MTM speakers are really optimized for vertical orientation. If you keep your head still in the sweet spot, you might not notice, but the horizontal orientation will inevitably introduce some comb filtering. The crossover frequency where the mids start working is 2.1 khz. Half wavelength at 2 khz is about 18 cm. So your ear distance to the two drivers, in horizontal orientation, might differ by a significant fraction of that, and they start cancelling each other, which is what introduces the comb filtering. This is mostly just a concern for Audio Science Review nerds like me, but hey, if you're spending $2k+ on speakers and doing room correction, it's nice to know.
I received my iLoud Precision MTMs just a couple of hours ago and wanted to share my experience. I use them for video production and mixing, but also for listening to music during work, in an untreated room on my desk, next to my computer monitor. I had the smaller iLoud MTMs before and like them a lot, but still wanted a solid upgrade in sound quality. Didn't realize how bad my room is up to now. I put the new Precision MTMs on my desk, using only two of the included isolation pods per speaker, so they're slighty uptilted to point to the position of my ears during listening. Started with some of my usual reference music, without changing any settings. Sounded completely awful to the point where I thought about sending them back right away. Absolutely hated them. Boomy bass, missing presence in the mids and highs, but quite good stage. Changed their setting to "Desk", no change. Then I went through the calibration process. What can I say - night and day! Absolute lovely sound. All the quirks vanished like through magic. Absolutely worth the money. I believe they might sound quite well out of the box if you have a good room. In my case, with a sonically really bad room, I really needed the calibration and it worked wonder. So not a deep review here, just a few first impressions. For what I can say after this short time with them, they're an absolute keeper. No comparison of course to the smaller MTMs.
Now, one day later a follow-up on the topic of quality. Not sound quality, but build quality. Or lack thereof. Now, from the outside, build quality is top notch. However, I now had an unusual number of quality issues with iLoud products. When I received my previous iLoud MTMs (the smaller ones) about 2 or 3 years ago, the calibration was not working. Sent them back, they exchanged the calibration microphone. But still didn't work. Sent them back, they exchanged the microphone cable. Now they worked. A week later, one of them died with a loud pop during listening to music. Sent it back. Got a new one. One year later, the second speaker died the same way. Yesterday, after having the new Precision MTMs, after 2 hours of operation one of the speakers turned off with a loud crackle. Then kept turning on and off all the time. Sent it back today. Waiting for exchange now. Oh well.
@@thomasvopstal I'd like to add, I absolutely loved your very professional review, and it played a crucial role in my decision to get the Precision MTMs. Well done!
@@valuemastery Dammit!!!!!!! I also had to give up on the previous MTM because of two dead units within two weeks of ownership. One crapped out, sent it for replacement, a few days after that replacement the other crapped out. Best sounding monitors I’ve owned, but not when they’re silent. I was desperately hoping that at this price that would no longer be a concern. I’m currently using Kali IN8’s, which without latency-inducing room correction software don’t hold a candle to the MTM’s in sound. Maybe they’ll get it right one day.
It also has to do with YOU standing behind the microphone as sound reflected off your body and back into the microphone. Do the test again, but this time, DUCK under the desk completely until the test is over. Then do a second test with YOU sitting in the chair, where you will be doing a mix. and you can see what happened to both tests.
7:31 not the speaker but your room. They calibrate every speaker in a controlled room before they ship them so they have a flat eq response out of rhe box
Based on this review have i decided to go broke and order the micros and damn it's really that good. Though especially for the size of the iloud micros the lows blew me away, it's not the bass, but the balanced and astoundly lifelike mids make this an awesome desktop companion.
Thank you ! I have no option to check this monitors nowadays. Strange, that frequency curve in your control room is so weird. Especially dip at 1 kHz. It is about 0.34 m of wavelength, hm ..
Yeah, I think they should have used RS-485 over 3.5mm TRS between the monitors and allowed a single USB connection to the software for control and calibration of all the monitors. This would probably have driven the price up, though. Ethernet would definitely have driven the price up but would allow for AVB and other cool functionality.
Do you have any more recent (in-english or captions) full mix down on RnB/Rap please? I just came back to music after 11+ years and starting to learn to mix. Thanks Thomas for the gems bro
Did you check out the one i did on Dafne Adriana’s record? There are more mix breakdowns coming up, keep an eye on my discord to not miss out on anything!
You only need the usb connection to link them to the x-monitor software! All presets are stored in the monitors, so you can disconnect them afterwards and work with their remote
Frankly, I would not give € 1400 for a pair of therm. Let alone for one single unit. Krazy. I see them in various counties for $2100 to $2400 for the pair. In my country, around $2100 after conversion. I would say a better price would be $900 to $1300 for the pair.
