New PS2K Powered Subwoofer

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by audiogear

A pair of these will cause folks to reconsider their earthquake insurance policy.

They will also eliminate all kidney stones.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by McMan

McIntosh is one of the best line array speakers you can purchase today. If you love line array speakers, it’s a great way to go. The McIntosh Group also owns Sonus Faber, so if you want a different flavor, they also have that covered. I would love to own a pair of Mc Line Arry speakers, and, as Ivan mentioned, taking out reflections off the ceiling and floors sounds attractive to me, and who does love a large sweet spot?

I really like and appreciate Mc High-end speakers and new subwoofer. Kuddos to Mc employees who put in countless hours to make this happen. So, we can enjoy this wonderful hobby.

I owned a Genesis II speaker system for about 10 years. It was a line array. Genesis is still in business and making some really nice looking loudspeakers. The competition to the XRT2.1K/PS2K per side would be the Genesis Quartet with one Super Sub per side and possibly a bass panel. I can't easily find a retail price on the Quartet combo but I suspect the price will be competitive with the Mac at about 200K per side.

The problem that I had with the Gen II was that I never could achieve a satisfactory crossover between my panels and the servo bass system. I don't want to spoil anyone's satisfaction with their subs but I have CD's that will reveal excessive sibilance or chestiness in the lowest ranges of the male voice.

"Cowboy Songs" by Michael Martin Murphey 2nd track "I Ride an Old Paint/…" and track 15 "Texas Rangers" will demonstrate the potential problem with sub integration. Also, listening to the DJ's voice on a typical FM radio station. It's really a matter of, "Can your system produce enough upper bass (60-160 Hz) to keep the sub tame in these frequencies?"

I loved my Gen II's but I could never get enough bass out of my panels to keep excessive chestiness or sibilance out of my sound on a few tracks of certain CD's or my FM. I doubt this would be an issue with the Mac's because the 2.1 will put out plenty of bass in this range and the PS2K can be set low enough. Otherwise, it can be difficult to get the male voice correct with any sub/main speaker integration and I would want to hear how these massive subs integrated with the Genesis panels regarding the male voice before buying.

Line arrays are an excellent alternative to conventional speakers, not only for home theater, but also 2-channel systems. When Mac comes out with their PS1K that will go nicely with their 1.1K, they will be in the drivers seat for line array systems. However, I think that JL's offer tremendous competition to the Mac subs. It's just a matter of do you want to pay extra for the all Mac system. A lot of folks have a lot of money these days and it will be prestige trumping price or value IMO.

Best

Charles