1st/504th and have heard this plenty of times so I do have a reference point), in conjunction with the mains and surrounds and overall presence and impact of AK-47/74, PKM, RPG-7 and DsHK 12.7mmx108mm fire was output in a way I never heard from any combination of Mirage speakers I’ve used over the years. I had my doubts in terms of the CC as the OMD-C2 and even the OM-C2 are 30+lb center channels that retailed for a pretty penny and have never failed to impress me. The M&K CC is identical to the mains except that it’s used horizontally. The smaller 5.25” drivers and 1” tweeter are a mirror image of the 750THX mains. After about 30 mins of usage however my concerns melted away. Dialogue was clear and accurate with no distortion or sharpness on the “S” type words and it imaged directly from the center of my screen. Over the next weekend and following days I watched about 15 different 4K UHD discs all with either native Atmos or DTS:X soundtracks and found the M&K’s had no issues playing at ear piercing levels with no audible distortion. The action on stage is always represented acoustically in what I can best describe as a realistic manner. Watching John Wick 3, during the shootout in the market with Hallie Berry there are a few scenes where he or she ejects an empty magazine and releases the slide to chamber a round and this was very audible and clear even in the midst of a crescendo of 9mm, .45caliber and 10mm weapons fire. The end battle in the Continental Hotel where the enemy shooters are utilizing suppressed 9mm Hecker-Koch MP5A2 sub machine guns was represented very close to what that particular weapons system sounds like. It’s sonic signature is extremely muffled due to an integral suppressor and on film when it’s used the sound effect utilized is always either too loud, too soft or completely unrealistic, however in this specific movie it has one of the best sound mixes in relation to firearms sounds I’ve ever heard in my life and therefore I always use it to gauge if a particular speaker setup is to my liking or not. The playback of the 12 gauge shotgun firing was impactful and clear without being boomy or muddy. I than watched Ford Vs. Ferrari and was blown away by the clearness and accuracy of the action during the end movie Le Mans race in more than one scene. During one of the scenes your given an in car point of view and everything from the induction noise on the massive mid mounted V8 to the trailing but still audible opponent cars was present in my room in a way I’ve never heard, even using OMD-15 towers and OM-10 towers in the surround channels. I don’t want to ramble for too long, but my overall feelings on the M&K 750THX MKII setup is 9.5 out of 10 stars. For $270 I don’t think there’s a speaker system that exists that compares but when you get into the original retail territory (the 750’s are currently $1400/pr so you’re talking $2100 just for the L/C/R) there are plenty of other brands I would buy. Now that being said given the sound quality I’ve experienced thus far I would have no problem paying $700-$1000 for all 5 speakers but $3000? No way. However used and retail pricing aside it’s a very well built and engineered series of speakers from a company whose products I’ve never owned before
Please note I’ve never typed a mini review before and if it sucks or is amateurish it’s because I am indeed just an amateur. I will post REW graphs as soon as I get the time!
