IK Multimedia iLoud MTM Review (active monitor)

[Hexspa]

If you want to see a review, purchase one and send it to Amir, or contact iLoud and ask them to send Amir a review unit.

Expressing your wish for a review on ASR achieves nothing.

This feels quite hostile and nihilistic. Being a public forum that attracts thousands upon thousands of visitors daily, one must account for the possibility that another interested party who owns the monitor may be persuaded to contribute by doing as you suggest.

After all, posting my wish got you to respond. So, you're lying.

 

[Tenfilip]

I have just noticed that neither of my iLoud MTMs will persist their settings (e.g. LF Extension or CAL/Preset) through a power cycle. It doesn't matter if I cycle the MTMs using the power switch on the back of the unit or use the switch at the wall outlet.

I have reset my MTMs to factory defaults and updated both monitors to the latest 1.2.1 firmware. This has made no difference.

I am pretty certain that the MTMs retained their settings when I first got them in December 2020. I suspect that this issues has been introduced with a firmware update - possibly the 1.20 update which I applied in November 2021 to get access to the new 80Hz LFE setting (Ironic, since I now can't persist this setting!)

I didn't notice the issue straight away because I turn my MTMs off an on using an IR controlled mains switch. I don't need to look around the back and reposition them every time I turn them off and on, so I didn't notice the settings had reverted to default.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is there a way to get the MTMs to remember their settings? I can't find anything in the manual that relates to this issue.

I have contacted IK Multimedia support and await their response.

Did you get any development with this? It's a pain in the neck to loose the settings each day.

 

[solderdude]

Does this also happen when using mic calibration ?

 

[Berwhale]

Did you get any development with this? It's a pain in the neck to loose the settings each day.

If I recall correctly, this issue was resolved in a newer version of the firmware. I believe 1.2.2 is the latest firmware.

*edit* Ah yes, I posted a note in the iLoud forums saying that 1.2.2 fixed the issue.

IK Multimedia • LF Extension Switch 80Hz cutoff …

 

[solderdude]

One of my iLoud MTM stopped working.
Took it apart to see if an internal fuse broke.
Could not find anything nor any broken parts.
Powered the PCB outside of the cabinet... seemed to work.
Put it back together and switched it on... worked O.K. ... for about a minute or so then switched off again.
Opened it up, removed the PCB and powered it. Sure enough after about a minute it switched off again.
So.. I powered the amp with a lab supply 24V and 12V and it worked fine, no unexpected currents.
There were 2 internal voltage rails 12V (43mA draw) and the main supply voltage (24V / 0.13A idle).
It looks like the power was shut down by the micro-controller for no apparent reason.
Fixed it by mounting a 24V to 12V 1W DC/DC converter (a 7812 would get too hot) to feed the 12V from 24V and made a 24V DC input port on the back and feed it with an external 24V DC brick I had lying around.

So... while I was quite happy with, and recommended the iLoud MTM, I do not do so anymore because of longevity issues (2,5 years is a bit short).

Hoping the newer (and more expensive) MTM has much better longevity.

 

[AnalogSteph]

It looks like the power was shut down by the micro-controller for no apparent reason.

Have you checked the supply of said micro? (I'm pretty sure it'd be running on 5 V max, not one of the big rail.) Maybe the regulator / buck converter is a bit tired or could use a reflow. It could also be a bad part in voltage / current monitoring or voltage switching.

 

[solderdude]

It works fine with the new 24V/12V so whatever it was (could still be the power supply itself too) my problem was solved and did not cost me anything but time.
The amp and the processing that is being done (including LED drive/buttons) etc works well.
Could also be one of the 2 opto-couplers.. didn't look that hard t.b.h. as it worked well on an external 24V brick I went with that.

 

[AryaStealth]

Sorry for a dumb question, what is the best way to set the same volume for both speakers? (without a digital volume control it is probably not easy)

 

[Berwhale]

Sorry for a dumb question, what is the best way to set the same volume for both speakers? (without a digital volume control it is probably not easy)

I control volume on my Topping EX5 DAC/Amp using its 'pre-amp' functionality. The EX5 maintains separate volumes for pre-amp and headphone, so I don't get any nasty surprises when I switch between them. The 'volume' control on the back of my MTMs is set around 12 o'clock and volume is set to 100% in Windows (where parametric equalisation is applied using EqualizerAPO/PEACE).

What's best for you may be different and depend on your source equipment and preferences regarding software vs physical volume controls.

 

[AryaStealth]

Are you supposed to hear any hissing (from amplifier?) when they are powered on and don't play music / have no cable connected (at 90cm distance)?
People mentioned that coil whine is around 2900Hz, however a spectrum analyzer app on my iPhone shows that hissing happens at 6390Hz and 8000Hz, can it be coil whine or it is an amplifier hissing?

 

[Berwhale]

Are you supposed to hear any hissing (from amplifier?) when they are powered on and don't play music / have no cable connected (at 90cm distance)?
People mentioned that coil whine is around 2900Hz, however a spectrum analyzer app on my iPhone shows that hissing happens at 6390Hz and 8000Hz, can it be coil whine or it is an amplifier hissing?

