Apollo-II-pro
Floor-standing Speaker
★General The developed Apollo-II-pro is an updated replacement to Mark & Daniel’s famous Apollo-II floor-standing speaker, it has embody M&D® 's pioneering sound regeneration philosophy and acoustic engineering capabilities over the others! The extraordinary Apollo-II-pro sound system is not only ahead of hi-fi speaker trend in terms of system structure and exterior design, but also has an absolute sound reproduction and musical analysis capability, true presence sound-stage, and powerful dynamic output. The Apollo-II-pro floorstander has been structured based on an optimized two-way + omnidirectional super tweeter infrastructure in accordance with the best acoustic theory for speaker sound systems with the two-way crossover point down to 700Hz and be able to obtain a super-low FMD (frequency modulation distortion) index that may ensure pure, unadulterated hi-fidelity sound quality with a grand and precision music stage. * FMD: http://www.mark-daniel.com/index.asp?ID=18&table=Phylosophy
As the new generation floorstander for Mark & Daniel's highly acclaimed Apollo series, this full-sized Apollo-II-pro floor-standing speaker inherits the signature diamond-shaped body, made with years experiences on the CAM (compound artificial marble stone) techniques. To the Apollo-II-pro enclosure, one patented SX (super Xmax) 10-inch woofer on the front panel is assembled, and two large DM-7b Dreams AMT wideband drivers have been symmetrically arranged up and down to the 10-inch woofer, and an AMT super tweeter is integrated on the top of the enclosure covered by a 360 degrees CAM diffuser. The mirror-imaged Apollo-II-pro has adopted a D’Appolito array but with a twist. Unlike typical midwoofer-tweeter-midwoofer (MTM) configuration, based on the intrinsic characteristics of their proprietary drivers, Mark & Daniel has boldly reformed the D’Appolito array to an innovative widebander-superwoofer-widebander (WSW) configuration. One of the many unique design genes the Apollo-II-pro has inherited from the family is the sturdy rock-solid enclosure made of costly compound artificial marble (CAM) for solid surface. The unique one-piece enclosure is completely hand-made, solid with 61.5g (135 lb) heavy weight, every detail painstakingly sculpted, polished and honed. Indeed, the Apollo-II-pro is an amazing work of Art! * CAM: http://www.mark-daniel.com/index.asp?ID=9&table=faq
★The dedicated Super Woofer Most of today's floor-standing speakers often use several woofers to jointly reproduce the enough sound pressure to cope with large listening rooms with the powerful dynamics; however, due to the limitation of the enclosure size and the constrain to driver’s linear excursion capability, most of speakers are not enough to reach true deep bass extension (below 40Hz) resulted therefore, the necessity of sub-woofers to compensate which not only increases the cost but also causes many problems such as the low frequency crossover connection and slow response for deep bass. Mark & Daniel daringly push the envelope of their super woofers design and thereby persistently maintain minimal phase distortion through one single woofer. The new Apollo-II-pro floorstander with the 10-inch SX woofer onto front panel is capable to regenerate authentic sound pressure for true deep bass, be able to obtain a better comprehensive Q-value to whole deep bass response while covering its complete dynamic range.
 
M&D patented SX technology plus the huge amount of precious NdFeBd magnets have employed, the SX10a-1.2 super woofer delivering unparalleled linear excursion at the stunning ±15 mm (1.2”) linear excursion that can cooperate to regenerate the enormous, undistorted sound pressure to low-end frequencies. The Apollo-II-pro exhibits dynamic bass reproduction with a natural roll-off down to amazingly 22Hz-24Hz without the need of active amplification or electronic equalization to reach human hearing limit of ears, without the need for (unnatural) electronic compensation means such as additional built-in power amplifiers or equalizers. This achievement, for any purely passive speaker system, is an extremely demanding challenge! * Super Xmax: http://www.mark-daniel.com/index.asp?BigID=9&table=dr
 
