I had a chance to listen to them at the Audio Advice Live conference in Raleigh in August. They were demoed by Ken Zelin whose knowledge and stories were so interesting. They were paired with the MA12000. Each of the three days I sat in the demo room and simply could not leave. They were very, very enjoyable! New car or new stereo-need to take a moment!
I've never listened to these but the aesthetics are really nice. Purely surface level, I enjoy the look of the old school box style speakers more than the reduced baffle thin modern towers.
I enjoy your videos and this was especially fun. Kudos for your “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Wish I lived near your store…I would love to meet you in person and see your showroom.
These are my favorite vids. Darn the complainers. I'd sure love to get these ML1s one day. My favorite sounding room at our local audio convention had these speakers and Ken from McIntosh running the demo.
Sealed 4-Way Design One 12" Woofer - Polypropylene cone and dust cap with synthetic rubber suspension Two 4" Lower Midrange drivers - Polypropylene cone and dust cap with synthetic rubber suspension One 2" Soft Dome Upper Midrange driver One 3/4" Titanium Dome Tweeter Impedance Nominal 8 Ohms Power Rating 75 - 600 Watts Frequency Response 27Hz - 45kHz Sound Pressure Level, 2.8V/1m 85dB Crossover 180Hz, 500Hz, 4.5kHz Based on SPL rating of 85dB, probably needs an amp with a lot of power (at least 200 wpc). The key aspect of this speaker is likely the 2" soft dome upper midrange driver that handles frequencies from 500Hz - 4.5kHz, providing fast and transparent upper midrange response. 1950's styling may be a WAF problem, but for those with a mancave or who are single, it could be a good option.
Keep going with the unboxings. You explain the product as you go so there’s good value in the content. Love seeing how after so many years of unboxing Adrian still had the frantic movements of a kid at Christmas. Last thing, yeah they went overboard on the logo size on the stands. Toned down a bit and it would look great
Essentially a 3 way center channel on top of a 12 inch subwoofer. VERY interesting design, but id be more interested to see what klippel measures from it. This is one of the most interesting driver arrangements ive seen in a while. That radiation pattern is gonna look interesting
It’s great to see them continue their tradition. Unfortunately for me, I have fallen out of love with Mc. I have a C220 and 402 amplifier that I am very happy with. I also have an MCD 201 CD player that quite frankly sucks with little support. Given current prices of their gear I’m likely never going to buy it again. And BTW, I agree with Adrian on their higher end speakers - too aggressive and in your face. Thanks for your reviews, I have found them very informative!
Looks great. I like big speakers like the MOAB. My speakers are MTMs with dual 15s and 12 cubic feet volume each. Bi-amped so I can tweek the bass and I also tune seperate subs. Do a sound demo.
Hello Adrian & crew: Thank you for this unboxing video guys. All I can really say is WOW. One thing about your channel Adrian is that everything you do is always done with class, style, & grace. You will never find your type of presentation here in the USA. What you get here is ok , here they are, do you want them & how will you be paying. I'm a little concerned about that heave grill during critical listening & hiw will they perform against a Sonus Farber. I really loved the Focal Utopia's but since I heard those Sonus Farber's they really stole my heart. I'm so looking forward to your truthful review of this new design from Mac. Thank you again guys, God Bless & BE GREAT AS ALWAYS, TMP from N.J.
Here is what McIntosh says about the woofer on their website: "Patented Low Distortion High Performance (LD/HP) Magnetic Circuit Design that significantly reduces distortion while increasing power handling and efficiency. The performance improvements from LD/HP are so vast that the 12" woofer in the ML1 could rival woofers twice its size."
Interesting... JBL built a new L-100 several years ago with much better specs than the original. The original L-100 and L-100a was one of JBLs most popular speakers back in the 1970s. Now, Mac builds a new ML1. Looks like the only similarities are the 12" woofers, and I'm sure the 12" size is the only similarity. 600 watts, not surprised it's McIntosh and Mac is known for... *WATTAGE!*
These speakers are going to sound like horns or JBL speakers. I used to have the older version of these speakers from the 80s area, and they sound very bombastic and fun. If you are looking for refinement and accuracy, these speakers will not fit your taste. But if you are looking for fun and liveliness, these speakers will be the best. Especially, when you pair it with McIntosh gears, you get the best sound coming out of it.
