Opinions? about BK Electronics Monolith Subs

[ATC FAN]

Hi folks I have been looking for a sub to match my system for some time with varying success and announced to a specialist that I was about to buy an "AVI" sub when he said that BK Electronics do them now at silly prices - are basically much better and they provide all the components for REL etc but now make them better than REL.

Now Sub auditioning is a tricky thing. To cut a long story short the BKL Monolith (£500) looks the business and "ought" to blend in seamlessly and at a fraction of the cost of an REL Studio and frankly at the price I would be happy to take the risk that its not quite the business as it can always be used around in my other less "hi end" set up. The ATC version is impossible to get 2nd hand. REL come in for a lot of flak on the net - so are BK the answer?



ATC SCM50ASL's
AVI LAB SERIES PRE
AVI LAB SERIES CD
MERIDIAN DAC
MISSING LINK strings and things

[DSJR]

I'm a bit out of date on this, but in my day, many subs on the market basically boomed and thudded their way around explosions on films yet could't hold a double bass line at all. Some REL's were good but others were dire indeed.

Leaving all the AVI vitriol aside for a mo, their ADM style sub should be a great buy, set to roll out above 50Hz (the ATC 50ASL's go cleanly to below 50Hz as I remember). the M&K subs always sounded good to me as well, even if they weren't pretty. The bigger Spendor S series sub was good too IIRC.

Things have changed a bit in the last six years. REL have, I think, been taken over and I don't know how many decent two channel shops sell subs these days. You could always look out for some good used ATC 100ASL's you know..

By the way, don't the 50ASL's have a bass-boost on the back?

P.S. What's with the Meridian DAC? AVI may be the devils work to many audio forum people, but Martin Grindrod always seemed able to design a CD player for good sound quality - that is, if the aim was to reproduce the CD as truthfully as possible.....


P.P.S. Use low capacitance wires between CD and pre and good quality mic cable (ATC use Belden) between pre and speakers, with earth screen connected with the return at the pre and "floating" at the speaker XLR's.

[ATC FAN]

woa - that was quick

the 50's are fine -the music room is big - but not that big enough for a pair of 100's (one day maybe) and we have just had a piano installed - so room is at a premium.

Yep indeed got Belden interconnects - as recomended by ATC. But these dont have any base boost - its on or off as one would expect. The Missing link cryo made a whopping difference too.

But I've tried them with a 15" ATC sub which was on loan but it was way way too big and "upset the boss" somewhat with its dimensions. The results were pleasing - organ works (Messian etc) and Chemical Brothers had the 50's really rocking. And they are simply the best anyway by far.

Hmmmm the DAC - well my wife and I agreed that it "smoothed" things out a bit - not quite sure how - but she preferred my old Meridian 506 cd and still would like it back - so the DAC is a compromise. I like the AVI as I want to hear every "twang and pluck and scape" of the violin which is what you get with AVI and ATC together.

[DSJR]

The later SL 50's were criticised by some for being a bit too "in yer face" compared to the mid nineties examples (with newer amp packs but before the SL mods). I felt the balance returned to the harder hitting late eighties/early nineties balance - bags of detail but not "gracious" by comparison. My ears now get tired very quickly and I've got my Spendors to just the right amount of clarity on CD. It's the turntable I'm having fun with.........

I thought the 50ASL's and 100ASL's had a bass control on the back nowadays like the 20ASL Pro's I have..

CAREFULLY check the tweeters and baffle bolts for tightness. You don't need to go mad, just to GENTLY check that the bolts aren't loose and don't overtighten them.

[John]

I use the sub plate by BK Electronics with 15" drivers(Hawthorne Auggies) and its very musical but would imagine the Monolith to be messy.

[ATC FAN]

sub plate???