IPL Acoustic M1tl Speaker Kit, PMC 24 killer?

[ifor]

Well i never relised we had a a place in cheltenham they do a kit Frugal Horns for around £200

£280 including drivers.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Had a reasonable time to listen over the break and i have to say that I'm pretty pleased, they are stunning. Any hint of sibulance I had with the PMC's has gone replaced by relaxed, detailed, precise sound, they have a huge soundstage that is very deep. Bass is excellent you don'nt notice the treble then bang a xylophone rings out in the middle of space. Treble can be tuned by changing a resistor up or down, I shall live with them before I alter this, bass can be reduced by adding long haired wool in the transmission line. 5g are already behind the main driver. Strings, Violins, Chello sound amazing with authority and texture. They are very airy I mean they have space around everthing instruments are placed very accuratly. More than all those words they are hugley enjoyable and i don't miss the PMC DB1'i at all, which are on Ebay now!

So great fun to do and I have learn't new skills along the way. I am emmensley proud of them I think they look great. Spent this morning "fixing" a few flaws including bubbles in the veneer by means of a syringe glue and clamps, worked perfectly. To sum up reasonably easy to build very accurate kit except bass driver hole which i thought to big so you have to be very carfull how you place it when marking and drilling holes, I did not realise this. The tweeter hole is bang on and you had to slide them in, instructions need polishing in all areas. Happy new year to every body.

 

[his dudeness]

brilliant job,glad they sound as good as they look *drinks*

 

[plastic penguin]

Had a reasonable time to listen over the break and i have to say that I'm pretty pleased, they are stunning. Any hint of sibulance I had with the PMC's has gone replaced by relaxed, detailed, precise sound, they have a huge soundstage that is very deep. Bass is excellent you don'nt notice the treble then bang a xylophone rings out in the middle of space. Treble can be tuned by changing a resistor up or down, I shall live with them before I alter this, bass can be reduced by adding long haired wool in the transmission line. 5g are already behind the main driver. Strings, Violins, Chello sound amazing with authority and texture. They are very airy I mean they have space around everthing instruments are placed very accuratly. More than all those words they are hugley enjoyable and i don't miss the PMC DB1'i at all, which are on Ebay now!

So great fun to do and I have learn't new skills along the way. I am emmensley proud of them I think they look great. Spent this morning "fixing" a few flaws including bubbles in the veneer by means of a syringe glue and clamps, worked perfectly. To sum up reasonably easy to build very accurate kit except bass driver hole which i thought to big so you have to be very carfull how you place it when marking and drilling holes, I did not realise this. The tweeter hole is bang on and you had to slide them in, instructions need polishing in all areas. Happy new year to every body.

Brilliant job, Mr. B. They look and sound the bees...

Leema and PMC sibilance? That's a new one on me.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Cheers guys. PP only very slightly, and became slightly wearing after a while, these things sound huge and relaxed you should give them a go and for only £400 plus bits.

 

[ifor]

Very well done. Enjoy! I could be tempted to follow your example sometime in the future. It's the veneering that concerns me.

 

[plastic penguin]

Cheers guys. PP only very slightly, and became slightly wearing after a while, these things sound huge and relaxed you should give them a go and for only £400 plus bits.

Don't have the time or tools to build speakers. Being self-employed leaves no time for any tweaking.

The Leema and RS6s could sound a little OTT with compressed recordings, but the TB2s are a different prospect.

 

[plastic penguin]

Going back to your original question. Are they really PMC 24 killers?

 

[iQ Speakers]

Hi PP I did answer that in earlier posts, I said the title was pointless as (I've only listened to them at the Bristiol show and most stuff there sounded awfull) so i can not really compare them. I would more than welcome any 24 owners to do a comparision though! I could also do with sombody of more experience to see what they thought. I would happily go back to the Leema as i dont think the Sugden bought me much improvement and cost alot more but not these speakers they are awsome. But for now i shall just enjoy them.

 

[iQ Speakers]

****** the spam filter! nope it does not like somthing

 

[CnoEvil]

What you describe are some of the attributes of what I would expect from a Class A amp....so my advice is - don't be too quick to move it on.

Great job, BTW.

 

[iQ Speakers]

If I had a crystal ball CnoEvil!! *acute* It does not look like I'm going to get £1600 for it so probably keep it its very nice looking I'll get £1400 in 2 years. Now just waiting for a black Linn Majik DS to come up.

 

[steve_1979]

Well done that man.

 

[Electro]

Amazing ! Well done Boggit , they look lovely and I bet they sound fantastic as well .

If I had just a fraction of your skills I would have a go myself but I know I would make a complete mess of it so I won't . *biggrin*

 

[jonathanRD]

Great job boggit - for the money this seems like a no brainer for anyone who has the enthusiasm, skills and time to have a go. Definitely on my list for the future - after redecorating the dining room, living room and laying a driveway plus anything else that somebody in my household wants *stop*

 

[CnoEvil]

This is a great example of what the what hifi website really is all about! Viewpoints - observations - information - excellent hints and tips.

Now there's an aspirational thought for the New Year.

 

[MattSPL]

Very nice job boggit, they look great and I,m sure they sound it too.

