Time to buy really big MLs

[Cherian]

OK it is time to for me to buy my really big MLs. It is between the Monolith III and the Prodigy. This speaker will be used for a 2 channel system and a sub may or may not be used.

What is the best choice? What will give me the best sound and enjoyment? I plan to bi-amp, tubes to the panel and SS to the woofer.

I would love to hear from owners of either.

Thanks

Cherian

 

[edwinr]

Tough choice. I've heard both and really like them. The Monoliths have a really big sound. I think the Prodigy's are tighter in the bass though. I would take either one so how about just looking around and buy the first good example of either that comes along.

P.S. I reckon the Monoliths might take more tweaking to get the best out of them...

 

[kwr]

Edwinr has summarised this perfectly. I have not heard these speakers in the same system/room but have long term experience with the Monoliths. My only listening experience with the Prodigy left me with no urge to change.

You may need to replace the bass driver in the Monolith and they are of course an older speaker. They have a double wammy with impedance issues low with the sealed box and high with the panel and your plan for plenty of amplification should solve that.

IMHO the CLS and the Monolith III are the best looking speakers that ML has produced. The size of the image from the Monolith's is huge and they have a coolness factor unmatched by virtually any other speaker.

ML started making smaller panels for reasons of domestic acceptability. Musically there is a presence associated with a big panel that is difficult to go away from.

Kevin

 

[johnwa]

I listened to just about everything out there but with a focus on ML when putting together my 2 channel system and for my personal tastes nothing was as good as the Monolith III's.

That said, Edwin is right that they are not exactly plug n play and it took me a while (and a lot of advice from Jonfo) to get them dialed in to match what I had heared. I am running all SS and a lot of power to the panels so I don't know how Tubes would react to those beasts.

I have read seperate threads on Mac Tubes on big panels like the CLS's which I would think would be somewhat comparible.

Bottom line is JonFo is the authority I used but I found the investment on the Monoliths did not stop with the speaker purchase and the active XO took a bit of experimentation and outside consulting to get that solid. In the end I ended up adding a sub which I did not intend or expect to do but all said I am happy with the investment, time, and end product.

The Prodigy's are great speakers and probably a lot less fickle but you really have to listen to both options (preferably with the equipment you intend to use in the room you intend to use them in) before you can really say which you like better.

It is amazing how different the same speaker sounds even with the same gear depending on which room you put them in. Most of my time has been spent taming the room to get the sound right (picture below with treatments) so which ever way you good luck.
them side by side

 

[Rich]

Given the choice, I would go with Prodigy's. Both are excellent speakers, but I think I prefer the Prodigy for great sound without too much tweaking necessary.

 

[JonFo]

Cherian, I’m going to show my bias and recommend the Monoliths. But as Johnwa notes, they do require tweaking to get the most out of them, but boy are they chock full of potential.

Seriously, don’t even consider the passive x-over as adequate. You would need an active x-over , and preferably a speaker processor to really get the most out of them. So factor those costs and efforts into the picture as well.

The other caveat for Monoliths is the room, as they need a good bit of space. I consider my 15x26x10 room barely big enough for a multichannel Monolith setup.

A 2ch setup could use a smaller room of course, but still the speakers will dominate, as they need to be out from the walls. Room treatments should also be considered in terms of space and décor.
For a purely 2ch system, they will give you a soundstage second only to a pair of CLS’s.

My two listening experiences with Prodigies left me underwhelmed both times. Yes, they have much better bass reproduction than the stock Monoliths, but the integration with panels leaves a lot to be desired. IMHO, if I had Prodigies, first thing I’d do is rip out the stock X-over and replace with a speaker processor and tune the speaker. I’m seriously thinking that stock, the woofers are way too far back from the panel and that their impulse response integration is poor.

 

[TomDac]

Hey Cherian,

great situation to be in, dude. I think I would probably go for the Monoliths because of the "cool factor" being higher and I like older things and the nostalgia of the Monoliths being the first in the lineage for a great company is really a cool thing, IMO.

