Product Review -
M&K LCR-75 and Center-75 Home Theater Speakers - May, 1997
By J.D. Moretti
Click to see larger photo |
M&K LCR-75 and Center-75 Home
Theater Speakers; One 1" silk dome tweeter, two 5
1/4" polypropylene mid-bass drivers; Frequency response 72
Hz - 20 kHz ± 2 dB; Nominal impedance 4 Ohms; Bi-wirable; Power
handling 200 watts rms; Sensitivity 90 dB/w/m; Size 14 3/4"H
x 8 3/8"W x 8"D; Weight 18 pounds each; Black vinyl;
$590/pair (LCR-75), $295 (Center-75); Miller & Kreisel Sound
Corporation, 10391 Jefferson Boulevard, Culver City, California
90232; Phone 310-204-2854; Fax 310-202-8782; E-Mail [email protected].
M&K builds subwoofers like a Sherman Tank, so I looked
forward to seeing if their regular speakers are made to the same
standards. The new LCR-75 and Center-75 are small (relatively)
bookshelf speakers with little drivers. The difference between
the LCR and the Center is the placement of the five-way binding
posts (two sets, for bi-wiring) on the back, and the logo on the
front. That is about it. I suppose that is why they call it the
LCR: you could use one for the center if you want . . . even set
it vertically on the TV (a little unstable, but it works).
Although a 1" dome tweeter is pretty standard in most home
theater speakers, I was surprised to see that the mid and bass of
these front channel speakers were handled by 5 1/4" drivers
(wired in parallel). The 200 watt rating means that these are no
ordinary drivers. I am sure that a good portion of the 18 pound
weight is for the magnets on these speakers. Secondly, there are
two identical mid-bass drivers in each enclosure. Before I even
hooked them up, I knew this meant a tight sound. For my bass
guitar, I often use an enclosure with a whole bunch of small
drivers, and it makes the low notes very clean. Easier to keep
small drivers under control. I have to use a lot of them for deep
bass, but in the case of the LCRs, a subwoofer takes care of
everything below about 70 Hz. The M&Ks are rated at 4 Ohms
nominal. This also takes some of the stress off each driver, so
that more volume can be had, without breaking up.
The back of the enclosure has several deeply set aluminum
threaded sockets if you want to attach them to the wall. For my
listening tests, I put them on speaker stands about two feet from
the sides of the 35" direct view TV, and the center channel
speaker on top of the TV. They are magnetically shielded for this
purpose.
These speakers are rated at 10 watts rms minimum, and 200 watts
rms peaks. Because they have a nominal impedance of 4 Ohms, it is
important to have an amplifier capable of delivering plenty of
undistorted power into this load. The average A/V receiver does
not qualify, at least for playing at high SPL. We used them with
numerous components, including the Carver AV-705, Sunfire Cinema
Grand, LLano Monoblocks, McCormack CD System, Audio Alchemy CD
System, Sony CD player, Yamaha LD Player, Yamaha Receiver
(outboard amp connected to pre-outs), Yamaha AC-3 Decoder,
Millennium DTS Decoder, M&K Subwoofer, AudioQuest Cables, and
Nordost Flatline Cables.
In the lab, I found a new LD copy of "The Long Kiss
Goodnight" in DTS. This was my first experience listening to
this technology, so I put it on the LD player and sat back. For a
few seconds, that is. The thunderous DTS opening sound brought me
up and out of the seat before I could even get my knees crossed.
