Well guys and gals.... I am back to report.... MTS revisited
For those that don't know me, I have been a loyal SVS sub fan for a while, they were the source of my first REAL subs, I have 4 SVS subs in my house, 2 PB12-Plus/2's, 1 PB12-Plus, and a SB12-Plus for my son, and been thrilled with them for quite some time, so I figured I would give their debut Mid line speaker a shot, what could I lose, in home trial for 45 days, and If they weren't for me, I am not obligated to keep them, as you already know - just ship them back for a refund.... I did my research on what went into them, the premium tweeters and drivers, nice looking cabinets and the knowhow of subwoofer construction - so I did just that, I gave them a shot.
For those of you that do know me, just about a year ago I was looking for a full speaker setup for my bedroom layout, I felt the need to check out the MTS-01, MCS and MBS's hoping that they would be the ones for me, I tried them but alas they just didn't reel me in. Just a bit too laid back in the mids for me, owning the Paradigm Studios, I preferred a more forward speaker. Fast forward just about a year later, when I heard they made changes to the crossover it piqued my curiosity, I wondered if a change to the crossover could possibly change the entire nature of the sound and presence of a speaker. Then Ron & Ed of SVS contacted me out of the blue and made me an offer that I couldn't refuse, to give them another shot in my own home at no expense to me. How could I say no, for some reason they felt they had let me down, they knew what I liked and was looking for in a speaker, why would they make me this offer.
I have had a few weeks to play with them in different scenarios, putting them up against my own Studio's, my Paradigm Signatures, and a couple of other well known ID speaker brands some local friends were kind enough to bring to compare with. I have to say the changes that were made definitely get my vote of approval. If I hadn't already committed to the products I have now, and was on a search for new speakers, hearing the latest offerings of the reiteration of the MTS's, they would certainly be well up there on the list of possible suspects.
Once again, these speakers are large and heavy, solid construction, they got a nice look and are well thought out with the magnetic grills and fitment; they sent me Piano Black this time - nice As before the tweeter for me was great, smooth revealing but not harsh as a metal dome can be and a wide and deep soundstage. Something was different though, the new crossovers changed things, they weren't laid back anymore at all, in fact there were much closer to the Studio's then before. Now speakers are a totally subjective product, everyone's ears are different so some speakers are just not for everyone, which may be the reason that there are so many companies in business, in fact I like the Paradigm sound but there are many out there that just can't stand them. Only one way to figure that out, try on as many different speakers with music you know intimately. Some people just don't have the patients for this. I have auditioned quite a many different speakers, some being completely out of my price range and some for plain experimentation. I guess you can say I have a champagne taste on a beer budget, but I know what I like and also what I can afford.
First arrival and unpacking - I begin with replacing my Paradigm Sig S4's and C3 with the MTS and MCS , the start of my journey testing these new arrivals out Powered by my Icepower amp running 500wpc for the front 3 which doubles to 1000w at 4ohms coupled with my JL F112 and DIY 15 Sealed TC-2000 sub crossed over at 80hz in my small room was the first step for me How much can they handle and how long can they stay clean before they start to break up. The IcePower 1000ASP modules put out some serious power, not many speakers can maintain their composure fully loaded, which is one reason I have an affinity with the Sigs, they get loud and stay very clean, as do the MTS's. First thoughts -they can handle the full load and keep their composure, but loud isn't everything here. SQ - -Mid bass power and punch is well defined and controlled, and the tweeters are still silky smooth as I remembered them. The mids are much more open and forward now which to me is an improvement, they are extremely dynamic and clean. I can't say they match the sonic qualities of my Sig's to me, but we're talking about a speaker that is more than double the price. Compared to the Studio 100's, we have a closer match in price and sonic signature with the Studio's having a brighter and somewhat more revealing tweeter, but not by much. The MTS's are a soft dome, so you won't get that ringing like a metal dome. They seem to have completely changed the nature of the speaker with this new crossover.
Next up we brought them into my downstairs environment for some 2 channel listening. Speakers included- Paradigm Studio 100's, Paradigm Sigs, Salk Song tower - Ribbon Tweeter, and for bookshelves we brought over the Ascend Sierra's. Playing though various artist we compared speaker to speaker over a couple of beers and pizza, it was a nice relaxing time, no agenda, no hurry, just subjective listening. We were all very impressed with what SVS had done to make the changes, there is no question they have altered these speakers with the new crossover. I felt the imaging and sound stage were also improved as well as the mid bass response. In my own personal opinion the changes are certainly for the better, but again I must state if that to me speakers are a very subjective product, and one must sample and judge for themselves. For me - The MTS line redo has been a major step in the right direction.
To SVSound, thank you for the opportunity, it was truly a pleasure. I will continue to enjoy my communications I have had with Ed and Ron, hopefully for years to come. They truly care about their customers and it shows in the products, their customer care, and obviously they take to heart the opinions of all of their customers to want to continually improve the products they offer.
Here are a few pics of the small GTG, it was a grand time. After a while I had to just set the camera down and turn the attention to listening, so not all speakers played were pictured here.
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