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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.
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stereotaipei
56 posts
 
"Mediocre recordings sound OK, good recordings sound FANTASTIC and great recordings sound UNBELIEVABLE. I now just sit back and feel transported to each and every recording venue"

I have also a pair of MM3 and can only agree. These speakers are a lens. When you feed them with the best, the result is amazing. I never spent so much time listening to music! So transparent and not tiring at all.
Overall, I spent 2 days optimizing the MM3 position and settings using a RTA analysis (once at the beginning, once after 400hrs of burn in). It is worth the effort: Frequency response is flat (in a extensively treated room)
stereotaipei
56 posts
 
forgot to answer the title of the post: to my ears, nothing below 100k beats them. I am living between Taipei, HK and Tokyo so have access to dealers representing the best speakers on the market... I spent one year making listening sessions before deciding myself (including listening the VR11...).
The only speaker which may have made me hesitate is the Magico Mini... if I would have a much smaller room.
bill_powel
2 posts
 
Well for one, a speaker that beats the MM3 is the Polymer Logic from Polymer Audio Research. Unlike MM3's ceramic midrange drivers, the Polymer uses a diamond midrange with a crossover that uses the world's best parts.

I am convinced that there is no better material to make a speaker cone than diamond. When talking about speakers under 100K, the Polymer Logic probably beats any speaker under $250K. I auditioned them at the Polymer listening room in miami and I am absolutely mesmerized by the sound. I heard the MM3s at a show and for sure the hype around them is true, they are unbelievable. But they still can't hold a candle to the Polymer Logic which just takes sound quality to another level.
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tboooe
1,009 posts
 
I guess the answer to this question depends on how you define "beats". In my opinion, whatever speaker you prefer over the MM3 beats it. Like everything else in this hobby, speaker preference is purely subjective. We all know that measurements or driver configuration or material choice does not paint a complete picture if terms of how a speaker ultimately sounds. I got a chance to audition the MM2 recently and while I thought they are good, I was not overly impressed. Perhaps I was expecting magic given all of the hype they have received. Or perhaps my ears are made of wood. No doubt they are great speakers but I happen to prefer something else which does not mean it is better than the MM2.
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drubin
3,265 posts
 
It is worth the effort: Frequency response is flat (in a extensively treated room)
Not sure I'd want to live with that. A gradual downward slope is what sounds most natural to most listeners, or so goes the conventional wisdom.
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