.::High End::.

MONTANA XPS SIGNATURE

Specifications:
Frequency range: 20 - 25000 Hz
+/- 1,5 dB: 25 - 25000 Hz
+/- 3 dB: 20 - 25 Hz
Sensitivity: 92,5 dB / 2,83 V / 1 m
Power handling:
Cross-over frequencies:
Bass drivers: 2 ea. 10" SEAS / Montana Custom
Mid-bass drivers: 2 ea. 7" SEAS / Montana Custom
Mid-range drivers: 2 ea. 4" glass-fiber SEAS / Montana Custom
Tweeter: 1 ea. 1" soft dome SEAS / Montana Custom
Dimensions:
Weight:
Finish: Custom order (exclusive real wood veneers or piano laquer)

MONTANA XPS Review, 6 moons, November 2006 (Wayne Zufall):

"One of the superb things the XPS do is throw a huge and layered soundstage. At the 300-hour mark as I listened to Linda Ronstadt and "Straighten Up and Fly Right", I found that the backup singer was audible but not the least bit defined within the soundstage. At 450 hours, I could not only clearly locate him to the left of Linda but his voice was now clearly defined, clear and not so blurred as before. The soundstage was now more layered and much more specific as to instrument placement. I could move the speakers closer together, which seemed to only slightly move the sweet spot from where I was sitting but I never lost the layering effect or the detailed placement of the instruments and voices. This suggests to me that these speakers will work very well in moderate to small-sized rooms without giving up any of their sonic attributes.

The XPS seemed to like tube amps as well as transistors, although I personally preferred them on my Canary tube amps. I used a small 60wpc Rotel, the Canary Reference Ones and the Canary CA-160s, with the XPS doing a grand job with any of the pairings. The XPS and the CA-160s were an excellent match even though the EL34 monos did not seem to elicit the same warm or lush tube sound they get from the B&Ws. The Reference Ones with their huge transformers seemed to be the best match. Bass that was strong and with a large presence over the CA-160s became powerful and in your face with the Ones. Detail, clarity and soundstage layering became even more palpable. The XPS are very well rounded speakers that will perform with nearly any amplifier; however higher-current tube or transistor amps seem to get the most from them.

I listened to my 8 test CDs on the XPS with three different amplifiers and found that the XPS excelled with all of the amps and all types of music. My wife's organ music with its low bass registers was no problem. The speakers remained controlled and without introducing bass bloat. One of my favorite piano test CDs is from Willie Nelson's Super Hits, track 8 titled "Always on My Mind" [Columbia CK 64184]. The XPS produced the piano notes with crystalline clarity and held onto the notes, keeping them detailed until they faded away. A piano can be quite a challenge for a speaker, especially in classical music when the music's volume levels can soften and the listener is trying to hear what is being played. The XPS handle soft passages with verve, letting one hear the detail of every note. While the XPS does a very good job of remaining dynamic at low levels, they also like to be pushed at high sound levels, where they do not lose their composure, clarity or detail - something I am sure your neighbors would be able to comment on with ease.

At this stage in the break-in process, the XPS had nearly 485 hours on them. I decided to listen to a few select CDs and see how they were sounding before it was time to slip them back into their cocoons for their return trip to San Diego. So next up was Keely Smith's Be My Love [Jasmine Records, JASCD 321] and track 11 "My Reverie". I played this particular track to see how Keely and the violins were presented. Keely's voice was clean, warm and lush, really giving me the feeling she was center stage. The XPS adds a level of transparency that was lightly noticeable at the 400 hour mark but now in full bloom, with increased dynamic attack and a better layered soundstage. It was apparent that the butterfly had finally emerged from within.

The midbass was a little tighter too, having progressed from lean to articulate. Keely's voice in prior sessions was never as warm or seductive as I knew she could be. Now her voice was passionate and clearly seductive. The violin passages were articulate, clear and seamless in their presentation. While the XPS do not totally disappear in my room, I would expect that in a different space, they just might. The speakers were very well balanced now. From the bass through the high frequencies, they did slip into a presentation that was, as Peter promised it would be, seamless. The XPS are not a speaker even on tubes that I would consider to be overly warm or lush. They are focused, revealing and exude authority with a transparency that is dynamic and coherent.

Fresh out of their crates, my first impression of the XPS was that it would never be a speaker I'd enjoy. I literally could not imagine that the XPS could go from the lean, dry and banal presentation it started out with to the superb loudspeaker it is today.

Peter has fulfilled his promise to build a quality, accurate and coherent speaker. You only have to have the patience to uncrate them and wait for the caterpillar to complete its metamorphosis. Then these are speakers you will be enjoying over the long haul."