Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: BESL 5MT Speakers by Edp

Model:	5MT
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1300
Description:	BESL 5MT two way
Manufacturer URL:	BESL
Model Picture:	View

Review by Edp ( A ) on July 23, 2004 at 12:34:57
IP Address: 130.150.112.143

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Disclosure
As it was with the 2MT review, again it is important to me to have the reader understand that I have a non-financially tied interaction with BESL and its designer. I have Web known BESL's founder/designer for over 7 years. I have only briefly met him in the non-Web world once. We haunted the same loudspeaker home constructor web sites/forums. He has always had the BESL business during that time but has shared his extensive xover and measurement knowledge to home constructors. So for those who don't like these type of ties or this disclosure, I suggest you hit the back button on your browser and read no further.
Second Disclosure
After over three decades in the home constructor hobby I have generated my own tastes and biases. It seems that the vast majority of home constructor types at one time or another, myself included, equated hi-tech with advancements in hi-fi. Stiff cones like carbon fiber, Kevlar, metal and others are hi-tech. More often than not the stiff cones are detailed and have exciting response, BUT at the price of nasty cone breakups. TOO many gatherings of home constructors have the "new hi-tech material" speaker with extreme detail usually mated with shrieking/grating/sterile tone. No soul. My bias is that once you get past the "unbelievable resolution and detail" the lightness, soullessness and cone breakups turn quickly to fatigue and unattachment. This is also prevalent in the commercial offerings. Just because one puts something up for sale, does not automatically mean that it is well done or implemented. Of the dozens of commercial offerings that utilize the Seas Excel Mag cones, I have only heard 2 that overcome the "advantages" of the Seas Mag Metal. Keep this bias of mine in mind while reading the remainder of this document.
Model description
Stand mounted monitor two way dynamic loudspeaker. Midbass is a SEAS Excel Magnesium 18 cm unit with copper pole piece phase plug . Tweeter is 27mm softdome tweeter also by SEAS , it is the highest model Millennium. Drivers are not vertically aligned, with mirror image tweeter offsets to reduce diffraction effects. Enclosure is the same 0.5 cubic ft unit used in the 2MT. The enclosure manufacturer BESL uses creates very fine, high quality units in both fit and function. You will find that units are styled along the classic lines of ProAc, Totem or Splendor. There are no sensuous Italian curves but well per portioned height to width to depth plan form. The pair I had were light colored Beech, which I think complements the highlights of the SEAS copper in pole piece and tweeter ring, plus the grey shade of Mag midbass.
The unit is really only two thirds of an entire system. The Unit is intended to be used with a bass unit, but shipping the full unit was not feasible. The 5MT is sealed and is only acoustically high passed, ie it has no xover to keep the bass signal out, but the enclosure and loading limit bass. This is by design as it is intended to be augmented by a well healed bass/sub unit.
Systems and Rooms description.
Setup A - Tube Pre/SS Amp/Tube Dac/large room
Setup B - SS Pre/SS Amp/Tube Dac/large room
Setup C - Tube Pre/SET Amp/Tube Dac/large room
Setup D - Tube Pre/PP Amp Ultra/Tube Dac/large room
Setup E - Tube Pre/PP Amp Triode/Tube Dac/large room
Setup F - SS Integrated/Changer/small room
Placement A - Audio Physic wide space, toe in and back wall sit
Placement B - Audio Physic wide space, little toe in and 3 feet out from back wall
Placement C - Equal distant triangle, little toe in, 3 feet
Selections - .
Vocals, old/new, male/female
Solo Piano
Traditional and Modern Jazz
Classic Rock
Performance synopsis
As the designer informed me, this 5MT unit is not a stand by it self monitor. If you listen for even a short period without some well healed bass/sub augmentation, it becomes clear that this unit is incomplete. The 5MT was designed specifically for mating with a BESL bass unit or possibly some decent sub. Now even though the designer says the same thing about bass augmentation requirement for the 2MT, I felt that the 2MT had a place in the Spica TC, LS3/5a or Sapphire world of models. None of those have substantial bass, but do give a respectable, although lite, standalone performance. The 5MT does NOT work without a bass unit. Again by design. I listened only briefly without a sub,and I can't imagine anyone being satisfied with that presentation. I actually had to use my sub low pass xover at a higher setting than I ever had (well except for a 4" Fostex fullranger creation of mine I tried briefly).
