Hello there,

I was wondering if anyone had tried a pair of M50's hooked up to a lower powered tube amp. I'm considering hooking them up to my Antique Sound Lab Aq1003dt, a 30 watt tube with a pretty decent Cambridge Audio cd player. Does anybody have any experience with these speakers in this type of a set up? Thanks in advance. -Todd

Hi Todd

I tried the M50s out with a 5 wpc Antique Sound Labs MG S1 15DT and a Cambridge Audio D500SE CDP. Not a marriage made in heaven. I think the M50s need a bit more power. This set up sounded much better with a pair of M3Tis. Personally, I found the weakest link in my set up to be the D500SE - didn't like it at all! Don't know if I got a bad one, but the bass was loose, mids thin and highs irritating. Things improved when I swapped the D500SE for another CDP. I think you'll be fine with a 30 wpc ASL amp.

Interesting thing though - my current tube system still uses the SET 5 wpc amp driving a pair of M50 like Michaura M66s (2x6.5" drivers and a 3/4" Merak titanium tweeter) and an Ah! 4000 Njoe Tjoeb CDP with upsampler. This set up is pure SET tube magic!

Good luck with your setup!!

Enjoy the music!

Thanks for the response. The 500SE is actually what I'm usig for my CDP, and while not the best I've heard, for the money it seemed to standout as a good purchase, I'm wondering if you just got a bad one. That considered, the bookshelfs would actually be much more practical for this cluttered room, but I'm nervous about pairing the amp to such small speakers. Are the M3 and M22 honestly suitable for main speakers in a small-medium sized room, probably mounted about 5 feet up a wall? Granted I'm not looking for the greatest sounding system in the world, but I'm looking for a noticable upgrade from my current local bestbuy stereo. Thank you again, any advise is truley appreciated. -Todd

tolson, the M3Tis are a terrific speaker for tube sweetness! They will fill your room with beautiful music. Great speakers - even better with a musical subwoofer. They would be my first pick among Axioms to match with a tube amp.

2x6, one last question. Is there a reason you are suggesting the m3 over the m22? I don't plan on using a sub partially because of lack of room and partially because of my poor downstairs neighbors, so getting a little fuller sound out of the main speaker is important. Does the m3 actually produce any better sound than the m22? Thanks again, -Todd

Hi tolson

I prefer the sound of the M3Tis to that of the M22s.

The M3s, in my opinion, are a better choice as a stand alone speaker, M3s go deeper, have a richer sounding midrange and lack very little up high. I've had both M3s and M22s, and again, I don't know if my M22s were a bit off or what, but to me the M3s sounded 'fuller,' sweeter, yet also accurate and detailed.

I also think the M3s are a superb speaker for use with tube amps - my 5 wpc tubie were perfectly adequate for the levels at which I listen to music - I could play these speakers to high volumes without things breaking up, but when I say "high" I'm not talking about window rattling levels, or playing head bashing rock at reference levels.

tolson,

"Better" is a highly subjective word. Everyone here will tell you that both the M3 and the M22 are excellent speakers.

The M3 has slightly accentuated bass response, so it sounds much fuller and therefore does well without a subwoofer.

Man, this bites. I've got the 22's and I find out the m3's are a better speaker. I could have ordered 4 of them and a center and my ht would have been complete. Dangit!

littleb,

I hope you're joking. M22s are more neutral and are thus easier to match with a sub (which is a requirement for HT when your mains are bookshelves).

Don't fret.

Hi littleb

Many folks and some reviewers say they prefer the M22s which are terrific speakers. BTW, I never had any problem integrating a pair of M3s with a sub.

I was attempting some jocularity. I don't have any knowledge of the attributes of the m3. But, on the other hand, I could have purchased 4 m3's for 500 smackeroos vs 360 for a pair of m22s. But, I'm C-O-O-L with it. I have an itch at the moment and it is growing. If I don't scratch it soon, some money will burn a hole in my pocket, or rather I'm way under my credit limit.