Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems M33 mounting

I'm currently designing a media area for a new construction loft-style apartment and will use 5 M33's (LCR + 2 rear surrounds). Primary use is movies and Trifield audio.

Room: Media area will be at the end of an open 24 feet x 60 feet space. The actual media space will be about 12 feet x 13 feet (9 feet ceiling) with the rear open to the rest of the apartment (60 feet long). One side is all glass. LCR speakers will be built-in into a Sheetrocked wall (niches will be cut out for the LCR M33's) on the narrow end of the room. Rear surrounds will be ceiling mounted behind the seats. Seat distance from front speakers is about 10 feet.

Any idea as to what the minimum cabinet enclosure clearance should be on all sides for the M33's to prevent excessive heat build up?

Thanks in advance.....gregg

Hiya Gregg,

My new post may be of interest as our layout sizes very similar. Try to avoid the interaction between the speaker and another suface close to it - this is far more of an issue than the heat (cabinets actually run quite cool, not like the older M3's etc.) I have stand mounted the fronts and omnimounted the centre. Is firing across rather than along an option? would give you better sound staging. If M33 close to side wall then toe in more to avoid tweeter reflections and thus timing / phase errors.

Im my system I have customised the Trifield - increase treble +0.5 (M33's rounded off, see review), increase width to 1.5 and changed depth to -1.5.

Also, buy a B&W PV1 sub ~ trust me - it works!

Good luck!

Steve, Thanks for the info!

I really can't avoid it - they have to be inset into the wall. Will moving them forward help at all?

I saw your very positive comments about this sub in conjunction w/ your M33's. I do have to say it's very intriguing - not the typical black cube. I read a bit about it on the B&W site. Is the _entire_ enclosure made of aluminum? Also, does it really sit on rubber feet and not shake the floor?? (this could be a sales clincher for me - we're moving to a condo and there will be folks living below).

BTW, do you have the PV-1 in black or silver color?

Best...gregg

Gregg, the material used for the feet of the sub will be the least of your worries if you have folks below. Even if you could suspend it in space with no contact to any surface, it's the frequencies it's pumping out which will test the patience of your neighbours!

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom...

George

Hiya Gregg )

The PV1 (black btw) has an integral rubber moulding that the unit sits on. The whole of the "ball" is a heavy aluminum casting, two parts bolted together with very substantial bolts. There really is no detectable vibration from the enclosure, even at full boogie - just gorgeous clean tight bass! With it being side firing it won't be pumping into your floor board cavity either...

Re the M33's - be very aware that what you'd actually be creating is a second enclosure around the first - although not completely enclosed you'll have boundaries sufficiently close to each other to give you audiable resonances, beyond the reach of the MRC. If you could line the hole in acoustic foam or egg box to break up the reflections this would help loads. Also, sloping the sides would break up standing waves.

Keep us posted! I wish I could lend you my sub but the postage would cost the earth!

Cheers, Steve

I had a similar problem with my M100's, but I suspected the transmission below was due to the nature of them being coupled to the floor. I was hoping that the rubber would decouple the bass from the floor, hence reducing transmissive acoustical energy. The building we're moving to has done much testing and acoustical isolation between apartments and floors. From my [albeit limited] reading of acoustical principles, there are 2 components to sound transmission: air and impact. I didn't realize that the bass energy from a sub was that great thru air as opposed to conduction thru solid surfaces.

Will do! I'll wait until we actually get moved into the apartment before purchasing a sub [groan] - we probably have another 9 months before construction is completed.

Thanks....gregg