highs, mids, lows. Off-axis sound

Cabinets

I just got back from comparing the new model, SSM-F600H, to the "old" 515's at a Best Buy store, and I can forcefully state that the new towers improve on the old models in every way. The new "neo-fine"(?) tweeter is sweeter, and the 2 8" woofers supply vastly better bass. But I think the best upgrade was the new 3" poly mid-range, that sounds MUCH better than the old paper unit.
I consider myself a very knowledgeable enthusiast, and I can't say enough about these speakers. I liked them better, much better than anything on the floor at Best Buy, including the top-line JBL towers at $800/pr. The JBL's sounnded honkier and recessed compared to the Sonys; the detail and air and sweetness just were not there!

I am not one to believe a lot of hype that I read on these sites, but I can say without hesitation that Sony, of all companies, has an absolute sleeper on their hands, a full-range speaker that probably has 95% of the detail, accuracy and dynamics of the better 1.5K Paradigm towers.

I plan to buy a set of these, and a set of 1k+ floor standers, and do a side-by-side in my home. I'll write about my findings then!

Audition these!

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm studo 80's, JBL's

sturdy box

the cover is weak and see through

I was a little wary about these speakers, because I didnt want to have to buy a subwoofer as I am a college student and on a VERY limited budget, but after reading some reviews and looking at the speakers on other sites, I decided to give these a go. DRUM ROLL... they are excellent, i dont need a subwoofer. The 4 8s are plenty of base, anymore would be overkill. I must admit I dont have the biggest space to fill up, so maybe thats where these others found the base lacking, but this is excellent in my room. I would definetely recommend them to anyone for the price I got. These are the 600s btw.

Bang for the buck! Great bass, clear highs, good mids

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Some of the reviews I have read don't sound like the same Sony SS MF-600H duo I just got for Christmas. These speakers are great! Really what suprised me about what I am reading is "poor bass". I have to admit I have enough power to run a club, but these speakers PUT OUT. They sound pretty good even when maxed out on power(1000 watt Onkyo). They can't take it all, but they do what the specs claim. Anyway, as far as the bass comments go, the first DVD I watched was last night-Pearl Harbor. Thirty minutes in, my neighbor was knocking @ my door. His words were "hey man, I hate to bug you, but my house is shaking. Do you think you could turn it down, or mostly it's just the bass I hear". I obliged him, but I was watching a movie, not having a party. The bass is there. No speaker does without enough power.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood towers, cerwin vega,

Good, natural sound for the price

Little punch to bass

When I was single, and money was no object, I looked for the best I could find and then would save to buy it. Now, being married with 4 children, my budget is very tight. Since all my old equipment is gone, I went to find the best I could find for the money that I had. I listened to everything Best Buy had (for comparison). I thought that I would have to settle for low performance. I must say that these speakers were the best sounding there, according to my ears, and by far not the most expensive. I even listened to the smaller single 6 1/2" speakers and they sounded good. I use a Teac 10-band equalizer to increase the bass (the bass in the store was rather punchy and clean; but, can't always reproduce what you hear in the store). If I turn of the e.q., the sound is nearly exactly the same except for a little less bass. At the moment, between the e.q. and the settings on my Kenwood receiver, the bass is good (clear and slightly punchy reaching the low 30KHZ ranges). If I accidently bump a setting, I'll probably kick myself because it won't be as good. Overall, though, I am well impressed with there natural sound, for the price.

Highs, Mids, Looks, and Imaging

Bass is alright, but no punch and the woofers start to "pop" at around halfway on songs with a large amount of bass.

I agree with the previous review (about the SS-MF600H) about these speakers. Everything is very nice sounding except that there is not enough bass. However, the highs are great: I can hear things in music that I've not heard before. The mids also sound great, and the imaging is excellent: you can hear where each instrument in music. They are good for every type of music, except rap if you're a bass junkie or like to play music extremely loud. They are even better for home theater since that is what they were made for. Also, I read somewhere that DVD's frequency range stretch far above 20khz, so it is pretty convient that these are the first speakers to go up way past 20khz all the way to 50khz (even though you can't hear past 20khz, it supposedly makes it sound more realistic). I dont have a DVD player at the moment, but I'm sure it's going to sound great. Overall, these are great for somebody who wants top end sound from a decently priced speaker.

To improve the bass, I'm looking for a matching (idealy I'd like Sony) subwoofer, anyone have any suggestions? (I'm leaning towards the SAW-M20, M40, or SAW305)

great sound, good looks

none

Actually I am writing to ask a question of everyone who has purchased these speakers. Did anyone add extra polyfill to the cabinets when they did the crossover surgery? I know in a car stereo box, adding cotton or polyfill can dramatically increase bass response and/or punch. My cabinets had a little ugly black polyfill at the top, and another small batch at the bottom (near the port). Has anyone experimented with adding additional fill? I might try it, as I currently performing the crossover install. I got one done last night, working on the second one tonight. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks.

Similar Products Used:

none

Like most of people here, I bought it because of its value more than 1 year ago, especially just by looking at its spec. Recently I was thinking about getting a new pair for 50/50 music/HT. After auditioning, I was going to buy NHT SuperTwo for $600, literally the next day, then I read this forum about mod. So I decided to give a try.

I ordered the part from partexpress and bought 16 gauge speaker wire from radio shack. I did the mod on one so that I can compare them. The first CD I try is Enigma, I was not impressed, to say the least. Maybe I'm used to the original little-mushy-like bass, which I like better in my opinion. Then I pop in Metallica's black album, G'N'R, etc. WOW, the midrange and tweeter sounds SO much better. It may sound a little harsh at first, but I love it now. I won't get any speakers under $1000 any time soon. The SuperTwo's bass may sounds better(at dealer's show room), but it is not worthy swapping, considering it as whole.

One little tip on the mod, for people who are rusty on soder iron(like me), it makes a lot easier if you can find the right size of soderless connectors. I couldn't find them at RadioShack, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. Then I walked into a local audio shop which is still half-opened and they don't sell them either. But lucky for me, the people who are there installing the car audio for the audio shop are kind enough to give the parts out of their tool box. My advice to try AutoZone, Advanced Auto Parts, etc.

Thanks for all the info on this board and especially Mike's and Bob's emails.

My system is all Sony's, DE835 for receiver, DVP-S330 for DVD player, with front bass set to +5dB.

Recommend the speakers to anyone who wants to spend less than $800, and the mod is almost a must.

Nice Bass, good Mids and Highs...Price

Muddy Bass(These things over powered my subwoofer

First I have to thank everyone who reviewed these speakers because normally I wouldn't have bought these speakers(I'm not a sony speaker fan).

I bought the speakers and the crossovers at the same time because I figured if everyone else can tell the difference then why bother waiting? But just like everything in life my plans got screwed and I ended up listening to these speakers for about three weeks before I had a chance to do the mod. Before they sounded okay but the bass was way overbearing to the point where I turned the subwoofer off. After I did the mod my wife even notice the difference in the sound...couple these speakers with the cr-490 surround speakers and a decent reciever (I have the pioneer vsxd-509s) and you'll have a nice home entertainment system.

Similar Products Used:

Eight year old pioneer rack system.

Yeah, after thinking it over I'm gonna give these a 4.5 stars (thus I'm giving them a 5 now to balance out the 4 I gave previously). The new crossover really did make a tremendous difference, with the modification these speakers are an incredible value.

I purchased these speakers at Best Buy for $100 each, open box. I had my eye on them since they were first released. These speakers are great for home theater. I give them a 4 star rating.