Substitute for MK Sound?

The closest I have found tonality wise are the Definitive Technology speakers. Both are on the slightly bright side of thespectrum and I listen to both a lot. I have the M&K S-125 setup and my dad has the Definitives. The main difference is the Definitive has a huge soundstage where the M&Ks are more pin point accurate. Take a listen and I am sure you will be happy. I also like the sound of Paradigms and although the sound is completely different I really like Mission speakers as well

I would try the Ascend Acoustic speakers, 340 SE's. I did a shoot out with the original 340's against the S150's and it was close. One of the head designers at Ascend used to work at M&K. Once you see it in person, they look pretty similar. With the money back guarantee, you can't loose.

Maybe NHTs too if you're looking for more of that acoustic suspension monitor type sound.

Take a look at the Blue Sky Monitor Ones, too. There are several ex M&K guys working for them and Skywalker Sound has evidently installed a number of them in their studios.

The Evolution series, primarily. Excellent, accurate stuff more than suitable for studio use, so I suspect you'd like it a lot if you like M&K.

Some of the dealers still have some M&K but in Europe you have to be super careful because there are alot of counterfeit speakers coming out of China especially the 750's and S150's. The S150's were only made in the USA and if you see any made in China they are counterfeit. I believe the M&K is the best buy for the money and have been buying them in the USA. Where in Europe are you?

The M&K's were very neutral and if that is the sound you liked, you'll want a truly neutral speaker. To find said speaker, look at what the studios are using for multi-channel production. Most home speakers such as the Def Tech, simply are not neutral or transparent enough to make the cut but there are a few companies that have successfully ridden the line of acceptance between the two worlds. Of them, there are two that stand out. There is PMC, which is a Brit company and definitely available across the pond. They make fabulous speakers with huge lists of film credits. There is also Dynaudio, unquestionably available in your neck of the woods and definitely widely used in the pro world. The Blue Sky product looks pretty good but I don't have any personal experience with it...but it looks like they have some credibility in the pro world. There are a few other passive point source monitors that are a bit more exotic that will do the trick...such as the Bag End MM8's and Danley SH-100s.

There are also some active speakers out there that work well for multi-channel use. Genelec is one of the better known ones if your budget is pretty open. PMC and Dynaudio also make active monitors (the PMC AML-1 is flat out SCARY but NOT cheap). In an more affordable range, the Mackie HR-824's are awesome if you don't have a large space to fill.

I've had the MK 750 and Ascend 340 in the house for awhile and they sound nothing alike. The Ascends where much more to my liking, smoother and warmer. The 750 MKII sounded leaner and somewhat on the bright side.

The 750 series don't touch the s series for sound quality. You can't compare M&K's entry level to ascends best(for now). The prices don't matter anymore since you can get more than 50% off of used M&K's. I have almost owned all the different s-series M&K speakers. I like the little s-85's better than the 750's. I actually started with the 750's. I also don't think that definitive and M&K sound even remotely close. Right now I own the S-5000THX speakers and would recommend them to anyone for theater. Biggest sound from any M&K speaker. I think the ascends will do well but try the other 2 in your neck of the woods mentioned previously by soundood

Where can you buy used M&Ks? I saw a few on ebay but it was very spotty with only a few speakers (and some of questionable condition).

There lies the problem. It took me a very long time to get all 7 of the S-5000thx speakers. I tried other speakers while waiting. I went thru Axiom(epic 80), Magnapan(really liked these), powered studio monitors, and Klipsch thx ultra 2 system. I was set with the Klipsch but then the S-5000 started to pop up on ebay and audiogon and they were my favorite 10 years ago so I had to try them. Now I have the M&K's and will keep them until they die, then I will be posting this same topic. I still would try the ascend's or the PMC or dynaudio since they are easier to locate or get for the OP. I love M&K when it comes to movies, especially the S-5000 which I think is the most neutral M&K speaker ever made. As well as the biggest sounding and most powerful.

I've got the 5000 dipole surrounds for my side surrounds and planned to use S-150's for my center, left, right, as well as a 350 sub. I wasn't sure what I was going to do for my rear channels. Now, I'm thinking I might go with ascends for everything (but the 5000 surrounds I already have).

Are your saying that the Ascend 340SE is a step up in sound quality compared to the M&K 750 MKII THX?

/Chuck

I think he is referring to the Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 reference monitor that starts shipping next week.

