Description
The MAOP series sits at the top of the Markaudio range and is aimed at audiophiles seeking the ultimate in full range speaker drivers. Due to the complex manufacturing and testing processes used to build these drivers, they are produced in small quantities. These drivers are popular in Asia, and hence when they are available, very few find their way this far West.
The MAOP 7 driver can be used as an upgrade in the Frugel-Horn Mk3 cabinet kits.
The MAOP (Magnetic Arc Oxidisation Process or Plasma Electrolytic Oxidisation) is done at extremely high temperature in a flux bath that is prone to differential temperatures (hot/cold spots) which can warp the cones. The process is 10 times th cost of normal cone production, at least half are scrapped as it does render cones unusable if they are warped even slightly. The MAOP process involves a chemical conversion where the cone material is converted into its crystalline oxide. The crystal grows both outward into the substrate and outward. As such the new coating is not a deposited coating it is part of the original structure which gives excellent adhesion. The large crystal structure provides excellent stiffness and resistance to damage. The crystalline structure also encapsulates microscopic voids. It is supposed that it is the blend of microscopic voids and stiff structure that lend the cone the audio properties of both the metal cone and the paper cone, accuracy and a listen all day quality.
After construction, each driver is individually measured in the anechoic chamber at the Markaudio factory and pair matched based on that data to within, 0.5% tolerance. Each pair is supplied with individual electrical and acoustic measurements. For example:
FS: 73.4479 Hz
QMS: 2.8529
B×l: 3.9290 T×m
CMS: 1.4171 mm/N
RE: 5.4000 Ω
QTS: 0.5365
SD: 0.0050 m2
VAS: 4.0470 L
QES: 0.6608
dBSPL: 85.8727
MMS: 4.0935 g
MMD: 3.8917 g
h0: 0.24%
L1kHz: 0.1580 mH
Pwr: 20 watts Nom
Xmax: 4.5mm (1 way)
If we show no stock above, please feel free to drop us a line and we will see if there are some pairs available to import.
EG Thek (verified owner) –
Hi Stefan,
I never sent a note back about the MAOP 7 drivers’ arrival and install. WOW! i was seriously thinking about moving my Frugalhorn MK3s on (originally built with Fostex 206eN2 – but an inquisitive nephew poked fingers through both drivers) and doing a new build. I was in the process of building a new valve amp (300b) when the drivers arrived, stopped, installed the drivers. hooked up a pre, a ppEL84 amp, and TT. Dropped Dave Brubeck’s Time Out and just listened. i think i did that for over an hour. At one point I just turned off the soldering iron and pulled out more albums. Now I go to the man cave and just listen. 🙂 awesome drivers! New life in the Mk3s!
admin –
Thanks for dropping by and leaving this Erik. These are great drivers for sure!
Anton (verified owner) –
Stefan,
it took me considerable time to implant those MAOP 7 into my older backloaded horn enclosures. The change in frame size made me bother my friends robot to have 8mm wooden rings milled. (Yes there is a inner ring too). What chewed hours and weeks turned out to be a beautiful design feature now, because I decided on a special Orange oil known to darken somewhat for touching up the cabinets, therefore the marble rings were left untreated. It now guides the look nicely into the white cones radiating some aura through their white appearance.
I presented the speakers on a small Upper-Austrian Diyhifi gathering (röhrenfieber.com) in a 6x4x3m room. My man Gernot Ebenlechner brought his own development „Diffusorbers“ that made a quite well sounding room.
Since timeup during preparation I had to use my NAD310 Amp, RIAA preamp was my own SRPP circuit with Parmeko made PSU iron, SUT fed by a Systemdek II player carrying hard on the mounted Ortofon MC pickup. The player may not best the best out there, still good for the money, however analog clearly outperformed the Focusrite Scarlet on the digital feed.
While break-in I listened to radio, speech and classical, some pop classics w/o bass in the 2nd week of beak-in. With every well known hit still being put on air I fantasized around if they are playing all remixes or – hey, what’s going on here – and every time i discovered, that the music always was meant to be like this! There is every rollout of hall room on the vocal, I can hear fades within backing vocals previously unheard and more. As presentation grew i dared to lift the -6dB bass gradually, and still keeping my ear mainly on distortion, a little more volume. Definitely on the right track to go to show.
Quick tryouts in placing the speakers in the show room let to a direct facing position. Light outward angles pimped staging on a slight loss of highs, so we kept it. That might behave different in an untreated room.
Staging was holographic to my liking and people being not familiar with that kinda jaw-dropped. „Is this coming all out of one?“ was asked more often. Rolling off nicely at some 60 Hz it will benefit from aid below 50 cycles, but that is actually the fun part. For listening there is clearly enough lowend to be surprised.
To be honest i am unsure about many DIY enclosures available online. I do not think that some resonance chamber concepts are able to deliver in a timely correct matter. Oscillation is alway too late…
What i can say clearly is that a lifetime search might have found its end. Since me liking playing from softest strings over pop on to hip-hop until screaming metal or hardcore techno i never found myself happy with else than fullrange speakers. Mr. Ebenlechner still asks for a bit more top end. I am fine with that. My search has ended getting the MAOP7s. … until there will be a MAOP5MS … 😉