coherence

ultimate bass

I am writing about Revolution80i not 60i.These speakers have soul.They are not your typical audiophile things.On well recorded acoustic material they do remind me of the sound of real instruments and I know what it is;some years ago I heard Paco De Lucia(the greatest flamenco guitarist) play.If you eliminate the resonance the sound will have no life,and the speakers are allowed to resonate.But do not turn the volume up too much.They are not for big rooms and parties.Loud is one thing,insanely loud is another.The sound is emotional,powerful,natural,dynamic;bass is very good for the size.Soundstage is the way it should be,not bigger than life.Excellent for vocals,guitar music,violin.Very good for jazz,jazz-rock,blues,folk-rock,rock.Great, original job indeed.I use C.E.C 5100z cd-player,Audiolab 8000LX integrated(60 watts per channel),Cardas Quadlink5 cables throughout.Get them if you can.

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I ordered the Revolution series speaker from Audio Advisors as a close-out model. I don't know if Michael Green Designs (MGD) will continue producing speakers, but this model is a modest success. At its original price of $1350 it was a very competent design in demonstrating all of the audiophile virtues of imaging, cohesion and extended frequency range, not to mention extremely good looks and a furniture quality build. It's only defect is perhaps some dryness, like enough to blow-dry one's hair (only kidding). So it is not sweet sounding, whatever that is, and whether that implies accuracy, or not. At Audio Advisor's price of $499 it is killer, and by the way it plays music and is easy to drive. I have owned Vandersteen and Celestion and I don't regret owning and listening to these babies. Yes, they are audiophile speakers: They make you want to listen to music through them.

Having recently upgraded my complete home theater, I decided it was time to upgrade my audio system as well. Although I had a relatively generous budget I am always looking for a good value. I had not even heard of this speaker designer, but after spending 30 minutes on the phone with Michael Green himself I felt that I must at least seek out more information on what appeared to be a very viable design philosophy.
It did not take long to find that little has been written or said about any of his speakers. I did however, find in my internet search that Audio Advisor was closing out these speakers at $499 for the black and $599 for the cherry. At almost 60% off list I decided to give them a try.

After some 100 hours of break-in and listening time I would like to make some observations. First off I must say that the fit and finish is first rate. I opted for the cherry models and even though I have suspisions that these are
"B" stock, they are very fine indeed.

My first impressions were favorable, and as time passed this did not change. They are detailed and open with a wide soundstage that improves greatly with quality electronics. They are sensitive to placement in my small "live" room, but reward the effort made tweaking the cabinet controls and making slight changes with regard to positioning, with much improved sound. Bass extension was very satisfying for such a compact floorstanding speaker with suprisingly visceral impact. The highs are smooth if not a little laid back compared to many of the other speakers that would compete at this price point.

After comparing these side by side for 2 weeks in my home with the Thiel 1.5's I decided to purchase both the 60i and the Thiel 1.5. The 1.5's were just a little better in every regard and considerably better with regard to sound stage depth.

All things considered, the Michael Green Design 60i is one very fine sounding speaker I couldn't send back. At Audio Advisors price it is an absolute steal, but even at the list of $1400 for the cherry it is still a real bargain. If you are fortunate enough to be able to audition these, do yourself a favor and take the time.

After being initially impressed by the design and performance of some of Michael Green's acoustic room treatments, and having spent a considerable amount of time discussing acoustic properties with Michael Green, I decided to find out a little more about his speakers.
It did not take me long to determine that little to no information was available on any of his speakers. I was unable to turn up a single review or even some comments that made mention of MGD(Michael Green Designs) speakers. What I did turn up however, was Audio Advisors close-out price on the Revolution 60i of $599 for the Cherry finished models. At $800 off of the list price I decided to give them a try.

In putting together a "music only" system for the living room I was being forced to a number of restraints, including but not limited to asthetics. While my wife was largely responsible for defining this criteria in terms of size, shape, and finish, I wanted reasonably low frequency extension and was aware of the needs for our small, live listening area.

The fit and finish of these speakers are first rate, and although I suspect these are "B" stock they certainly will pass the test of the most discerning eye. (Although we are really just "listening" to them, there is no reason why audio products can't be enjoyable to look at as well.) The packaging materials are a little skimpy which would not pose much of a problem, but these speakers, as far as I can tell, are marketed directly by Michael Green and as such will be mail-ordered by the bulk of his customers.

