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George also supplied his own CEC TL51X transport which I used with his terrific non-oversampling DAC-1. My system suddenly morphed into a fully approved Audio Zone rig. With everything leashed up to the Aragorns, I proceeded to break in the whole stack and experiment with positioning. The speakers definitely required a protracted run-in. Expect a few hundred hours before the Aragorns come on song. The amps seemed to settle down within a few days. I ran a combination of music and Isotek's burn-in disk for several weeks while I listened to another system in our adjacent living room. It certainly pays to have lots of equipment and a second room when reviewing!
Once broken in, I discovered as did John Potis when he reviewed the Apollo. The balance became brighter the closer I moved the Aragorns to the room boundaries especially with the Omni-Harmonizers installed. Although pictures don't reflect it, I ended up with both speakers further out into my room and closer together than with most other speakers. I also moved my listening position back several feet. These were clearly not near field monitors. Before I get to the good, let's tackle the not so good.
I had mixed feelings regarding the Omni-Harmonizers. On one hand I quite enjoyed their added dimensionality and spatial resolution but at times, I felt they tipped up the tonal balance too high even set at their lowest -6dB setting.
Even without the Omnis, I felt overpowered by this speaker but not in the way you'd expect. Normally, a speaker/room mismatch would result in boomy ill-defined bass but here it were the upper mids and treble that I had issue with. It's guessing on my part but perhaps the sheer acoustic power output of the Dreams driver combined to overload my modestly sized room with upper-band energy that no amount of positioning could completely ameliorate. Or perhaps the forward, highly charged, detailed presentation was simply part of the Aragorns' sonic signature. This sort of presentation can come
across as a trifle mean and lean to ears more accustomed to the warmer, fuzzier upper midband/treble delivery of conventional drivers and the more common crossover region in the 2K range.

Forgetting my aforementioned trials and tribulations for a moment, the Aragorns were certainly among the liveliest speakers I've heard. With the exception of some horn speakers, the Aragorns delivered a highly charged sense of the live event that completely belied their modest size. They offered a tremendous amount of resolving power and were excellent in reproducing low-level musical details minus any signs of ringing or overhang. Subtleties I thought buried in the mix burst forth with startling realism. There was little coloration in the midrange while the treble was precise and crystal clear. Both drivers were extremely fast and articulate, with a truly staggering dynamic range. Transient performance was beyond reproach. The whip-like crack and staccato of Flamenco music such as Pepe Romero's stupendous Flamenco classic [Philips 422 069] was absolutely spellbinding on the Aragorns.

Soundstage presentation was very much of the front-row perspective while not quite offering the depth and image precision of my Green Mountain Audio Callistos. I was unaware of undue cabinet-related effects on playback. The cabinet certainly seemed to be as inert as the similar marble dust/resin mix used by Green Mountain Audio. The Aragorns more or less disappeared.


And the bass. Oh my, I can't say I've ever heard such extension and control down low in what is really a stand-mount speaker. You will not need a subwoofer with the Aragorns. Because the woofers are relieved of producing anything above 800 cycles, M&D have created a true bass driver. Not only was the extension and slam impressive; it was tight, tuneful and light on its feet. I can't think of another speaker that has impressed me to this degree in the reproduction of bass.
Going from just the D-2 monos to biamping with the D-2s handling the woofers and the D-1 stereo amp driving the Dreams midrange/tweeter was even more impressive. The sense of scale and control enhanced considerably. Listening to the final movement of Bruckner's 8th [DG 459 678] was awe inspiring. The weight and power of the percussion section literally pinned me back in my chair to evoke memories of that famous Maxell tape ad of old. The organ in Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3 [Atma 2331] was superbly rendered; full, weighty and powerful.


Well recorded discs such as the Hadouk Trio's Live at FiP [Melodie MEL003] or La Chimera's Tonas y Tonadas [MA Recordings M072]) showed the Aragorns in the best possible light. The sheer speed and dynamic response caused spine shivers. The overall flow and pace of music also seemed spot on. There was nothing sluggish or reticent about the Aragorns at all. They also exhibited excellent coherence with little indication of instruments or voices shifting about the soundstage or timbre slightly altering as one driver crossed over to another, always a telltale sign of excessive phase shift.