I much prefer the old / classic MTM, where they become known for Monstrous Sound Quality in a compact set-up, light weight and durability',. now this new MTM looks like a Home Theater Center Speaker... will all due respect to its creator. I just wish that they could just make an upgrade to the old MTM, with all of this new features, and bump up the speakers like the woofer from 3.5 into 4.0 and etc. I just wish...
You don't like to tune your monitors to the room?? Certainly this is not the same thought process also being applied to the super expensive soffit mounted bois as well? Why would you not want to mix on a flat (linear phase) speaker? I understand what you said. You'd rather learn their raw response and mix around those flaws. But that makes so much more work for yourself. Seems very counter intuitive. Properly tuning your speakers to your room will greatly improve your efficiency when mixing with no cons.
It’s personal preference. The room was built around these dynaudio m4 mini’s and tuned to it, that’s great and it sounds solid, but they have a certain sound. I know that they’re harsher than i’d like them to be, that’s my reference now. If my mix sounds a little harsh on them, i know i’ve got the presence i need. Over the years, i haven’t been in a room or heard speakers that were completely flat, you always have to learn how they respond. Which is why you should try a bunch and go for the ones that translate the best for you. For me that ended up being my ATC SCM25’s.
MTM speakers are really optimized for vertical orientation. If you keep your head still in the sweet spot, you might not notice, but the horizontal orientation will inevitably introduce some comb filtering. The crossover frequency where the mids start working is 2.1 khz. Half wavelength at 2 khz is about 18 cm. So your ear distance to the two drivers, in horizontal orientation, might differ by a significant fraction of that, and they start cancelling each other, which is what introduces the comb filtering. This is mostly just a concern for Audio Science Review nerds like me, but hey, if you're spending $2k+ on speakers and doing room correction, it's nice to know.
I received my iLoud Precision MTMs just a couple of hours ago and wanted to share my experience. I use them for video production and mixing, but also for listening to music during work, in an untreated room on my desk, next to my computer monitor. I had the smaller iLoud MTMs before and like them a lot, but still wanted a solid upgrade in sound quality. Didn't realize how bad my room is up to now. I put the new Precision MTMs on my desk, using only two of the included isolation pods per speaker, so they're slighty uptilted to point to the position of my ears during listening.
Started with some of my usual reference music, without changing any settings. Sounded completely awful to the point where I thought about sending them back right away. Absolutely hated them. Boomy bass, missing presence in the mids and highs, but quite good stage. Changed their setting to "Desk", no change.
Then I went through the calibration process. What can I say - night and day! Absolute lovely sound. All the quirks vanished like through magic. Absolutely worth the money. I believe they might sound quite well out of the box if you have a good room. In my case, with a sonically really bad room, I really needed the calibration and it worked wonder.
So not a deep review here, just a few first impressions. For what I can say after this short time with them, they're an absolute keeper. No comparison of course to the smaller MTMs.
Awesome! Enjoy them!
Now, one day later a follow-up on the topic of quality. Not sound quality, but build quality. Or lack thereof. Now, from the outside, build quality is top notch.
However, I now had an unusual number of quality issues with iLoud products. When I received my previous iLoud MTMs (the smaller ones) about 2 or 3 years ago, the calibration was not working. Sent them back, they exchanged the calibration microphone. But still didn't work. Sent them back, they exchanged the microphone cable. Now they worked.
A week later, one of them died with a loud pop during listening to music. Sent it back. Got a new one.
One year later, the second speaker died the same way.
Yesterday, after having the new Precision MTMs, after 2 hours of operation one of the speakers turned off with a loud crackle. Then kept turning on and off all the time. Sent it back today. Waiting for exchange now.
Oh well.
@@thomasvopstal I'd like to add, I absolutely loved your very professional review, and it played a crucial role in my decision to get the Precision MTMs. Well done!
@@valuemastery Dammit!!!!!!! I also had to give up on the previous MTM because of two dead units within two weeks of ownership. One crapped out, sent it for replacement, a few days after that replacement the other crapped out. Best sounding monitors I’ve owned, but not when they’re silent. I was desperately hoping that at this price that would no longer be a concern. I’m currently using Kali IN8’s, which without latency-inducing room correction software don’t hold a candle to the MTM’s in sound. Maybe they’ll get it right one day.
Been waiting on a trusted review on the mtms! Great as always 🤘
Glad you like it!
It also has to do with YOU standing behind the microphone as sound reflected off your body and back into the microphone.
Do the test again, but this time, DUCK under the desk completely until the test is over.
Then do a second test with YOU sitting in the chair, where you will be doing a mix. and you can see what happened to both tests.
7:31 not the speaker but your room. They calibrate every speaker in a controlled room before they ship them so they have a flat eq response out of rhe box
You don't need any usb cables to start the calibration process, it works even without a computer
Based on this review have i decided to go broke and order the micros and damn it's really that good. Though especially for the size of the iloud micros the lows blew me away, it's not the bass, but the balanced and astoundly lifelike mids make this an awesome desktop companion.
