IPL S5TLs or PMC AML1s

Ok, decided to start a new thread as the other one had wandered topic a lot. Thanks again to everyone who contributed - this is a great forum, I know I'd be considering options that were much worse value if it weren't for some of the new ideas I've had suggested to me here.

For those who weren't following the other thread I'm about to buy new speakers (upgrading from Ruark prologue one Rs).

The choices (none of which I've heard yet) are:

- PMC AML1s
- Tannoy Ellipse 10s
- IPL S5TL kit

So you have a basis on which to make recommendations, my musical tastes are:

Tracy Chapman, Counting crows, Kathryn Williams, Placebo, Flaming lips, Bob Dylan, Dirty vegas, Royksop, Kosheen. Fairly varied really but a fair bit of emphasis on vocals and acoustic stuff. I like great vocals, wide and precise imaging, and very controlled bass.

People have told me my gear is "laid back" and smooth sounding (Arcam CD23 and Musical Fidelity A3.2cr), but oddly enough when I brought it I thought most of the other stuff I was played was lacking in detail and resolution, so I'm not really sure how you'd characterise it.

Anyway, as for the new speaker options, I've read some great stuff about both the AML1s and the IPLs, the price will work out quite similar, I can either buy the AMLs second hand or build the IPLs and triamp for about 2-2.5k all-in either way I reckon.

Will the IPLs outclass the AML1s ? I'm expecting the AMLs to be fantastic, but on the other hand the IPLs are obviously going to go lower, and are 3-way. Is the detail and imaging on the IPLs in the same class as the AML1s?

The S5TLs claim to go down to 28hz, do they actually go low enough that I'll be able to get rid of my REL Storm sub, or would it still be a worthwhile addition?

One other thing that worries me about the IPLs is my room is just on the borderline of the recommended size on the IPL site, I wonder if they'd be too boomy. I'm going to use a Behringer DEQ2496 for room correction, so I could EQ it to a certain extent there if necessary though.

How easy is it to go active with the S5TLs? I started this whole process by pondering the benefits of going active with my existing speakers, so it's still an option I'd like to explore.

And finally, any suggestions for amps around the £500 mark? I have an MF A3.2cr which I like, but I've had no joy finding another one, so finding 2 could be pretty tricky. Maybe it'd be best to sell it and buy 3 of something else.

Man, the more I think about this the more questions I end up with.

Cheers.

Paul

 

Another option would be broadband speakers...

Later you could add subwoofers and/or supertweetrs, as I did, still active solution, and probably cheaper, also more versatile, as you wont need lots of power, opens the way for tubes or low power class A, if you like...

It is much better than I reckoned before I tried it, as you can see on my signature, I have both options, and prefer the sound of the Riga system, less than half price, considering only stereo reproduction...

 

I really REALLY wouldn't tri-amp your IPL's with 3 £500 amps.

One amp for £1,500 will definately be a better bet.

Ask around, everybody I know that's tried passive bi and tri amping eventually comes back to one, big, fat amp.


On speakers, I'd pick the IPL floorstanders over the PMC standmounts if you have a bigish room and want a big sound. (thats what big speakers do of course). Vice versa too.

I don't know those particular Tannoys.

 

i use ipl s5tl's and think they are great - you need to play with the stuffing and crossover to get the best out of them and they are predominantly 'fun' speakers rather than ruthlessly revealing but seeing as i listen 8+ hours a day to a very diverse mix of music - from happy hardcore to simon and garfunkel they are able to cope with anything i've thrown at them. they go truly low so a sub shouldn;'t be necessary however you do have to watch out for exciting room modes (but the deq should sort that out).
i've heard the tannoys and thought they were 'nice' but they didn;t really grab me (they were at a show though so...) not heard the pmc's but doubt they'd plumb the depths like the ipls can withoout a sub as backup.
whatever you choose try to get a listen first - where are you based?
i'd go for passive operation with a decent amp rather than active with cheap amps to be honest....

 

I have the IPL S4 model and they are great, I have changed the crossover components and this has made a noticable improvement.

 

If your room is not huge the AML1 will go as low and with as much (or more) control as the IPL's will, their bass is truly amazing as the other Paul (Kub3) who just switched from PMC IB1's will attest.

The IPL's and the AML1 are completely different animals though. The IPL are passive and 3 way while the AML1 are active and 2 way.

If you want good imaging you should really be looking at 2-way designs IMO. They have less phase issues and if they crossover low down like the AML1 (1.4KHz) then more of the important range for sound localisation comes from a signal point.

The AML1 also has very good amps in the back, they have the same circuits as a Bryston 3B-SST for the woofers, a 2B-SST for the tweeters and a 10B active crossover. (look up the cost of that) All of that comes pretty much free, as the AML1 is as good as any other top end standmount anyway.

The IPL and the AML1 are both classed as using transmission lines but they are not really anything like each other in design terms. PMC speakers use what they call 'advanced transmission lines' which are very, very different from normal ones. I tried to model the one fro the AML1 on the computer and it didn't have a clue what was going on.

To be honest the only advantage of the IPL that I can see is that it will fill a bigger room because it will go louder, not that the AML is any slacker.

In my rather small room I was getting bass flat down to 28Hz from the AML1.

 

sadly the ipl speakers are not very well phase matched between drivers, what does this mean?

well you have drivers with differing lengths of sound path from the voice coils to your ears,

also, differing path lengths due to vertical separation

finally if the drivers are offset from centre, that's 3 directions/dimensions to be compensated for in the xover/baffle design. horizontal, vertical, and front to back.

you can hear this by moving your head up and down, note how the sound changes? that's phase cancellation caused by poor crossover design.

a good design/speaker shouldn't do that, anything that does isn't very good.