Montana speakers?

Bookner, the midwoofers in the Pipedreams are around $50 a piece, so unless you are talking some radically high cost for cabinet construction (and of course getting world class finishing with veneer is nothing to smirk at either), then yes indeed you can build the Pipedreams top model for under $10,000 (not sure how much you could do the subs and their amps/crossovers for, that would definitely add to the cost, and you wouldn't have the time and efforts put into it, that Nearfield has already...which is what you're paying for buying them retail, besides the "necessary" dealer markup.) My project will be similar to their smallest model, and I'll just use whatever powered subs I have on hand, and run the "satellites" full range, most likely. I'll be using different tweeters, and a different version of the midwoofer, also...besides radically different cabinet construction and bass loading.

for a *do-all* speaker system that requires a large room, but not a large outlay for the speaker system itself, try a pair of vmps larger subs, a good electronic x-over (i think the marchand line-ip is a *steal* at their prices), and a pair of newform research nhb 645's. i currently get great results using meret re's in lieu of the nhb645's, but i should have a pair of these things to replace the merets in a couple months. i think it will be *great*, especially at the price. check out the audio review comments on newform's speakers, as well as their own website... doug

"Catman: Have you heard the larger SoundLab speakers, such as the A1 or M1, or the Ultimate? Would you prefer them to your Monties? By Bookner on 09-10-00" I have not heard the A-1's but I understand they have more bass. The A-3's had too much bass at times for me. I loved the looks and euphoric sound of the A-3's but I really like the Montana's. The Monties I have are prototypes where Paul (PBN) threw a bunch of really nice engineering and parts in the crossover, had incredible cabinets built. He used the revelator tweet but used custom Vifa drivers in the mids and woofers. I am not sure how they compare to the production versions. While talking to him he said that he was trying to come up with a speaker that landed between the SP and the EPS and sell them for $5995 but these sounded to close to the sound of the EPS ($7995) so he changed the design a bit by removing one of the mids and they became the SPX. All I know is that if the EPS or any of the higher models sound better than these I would consider them to be incredible. I found the Sound Labs to be finicky, the bias was always drifting and one would sound louder than the other. My pair was sort of old so that may not be the case with the newer ones. Sorry for gobbing off so much on these. I am sort of glad that they have only a small cult following in ways.

Thanks Catman. Brauser: Do I understand that you prefer the Dunlavy to either the ML, Wilson or Whisper? Can you elaborate? I'd still like to hear from you.

Oh, and thanks Carl, for your response. Acuumjim: I didn't want to just trash the Talon Khorus. I'd like to hear more of your thoughts.