This is not those. This one costs exactly 3x the price of those, and here you get one single unit, not a pair. So apples to apples, please.
Thanks, had my eyes on these for a while now!
Great Review 🎉
The answer on these types of clickbait titles is always no.
Dope ‼️‼️
Thank you ! I have no option to check this monitors nowadays. Strange, that frequency curve in your control room is so weird. Especially dip at 1 kHz. It is about 0.34 m of wavelength, hm ..
Amazing vid bro
Thanks bro🙏
If possible Genelec The Ones (8341) vs Genelec 8040? Or a separate review? 😃
Get the Genelecs. Bigger brand, more established, sort of a worldwide monitor standard now.
Yeah, I think they should have used RS-485 over 3.5mm TRS between the monitors and allowed a single USB connection to the software for control and calibration of all the monitors. This would probably have driven the price up, though. Ethernet would definitely have driven the price up but would allow for AVB and other cool functionality.
Aren't they supposed to be used vertical only ?
I don’t see anything that’d indicate they would be
@@thomasvopstal I thought i have read it somewhere hmm
I read that they were built for vertical use only as well. interested to know if that's effecting anything.
Yeah they are indeed intended for vertical use only
Cool! Please possibly review eve audio 2070 and 3070 :) Thank you in advance!
Please make a review about lyd48 And it would be great to hear your opinion comparing ik multimedia. I guess you'll like them more. But we'll see 😊
Owwwwwwwww
ALWAYS on point with ya reviews. Hey what site do you use for the music in this video? ✌️
🙏🙏🙏 thanks! I use epidemicsound.com
Do you have any more recent (in-english or captions) full mix down on RnB/Rap please? I just came back to music after 11+ years and starting to learn to mix. Thanks Thomas for the gems bro
Did you check out the one i did on Dafne Adriana’s record? There are more mix breakdowns coming up, keep an eye on my discord to not miss out on anything!
Your room doesn't seem especially treated with that before graph. Some wild dips and peaks.
Every room still has dips in their frequency response, even with all the acoustic treatment.
thank you!
I'll get up there next time
Do you need USB connected forever even after they're calibrated? Or is this just during the calibration process? Thanks for the vid m8
You only need the usb connection to link them to the x-monitor software! All presets are stored in the monitors, so you can disconnect them afterwards and work with their remote
Would have been great if they had been tested in vertical orientation given that's how they were designed to be placed.
Who's Emmanuel?
🔥🔥🔥
😁
Did my presentation there helped? :) see ya!
There is a paper with instruction how to unpack them which makes things easier and more safe then your approach :)
Oeh yes, i was definitely living on the edge there🫢
pmc or mtm precision? Which are better?
Oeh, the pmc’s are better, but more than twice the price. So if i’m taking that into account, the precisions are really tough competitors
@@thomasvopstal Thank you for the quick reply🙏 You didn't change twotwo6 to PMC6, don't you find it a worthwhile upgrade? Best regards! 🤝❤️
Are they not 2400 for the pair?
They are, did i say otherwise?
@@thomasvopstal I think you said 1400
@@gooshie3 oh i meant per speaker!
@@thomasvopstal It's 1200 per speaker though lol
@@gooshie3 ok, over here it’s €1399
Frankly, I would not give € 1400 for a pair of therm. Let alone for one single unit. Krazy. I see them in various counties for $2100 to $2400 for the pair. In my country, around $2100 after conversion. I would say a better price would be $900 to $1300 for the pair.
Yeah that price $2400 is too damn high. $1200 for the pair would've been great
I much prefer the old / classic MTM, where they become known for Monstrous Sound Quality in a compact set-up, light weight and durability',. now this new MTM looks like a Home Theater Center Speaker...
will all due respect to its creator.
I just wish that they could just make an upgrade to the old MTM, with all of this new features, and bump up the speakers like the woofer from 3.5 into 4.0 and etc.
I just wish...
@_ThomasvanOpstal Hi Thom, you have something for me?,. what is it?,.
Wow you sound just like Yung Lean lol
You don't like to tune your monitors to the room?? Certainly this is not the same thought process also being applied to the super expensive soffit mounted bois as well? Why would you not want to mix on a flat (linear phase) speaker? I understand what you said. You'd rather learn their raw response and mix around those flaws. But that makes so much more work for yourself. Seems very counter intuitive.
Properly tuning your speakers to your room will greatly improve your efficiency when mixing with no cons.
It’s personal preference. The room was built around these dynaudio m4 mini’s and tuned to it, that’s great and it sounds solid, but they have a certain sound. I know that they’re harsher than i’d like them to be, that’s my reference now. If my mix sounds a little harsh on them, i know i’ve got the presence i need. Over the years, i haven’t been in a room or heard speakers that were completely flat, you always have to learn how they respond. Which is why you should try a bunch and go for the ones that translate the best for you. For me that ended up being my ATC SCM25’s.