MK sound speakers (part 2)

You make a point Rob.

Having owned MK in the past, they are indeed dynamic, detailed and can take a bashing.

The only thing I would say is that the B&W speaker is not designed as a sub/sat speaker and can be used in 2 channel stereo set ups without the need for a subwoofer.

With MK- you would be mad to not invest in a subwoofer.
 
Sorry, I was talking about home cinema systems where subs should always be used to delver the low frequency.

Where subs are used, there is no benefit to the B&W speakers and you’ll far higher power handling and much higher quality from the much cheaper MK speaker.
 
The cloth insert can be removed. It just peels away.
These are always removed prior to colour matching.
Did the IW950 grill come with the dent?
If so contact your dealer for a replacement to be sent to you.

Thanks for the info! The grille seems to have deformed over time, wasn’t damaged when they arrived or were installed. The speaker is mostly out of sight though so not too worried.
 
I’m fitting MK IW85 as atmos speakers in a 7.2.4 set up. I’d planned on installing them so the horizontal plane was firing across the length of the room. ie the tweeters were facing the centre of the room.

I saw this install this morning which has them the opposite way. Horizontal plane of the speaker firing across the width of the room. Which is correct???

A3CBDE7A-D475-4DC7-9858-1364C8351787.png
 
Not sure on any potential sound difference it would make - but presumably the differences may also be to do with the orientation of the stud work (for in ceiling) as the stud work orientation and dimension may dictate the speaker orientation (maybe less so for the IW85 vs the larger speakers that may go beyond the studwork width - typically 400mm / 600mm in newer properties)?

One thing you may also want to consider outside of horizontal / vertical speaker orientation would be the the relative tweeter position. That said, I can’t remember the rule of thumb about where the tweeter should be (e.g. towards the listening position vs. further away!) perhaps someone else can advise on the optimal tweeter location for in ceiling speakers?
 
I’m fitting MK IW85 as atmos speakers in a 7.2.4 set up. I’d planned on installing them so the horizontal plane was firing across the length of the room. ie the tweeters were facing the centre of the room.

I saw this install this morning which has them the opposite way. Horizontal plane of the speaker firing across the width of the room. Which is correct???

View attachment 1385529
Thats how I installed my .4 sw85 or should I say wanted. Due to a cross brace in the ceiling I've had to orientate the speaker with the tweeter being towards each other. I have thought about purchasing the mk 750 tweeter angle plate and fit them to angle the tweeter towards the seating. So far everything sound spot on to me.
 
Thanks all. Joists are all 400 centre and have been spaced to fit anything as large as IW150T and backerboxes will also be made to that size to allow upgrade path should that ever be needed.

Appreciate the feedback. Rich is there plenty of stock of MK IW150t - no Covid delays or anything I need to bare in mind?
 
Hi again,

I'm about to upgrade my current setup in my living room to MK.
But I still have some questions and I hope you can help me out.

Currently I'm running a 5.1 setup (the black speakers in the image below) and I want to change that to a 5.2.4 setup. The two new subs are already ordered and will be built by a small company from Munich, called Merovinger Audio.

I already decided on the MP300 for LCR. They will be placed below my tv.
The setup will look roughly like this:
MK Options.jpg

Please keep in mind that all distances are measured in meters.
The SB speakers (red in the image) will not be installed. I will stick to just the surrounds.


1. Surrounds - S300 vs MP300
What should I go for as surrounds? Tripoles or Monopoles (is that the correct term?)
In Germany hardly anybody sill recommends tripoles or bipoles.
2. Surrounds - 300 vs 150
Does it makes sense to use the 150 series as surrounds? Or is it better to stick to the same speakers as in the front? From a price point of view I wouldn't be too unhappy to got for the 150 series. :)
3. Heights
I'd like to install heights and even my wife agreed. :) But I cannot go for the atmos recommendation of 4 ceiling speakers. So I'd like to install the heigts above the fronts and above the surrounds and then angle them towards the MLP. Does that make sense?
What kind of speakers would you use for the heights? I considered using the MP950.
4. Distances in the front
What distance should both front speakers have from either each other or from the center?
The MLP is about 2.75 meters (about 9 ft) from the center.

Thanks in advance!

PS: Great thread and mk community ... learned quite a lot by just reading through the pages.
 
One of the biggest challenges of a surround system is to get sound coming from all around you without any hotspots or gaps. With 5 low level speakers the location of your side speakers will be very obvious and often distracting. This is where Tripoles come in.

They provide the direct sound required for pin point panning combined with the diffuse sound that creates a more seamless soundstage. If you can get a demonstration using MK direct radiating speakers and Tripoles for side and rear use, I’ll be very surprised if you don’t choose the Tripoles.