As I stated in my bias, few designers/offerings that utilize the Seas Metal cone, actually figure out how to both tame the breakup and keep the unit from being soooo detailed as to be soulless, sterile or downright offensive. The designer of the 5MT has succeeded in completely removing the breakup, maintaining the lower distortion detail and not removing all soul/texture or natural presentation. One of the quickest ways to tell if the designer got the taming of the nasties down is simply playing tenor sax or trumpet with a vocal overlay at 2 to 3 times LOUDER than you'd ever listen to it. LOUD. If the passage quickly sounds confused/grating/fatiguing, you find your self going over to the knob to turn it down, then the design ain't right. The 5MT's passed this test EXTREMELY well. No ringing, no harshness, no strain, vast "see through" ability. Was able to sustain this LOUD for a long period, say 3 to 5 minutes. Impressive.
I initially started with Setup B, within minutes I knew I would not be going to Setup F. For my bias/preference, there was only going to be little interest/enjoyment in continuing using Solid State. SS feeding the 5MT rendered the typical Hi-Fi sound that is (too) often found at the extreme audio shows/demos and way too often in home constructor gatherings. Some (probably most) folks will really like this sound, not me.
I kept the remainder of my listening to mostly Setup C with brief time with Setup D/E. The Setup C and sub with low pass set at around 85hz made for an enjoyable and mostly satisfying combo. In general, vocals were tipped up, not strident or offensive, but thinner than natural for me. Much like renderings from say top of line JMLabs or B+W. Clearly one must take into account my bias on metal cones for midband, but for vocals give me the 2MT any day. Same is somewhat true for brass instruments like sax or trombone. More resolution, but just some heft, some weight missing.
BUT at the same time, instrumentals void of vocals, classical offerings, strings, percussion (bells cymbals etc), guitar, techno, cool jazz, new wave, piano(mostly), vibraphone, hammered dulcimer, slide, be they small or large group were all done with extremely clean but not sterile presentation. VERY impressive. At all levels the resolution, retrieval and separation were without question world class. Decay on Bags vibe, high-hat brush, first violin, Segovia's fingers were paramount. Truly shows why at times extremely stiff cones have advantages. No smearing ever.
That last point is testament to the xover designer more than even to the technology of the Seas Mag cones.
I can't state the points about extreme "see through" resolution and xover control on metal cone nasties enough times. Switching back to the 2MT and a couple of my creations, highlight what the Seas Mags have going for them. Ability to hear the hairs on the back of a flea stand up. Not in an icy way, just "whoa that is clear".
Conclusions:
I can respect, marvel and understand what these units are and the difficulties overcome to make them perform at this high of a level with extreme resolution. For folks who are followers of marks like JMLabs BE range or Wilson or B+W Kevlar series are going to find the 5MT extremely hard to overlook. Instrumentalist lovers both small venue and large will find great merit in this offering. People who are leaning towards a Magnapan or Merlin TSM or LS 3/5a, especially if vocal selections are a mainstay, will need to audition extensively.
For me, ultimately they are not what I would create. My tastes are more in tune with the 2MT. Which is an advantage that BESL has going for it. Within the multiple selections BESL offers there appear to be marks that carry both a BESL signature of experienced execution of design and breadth of preferences covered.
Could I do as good a job or better given the same raw materials? No it is beyound my skills. And after hearing dozen or more other implementations of Seas Mags I'd say I'm hardly alone.
I have to add this unit to my list of Seas Mag cone based units that do extremely well of not sounding like the vast majority of Seas Mag cone based "Hi-Fi to the extreme" implementations. Snuggles in with marks Joseph Audio Perls and Alon Extremas.

Product Weakness: vocal ranges bit tipped up, fullness missing on some vocal types/wind instruments. Must have real good bass augmentation, not just any run of mill sub will do. Audition well if solid state is your electronics of choice.
Product Strengths: At all levels the resolution, retrieval and separation were without question world class. Extreme "see through" without fatigue. No metal cone breakup contributions. Decay rates vastly superior. Vast technical experience brought to bear is evident.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	several read review
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	several read review
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	several read review
Speakers:	hmmm
Cables/Interconnects:	white ones and black ones
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	many read review
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 week
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition

Product Weakness:	vocal ranges bit tipped up, fullness missing on some vocal types/wind instruments. Must have real good bass augmentation, not just any run of mill sub will do. Audition well if solid state is your electronics of choice.
Product Strengths:	At all levels the resolution, retrieval and separation were without question world class. Extreme "see through" without fatigue. No metal cone breakup contributions. Decay rates vastly superior. Vast technical experience brought to bear is evident.