PS: Just curious, is the DSP/DAC running at 44.1 kHz? Or is there a tweeter resonance to avoid above 18 kHz?
The DSP is running @48 kHz, so everything is being sampled to that frequency. This way we save a lot of processing power, which gives us lower latency and more flexebility for advanced filtering. We also listened to 96 kHz but could't find any audible advantage in blind testing, so we made that trade off.
Most compression driver roll off @16...18 kHz. You can EQ this – in fact we do – but it will run into limiters if you add 10-12 dB.
PPS: Will there be an option without cardiod (I know, I know...) for maximum SPL?
There is still the "monopol" mode which is obviosly none-cardioid and gives you full power of the 3x 7" midbass drivers.
I still think that a review and measurements made by Erin or Armin might be something valuable for interested clients and for GGNTKT itself.
Both, Armin or Erin are known to be competent, trustful, independent and Erin could even further comment on his subjective impressions versus his experience with Dutch & Dutch 8c (which I understand is a direct competitor).
The ASR site with its community of expertise in certainly trusted and followed by many around the globe.
The costs of insurance and shipping might be recovered very quickly.
@
roland{at}GGNTKT Why not send the pair which should have been returned by SOUND&RECORDING? ;-)
We share a lot of very detailed data, also measured by 3rd parties. Especially with the Klippel NFS (which Armin and Erin also uses), there won't be any new data. So the only argument left is another validation by another party using the same tools. I see your point, but as for now it's not on my list of top priorities. But I'll stay in contact with
@hardisj any maybe upcoming Model M2 might me a candidate.
Looking at the S&R measurements of the Neumann KH310 it's FR is just as flat and goes deeper (30 Hz vs 34/42 Hz) , it can play bass louder (104 dB vs 98/92 dB), it's noise is much lower (16.5 vs 29 dBA @ 10 cm). Directivity is higher though but this is not a criterium of SQ. It lacks the sophisticated DSP features but it's €3k cheaper.
Well, this will always be the case when comparing boutique products to mass production.
But to be fair with the objective criteria – Model M1 is only about half the size, mostly linear-phase and has some advantages because of its cardioid radiation pattern. Not to mention the aesthetics and the wide range of customization. So there are options and products for everyone.
Is it not, though? Toole lists wider dispersion as his second most important factor (after flat LW) for predicting listener preference. Toole also predicted that the Salon2 would beat the M2 in a preference test, despite the M2s better FR and directivity, simply because the Salon2 has wider dispersion. His prediction was correct. We've also got 2-3 people on this forum that own both the Salon2 and Genelec 8351b, and they all prefer the Salon2, even crossed to subs. I'm not saying some people might not prefer more narrow directivity(t.
I guess there is no right or wrong with the degree of directivity. It just has to fit to your listening distance, room and taste. As for Model M1 it's meant to be close to the listener (<3m), so we decided to go for a very wide horizontal dispersion. So there is still much direct sound but also a wider sweet spot. But sitting more far away (>4m) in a non-dry room, might lead to more narrow directivity. It's also a matter of taste – some prefer more "liveliness", some better "localization". In my experience a wide dispersion pattern combined with right room treatment works out very well in most homes.