Mission M35i and Norge 1000...First experiences

[suprateep]

Congrats Columbus... nice review, so lively...

Supra: It would be good if you can give Columbus some advise on burn in period for M35is and how better it can be done.

i generally belive in playing a lot of genres of music and at different volume settings - only after a month or so the results will start showing. BTW I hope good quality speaker cables are used for the m35.

ALso try removing the sponge bungs from the ports at the back - the bass will be less boomy and the treble might be a li sharper but nice.

The midrange will appear cleaner after say 50-100 hours of playback.

 

[Just_in]

Hi Columbus

Congratulations for your new stereo setup.

Mention about Philips powerhouse reminded me about my college days. It was
my neighbour's pride and my envy in 1993-95....my neighbour had that 240 w pmpo one. What I listened first in that were cassettes of Baazigar and Tiruda tiruda ....Truely a good system...after that were the logic Tape deck era.

One more thing...Norge 1000 will sound better when the volume knob moves to 12 ' O clock position, but if you are in an apartment, I doubt when can you do so..(without getting a knock from your neighbour at you door asking you to down the volume).

Happy listening ....

 

[srikarkav]

Hi,

That was a honest review. Your delight will increase as the speakers break in further. Do experiment with the positioning of the speakers a bit.

Have a blast mate!

cheers,
sri

 

[AMITNOIDA]

Thank you Columbus for your honest posting. I think most of us have budget problem while purchasing stereo system. I am also working in PSU but luckily posted in Delhi since last 5 years. Earlier I was in Barauni, a small town in Bihar, where one can not dream of other than LG, Samsung, Philips etc.

Now after coming to Delhi, I have got my computer assembled taking help from the forums like 'chip', Techenclave' etc. and I am highly satisfied with it, specially with Asus Xonar soundcard and my Sennheiser HD 515 headphone. Yes you are correct, after building my PC and plan to use it as source I am now searching for my 2.0 stereo setup (speakers and Amp). Meanwhile, I have started to build up my CD stock, mainly through online purchase from 'Rhythmhouse' at Mumbai and also from 'Amazon.usa'. I like Pop, Rock (old 80s) and Fusion music. Slowly getting the taste of Jazz and Blue also.

I am yet to select my 2.0 system. But I like the valve amp and ultimately go for it. To match with valve amp, I am looking for Bookshelf (I don't have space and room size for Floorstanders) with high sensitivity. I so far could take audition of Tannoy and M.S. speakers. Tannoy Reveal 6 - Studio monitor is found to be a contender. But I'm in dilemma due to its revealing and clinical performance (generally delivered by Studio monitor) and its suitability for home use. Few more brands like PSB, Usher, Klipsch etc. are on the cards. Ofcourse, Dali and Quad are also good brands and available at Delhi. But problem is neither of the above three brands (PSB, Usher and Klipsch) are available at Delhi. ARN systems (Usher dealer) has plan to open their showroom at Delhi in August'09. Let me see, I can wait...

Cloumbus, congrats for your newly acquired treasure. Wish you happy listening and real bliss.

 

[columbus]

positioning is important with the m35 in a smaller room and someetime these require no toe-ins for that perfect sound. With bad quality source material or mp3's the boominess comes in - i tried it with original CDs and mp3s at 256kbps - so stick with good source material.

I was myslef gunning for the Norge 1000 and probably will buy it but for the last 3 days I am sticking to the Miniwatt - and IMHO the sound staging is on of the best i have heard and I never belived that the missions could be this nice.

Onlyy glitch with the missions - had the sensitivity been a little higher (its 91-92dB) - i would not have to play the miniwatt at 80-905 volume to reach ref. levels. Overall my experience with the missions over the last 5 months have been exceptional.

Yes i am sticking to original audio cds. The cables as i mentioned are 12AWG from Monoprice. I was convinced by the logic that more the cross section lesser is the resistance. Hence went for it. May be later i will experiment with some better cables.

Just a querry ....there is a lot of discussions regarding speaker cables but what about cables for connecting the Cd player to the AMP. Currently using the ones which came with OPPO but they are so thin and flimsy....
Any suggestions for this ...??

