ML Center Theater - Mod or upgrade

[sabretoothmojo]

Contact the factory and ask for the T/S parameters for that driver, they usually hand that out for non-current models.

Secondly, the reason the woofer had the issue is that the crossover in the preamp for that channel is set too low. Make sure it is set to 'small'.
It's being overdriven and likely distorting a good bit, For that model 80Hz is the absolute lowest, and if you play loud, then set it to 100Hz, or even 120Hz.
As an example, I used 120Hz on the old Logos, and even my humongous SL3XC with 6 7" woofers that measure flat to below 40Hz at very loud levels, is crossed over at 80Hz.

did i type "new the model" as opposed to "knew". grrrrrrrr

 

[sabretoothmojo]

I also agree with the above posts. Set your crossover at 110 to 120 and that will protect the drivers. With everyone owning subwoofers nowadays, there is no need to run the full range bass to the other speakers.

you mean on the receiver side (sorry noob Q)

 

[Robert D]

My Motif is above the tv panel and sound seems to come from just above the middle of the tv, so for me it's perfect. I fabricated brackets for angling the speaker downward such that the centerline aims just above my head. The key change came when I raised the crossover frequency. Higher crossover frequency lowers where the sound is perceived to be coming from.

The Focus has wall mount brackets for angled or flat wall mounting.

I used a laser to pinpoint where the speaker was centered at and that helped me. Like you, sound seems just above middle of the screen.

I just ordered the Focus! The guys at the store are going to help me figure out how to angle it down. Thinking of using some sound absorption blocks to raise the back. I wish the Focus came with the stand that the theater has. In a few years when I'm in a new home, I'll mount it on the wall under the screen. The guys at the store are smart and will come up with something.

 

[Robert D]

you mean on the receiver side (sorry noob Q)

Yeah, the receiver should allow you to manually set crossover points for every speaker. If you have Audyssey like I do, it will set them all for you. Mine set the theater i at 60 HZ. I raised that up to 90 HZ. The theater is supposed to only go down to 70 HZ. Don't know why Audyssey set it so low. Sometimes you have to override that.

 

[ttocs]

I just ordered the Focus!

C'mon man! Whaddya doin' to me here! Now I'm gonna want one.

Seriously, for all of us who can't afford the floor space for the Illusion, the Focus is the one to get. It'll be difficult to wait out the hundred or so hours to hear your review!

 

[Robert D]

C'mon man! Whaddya doin' to me here! Now I'm gonna want one.

Seriously, for all of us who can't afford the floor space for the Illusion, the Focus is the one to get. It'll be difficult to wait out the hundred or so hours to hear your review!

Heck, I can't afford the price on that floor speaker. If it were lower, I'd just put up with my theater i for the next couple of years and then buy the floor speaker for the new house.

I wonder how it would sound if I later bought another focus and mounted one above/ one below the projection screen.

 

[sabretoothmojo]

This is what i got back from ML support:

A new Theater panel is $695.00, plus shipping.
These panels are not kept in stock, they are made to order. At the moment there is about a 12-14 week lead time.
We unfortunately no longer have this woofer for the Theater. There is also a gasket needed that we are also out of stock of. We will not be getting more of these parts unfortunately. You may be able to use the old gasket.
Here is a link for a woofer that will work well:
Home
The holes do not align, new holes will have to be drilled.
_____

So a $19 woofer will replace very expensive center channel
Home

 

[Robert D]

This is what i got back from ML support:

A new Theater panel is $695.00, plus shipping.
These panels are not kept in stock, they are made to order. At the moment there is about a 12-14 week lead time.
We unfortunately no longer have this woofer for the Theater. There is also a gasket needed that we are also out of stock of. We will not be getting more of these parts unfortunately. You may be able to use the old gasket.
Here is a link for a woofer that will work well:
Home
The holes do not align, new holes will have to be drilled.
_____

So a $19 woofer will replace very expensive center channel
Home

The new panels are well worth their cost, just wish they were less expensive like they were before. Im glad I got my Prodigy panels. I figured with the Theater i, i might as well just get a new speaker because the new ones arent ungodly expensive. I will sell my old theater i and recover some of the cost. It works perfectly well.

You might want to replace the panel on it if you are looking to keep the budget down. That video someone posted on here shows you how to do the work. Maybe ML even has a manual for it. They have one for my Prodigy.

 

[wink]

Just put the order in for a new panel for my Theater....bought Prodigy panels about a year or so ago. I’m in the middle of laying out a bunch of money for a new preamp and streamer, so I figure this will be an inexpensive refresh for the center channel...

 

[Russr]

I'm seriously thinking about getting a replacement panel for my Theater i, along with replacement tweeters (which are blown). would basically give me a new center that matches my SL3s (that I have replacement panels for stored away) for <$1K

Russ

 

[Robert D]

Just put the order in for a new panel for my Theater....bought Prodigy panels about a year or so ago. I’m in the middle of laying out a bunch of money for a new preamp and streamer, so I figure this will be an inexpensive refresh for the center channel...

Cool, let us know how it turns out. I too just got new Prodigy panels.

 

[wink]

I expect a nice upgrade to voices. I’ve been increasing the center channel gain to try and hear lately. Or switching to All Channel surround to compensate.

 

[JonFo]

So a $19 woofer will replace very expensive center channel
Home

Don't let the price fool you, that is a decent woofer. Just keep the crossovers at 90Hz or above.

So basically for $740 you can totally refresh a Theater i (minus the tweeter, which should last a long time), which seems like a decent value relative to the cost of refreshing the larger units.

Just put the order in for a new panel for my Theater

Congrats, and do the woofers at the same time, the cost is negligible.

 

[wink]

Congrats, and do the woofers at the same time, the cost is negligible.

I take that advice, thanks!

 

[Russr]

BTW - the quote I got for Theater /i tweeters is $85 each (3 in there, so $255 total).

Russ

 

[wink]

BTW - the quote I got for Theater /i tweeters is $85 each (3 in there, so $255 total).

Russ

 

[spkrdctr]

I have a dumb question. What would be the cost to buy a new center channel that approximates the old one? It looks like your going to drop over $1000 on the refresh? Just wondering, cause I always like new stuff!

 

[Russr]

I have a dumb question. What would be the cost to buy a new center channel that approximates the old one? It looks like your going to drop over $1000 on the refresh? Just wondering, cause I always like new stuff!

A good point, tho' for me there's always been something about the Theater (/i). It would probably take an Illusion (? not sure I got the model name right) to improve on it by much... thoughts?

 

[spkrdctr]

Well, you would have to wait for a 50% off sale to get the highest level centers. I guess they have priced the new stuff so high that it really makes it hard on people who need to replace older equipment. For example, the $7000 Illusion center is (to me) absolutely nuts. A $2000 center is very expensive. I just don't see it. But then, I'm just me.

 

[Stefan_DR3]

FYI: Trade-in Stage-X @DaVinci Media

https://www.martinloganowners.com/t...le-summit-x-expression-13a-and-stage-x.18632/