Also the tweaking and stuff you'll need to do like the other guys suggested will be AWESOME! How fun will THAT be??

Now you just have to find some...

Good luck and keep us all posted.

Tom.

 

[Cherian]

I have found a set of Monoliths on eBay SN# MIHI002 & 003. I think I'm going to go for it. Looks like they were built in 1997. Too old???

Cherian

 

[MiTT]

I have found a set of Monoliths on eBay SN# MIHI002 & 003. I think I'm going to go for it. Looks like they were built in 1997. Too old???

Cherian

Dude, that's only 10 years old. I'm wearing underware older than that!

Go for it!

 

[Cherian]

Anyone know what it will cost to re-panel Monoliths? Also it is easy to do?
Thanks for any input.

 

[edwinr]

1997 build? That's nothing. Chances are that you don't have to do a panel rebuild - if they've been looked after...

I love the look of the Monolith III's. Yum.

 

[johnwa]

If you do a search on Monoliths on the site JonFo has a step by step outlined for both the panels (not so bad) and the woofers (a little more challenging) but the cost of new panels is about $900 for the pair. I have not upgraded mine (I probably will) but they don't seem to need it and mine are older than the pair you are looking at.

You are going to love the Monolith III's.

 

[eknuds01]

Jose,

You could also consider used Odysseys.

Erik

 

[Cherian]

I did think about the Odysseys but I want to build a reference system. The best I can build for the money I have. Looks like it is going to be the Monolith III with a passive x-over and then upgrade to an acive crossover soon.

 

[Bernard]

I did think about the Odysseys but I want to build a reference system. The best I can build for the money I have. Looks like it is going to be the Monolith III with a passive x-over and then upgrade to an acive crossover soon.

There is only one reference - The Statement !

 

[Cherian]

"The best I can build for the money I have."

 

[Dreamer]

Cherian,

I went down to the guy's house who has those Monoliths listed on EBAY and checked them out this evening. I should not have done that. You may have a fight on your hands now...

They look like new. Not a scratch on them as far as I can tell. Even the cloth covers on the woofers seem pristine.

And they sound pretty sweet too, despite the fact that he's driving them with an Adcom 5400 amp. He has a pretty nice setup--a modified Sony BlueRay DVD/CD player, an incredibly nice turntable (don't remember the brand, but it was black and gold and sits on three legs...) The owner is an engineer, designs electronics for the military, so he knows his stuff. He's owned a LOT of Logans over the years, including ReQuests, and SL3's (He bought the pair on EBAY a few months ago that were basiclly just shells--the ones without panels, and he's rebuilt them--they look fantastic!)

We listened to several tracks, mostly acoustic stuff, and these speakers are, just as I remembered, astoundingly good. They have almost all the resolution and speed of the CLS models with the added punch that a pair of 12" woofers bring. Yummy...

He had them set up too close to the rear and side walls (SAF reasons, I think) but they still threw a huge soundstage. Properly set up and with a powerful set of amps, these Monolith III's would really sing!

They are about 15 minutes from my house. I know you really want these, and I know I really shouldn't drop the coin to get them myself, but I may have to seriously reconsider my offer to "step down". It's almost too good to pass up--being in such excellent shape AND so close I can practically walk them home. And he has the original factory shipping boxes...

If you need someone to hold them for you until you can arrange transport, let me know--I'll give them a good home if you need to store them for a while before moving them to Chicago...

--Richard

 

[Cherian]

Richard

Thanks for the update. I have to move quickly before the wife pulls the funds. I have been living with small MLs for so long. This has been my plan for over a year now to buy big ML. I have got all the equipment to go with it. Conrad Johnson Pre, Conrad Johnson tube amp for the panel and the Monarchy monoblocks for the woofer. I even sold my Carver Lightstar reference to buy the Monoliths. It is my time!!!! LOL. :rocker:

 

[Dreamer]

Well???

Did you get them???

--Richard

 

[Cherian]

Yes, I just won them!!! I will have them in my home in about a week. It sold for just under 3k. WOW Monoliths III. I can not wait.