Of course, the M&K MX-5000THX that was in the system helped me to my feet, but
the LCR and Center made my morning for me. Good thing I had
already finished my coffee! I chapter skipped to sections that
had orange sunbursts (gunfire, explosions, etc.), backtracked a
bit, and hit "play". Rata-tata-tata went the assault
rifles, and in one scene, someone came flying out of a window
when some gasoline was set on fire downstairs. People were
screaming and shooting. I could not hear any mid-range mush that
you get with some speakers of lesser abilities during high action
soundtracks. Of course, most of them are cheaper, but if you want
to crank it up during a movie, you gotta have speakers that will
cut it, and that requires coming across with some of the green
paper that has pictures of dead people on the front. These
M&Ks perform just like their subwoofer brother (uncle?). All
bark and snarl, but no bite (harshness). I was kind of awed by
the treble cleanliness. Totally non-fatiguing over long periods
of listening. Really up front, but not in your face. Loud, sweet,
and gorgeous, just like my wife. Getting a silk dome to kick tail
is not easy. Hats off to Ken.
I also listened to some CDs in Pro Logic surround sound mode, and
some of the new DTS-encoded CDs that we have in the lab. Again,
the treble was right there, but I didn't feel like putting my
hands over my ears, as I do with some speakers. Voices were very
natural, with no chestiness. A look at the frequency response
tests below shows that they don't have any bumps in the 120 Hz -
160 Hz area (bumps in this region would make them sound chesty).
Since the center channel speaker is identical to the LCRs, sounds
moving from one side, through center, and to the other side, were
very smooth. There was a tiny bit of difference, but I think this
was more a result of the unavoidable reflection from the front of
the TV screen, rather than the fact that the center channel
speaker was sitting horizontally as opposed to the vertical
postion of the front left/right speakers. It would appear to me
that this model is really designed with home theater primarily in
mind rather than using a pair for plain vanilla stereo music. The
tightness just cries out for bigtime movie soundtracks, and they
produce tremendous volume from relatively small enclosures.
Frequency Response Test Results - 1 meter, left speaker, grille
cloth off, SPL set to approximately 80 dB at 1 kHz (Note: these
tests are in a live room, not in an anechoic chamber. The results
you get in your own room may be different.):
20 Hz - 60.3 dB
25 Hz - 56.4 dB
31.5 Hz - 60.4 dB
40 Hz - 55.6 dB
50 Hz - 62.7 dB
63 Hz - 69.1 dB
80 Hz - 73.2 dB
100 Hz - 81.3 dB
125 Hz - 72.3 dB
160 Hz - 80.7 dB
200 Hz - 81.4 dB
500 Hz - 78.8 dB
800 Hz - 84.2 dB
1 kHz - 80.2 dB
2.5 kHz - 79.9 dB
5 kHz - 85.3 dB
8 kHz - 83.5 dB
10 kHz - 84.3 dB
12.5 kHz - 86.7 dB
15 kHz - 85.7 dB
18 kHz - 84.7 dB
Frequency Response Test Results - 13 feet, left speaker, grille
cloth off, SPL set to approximately 80 dB at 1 kHz (Note: these
tests are in a live room, not in an anechoic chamber. The results
you get in your own room may be different.):
20 Hz - 57.1 dB
25 Hz - 60.4 dB
31.5 Hz - 67.7 dB
40 Hz - 54.8 dB
50 Hz - 59.7 dB
63 Hz - 61.3 dB
80 Hz - 78.3 dB
100 Hz -79.9 dB
125 Hz - 79.8 dB
160 Hz - 69.2 dB
200 Hz - 80.0 dB
500 Hz - 82.5 dB
800 Hz - 61.7 dB
1 kHz - 80.4 dB
2.5 kHz - 79.0 dB
5 kHz - 82.8 dB
8 kHz - 84.0 dB
10 kHz - 79.9 dB
12.5 kHz - 79.8 dB
15 kHz - 76.5 dB
18 kHz - 76.2 dB
Conclusion: M&K scores highly with these new home theater
speakers. Obviously, a subwoofer is required to make the system
sing full spectrum, but a good sub helps ANY system. A pair would
go nicely in the rear as well, where AC-3 and DTS promise to test
their mettle. The LCR-75 and Center-75 are well worth
auditioning.
J.D. Moretti
© Copyright 1995, 1996, 1997
Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue.