Mcintosh XR50 speaker review (by Erins Audio Corner)

[sweetchaos]

This is a review done by Erin from ErinsAudioCorner.com

I'm re-posting a few of the measurements from Erin's website:

Mcintosh XR50 Bookshelf Speaker Review

Mcintosh XR50 Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Erin's conclusion:

As stated in the Foreword, this written review is purposely a cliff’s notes version. For details about the performance (objectively and subjectively) please watch the YouTube video. But a few notes:

• The bass is really impressive. Honestly, much more bass output than I would have expected.
• Bright; needs to be turned off-axis at least 20° to drop the sibilance down enough to be tolerable.
• Very low sensitivity so will require more power than typical bookshelf speakers.
• Very wide soundstage but can be a bit problematic without EQ because in order to tame the sibilance you need to turn these off-axis. In doing so, you get more room reflections which negatively impacts the focus of imaging/objects in the soundstage.

If you'd like to see more speaker reviews by Erin (from ErinsAudioCorner.com), please support Erin's efforts and donate to him when you can:

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/contribute/

Discuss!

 

[HammerSandwich]

That's not a speaker. That's a justification for selling 500W amps.

 

[thewas]

What a messy directivity, even more considering its price... Can imagine that the second mid dome that contributes to the mess was added rather to make it stand out for optical and marketing reasons... Nice though that they found at least a way to add their kitsch green and blue lighting to a passive loudspeaker like they do to everything!

McIntosh - Page Not Found

We're sorry, you've reached a page that does not exist on our website.

www.mcintoshlabs.com

MCLK12 Clock

Illuminated meters for ease of sight Temperature compensated Quartz movement ----SPLIT---- The McIntosh MCLK12 mantle clock is a celebration of time while being a tribute to classic McIntosh design. Constructed with the signature McIntosh blue watt meters, the MCLK12 demonstrates the same easy...

shop.mcintoshlabs.com

McIntosh - Page Not Found

We're sorry, you've reached a page that does not exist on our website.

www.mcintoshlabs.com

LB100 Light Box

A must for every McIntosh owner Can be seamlessly turned on and off with other McIntosh components via Power Control ----SPLIT---- Unmistakably McIntosh. Let everyone who looks at your McIntosh home audio system know where it came from and how it was built with the LB100 Light Box. It proudly...

shop.mcintoshlabs.com

 

[MattJ]

back-lighted front-panel McIntosh logo (requires compatible McIntosh amplifier)

• *faints

 

[Purité Audio]

£6.5k !
Keith

 

[abdo123]

What a messy directivity.

Honestly we've seen messier.

The design is not bad at all, but considering it's 2022 and considering the price it's quite the big 'meh'.

But nothing on the bad side of the spectrum at all.

 

[Mario Sanchez]

It looks like it also got a bit of a "showroom sound" curve to it, which, either by intent or by force majeure (driver characteristics), isn't a great showing for a company that advertises itself as the " ultimate experience for discriminating listeners"...

I still respect their electronics though, if for nothing else then for that unique (for better or for worse) industrial design.

 

[thewas]

Honestly we've seen messier.

Examples here in ASR at that size and price? Also in the degenerated audio segment there is always something which is even more insanely poor, but does that make it better?

The design is not bad at all,

The driver sizes of 2" mid and 0.75" tweeter are an old and working choice for decent directivity without needing waveguides (had even done such as a fun DIY project myself) but even there they messed the horizontal and vertical directivities by using a 2nd mid and probably also not optinal crossover frequencies.

 

[Loathecliff]

1500 for the Light Box?!! Thxs 'thewas' "Let everyone who looks at your McIntosh home audio system know where it came from..."

Oh yes indeed. Anyone in the UK remember the book 'How to be a Wally'?

How to Be a Wally

How to Be a Wally book. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers.

www.goodreads.com

https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309372721l/8863485.jpg

 

[abdo123]

@thewas sure there is some wiggles and bumbs but the overall trend line is consistent and predictable till 9KHz or so.

 

[theyellowspecial]

It's not terrible for a $500 speaker. Expensive logo, though.

 

[polmuaddib]

Looks like a lot of high end brand speakers have that 10khz elevated. That's the showroom sound, right?

BTW, couple of years ago, at a show, I heard their XR100 and was impressed how they sounded. They have filled a big room with sound easy.
Unforunately I don't like the price and the design, even though I have a soft spot for Mcintosh brand.

 

[xpop]

Please have a look to the harmonic distortion. Can you compare with this strange range ?

 

[FrantzM]

What a messy directivity, even more considering its price... Can imagine that the second mid dome that contributes to the mess was added rather to make it stand out for optical and marketing reasons... Nice though that they found at least a way to add their kitsch green and blue lighting to a passive loudspeaker like they do to everything!

McIntosh - Page Not Found

We're sorry, you've reached a page that does not exist on our website.

www.mcintoshlabs.com

MCLK12 Clock

Illuminated meters for ease of sight Temperature compensated Quartz movement ----SPLIT---- The McIntosh MCLK12 mantle clock is a celebration of time while being a tribute to classic McIntosh design. Constructed with the signature McIntosh blue watt meters, the MCLK12 demonstrates the same easy...

shop.mcintoshlabs.com

McIntosh - Page Not Found

We're sorry, you've reached a page that does not exist on our website.

www.mcintoshlabs.com

LB100 Light Box

A must for every McIntosh owner Can be seamlessly turned on and off with other McIntosh components via Power Control ----SPLIT---- Unmistakably McIntosh. Let everyone who looks at your McIntosh home audio system know where it came from and how it was built with the LB100 Light Box. It proudly...

shop.mcintoshlabs.com

$1800.oo clock for the clock... I mean, seriously: Did they actually sell one of those?

 

[MattHooper]

I found the Mcintosh speakers I've heard in show rooms (usually the larger version of these with even more drivers) to be among the most reliably awful sounding speakers I've heard. They spray out a lotta sound...but of mediocre quality.

​

 

[jhaider]

I was looking forward to this one - I presume they use the excellent Aura Whisper 2" wideband driver as midrange, so they basically had all the flexibility in the world to pick crossover points based on directivity concerns. A disappointment though. These aren't the David Smith era McIntosh speakers.

 

[tomtoo]

What happend to the fine english art of sound?
Bass and bright, thats so not english.

 

[sweetchaos]

Video review is up:

 

[MaxBuck]

They're $2,000 apiece. Not terrible.

 

[gags11]

They're $2,000 apiece. Not terrible.

When there is a word terrible in the sentence, it is an automatic thumbs down.

McIntosh should stick to what they are good at: amplifiers!