★Dreams AMT Widebanders & Immaculate Phase Alignment
In addition to the superior woofer design, two world leading DM-7b wideband Dreams AMT drivers have been configured to the D’Appolito 3/2 geometry, vertically center-aligned with the 10” super woofer. A deadly weapon for Apollo-II-pro to achieve unprecedented purity of sound during music reproduction!
On a super-thin Kapton engineered substrate developed exclusively by Mark & Daniel, The DM-7b AMT (Air Motion Transformer) aerodynamic wideband drivers are constructed by a plated ultra-large aluminum ribbon diaphragm, which is nearly 38 times higher than the conventional 1" dome tweeter for each DM-7 driver. It can follow the instantaneous response of music at (5 times speed over conventional dome tweeter) high speed and is responsible for a wide frequency range of 700Hz to 20KHz, a 5-Octave bandwidth, where music reproduction matters most. These AMT drivers push air at lightning-fast transient speed in full-body volume that matches the real sonic scope and scale in live performances. They are meticulously pair-matched to guarantee perfectly lifelike sound imaging with absolute resolution down to every detail. *Dreams AMT: http://www.mark-daniel.com/index.asp?BigID=8&table=dr *Essence of true hi-fi: http://www.mark-daniel.com/index.asp?ID=16&table=Phylosophy
★The Omni-Harmonizer An acoustics CAM diffusive-cone plus the DM-6 AMT super tweeter housed in its own dedicated sound chamber is installed on top of the Apollo-II-pro enclosure. Capable of ultra-high frequency harmonics from 7KHz up to 32KHz, radiating out in 360° sound dispersion pattern, this is an indispensable enhancement to complete the vivid soundscape.
The super tweeter network is connected to the Dreams AMT high frequency network in parallel sharing same pair of (the HF terminals) binding posts. A -6dB to 0dB stepless attenuator allows listener to fine tune the super tweeter’s output to best match the acoustic environment. The Omni-Harmonizer used in the Apollo-II-pro system is the same as the ones on Mark & Daniel hi-end models. * Omni-Harmonizer: http://www.mark-daniel.com/index.asp?ProID=74&table=pr
* Note: Proper Installation for the Cone Diffusor: -Pick up the CAM diffusor then use a hexagonal wrench to slightly loosen the 4 screws on its top ① so the 4 stainless steel posts may be relax a bit ②
 
-Insert diffuser’s 4 posts properly into the 4-hole position on the Harmonizer’s top ③
 
- Firmly press the diffusor with one hand, then properly lock the 4 screws on its top plate with the hexagon wrench ④
★Unique Apollo-II-pro Enclosure and Crossover The Apollo-II-pro speaker adopts an enclosure made of precious CAM (compound artificial marble）showing its unique diamond-shaped modeling. This enclosure is elevated from the floor by 4-5cm (2”) in height. This breathing space is necessary for the large vented port on the bottom of bass chamber. This design, subtle as it may seem, actually facilitates rich, clear ultra-low bass to radiate throughout the audition space with minimal standing wave interference. A dedicated 6dB/octave + hybrid crossover network has been painstakingly aligned with passive elements to ensure a perfect match between these exceptional high-performance drivers. Essential elements such as large gauge coreless inductors and authentic audio-grade FPP (with 0.06% super low dissipation factor) coupling capacitors have been incorporated into this crossover network to fulfill Mark & Daniel’s demanding total system approach. ★Amplification Requirement Two pairs of high-grade WBT® speaker binding posts are installed on the crossover panel for bi-wire or bi-amp configuration (The LF is for bass connection, HF is for over 700Hz mid-to-hi frequency connections). For optimal performance, bi-amplification with high current amplifiers each over 60-100Watts@8 Ohms per channel is recommended. Or, bi-wiring with single high-quality amplifier capable of delivering power output of 100 Watts@8 Ohms per channel is the minimum requirement for proper driving Apollo-II-pro. * Bi-amp system: http://www.mark-daniel.com/index.asp?ID=18&table=faq
★Made by Order The Apollo-II-pro sound system is a limited version that only made by order; production lead time is 60 days from the day of order confirmation. Each pair of Apollo-II-pro is guaranteed to meet Mark & Daniel’s stringent technological specifications, obsessive craftsmanship and uncompromising quality control.
 