I don't know, never heard the Ascend's. After talking with them it seems so, they used to work for M&K. I am hoping that the ascends will be better than the s-100b's or even the s-150's so when it is time for change I know where to look, or at least have a starting point. For now I am pleased with the M&K's I have. I would have kept the maggies but they lacked the dynamics I am used to, now this could be an amp problem and not the speaker. The maggies had a huge sound that I loved. Crystal clear. I bet with the amp I have now it would be a keeper.

David Fabrikant at Ascend doesn't design Ascends to THX standards like he did during his M&K days as he doesn't care for for THX standards do to music.

I am talking strictly theater. The s-5000's are considered more of an audiophile type of speaker than the s-150's. That came from M&K themselves. Having said that they are good for music but I prefer others. For theater, they are very difficult to beat, especially for the used prices I paid for them. The problem is to find them. When they finally let go or blow up or whatever, I will give ascend a try. I will also try Maggies again with a better amp this time, and maybe some horn speakers. I just can't believe I am even stating this, I hope these M&K's last forever.

DenW, I'm sort of in your situation and don't care mutch about 2-channel performance. And I have also been thinking of the AT 4200e system now when MK is so called out of business.

But there is no dealer in Sweden where you can listend to AT now and the price is no where nere the 750 system, about $4500 for 4200e. MK 750 system is under $3000, quite a big margin.

The thing I think you should do is to contact the European distributor of MK in denmark, if you don't have any in your country.

Here in Sweden there is no problem what so ever to by NEW MK speakers, and I do think they go by Denmark before they make it here. I should say that I don't now if these are "counterfit" ones, that Ken Kreisel has nothing do to with. But I have heard them on several occasions and they sound incredible to movies and music in my ears.

The only thing that stopps my from buying the MK 750's is that I don't really know who is getting the money from me and how the warranty is handled if something goes wrong. I don't want to support bogus companys. But om the other hand, the speakers sound and look real.

Regards
/Chuck

My reasoning is the same as yours, and I have contacted the distributor and store about this problem (warranty, countefit etc) and have not yet received a satisfying answer. But I both have said that they take 100 % responsibility about warranty and so on. It does not feel right. They say some sort of statement will be out soon....we'll se about that.

With the price I have been offered by the Swedish distributur of AT a could honestly say that they are no option with the double price tag compared the the US, I would not sleep well if I did payed that price.

I'm very interrested in the new Ascend Sierra 1. But the hole shipping issue and not be absle to listend to them before I buy them scares the hell out of me.

/Chuck

I forgot to mention the Klipsch THX ultra 2 system. They sound fantastic. I would look at these as well. They come very close to the S-5000 thx from M&K. I prefer the highs on the M&K and the bigger sound on the Klipsch, combine the 2 and perfect. There are more similarities than differences.

Not to take anything away from Klipsch, but I'm not sure how Klipsch speakers and their horn tweeters could sound the same as M&Ks.

These klipsch do not sound anything like others I have heard. I also had them mated to a Mcintosh system which was a perfect match. My favorite movie theater speaker has always been the M&K S-5000THX ever since I heard them and that alone had some influence in the decision between it and the Klipsch. I owned the Klipsch before the S-5000THX. I prefer the Klipsch thx ultra 2 over all other M&K's I have owned including the 550's, 750's, S-80's, S-85's, S-125's, S-100b's, S-150's, and the s-250's. The thx ultra 2 had such a bigger sound with impact that I could not deny. It was not until I put the S-5000THX speaker in that wanted me to replace the klipsch. There is something about that particular speaker I just love. As you can see I am a huge M&K fan when it comes to movies but the klipsch are now ranked second over all the other M&K's. Remember this is just what I prefer and others may think otherwise. I have sinced mated the M&K's with different equipment a took them to another level. Could I have done the same with the Klipsch, probably.

Ditto what MKTheater said. Most people have never heard the Ultra 2 system. It is VERY formidable and with the proper setup and good electronics in the right sized room will rival or best pretty much anything under $10K. Also, do a search under my name for a post I did not too long ago about Horn tweeters. Most people misunderstand them and assume they are bright or harsh when that is NOT necessarily the case. Properly designed and implemented, horns can be every bit as sweet and extended as any other design. The key is to understand the way a horn functions in the room acoustically. Unfortunately, the vast majority of dealers don't understand and many Klipsch setups are done to the disadvantage of the speaker.