 

[iQ Speakers]

This is a great example of what the what hifi website really is all about! Viewpoints - observations - information - excellent hints and tips - the real possibility of building some speakers which truly appear to give excellent value for money. And let's be honest that is what we are all chasing isn't it? I have an excellent pair of preowned epos es 14 speakers. I have listened to other speakers - and I think I would have to spend well over a grand to appreciably better them (epos es 14) - this speaker kit could be the answer. As someone has already said - the veneering might be a job that seems to easy to **** up. I might prefer a aimpler paint finish.

cheers Boggit - and well done! Tonky

Belive you me tonky and ive just got in at 1.57 its a doddle once practiced once, and they do sound f***** amazing.

 

[tonky]

This is a great example of what the what hifi website really is all about! Viewpoints - observations - information - excellent hints and tips - the real possibility of building some speakers which truly appear to give excellent value for money. And let's be honest that is what we are all chasing isn't it? I have an excellent pair of preowned epos es 14 speakers. I have listened to other speakers - and I think I would have to spend well over a grand to appreciably better them (epos es 14) - this speaker kit could be the answer. As someone has already said - the veneering might be a job that seems too easy to **** up. I might prefer a simpler paint finish.

cheers Boggit - and well done! Tonky

 

[plastic penguin]

(Dons a crash helmet)

Mr. B. Is it not the case that these IPLs round off the notes too much and therefore aren't as precise as the PMCs?

I honestly 'get' the warm presentation, but as with any hi-fi product there's always going to be 'pros' and 'cons'.

 

[CnoEvil]

(Dons a crash helmet)

Mr. B. Is it not the case that these IPLs round off the notes too much and therefore aren't as precise as the PMCs?

I honestly 'get' the warm presentation, but as with any hi-fi product there's always going to be 'pros' and 'cons'.

I think we all have different "personal" definitions of Smooth/Bright/Detailed/Dull/Natural/Analytical/Harsh/Warm/Dark etc...then when you add in the vagaries of different rooms and system synergy, it's hard to "know" what another person is hearing.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Hi PP no crash helmet needed, i did say they were also very precise. Now I know everone won't buy into them and thats fine (EDIT Not everybody will get the concept that beacuse its not a big company and they dont have WHF 5* that they can possibly sound as good as commercial speakers costing many times more and thats why if i tried to sell them i wont get as much as my DB1i will sell for.) But you have to consider that I am not paying dealers margin, build costs, advertising and marketing. They can use more expensive drivers, tweeters and crossover components. Im not going to bang on about how good they are beacuse a) I dont have enough experience to judge relative to other speakers. b) Even if i did not everbody would want to build them so they would not be obtainable, though there is a sombody who makes them and charge you £1200 for my M1tl.

You would be more than welcome to come over and have a listen, but for now im just going to enjoy them, and if anybody wants to have a go themselves im happy to comment help.

Guy on this thread replace MA S8 silvers www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/ipl-acoustics-kit-to-replace-ma-silver-s8s

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi PP no crash helmet needed, i did say they were also very precise. Now I know everone won't buy into them and thats fine (EDIT Not everybody will get the concept that beacuse its not a big company and they dont have WHF 5* that they can possibly sound as good as commercial speakers costing many times more and thats why if i tried to sell them i wont get as much as my DB1i will sell for.) But you have to consider that I am not paying dealers margin, build costs, advertising and marketing. They can use more expensive drivers, tweeters and crossover components. Im not going to bang on about how good they are beacuse a) I dont have enough experience to judge relative to other speakers. b) Even if i did not everbody would want to build them so they would not be obtainable, though there is a sombody who makes them and charge you £1200 for my M1tl.

You would be more than welcome to come over and have a listen, but for now im just going to enjoy them, and if anybody wants to have a go themselves im happy to comment help.

IPLs not being a 5 star and/or award winning product isn't an issue for me, otherwise why would I have an Electro, Naim CD5i or Leema or PMCs.

Clearly you have a talent for building and creating stuff, that's way beyond my understanding. For that alone I raise my mug of tea to you. Wicked.

Having compared Spendor SA-1 and DB1is I prefer. The SA-1s are technically a better speaker, very detailed but they tend to round off especially the HFs.

Think it's tricky for you make any clear comparisons, purely because you have the Sugden, which seems to have the similar tonal qualities to your speakers.

 

[plastic penguin]

(Dons a crash helmet)

Mr. B. Is it not the case that these IPLs round off the notes too much and therefore aren't as precise as the PMCs?

I honestly 'get' the warm presentation, but as with any hi-fi product there's always going to be 'pros' and 'cons'.

I think we all have different "personal" definitions of Smooth/Bright/Detailed/Dull/Natural/Analytical/Harsh/Warm/Dark etc...then when you add in the vagaries of different rooms and system synergy, it's hard to "know" what another person is hearing.

That's why I asked.

Perhaps my hearing is less sensitive than the average person. As I don't find the RS6s bright with the Leema, this may hold a smidgeon of truth.

 

[iQ Speakers]

As i said PP you are more than welcome to come over and have a listen, just turned them off to repair a couple of bubbles in the side only 7-8 more to do!! As a side at the same time of building my speakers i decided to re do my Aquascape tank as it had become overgrown and neglected since 2010! I also decided to experiment with Shrimps and took over my daughters mermaid tank to experiment before getting a proper ADA all glass tank. So tryed Crystal and Cherry Shrimp. It a technical nightmare of balance between growing plants and keeping fish healthy and is pretty complicated. Some the proffesional guys do look like landscapes. Here are some pics, well in a minute after switching to chrome.