My M-Lore's are thoroughly broken in now. I have run them extensively with the following gear:
AMPS:
-Pass F5 Amp
-Bottlehead Stereomour Integrated Amp (ran as amp)
-Dennis Had Inspire KT88 Amp
-AppJ MiniWatt (ran as amp)
-Emotiva UPA-200 Amp
-Kenwood KA-5700 Integrated Amp (Re-capped and restored)
Preamps:
-Audio Research SP16 Preamp
-Dennis Had Inspire Preamp
Source:
-Squeezebox Touch w/Chord Chordette Qute HD DAC
-Onkyo DX-C390 CDPw/Sim Audio Moon 100D DAC
-Technics SL-Q2 TT (Ortofon 2M Red Cart)
-JVC QL-F4 TT (LP GEAR AT95SA Cart)
Subwoofer:
Rythmik FV12 Servo Subwoofer
I tried the phono section on the ARC SP16, the Kenny, and I also tried a budget Emotiva XPS-1 phono section. I used decent cables: Morrow SP4's, MA 3's and Dig2. I also tried budget Signal Cables and White Lightning speaker leads. My goal when buying these speakers was to get a set of second speakers. They had to not need a subwoofer, be at least 95db sensitive, be able to handle high wattage, and not break the bank. The M-Lore's have delivered. I think I am keeping these for awhile . I tried about every combination available with the above mentioned gear and learned some things about them. Some bullet comments:
- They are efficient, but at least 3 or 4 db less than my Hornshoppe Horns.
- Well built, easy on the eyes, just not Sonus Faber well built.
- Big soundstage and nice imaging.
- Fast, snappy, dynamic with great attack.
- Great tone with a "live" demeanor.
A couple of things to note. I felt they were best paired with amps that had some wattage. Although they sounded good with my low powered tube gear, they were even better with SS amps. I was also surprised by how well they did with the vintage Kenwood KA-5700 and in fact this combo proved to have the best bass without a subwoofer. Also, sometimes when in my listening chair, the soundstage seemed lower than my listening height. I almost want to try some small stands or tilt them upward, but feel I may lose some low bass response. The M-Lore's sounded good with my best equipment as well as with my not so great gear such as my 80's mid-fi TT's. I liked them better augmented with a sub, although I could easily live without the sub. As good as the M-Lore's sound, my Hornshoppe GHH's are by far the superior speaker as long as the GHH's have a sub. The GHH's have better highs and far more clarity and resolution, but I can honestly say that I am very happy with my M-Lore's. At over less than half the price of my Great Heiled Horns's, I can live with that.