@@Mark-rw3kw what you said might be true. The older version did not have the soft dome mid range. So the newer version might might sounds different. How much of a difference, I do not know
@@simplereef4854 If you look at the McIntosh tower speakers, they use soft-dome drivers for the midrange also, but they use an array of smaller soft-dome tweeter drivers to accomplish that (crossed-over to cover only the midrange frequencies). When using tweeter drivers as a midrange, an array of them is needed to get the power-handling capacity and output level required for the midrange. This is also what most Tekton speakers do. So obviously, McIntosh likes soft-dome drivers for the midrange, either as one large soft-dome, or an array of smaller ones. I had a soft-dome midrange on my old ADS L810's from 1982 and loved the quickness and transparency of the midrange. PMC and ATC also make speakers with one large soft-dome midrange driver.
Unboxings are fine so long as you explain the equipment (as you did), as opposed to just opening the box and ending the video (as Villip did one time).
Not bad looking without the grill cover. Why oh why did they slap that gigantic McIntosh name plate on the platform? Tasteless! They needed to take a little design inspiration from their Sonus Faber partners.
However much cross germination of performance goals and engineering between the two we might see going forward with new speaker models bearing the Mc logo, I’m thinking that at least with any that revisit the heritage models starting with the original 1970 ML1 that the mid century aesthetic will remain a major design feature.
3:48 that 'metal' top could double as a griddle.. that 'padding' will hardly cut down vibrations... SMH Leave it to McIntosh to go with aesthetics instead of performance. What! no pretty lights??
That speaker stand is an absolute deal killer for me, the McIntosh name is too big and the ML1 font looks like something from 1991, and the wood looks like the kitchen cabinets out of a double wide trailer.... The stand is truly horrible...
McIntosh please stick to what you do best! The speakers look expensively cheap. The headphone tube amp is horrible too! Built in budget DAC was bad as well.
This model was ugly in the 70s and still is today. Can't believe they kept the awkward, giant grills that must add 20% to the cost. A $12k a pair what is target market? Senile boomers with too much money? What decor would they work in, Victorian gentlemen's club? So many better options.
Nary a hint of diffraction from that grille.
I had a chance to listen to them at the Audio Advice Live conference in Raleigh in August. They were demoed by Ken Zelin whose knowledge and stories were so interesting. They were paired with the MA12000. Each of the three days I sat in the demo room and simply could not leave. They were very, very enjoyable! New car or new stereo-need to take a moment!
Now that’s beautiful. The dual mid and dual tweeters is great to smooth out the top end and mids. Love it.
Always enjoy your unboxing videos. Be interesting to hear your review on this handsome looking speaker 👍😎
Look cool. Another sealed box like KLH has come back to making. Hope the sound quality difference is close to the price difference. TBD.
Beautiful speakers! Love old school look, can't wait to hear your review 😊.
I've never listened to these but the aesthetics are really nice. Purely surface level, I enjoy the look of the old school box style speakers more than the reduced baffle thin modern towers.
Another vote 👍 for the vintage look, need to find another room to set up in my place...
I enjoy your videos and this was especially fun. Kudos for your “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Wish I lived near your store…I would love to meet you in person and see your showroom.
These are my favorite vids. Darn the complainers. I'd sure love to get these ML1s one day. My favorite sounding room at our local audio convention had these speakers and Ken from McIntosh running the demo.
Thanks!
Very mixed feelings on the looks but can’t wait to hear what you think of them.
I think they look beautiful and I hope they sound as good as they look.
Sealed 4-Way Design
One 12" Woofer - Polypropylene cone and dust cap with synthetic rubber suspension
Two 4" Lower Midrange drivers - Polypropylene cone and dust cap with synthetic rubber suspension
One 2" Soft Dome Upper Midrange driver
One 3/4" Titanium Dome Tweeter
Impedance Nominal 8 Ohms
Power Rating 75 - 600 Watts
Frequency Response 27Hz - 45kHz
Sound Pressure Level, 2.8V/1m 85dB
Crossover 180Hz, 500Hz, 4.5kHz
Based on SPL rating of 85dB, probably needs an amp with a lot of power (at least 200 wpc). The key aspect of this speaker is likely the 2" soft dome upper midrange driver that handles frequencies from 500Hz - 4.5kHz, providing fast and transparent upper midrange response. 1950's styling may be a WAF problem, but for those with a mancave or who are single, it could be a good option.