After listening to them for several hundred hours I feel somewhat qualified to share what I have found. First off I must say that they are immensely enjoyable to listen to. Very revealing with a wide, open soundstage. Imaging is first rate but the depth of the soundfield is rather flat compared to a number of other speakers I auditioned in my system. They are very sensitive to placement and electronics which in my opinion can be a positive experience depending on your desire to "tweak" your system. Low frequecy extention is particularly satisfying when taking into account the dimunitive size of the speaker. The midrage is very open and revealing with the highs sounding just a little rolled off in my room/system.

Of special note is the "tuneability" of this speaker. I was a little skeptical at first and my first experiments with the tuning knobs resulted in little change in the sound. This was primarily a result of my hypothesizing that the two tuning extremes would allow me to hear the full range of change. By setting them in the middle position and slightly changing it from there, I was able to discern small but audible changes in the sound. To call them better or worse would depend on a number of variables, most noteably the listening room and the listener. Suffice it to say that they are a beneficial feature that will allow for "fine tuning" but won't correct something inherently wrong with your system.

I compared these to a number of speakers including the Thiel 1.5, Hales 3, and ML Aerius, to name but a few. Ultimately I elected to not make use of Audio Advisor's return policy. I must admit however, that I purchased the Thiel 1.5 as well. The Thiel's were a little better in every respect (except price), and much better at re-creating a deep soundstage. In addition, the Thiel's low frequency extention was flatter, more accurate, and just plain more enjoyable to listen to. The 60i's are in the family room and receiving a great deal of use.

If you have the opportunity to audition the Revolution 60i's do yourself a favor and take the time, you won't be dissapointed. At $1400 they are a very good buy but at $600 they are an incredible deal.

Related equipment:

Bryston B-60 Integrated Amplifier
Krell KAV 300i Integrated Amplifier
Krell KAV 300CD CD Player
Kimber Cable KAG interconnects and Speaker cable
Room Dimensions - 13'x 16'

Very impressed with the overall presentation and balance of this speaker. Extremely coeherent with excellent resolving power. I have this teamed up with the Krell KAV300i and the 300CD with Kimber Cable KGAC. It has suprising authority for such a small cabinet size. Finish/build quality is first rate. The only unfortunate thing about this speaker is the limited number of dealers and opportunities to audition it. Michael offers a pretty good return and exchange policy so some of the risk has been minimized but it will allow you to have a very long in home audition. Great value!

I actually don't own any of the MGD speakers. I have a question for anyone in the know. I used to go to MG audio in Lawrenceville, GA back in 1985 / 86. The owner / proprietor was Michael Green, and he was pushing a pair of speakers designed by a friend of his named Phillip Ducote' from California.
Does anyone know if this is the same Michael Green, and if so, are the MGD speakers of Ducote' design?

Those speakers were absolutely incredible. I have search the internet for any reference, but to no avail. I listened to them on numerous occasions pushed by a Sumo Andromeda or B&K amp attached to a Superphon preamp. Most of the listens were from an AR Rosewood turntable playing light rock, big band or traditional jazz.

Michael? Is this you? Are you out there?

I just wanted to follow up on my initial review listed below. I enjoyed these speakers so much that I purchased an additional pair before they were gone. Why I don't know. Quite possibly it is because of my inability to pass up a good deal. I have since sold them on this site for what I paid so I have no complaints.
After even more listening I am still very impressed with the over all presentation of these speakers. I finally settled on the B60 for amplification, the Rotel 971 CD player as a source, and Kimber Silver interconnects and speaker wire.

My initial impressions of this speaker compared to the Thiel 1.5 was that it possessed about 80% of the Thiel's performance. Having experimented with placement and the source component has brought it closer to 90%. While I still prefer the Thiel, it is only in a direct A/B comparison that the sonic advantages of the 1.5's can be appreciated.

I have been told that Michael Green is not making speakers any longer....from the absence of his sites availability he may not be making anything, so your only option of obtaining these speakers may be on the used market. My professional background is strategic marketing and this is a case in point. A great product with poor marketing will likely fail, while a poor product with great marketing will quite often succeed. Bose is a classic example of this.

In absolute terms these are worthy of a 4 star rating. For those fortunate enough to have purchased these at Audio Advisors close-out prices, they are a stone cold bargain and can be given nothing less than 5 stars. .