What beats the Evolution Acoustics MM3 ??


With 500 hours on my MM3s I'm feeling comfortable that they're sufficiently broken in to begin to draw conclusions on their performance. I'm wondering if anyone else has found a speaker with similar characteristics?

The MM3s are unlike any speakers I've ever owned- B&W Silver Signiture, WATT/Puppy 5.1, 6, Dunlavy IV, IVa, V, Kharma Midi Grand, etc.

The MM3s simply stated allow you to enjoy the music. They are so utterly natural in their sound reproduction that you can actually forget about hearing two loudspeakers in the chain and get a closer connection to the music. I know this sound like so much holistic drivel, but I struggle to find a better way to express the sensation. In analytical, terms the following audiophile attributes, when veiwed holistically, help to explain this end result.

- Seamless driver integration.
- Flat frequency response with exceptional extension at the frequency extremes.
- Natural sounding dynamic swings and transparency.
- Truly effortless full scale presentation.
- Rivals Houdini in their ability to completely disappear.

These characteristics, in concert, allows you for once to focus solely on the music- something most audiophiles sorely need. The quality of the components comprising the MM3s must also help to achieve this level of "rightness".

- Linear, smooth, sweet & extended ribbon tweeter.
- Two ultra high-line ceramic midrange drivers- D'Appolito arrayed.
- Two 15" powered woofers in sealed enclosures- D'Appolito arrrayed.
- Super premium crossover parts and internal wiring.
- Computer modelled cabinet structure finished to extraordinarily exquisite standards. Think Sonus Faber meets Magico Mini.

Ultimately, the performance level these speakers achieve must certainly be attributed to their designer- Kevin Malmgren- formerly of Von Schweikert Audio. Kevin designed most of the current VSA line, including the legendary VR-11 and the equally impressive VR-9. While on the subject of the VR-9s- I listened exrensively to the VR-9s driven by the DartZeel pre-amp, DartZeel amp and EMM Labs digital front end at the '05 RMAF and was mightily impressed. Last year- 06' RMAF- is spent many hours listening to the MM3s driven by the EMM labs CDSD and the Dart combo (BTW the Darts and the CDSD are what I'm currently using on the MM3s) and the '06 RMAF MM3 system was significantly better, to my ears, than the VR-9 based system of the prior year.

This brings me around to the great value I belive the MM3s represent. At approximately $40k the MM3s significanly bettered the VR-9 which run $75K. Are the MM3s the equal to the enormous VR-11- I don't know, but perhaps they are- at almost 25% of the $150k price.

The Evolution Acoustics modular design allows you to start with MM1s or MM2s and add woofer modules as your budget allows. I've got my MM3s in a relatively small room of approximately 18x17 dimensions and the speakers perfectly integrate into the room. I was a little suprised by this ease of integration, but needless to say am now delighted. No bass boom or overload- not even close! And as an additional bonus the tweeters, woofers and woofer/midrange crossover points are adjustable. My MM3s are set, essentially, flat and I've felt no need to fiddle with the adjustments.

This leads me back to the opening comment about the MM3s and their ability to let you just enjoy the music. No other speaker in my experience has allowed me to just listen and enjoy- without feeling the need to tweak this or change out that. This is a true revelation for me. I'd like to know if others have discovered other speakers capable of this feat.
fbhifi
Well, this guy has sold his MM3 for a pair of SP Tech

This is the room before with MM3:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9058847#post9058847

This is the room now with SP Tech Continuum 2.5 IIIs ($15k):
http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=48756.msg437486;topicseen#new

So...MM3 is not without competitor..:)
I am an ATC fan. Have used these for 20 plus years and they have many of the same attributes you describe. Very neutral and dig out the detail better than any other speaker I have heard. The ATC 150 is a true reference speaker and is used in many recording studios. With that said, I really enjoy their 11 and 19 speakers for home use.
Viper z- The gentleman who sold his MM3s, whose room you posted, sold his entire system and replaced each component with a significantly less expensive make and model.

I don't believe that these sales, and subsequent purchases, were driven by the desire to improve his system.
any decent panel will provide a more realistic representation of timbre and no box colorations.

i have heard so many cone designs and their weaknesses are obvious.

it is too bad that there are so few full range panel deisgns out there. oh well, it must be gresham's law applied to speakers.
Fbhifi, I am the first owner of Evolution Acoustics MM3's in Europe. I must say that as anyone who purchased these speakers (including Frank who just sold his to my lucky audiophile friend Tom) I was bowled over by their appearance, sound...or lack thereoff, and room adjustability and last but not least their price. I sold my SF Strads that had the same retail $40.000 then (now $45.000) and got the MM3 being handsdown better in all areas we audiophiles listen for. It easily competes with speakers costing 2-3X. And when mated with Dartzeel in a good room probably beats most too. Don't expect that price to stay that low much longer...its insane in todays economic reality.

The best MM3 sonic quality I find is that music is just floating in the room, does not seem to come from the speakers. You close your eyes and imagine you're right there, at the sound levels that you please and befit the recording.

I'm going to audition the Kharma Exquisite Grand ($220k) soon at their HQ in Breda NL, and I'll let you know how many times X it sounds better vs the MM3. Didn't Charles van Oostrum choke at the price when he heard the MM3's intro at RMAF 06? LOL