Thanks for the specs!
Keep going with the unboxings. You explain the product as you go so there’s good value in the content. Love seeing how after so many years of unboxing Adrian still had the frantic movements of a kid at Christmas.
Last thing, yeah they went overboard on the logo size on the stands. Toned down a bit and it would look great
Thank you!
They look good. Very solid.
A new unboxing!!! What a terrible day, indeed.... 🤣
lol, I did it just for you Paul
@@adrianlow2114 Thanks buddy... I think.
@@adrianlow2114 🤣🤣Thanks my friend!
lol@@pswitzeny
Good looking 70's styling. Not exited about the grill but with cats in house they would remain on at least if I'm not there listening.
Made in USA speakers. Amazing. But what is the MSRP?
I think the original ML1 was designed by the late Roger Russell, who was a long time speaker designer for McIntosh.
Essentially a 3 way center channel on top of a 12 inch subwoofer. VERY interesting design, but id be more interested to see what klippel measures from it. This is one of the most interesting driver arrangements ive seen in a while. That radiation pattern is gonna look interesting
It’s great to see them continue their tradition. Unfortunately for me, I have fallen out of love with Mc. I have a C220 and 402 amplifier that I am very happy with. I also have an MCD 201 CD player that quite frankly sucks with little support. Given current prices of their gear I’m likely never going to buy it again.
And BTW, I agree with Adrian on their higher end speakers - too aggressive and in your face.
Thanks for your reviews, I have found them very informative!
Thanks
dang it, I want em & I haven't heard them or seen them in person yet!
I wonder about edge diffraction, especially with the grills on.
Looks great. I like big speakers like the MOAB. My speakers are MTMs with dual 15s and 12 cubic feet volume each. Bi-amped so I can tweek the bass and I also tune seperate subs. Do a sound demo.
Please when you do the review, please compare to something of similar price. Man I want those.
The 1970's called and they want their speaker back. Yesterday's products today, at tomorrow's prices!
I hope they sound as good as they look🙏
Beautiful looking speaker! ♥️
We need an audio impression video of these.
Hello Adrian & crew: Thank you for this unboxing video guys. All I can really say is WOW. One thing about your channel Adrian is that everything you do is always done with class, style, & grace. You will never find your type of presentation here in the USA. What you get here is ok , here they are, do you want them & how will you be paying. I'm a little concerned about that heave grill during critical listening & hiw will they perform against a Sonus Farber. I really loved the Focal Utopia's but since I heard those Sonus Farber's they really stole my heart. I'm so looking forward to your truthful review of this new design from Mac. Thank you again guys, God Bless & BE GREAT AS ALWAYS, TMP from N.J.
Thanks very much!
Move to canada good luck
Looks like the latest trend is a retro cabinet look and dimensions and soft dome midranges where they're copying ATC.
Thanks Adrian! My insomnia is cured!
lol! glad to help
Verrrry vintage… need an old house to match them 😜
ML1 MkII looks beautiful. How many allocation did your dealership get?
I love how chill you are and well spoken, but what’s with the gloves? Lol
😁
Those are beauty!
All Mc stuff is like jewelry 🍻
My hands don't grip well especially with cardboard
Shall take the B&W 805 D4 anytime of the day.
There the first thing from Macintosh that I like
How do they sound and measure
Sealed cabinet, which is not very big, goes down to 27Hz? perhaps its in room response? 3/4 inch tweeter with 600W rms power handling? Whoaaa
Here is what McIntosh says about the woofer on their website: "Patented Low Distortion High Performance (LD/HP) Magnetic Circuit Design that significantly reduces distortion while increasing power handling and efficiency. The performance improvements from LD/HP are so vast that the 12" woofer in the ML1 could rival woofers twice its size."