Also currently my OPPO's volume level was full and i am listening at 9:00 clock position of the amp. However i can reduce the vol of OPPO and increase that of the amp. What is better....??

congrats man, this happiness is all that this hi-fi quest is all about! And I totally identify with your pushing the budget situation.

I started two months back thinking I'll buy a CD player to go with my Audioengine 2s. I've got the CD player now. Then I wanted to upgrade the Audioengine 2 to the Audioengine 5. Now it's become a quest for a separate amp speaker combo, and it looks like I am going to be spending about 30k on the amp and speakers.

I am hoping that once i buy this amp and speakers, I won't get the upgrade bug for some time at least.

...yeah its like a chakravuh out which abhimanyu could not come out..:lol:

Congrats Columbus... nice review, so lively...

Supra: It would be good if you can give Columbus some advise on burn in period for M35is and how better it can be done.

Thanks.....have been playing them for about 3 hrs a day with all sorts of music..hope this is good enough for burn in..

 

[columbus]

Hi Columbus

Congratulations for your new stereo setup.

Mention about Philips powerhouse reminded me about my college days. It was
my neighbour's pride and my envy in 1993-95....my neighbour had that 240 w pmpo one. What I listened first in that were cassettes of Baazigar and Tiruda tiruda ....Truely a good system...after that were the logic Tape deck era.

One more thing...Norge 1000 will sound better when the volume knob moves to 12 ' O clock position, but if you are in an apartment, I doubt when can you do so..(without getting a knock from your neighbour at you door asking you to down the volume).

Happy listening ....

yeah that power house was certainly our pride in those days...

At 12:00 clock position i bet my neighbours windows will break...!!

Hi,

That was a honest review. Your delight will increase as the speakers break in further. Do experiment with the positioning of the speakers a bit.

Have a blast mate!

cheers,
sri

Thanks srikarkav..

Thank you Columbus for your honest posting. I think most of us have budget problem while purchasing stereo system. I am also working in PSU but luckily posted in Delhi since last 5 years. Earlier I was in Barauni, a small town in Bihar, where one can not dream of other than LG, Samsung, Philips etc.

Now after coming to Delhi, I have got my computer assembled taking help from the forums like 'chip', Techenclave' etc. and I am highly satisfied with it, specially with Asus Xonar soundcard and my Sennheiser HD 515 headphone. Yes you are correct, after building my PC and plan to use it as source I am now searching for my 2.0 stereo setup (speakers and Amp). Meanwhile, I have started to build up my CD stock, mainly through online purchase from 'Rhythmhouse' at Mumbai and also from 'Amazon.usa'. I like Pop, Rock (old 80s) and Fusion music. Slowly getting the taste of Jazz and Blue also.

I am yet to select my 2.0 system. But I like the valve amp and ultimately go for it. To match with valve amp, I am looking for Bookshelf (I don't have space and room size for Floorstanders) with high sensitivity. I so far could take audition of Tannoy and M.S. speakers. Tannoy Reveal 6 - Studio monitor is found to be a contender. But I'm in dilemma due to its revealing and clinical performance (generally delivered by Studio monitor) and its suitability for home use. Few more brands like PSB, Usher, Klipsch etc. are on the cards. Ofcourse, Dali and Quad are also good brands and available at Delhi. But problem is neither of the above three brands (PSB, Usher and Klipsch) are available at Delhi. ARN systems (Usher dealer) has plan to open their showroom at Delhi in August'09. Let me see, I can wait...

Cloumbus, congrats for your newly acquired treasure. Wish you happy listening and real bliss.

Thanks mate.. You are lucky that you can audition so many brands. Happy hunting...
BTW...how much does a Asus Xonar sound card costs...??

 

[murali_n]

Just a querry ....there is a lot of discussions regarding speaker cables but what about cables for connecting the Cd player to the AMP. Currently using the ones which came with OPPO but they are so thin and flimsy....
Any suggestions for this ...??

Hai Columbus,

For Interconnects try Moster IC(from MX Electronics@ Rs.600/-) or Bandridge (Rs.250/-), the latter sound great. Try it and you will feel the difference

Thanks,

N Murali.