As alluded to above, the flip side of all this impressive speed and detail was that the Aragorns were quite revealing of sonically poor recordings. Anything with an overabundance of sizzle or upper band emphasis had nowhere to hide. Mercury Rev's beautifully majestic All Is Dream [V2 27106] was unbearable even without the Omni-Harmonizers. More than any other speaker I've reviewed, the Aragorns limited my choice of music.
I tried swapping in my Manley Labs Shrimp in place of the PRE-A1 to hopefully ameliorate the Aragorns' aggressive nature. Indeed, the tube preamp did tame some of the upper end edge. I also tried driving the Aragorns with the Mahis but they really didn't have the cojones to grip the Aragorns. I further attempted biamping with the Mahis on top and the Audio Zone D-2 monos down low; however I lost musical coherence in the process. There was still the same overly energetic top end even with the addition of tubes. To rule out the amps as the source of my concerns, I tried the D-2s and D-1 on my Callistos. It was here in the review process where the Audio Zone amps frankly upstaged the Aragorns. While they didn't posses the intricate detail and refinement of what I recall from Audio Zone's opamp-based AMP-2 monos, they offered a bigger, fuller, warmer presentation with plenty of dynamic headroom. I don't think my Callistos have ever sounded this good with solid-state amplification. Both stereo and monoblocks were fast with a good sense of pace and no transistor glare or grayness. The stereo version differed from the monos only in soundstage dimensionality and power delivery. Otherwise, they were identical. Overall I preferred running my Manley Labs Shrimp preamp into the AZ amps which offered the best of both worlds I thought. The D-2 monos at the attractive price of $2,395 are certainly worth investigating. They just might be all the amp you'll ever need and with 500 watts of peak power, they should drive just about anything. I hope to report in more detail on these amps in a future review..


If it seems like I damned the Aragorns with faint praise, that wasn't my intent. I suspect what robbed me of ultimate listening pleasure was simply the fact that the Aragorns were too big for my listening room. Picture an elephant dancing in a bathroom. Or perhaps they were simply not to my personal taste. Maybe I just couldn't acclimatize to the unique sonic character of the DM-1 driver. Nevertheless, the Aragorns were truly remarkable speakers in many respects and while they didn't light my fire, they just might light yours. The Aragorns made music sound big, dramatic and exciting and turned listening to recordings into an event. If you crave presence, speed, tons of detail, dynamics and full body slam, check them out. Just be sure to audition a fully run-in pair carefully and preferably in your own listening room.
Quality of packing: Unknown as speakers were delivered by distributor.
Reusability of packing: Unknown.
Quality of owner's manual: Excellent. Manuals are also on-line.
Condition of component received: My samples were demo models so a few scrapes and scuffs were evident.
Completeness of delivery: Perfect.
Website comments: Informative with good quality pictures.
Warranty: One year parts and labor.
Human interactions: Professional, helpful and friendly.
Pricing: Quite reasonable.
Final comments & suggestions: More so than with many speakers, try in your listening room first before purchasing. Don't let the modest size of the smaller models fool you. The smaller Maximus models might offer a more room-friendly match than the larger ones.


Addendum:
After I submitted my fact check copy to George, I expressed personal frustration with my own review. I've had several brief encounters with various M&D speakers in various locales. They have never failed to impress me so I was keen on spending quality time with a pair in my crib. Imagine my surprise when the Aragorns failed to raise my flag. I tried repositioning, further break-in and even a complete cable change but to no avail. I'd even have moved the entire system to a larger room if I had one. But then again, this experience only underscored what I have long opined; brief A/B sessions or shoot outs in unfamiliar surroundings tell you little or nothing about a component. Home audition is essential via either a service-orientated dealer (a dying breed) or a money-back in-home trial if purchased on line.


For me, there are three key parts to penning reviews: describe the sound within the context of my system; describe my entirely subjective emotional response, which for me is paramount, and finally, identify the sort of listener who would enjoy the review subject. I think I've addressed all three. Maybe I'm not so frustrated after all. - Paul Candy


Manufacturer's reply
Hello Paul:
I just read your excellent system review of the Mark & Daniel Aragorn speakers along with our newly launched Audio Zone line of amplifiers and the Dynamic design cables. Please believe me that at no time did we want to or plan to raise your anxiety level in any way. Luckily you seemed to resolve you personal dilemma by review's end. Your three paragraphs of excellent comments regarding the Aragorns was more than a positive acknowledgement regarding the playback attributes of the Mark & Daniel Aragorn speakers. We do agree that the speakers are lively, have a great amount of resolution and excellent low level detail. In your own words, startling realism, fast and accurate, staggering dynamic range along with exceptional bass control and extension. I also like listening to my system when the sound reproduction "makes my spine shiver" and a nice glass of Chardonnay along for the ride.


I am also very please that our work in 2007 with our new D-Class amplifiers has hit the mark. We have originally developed this line specifically to drive the demanding load of the Mark & Daniel line and to date had very little chance to use them in other speaker combinations. The amps driving even more efficient speakers like your Callistos was great news and more than confirms, (despite all the controversy regarding D-Class amplification) that we are on the right track in our development work to be able to deliver great sounding products at an affordable price point.


Thank you again for all your time and effort along with some anxiety included but not intentionally working on this review and a special thanks to Srajan and 6moons for continuing to tell the story the way it is in an honest and personal way. We may not have "raised your flag" but I feel that this system did leave you with some positive lasting impressions of music reproduction that you might have not experienced before.


Best regards
George Tordai
Audio Zone Sales & Marketing
Canadian Distributor for Mark & Daniel Audio Lab Speakers
Mark & Daniel website
Audio Zone website
Dynamic Design AV website