You will hear some self noise from the amps. I'm 90cm from my MTMs and it's definitely audible, but I only tend to notice the (absence of the) noise after i've turned the MTMs off. I certainly can't hear anything when i'm playing music.

I think i'm quite sensitive to noise. I had to return a pair of JBL 305p MKII because the noise from these was unbearable and my PC is in an acoustically damped case with quiet Noctua fans running at the lowest RPM possible. Then again, the response to noise can be quite individual and depend on many factors in addition to frequency and volume.

 

[Salt]

Are you supposed to hear any hissing (from amplifier?) when they are powered on and don't play music / have no cable connected (at 90cm distance)?
People mentioned that coil whine is around 2900Hz, however a spectrum analyzer app on my iPhone shows that hissing happens at 6390Hz and 8000Hz, can it be coil whine or it is an amplifier hissing?

Maybe some resonance of your iPhone?

 

[AryaStealth]

Maybe some resonance of your iPhone?

It might be, I'll test my MTMs on 110v anyway just to be sure it's not related to known coil whine issues with 230v.

 

[AryaStealth]

Does any ajustable desktop mic stand with similar specs to Mookey MMs-2 can hold safely the weight of Iloud MTM? Mookey MMs-2 max load is only 1.1kg/2.2lbs, and MTM is 3 times heavier. I would buy MMs-2, but they are not available on amazon.de

 

[staticV3]

Does any ajustable desktop mic stand with similar specs to Mookey MMs-2 can hold safely the weight of Iloud MTM? Mookey MMs-2 max load is only 1.1kg/2.2lbs, and MTM is 3 times heavier. I would buy MMs-2, but they are not available on amazon.de

I'd try one of K&M's desktop stands. 23300/23320/23323/23325.

 

[Berwhale]

Does any ajustable desktop mic stand with similar specs to Mookey MMs-2 can hold safely the weight of Iloud MTM? Mookey MMs-2 max load is only 1.1kg/2.2lbs, and MTM is 3 times heavier. I would buy MMs-2, but they are not available on amazon.de

1.1kg/2.2lb is th weight of each stand, not their carrying capacity. The MMs-2 are easily strong enough to hold MTMs. Here they are in my old setup...

The only problem I had with the MMs-2 is that threaded insert in the bottom of the MTMs is quite shallow and the thread on the MMs-2 is too long to go all the way in. The issue was easily remedied by including a fibre washer between the stand and MTM.

Also the brand is Moukey, not Mookey...

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Moukey-Microphone-Adjustable-Desktop-Snowball/dp/B07PLJ55Q5

 

[AryaStealth]

amazon.com/Moukey-Microphone-Adjustable-Desktop-Snowball/dp/B07PLJ55Q5?th=1
About this item:
Enhanced with a sturdy metal base measuring 5.51" in diameter and weighing 2.33 pounds, the bigger diameter of base enhances stability greatly. The mic stand ensures stability and surface protection with 3 non-slip rubber pads. (MAX LOAD: Approx 2.2 lbs)

It is out of stock on amazon.de (dispatched in 6 months)

I'll try K&M 23320, it should be high enough for me, 23323 is too high.

 

[Berwhale]

I'll try K&M 23320, it should be high enough for me, 23323 is too high.

Bear in mind that you may need to fully extend the 23320 to 365mm to get the MTMs tweeters near to ear height (remember the 'T' is in the middle and not at the top of the speaker). The bottom of my MTMs sit 380mm above my work surface, which puts the tweeters at 510mm.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

I used these mic arms with the stock springs replaced by these springs. At first I got some cheap extra springs that I added to the stock springs, but the ones below are strong enough to support the speakers throughout their full range

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[Altonzasx]

One of my iLoud MTM stopped working.
Took it apart to see if an internal fuse broke.
Could not find anything nor any broken parts.
Powered the PCB outside of the cabinet... seemed to work.
Put it back together and switched it on... worked O.K. ... for about a minute or so then switched off again.
Opened it up, removed the PCB and powered it. Sure enough after about a minute it switched off again.
So.. I powered the amp with a lab supply 24V and 12V and it worked fine, no unexpected currents.
There were 2 internal voltage rails 12V (43mA draw) and the main supply voltage (24V / 0.13A idle).
It looks like the power was shut down by the micro-controller for no apparent reason.
Fixed it by mounting a 24V to 12V 1W DC/DC converter (a 7812 would get too hot) to feed the 12V from 24V and made a 24V DC input port on the back and feed it with an external 24V DC brick I had lying around.

So... while I was quite happy with, and recommended the iLoud MTM, I do not do so anymore because of longevity issues (2,5 years is a bit short).

Hoping the newer (and more expensive) MTM has much better longevity.

I have the same case. The monitors worked for a year and a half without failures, then one of them turned off, a few days later the other one also stopped working. After switching on, the power supply is present for 10-15 seconds and the problem returns. The reason for this behavior is the TOP270VG voltage converter system used in the power supply section, which for "natural reasons" stops functioning. It heats up idle to 120 degrees and then cuts off the power supply by the protections. In my case, I replaced the 270 model with a 271 with a larger drain current reserve. The monitors work correctly.