 

[jeevabobby26]

Hi columbus,

A very good review of your systems initial stage, you will be delightened after some long burn-in of different genres of music as said by suprateep, coz he also having the same mission monster just five months old like you.

Enjoy your music session..............man

cheers:cheers:man for and your monster singer

 

[vivekam]

:lol:...you forgot to add one ice cream parlour in New market..:lol:

Top'nTown man. How can I forget that place.

 

[himadri]

Hi columbus
like u i also spent 5 years doing my engg in bhopal and am also in a public sector like u in a small town in chattisgarh, but passed out earlier than you.
My earlier exposure was rock in college and later shifted to jazz as i started working.
I also has phillips, sonodyde and norge throughout my earlier days.
In the last 7 years or so i went to entry level high end and my life has never been the same.
Yes, psu salary is a botheration but the payoffs are immense in aquiring a quality product.(a supportive spouse in mandatory though)
quality sound is something which not only you enjoy , but it also teaches your children to appreciate and value benchmark levels in all walks of life .
Welcome aboard.

 

[thevortex]

Congrats Columbus! Nice that you still went for a integrated amp based stereo system where the temptation could have been to settle for an AV Receiver-speaker combo.

Regarding the boominess, I have noticed that even in the smaller Missions (M33i). This speaker needs a lot of room and if your room is small, not much can be done regarding boominess. But the fact that you say that this is apparent only in certain recordings is promising.

All the very best.

 

[AMITNOIDA]

Hi Columbus,

Asus Xonar Essence soundcard costed me Rs. 7800. I purchased it from a seller 'Redbull' in 'Techenclave' forum. The deal was very smooth and pleasant.

Amit

 

[columbus]

Congrats Columbus! Nice that you still went for a integrated amp based stereo system where the temptation could have been to settle for an AV Receiver-speaker combo.

Regarding the boominess, I have noticed that even in the smaller Missions (M33i). This speaker needs a lot of room and if your room is small, not much can be done regarding boominess. But the fact that you say that this is apparent only in certain recordings is promising.

All the very best.

There was no temptation for AV Receiver speaker combo since by the time a DVD of a hindi movie is released me & my family have either seen in a cinema hall or it gets screened in our company club. So till the time DVDs get released within a week of movie release there was no point in going for an AVR.

As for the boominess it was there only a couple of gazal Cds. The other Cds from Rock to Hindi film played excellently. No boominess.
I have kept the speakers along the length (room size 15x12) with 0.5 meter distance from the back wall as recommended in the manual. The space from side wall is about 0.3 meter.

 

[rallynut]

u could always try to play them with the foam bungs in place.keeps the bass in check,even tho i preferred otherwise.and dont hesitate to experiment with placement.regardin burning them in,do look at my thread 'pink noise for speaker burn in'.will give u a good idea what ive done.even though theyve only done about 75+ hrs,they sound great.enjoy,cheers

 

[ash147]

Thanks guys for all your support.

here is the initial SQ reports. But do take it with a pinch of salt. The best Hi-Fi i have ever heared is my car audio system. An original pioneer cd player
paired with kenwood 4 way 6x9 speakers in back and front door speakers which came in stock in my car. So no audiophile history. Also i hear a bit loud so my wife thinks i am half deaf. So again take this review with a pinch of salt...

I listen to many types of music ...70s-80s rock, good hindi film music..like Taare Jameen pe, Rock on, Jism...gazals from Jagjit & Chitra singh, old 70s 80s hindi film music like...ijaazat, arth, masoom,ghar.....infact i hear anything which i feel like hearing. But to classify broadly 40% Rock, 35% Hindi Film and rest 25% to gazals.

The Missions were purchased from Vijay Sales mumbai prabhadevi branch. Talked to Robert on phone. Deposited the amount in their ICICI account. The missions are available ex stock now and no waiting period. Choice of colours were 2 Beach or Black ash. I chose Black for i like equipments to be Black. They were shipped by Blue Dart and was charged a bit steep amount of shipping 2750/- which i had pay on delivery. An MP govt form no. 50 is required to sent along with the shipment which i had to send to Blue Dart mumbai. The speakers arrived safely at my home...