Where possible you should use the same speaker all around and above you for the most seamless spread of sound around you. Tripoles for side and rear use are the only exception to this.

The current locations of the front pair look ok but could go a little further apart – say an extra 30cm.
https://www.avforums.com/posts/28523778/react?reaction_id=1
 
Hi Rob,

many thanks for your input.
if I would choose to use tripoles would you change the location to the red speakers in the image?
Unfortunately it’s really hard to get a demo in Germany. :( I had the possibility to hear the s300 in the front and the s150 as surrounds. That sounded awesome!

But do I have to stay in the same series for the heights? Sounds like overkill! Wouldn’t something like the mp950 be fine as well?
I heard that the mks are supposed to sound very very similar even from different series.
Thanks and cheers
Timo
 
Isn’t there an MK dealer in Germany you can do a demo? On audio-markt I see offerings from Elektro Moser in Konstanz which is close to the Swiss border in the south I think.
 
There are 5 or 6 mal dealers in Germany. Only 2 demo the 300series.
I’ve been to one of them and they have their demo room equipped with s300 in the front and s150 as surrounds.
Elektro moser is the other one with the 300 series. I have to check whether they have the Tripoles in the demo. As I said bi- or tripoles are not very popular in Germany. I’ve been at several dealers with all sorts of brands and never did anybody recommend bi- or tripoles.

tough luck ... I’m really envious about this thread and the expertise of the dealers and users who participate here. 👍🏾
 
Moser has been offering a pair of demo S300T’s on audio-markt for a long time, so I would say they have those in store ;)
 
I’ll give that a try 👍🏾😊
Otherwise I just order them online and test them. If they don’t sound good I can just return then.

What about the positioning?
My current speakers are at about 90 degrees. If I would choose to use the s300 ... put them at the wall behind the sofa? Or keep them at 90 degrees?
 
Can you move the surround R directly next to the balcony door and angle them a bit. Also the surround L? So that they are 90deg from your MLP?
If not, in your current drawing I wouldn’t say it makes much sense to have surrounds and rears, especially on the R side.

but if go get 1 set, try in both positions in a 5.1 config and see what sounds best I would think?
 
Right now the sr and sl are at exactly 90 degrees of the mlp.

that’s the right side:

460469C5-51B4-4217-8BF3-7F35976EEB28.jpeg

The candleholder usually doesn’t stand in front of the speaker. 😉

and that’s the left side:
05AB3AC7-E2D0-4BBE-9EBD-B59A9C8738A8.jpeg


I don’t have rears and I don’t think it makes sense to install 7.1.
 
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After the front pair the sides are the most important speakers but without rears there will be a gap behind you. For music in surround its probably not a big issue but for films where you get more pans from front to back its not ideal.

The problem is that as you are sat against the rear wall any rear speakers will be distracting. What works really well is pulling the sofa say 8” off the rear wall and having speakers behind it firing to the ceiling. This gives a great rear soundstage from invisible speakers.

The 150, 950’s and new 750’s all use the same drivers found in the studio monitors so would work brilliantly with the 300’s as fronts.

If you are having low level speakers I'd probably place them where the black sides are.
 
Hi,

moving the sofa forward is not an option. Unfortunately. My wife accepts a lot but not this. 😊

so ... do I understand you correctly: you would put the s300 at the place where currently the black speakers are standing?!
 
I think the front pair look like they are in the right place. I'd place the left surround where it is but bring the right surround 40cm off rear wall.

I'd go with in wall IW300 or on wall MP300s at the front if it were me.....much neater.
 
I will go with the mp300 in the front.
question was about the sides: s300T?
 
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Of course I can 😊
I would put them in the same position as the black surrounds in my pictures.
 
I have a question for the MK 300 series and Trinnov owners.
My MP300 which I use as center is exactly between the left and right MP300s.
When I calibrate with the Trinnov 3D microphone the center is located slightly on the left of the center position. This is because of the tweeter array which is obviously playing the frequencies which the Altitude is using to pinpoint the location of the speakers.

Center speaker (enclosure) exactly between L and R:
MP300 Center Position.jpg


Center speaker tweeter exactly between L and R:
MP300 Center Position 2.jpg


What is the recommended aligment for the center speaker in this case?

For the last couple of years I was using it in the center position (picture 1) and didn't miss anything. But recently a friend, who is a very expirienced custom installer, came for a visit and without seeing the speakers or knowing about my setup and my measurements he had the impression that the sound is slightly tilt to left.
That made me thinking.

Cheers
Dom
 

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