★General Specifications Product Description: Apollo-II-pro Floor-standing Speaker Reference Price: US$16,800/pair, for standard colors Standard Colors: - Solid White (Code: MD1002), or Phantom White (Code: MD1011) - Starry Black (Code: MD1423) Frequency Response: 24Hz-32KHz Two-way Crossover: 700Hz Nominal Impedance: 3-6 Ohms Average Efficiency: 87dB/2.83V/1m Power Handling: ≧ 150 Watts per channel Enclosure Material: CAM solid surfacing Enclosure Size: H126 xW37.4 xD40.0 cm ( H49.6” xW14.7” xD15.8”) Weight (each): 61.5Kg (135 lb)
Apollo-II Floor-standing Speaker
" I realize I have spent a great deal of energy to convey how much fun I have had with the Mark & Daniel Apollo IIs - but I hope my message would not be misconstrued... Somewhat paradoxically, the Mark & Daniel speakers are remarkably revealing yet possess a very friendly and somewhat forgiving nature. They are not all about hedonistic fun, either. These are some expressive speakers that will be the vehicle for some real musical appreciation for a long time to come."
- John Potis, 6moons.com - http://6moons.com/audioreviews/markdaniel6/twosome.html
The Apollo-IIa sound system is a large floor-standing speaker, designed and engineered by Mark & Daniel®. It is a truly exceptional system with stunning output capability and unparalleled high definition sound reproduction. The Apollo-II is designed to appeal to the most discriminating audiophiles, and is suitable for very large listening rooms and for general hi-end Home hi-fi applications.
The Apollo-IIa is crafted as a two-way+ system (with one additional omni-directional super tweeter), featuring a low 600Hz crossover and super low Frequency Modulation Distortion (FMD) index. This large floor-standing speaker system employs the latest advanced concepts and state-of-art technology developed by M&D.
System Structure
Each Apollo-IIa speaker consists of one newly developed M&D® DM-3a Dreams AMT driver, with a huge diaphragm 160 times larger than a conventional 1” dome tweeter! These Dreams drivers are carefully pair-matched for wideband reproduction, from 600Hz up to 20KHz --- over 5 octaves --- which virtually guarantees true high fidelity reproduction, stunning dynamic output, and super low FMD (Frequency Modulation Distortion) pollution, including to the most essential (800-4KHz) Mid Frequency band; the DM-3a Dreams driver enables the Apollo-IIa speaker system to cover the complete Mid to High Frequency band with one single driver. This is flawlessly accomplished without acoustics crossovers, without phase variation, without any LC compensation network.
In order to achieve such unparalleled sound quality, a very powerful 10” woofer with stunning output capability, using M&D patented SX (Super Xmax) technology, is employed in the design of the Apollo-IIa speaker system. This outstanding low distortion driver accomplishes optimized Q-control from 600Hz down to 25Hz (system F3). This incredible achievement is due to the woofer’s exceptional ± 15mm (1.2”) linear excursion, which allowing the Apollo-II to be operated even under very high Sound Pressure Levels bass reproduction.
Each complex Apollo-IIa speaker enclosure is hand-made and crafted from costly compound marble material (CAM). The cabinet is extremely rigid and heavy (each weighs up to 77Kg, or 170 lb) to properly handle the enormous internal pressures developed by the exceptional drivers.
There is one DM-2a Dreams super tweeter installed on the top of each speaker enclosure. This DM-2a super tweeter incorporated with a 0dB to -6dB adjustable attenuator that located on the back panel have been wired internally in parallel connection with the DM-3a wideband driver, and both drivers are wired to the MF+HF speaker terminals of the enclosure’s back-side. Featuring high power handling and low FMD reproduction capability, the DM-2a is mounted face upwards to respond only to music’s High Frequency harmonics, from 7 KHz up to 35 KHz.
Crafted from compound marble, an acoustics diffuser cone is placed on the top of the unit facing downwards to provide a 4π (360 degree) audio radiation pattern into the entire listening room. Listeners will no longer hear HF harmonics only from the speaker’s tweeter, but additionally they will now hear many indirect reflections from the listening room. Thru fine tuning to the (0dB to -6dB) adjustable attenuator to balance, a more vivid and life-like music reproduction image throughout the very high frequency range may be achieved.
 
General Specifications
Product Description: Apollo-IIa Floorstander Reference Price: US$16,800/pair, for standard colors
Standard Colors: - Solid White (Code: MD1002) - Starry Black (Code: MD1423)
* Special colors are under request Frequency Response: 25Hz-35KHz Two-way Crossover: 600Hz Nominal Impedance: 3-6 Ohms Average Efficiency: 87dB/2.83V/1m Power Handling: ≧ 150 Watts per channel Enclosure Material: CAM solid surfacing Enclosure Size: H125 xW36.0 xD40.0 cm ( H47.2” xW14.2” xD15.8”) Weight (each): 77 Kg ( 170 lb)  
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