Hi Columbus
First of all a big congrats from my side on intellegently assembling a superb quality audio system.If I wud have been a member of this xceptionally great forum 2 yrs ago I wud not have to waste my hard earned money in buying a HTiB and thinking of upgrading my setup so early.I bought an Onkyo HTiB 2 yrs ago.As m very fond of music I thought this setup wud serve a dual purpose of movies and music with xceptional quality in both.using d system over a period of time one fine day it suddenly struck me that d audio quality of the music CDs being thrown out of the speakers is pathetic.ppl had much better systems for music.now i just can't simply throw out or sell my system and buy a new one.so I surfed the internet xtensively posting my query and luckly stopped by this forum.Since then there's no looking back.Very recently,on 26th July to be precise, I replaced my front speakers with Mission M 34i monsters.This is one model lower than ur M 35i and are perfect for my room size.I had personally met Robert @ vijay sales around the time ur speakers were dispatched to u 'cause he did mention someone (now i know that's u ) ordering a pair of M 35i.Now I want to go in for a 2 channel amp and Norge fits my bill.but robert's views on norge were not favourable towards norge.he was mentioning norge has a high distortion etc and will not be able 2 handle mission's properly.But your review of ur setup has one again reposed my faith in norge.can u pls enlighten me why u went for M35i and not M 34i which are lesser in cost? i know this cud be ur personal choice but should be based on some criteria.my setup now sounds wonderful and am discovering many sounds in my old CDs which were absent when I used to hear them on my old setup.am also waiting for the burn in period for my speakers to get over.My TV also sounds better with missions.
one last question how did u go about buying ur norge ? I had sent a mail to Mr Bajaj @ norge more than a month ago and haven't still received a reply.
Anyways congrats again for a lovely setup.

 

[columbus]

Hi Columbus
First of all a big congrats from my side on intellegently assembling a superb quality audio system.If I wud have been a member of this xceptionally great forum 2 yrs ago I wud not have to waste my hard earned money in buying a HTiB and thinking of upgrading my setup so early.I bought an Onkyo HTiB 2 yrs ago.As m very fond of music I thought this setup wud serve a dual purpose of movies and music with xceptional quality in both.using d system over a period of time one fine day it suddenly struck me that d audio quality of the music CDs being thrown out of the speakers is pathetic.ppl had much better systems for music.now i just can't simply throw out or sell my system and buy a new one.so I surfed the internet xtensively posting my query and luckly stopped by this forum.Since then there's no looking back.Very recently,on 26th July to be precise, I replaced my front speakers with Mission M 34i monsters.This is one model lower than ur M 35i and are perfect for my room size.I had personally met Robert @ vijay sales around the time ur speakers were dispatched to u 'cause he did mention someone (now i know that's u ) ordering a pair of M 35i.Now I want to go in for a 2 channel amp and Norge fits my bill.but robert's views on norge were not favourable towards norge.he was mentioning norge has a high distortion etc and will not be able 2 handle mission's properly.But your review of ur setup has one again reposed my faith in norge.can u pls enlighten me why u went for M35i and not M 34i which are lesser in cost? i know this cud be ur personal choice but should be based on some criteria.my setup now sounds wonderful and am discovering many sounds in my old CDs which were absent when I used to hear them on my old setup.am also waiting for the burn in period for my speakers to get over.My TV also sounds better with missions.
one last question how did u go about buying ur norge ? I had sent a mail to Mr Bajaj @ norge more than a month ago and haven't still received a reply.
Anyways congrats again for a lovely setup.

Hi! ash...