I measured a "GINORMOUS" 12" woofer and it was the same size as my "LITTLE" 12" woofer.
hehe
Very Nice!!
Interesting...
JBL built a new L-100 several years ago with much better specs than the original. The original L-100 and L-100a was one of JBLs most popular speakers back in the 1970s. Now, Mac builds a new ML1. Looks like the only similarities are the 12" woofers, and I'm sure the 12" size is the only similarity.
600 watts, not surprised it's McIntosh and Mac is known for... *WATTAGE!*
These speakers are going to sound like horns or JBL speakers. I used to have the older version of these speakers from the 80s area, and they sound very bombastic and fun. If you are looking for refinement and accuracy, these speakers will not fit your taste. But if you are looking for fun and liveliness, these speakers will be the best. Especially, when you pair it with McIntosh gears, you get the best sound coming out of it.
With the soft dome midrange driver, I don't think they will sound anything like horns, but I haven't heard them.
@@Mark-rw3kw what you said might be true. The older version did not have the soft dome mid range. So the newer version might might sounds different. How much of a difference, I do not know
@@simplereef4854 If you look at the McIntosh tower speakers, they use soft-dome drivers for the midrange also, but they use an array of smaller soft-dome tweeter drivers to accomplish that (crossed-over to cover only the midrange frequencies). When using tweeter drivers as a midrange, an array of them is needed to get the power-handling capacity and output level required for the midrange. This is also what most Tekton speakers do. So obviously, McIntosh likes soft-dome drivers for the midrange, either as one large soft-dome, or an array of smaller ones. I had a soft-dome midrange on my old ADS L810's from 1982 and loved the quickness and transparency of the midrange. PMC and ATC also make speakers with one large soft-dome midrange driver.
Not for me, far too small, but I love the vintage/retro thing going on
Unboxings are fine so long as you explain the equipment (as you did), as opposed to just opening the box and ending the video (as Villip did one time).
What’s the cost?
$12K USD per pair.
How much?🤷🏾♂️
MSRP: $12,000/pair (USD).
Not bad looking without the grill cover. Why oh why did they slap that gigantic McIntosh name plate on the platform? Tasteless! They needed to take a little design inspiration from their Sonus Faber partners.
The same reason Donald puts a "Ginormous" TRUMP on everything
@@denniswilliams3934Small penis?
That’d be counter to McIntosh’s mid-century aesthetic that was inherent in the original incarnation of the ML1 introduced in 1970.
First thing I would do is get a hair drier and remove the nameplate on the base asap.
However much cross germination of performance goals and engineering between the two we might see going forward with new speaker models bearing the Mc logo, I’m thinking that at least with any that revisit the heritage models starting with the original 1970 ML1 that the mid century aesthetic will remain a major design feature.
Adrian, if you stop the unboxing I will no longer bring in pizza!
haha
3:48 that 'metal' top could double as a griddle.. that 'padding' will hardly cut down vibrations... SMH
Leave it to McIntosh to go with aesthetics instead of performance. What! no pretty lights??
It's not powered by electricity (only speaker level from amp), otherwise they probably would have the McIntosh name in lights.
Great video but those speakers with the grills on are hideous.
Too many McIntosh reminder labels. I expected blue meters!
Love everything about it except the name on the stand. A little too much, unless you're displaying them at a show.
12k a pair, ouch.
They maybe classic but I sure don't like how they look.
That speaker stand is an absolute deal killer for me, the McIntosh name is too big and the ML1 font looks like something from 1991, and the wood looks like the kitchen cabinets out of a double wide trailer....
The stand is truly horrible...
More like 1971.
To my eye it's got more of an after Star Wars but before cell phones vibe... @@Mark-rw3kw
McIntosh please stick to what you do best! The speakers look expensively cheap. The headphone tube amp is horrible too! Built in budget DAC was bad as well.
Too bad they put such a huge McIntosh name plate on the stand.
That must be the most ugly speaker grill I have ever seen.
This model was ugly in the 70s and still is today. Can't believe they kept the awkward, giant grills that must add 20% to the cost. A $12k a pair what is target market? Senile boomers with too much money? What decor would they work in, Victorian gentlemen's club? So many better options.
I’ll pass