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Technics SM-M1 Monitors

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innof

New Member
Hello to all & Happy New Year I was fortunate to recently acquire a pair of Technics SB-M1 speakers. They are in fairly good condition and I really enjoy the sound which they produce. However, of the 3 people who have auditioned them the all seemed to point out that the bass did not have much "punch". Is this something common with these type of speakers because they are honeycomb type drivers (flat panels) rather than typical cones? Also, they are labelled as Monitors; Does this mean that these were designed more for studio use/critical auditioning of music as opposed to casual listening? Any insights would be greatly appreaciated. Thanx!
 
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Wow that's quite a catch - I'd love to own these speakers myself.

The lack of "punch" Is not due the honeycomb drivers - it has probaly more to do with placement of the speakers and correct setting of the controls - se this article http://www.adrian-kingston.com/SB-M1.htm apparently the correct setting is not always 0,0,0

And you're right about monitor speakers - they often lack that bass boost many standard speakers have - also many people are used to boosted bass and when they suddenly are exposed to more "correct" sound they may find it somewhat flat sounding.

Finally your amp have something to say in this matter - though they are effecient speakers a quality high current amp will probaly make quite a difference.
 
I agree, it looks like around -3dB for all three settings could actually be the closest to a flat response. "Monitor" doesn't mean much of anything, really. You can move them closer to the floor/corners to alter the bass response somewhat. Also, try turning them up! An accurate speaker will sound a little lean on bass to most people at low volume (which can be corrected with "loudness" or EQ for low volumes if desired).

All that said, I've never heard those speakers (would like to!), so I sure don't know how the bass sounds. There's a whole lot of crossover happening, quite a bit of phase shift and probably group delay.. They may well have somewhat loose or "smoothed over" bass :dunno:
 
I like the flat face drivers- the older Phase Technology speakers had flat face driver and PLENTY of bass output! I think it is a matter of placement and even perhaps getting the "right" amp to match up to them.

The older/other Technics flat face speaker I thought sounded quite good. Those SM-M1 monitors certainly have me intrigued- high quality parts were used evidenly, not to mention the shear weight was very impressive!!!
DC
 
Thank You for having kindly taken the time to reply folks, it is much appreciated :music: The speakers really do sound fabulous; I couldn't turn down the offer since I had a Technics SE-A3 power amplifier in mint condition that I wanted to pair them up with. Apparently these speakers were over $10000 when new and were supposed to represent the pinnacle of their engineering prowess. Unless I'm mistaken, this aforementioned amp is more than capable of driving these monster monitors (they are incredibly heavy at 180 pounds + each!). I am fortunate to own an SH-8000 Audio Frequency Analyzer (warble tone generator) made by Technics which I have used to chart the speakers and despite the fact that my listening area conditions are not ideal in nature, the response is remarkably flat. I am very well aware of Andrian Kingston's site which is full of great information. However, I did not adjust the settings on the speakers as was recommended; I have all three adjustments set to "0". I just recently managed to purchase a Technics SH-8075 equalizer which I would like to introduce into the audio chain. I'm by no means an expert in equipment yet definitely a music lover and some of Technics product are of impressive quality.
 
The graphs speak to the decent, but not outstanding bass response. -7db at 35 hz is not bad, though. I would be content with that from these very rare and superb speakers. You can always add a sub if you feel the need for added low end slam, but it better be a really good one.
 
I think I have more like -3 at 35 Hz. I'm wondering if I'm not just better off getting them closer to the ground and backing them against a wall.
 
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innof said:
Any other amp recommendations other than my Technics SE-A3?
Click to expand...

They look to me to be watt and current munchers.I'd want at least 400 into 8 ohms per channel with decent low impedance perfomance.

I like headroom. :huge:

For example the drivers in my system are 97dB/1W/1M for the bass driver and 104dB/W/M for the compression driver(16 ohm impedance).I use a 100W+ amp on the bass and a 60W amp on the compression drivers.A man can have too much headroom,but it's better than too little.
 
I'd say, try and elevate them, but it looks like you already have. Maybe closer to the corners like they say.

Most of the flat-speaker models I've seen on here have been power-hungry (Those flat-panel jobbers give a new meaning to the term, like the Magnepans).
 
As I've proceeded to indulge in more research, the development of these speakers is indeed very interesting as is the honeycomb panel technology employed.
 
I'd say you're one lucky S.O.B.. Those speakers are not only super-rare, but super-freakin'-awesome as well. According to one article, the version with the veneer was like double the cost of the grey ones. Despite what most people think, Technics made some amazing high-end speakers throughout the '70's and early '80's. Nice find. VERY-nice find.

Care to trade? I have a JVC MX-GB5 compact-system with your name on it.
 
Thanx Very Much for all of the insights folks :thmbsp: Belive it or not, my local repair guy just called me to ask if I'd be interested in a set of Technics SB-E100; These are supposed to be another set of serious speakers from their Linear Series and quite highly regarded. Any feedback on these? Also, did I correctly understand that elevating the SB-M1 monitors would improve the bass reponse or is it the opposite? Cheers!
 
If you like the 'horn' sound chances are you'll like the SB-E100 - not in the same league as the SB-M1's but a quality speaker none the less - also quite rare. It seems they are popular with the tube amp crowd because of their efficiency: 95dB/W (1m)
 
Distancing the speakers from any boundary, including the floor, will reduce interference from reflected bass sound. That interference boosts some frequencies and reduces others. You just have to figure out what works in your room. Many large speakers were intended to be used near the floor to get a little bass boost, which is why you see short slanted stands that allow the woofer to be near the floor, but still pointing the tweeter at ear height.

My personal, usual method with all (conventional) speakers is to get tweeters at or a little above my ear height, point them roughly at the average listening position, find the best distance from the side walls for stereo image, then move back and forward from the back wall until the bass sounds best. If there's not enough bass at that point, I figure it's time for a sub (or three).
 
Guess the SB-M1 needs a real heavy poweramp (loads of current) to make them shine (in the bass)...the likes of Krell, ML.
 
I suppose that the best approach here calls for some experimentation; The only practical issue is their sheer weight (180 lbs. + each......). I wish I could afford to purchase some Krell amps (but I'm out of work at the moment). Can you qualify what was meant by "horn" sound for the SB-E100's since I am not familiar with speakers of this type. Thanx
 
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