Many congratulations on your purchase of Missions. They are sheer VFM.
As for the decision of going for M35i ...I was not keen on adding a sub later in my set up. With M35is i no am no longer feeling the need of a sub. They produce some serious bass. ...Initially there was some Boominess but increased the distance of the speakers and that boomines is all gone. Now they are a good 1 metre away from back wall....
Some positioning help was given by our forum memeber Bobby who is from Bhopal.... he is giving great help and advice..:clapping:
When he came to audition my set up....i suddenly felt that treble was sounding harsh. The reason for it was earlier i was listening with a sofa cum bed in the room with bed open position. This was absorbing all the treble....but when bobby came ...i had pushed it back to sofa position ...revealing all the marble flooring beneath...which increased the treble beyond my licking. Also the foam bungs at the back of the upper port was missing in one of the speakers.
Now i have put foam in the upper port and treble has controlled to some extent. I also plan to put a carpet. My side walls are also bare....will require some heavy curtains...!! Hope this would control the treble...

As for the Norge....I generally listen at 9-10 O clock position with Cd players volume full...at this levels music sounds perfect to me...however at higher amp volumes the treble increases beyond my liking...

Me and Bobby plan to experiment with mixing our setups to identify which component is contributing for high treble...Norge or ICs or cables or Cd players....

As for Norge i am surprised you did not get the reply from Mr.Bajaj in a month. Mine was like next day......

But still i find Norge VFM....cant ask for more and i did not had the budget for going higher....

If are in Mumbai then you can try auditioning Norge at your home. I am sure Mr. bajaj will help you out..

All the best...and congrats once again...

 

[ash147]

Hi! ash...

Many congratulations on your purchase of Missions. They are sheer VFM.
As for the decision of going for M35i ...I was not keen on adding a sub later in my set up. With M35is i no am no longer feeling the need of a sub. They produce some serious bass. ...Initially there was some Boominess but increased the distance of the speakers and that boomines is all gone. Now they are a good 1 metre away from back wall....
Some positioning help was given by our forum memeber Bobby who is from Bhopal.... he is giving great help and advice..:clapping:
When he came to audition my set up....i suddenly felt that treble was sounding harsh. The reason for it was earlier i was listening with a sofa cum bed in the room with bed open position. This was absorbing all the treble....but when bobby came ...i had pushed it back to sofa position ...revealing all the marble flooring beneath...which increased the treble beyond my licking. Also the foam bungs at the back of the upper port was missing in one of the speakers.
Now i have put foam in the upper port and treble has controlled to some extent. I also plan to put a carpet. My side walls are also bare....will require some heavy curtains...!! Hope this would control the treble...

As for the Norge....I generally listen at 9-10 O clock position with Cd players volume full...at this levels music sounds perfect to me...however at higher amp volumes the treble increases beyond my liking...

Me and Bobby plan to experiment with mixing our setups to identify which component is contributing for high treble...Norge or ICs or cables or Cd players....

As for Norge i am surprised you did not get the reply from Mr.Bajaj in a month. Mine was like next day......

But still i find Norge VFM....cant ask for more and i did not had the budget for going higher....

If are in Mumbai then you can try auditioning Norge at your home. I am sure Mr. bajaj will help you out..

All the best...and congrats once again...

Hi Columbus

Pls tell me on which mail ID did u contact Mr Bajaj ? Also I want to know which foam plugs are u talking about ? I did not find any PLUG along with my speakers.And why are these plugs required ?
Thanks & regards

 

[suprateep]

Hi Columbus
Also I want to know which foam plugs are u talking about ? I did not find any PLUG along with my speakers.And why are these plugs required ?
Thanks & regards

hey anm on the back of each of the speakers you will see two ports one bigger and another smaller on the top. These can be put in place to as to control the bass (bigger) or treble (smaller port) in a restricted environment (read smaller room).

By default there are two foam bungs (one bigger & another smaller) covering both the ports. If they are not present you can just use clean cloth or cut out a piece of foam yourself.

 

[columbus]

Ash...

Try the phone no. given on the Norge website. Its a phone cum Fax. But the Fax does not work . They will give you the mobile no. of Mr. Bajaj. I have some how misplaced the no.

As for the foam plugs the M35i's have a small port at the back near the top.
This is apart from the big port at the bottom. I don't know about the M34s.

One sponge plug was missing in my speakers. On removing the plugs the sound opens up a bit but the treble also increases beyond my liking. hence i just put a sofa foam plug in those port.