Ex Machina released their MK2 version of the Pulsars which boast some nice improvements on the MK1 version. At Audio Animals we own a pair of Pulsar MK1’s and we were looking at swapping them for the MK2 version. To our surprise we were told that Ex Machina were giving all MK1 users a free kit to upgrade their MK1’s to MK2’s. I was astonished as this would come at a huge cost for them. I wouldn’t have minded paying for the upgrade but I really do respect their decision to do this for their customers.
We were lucky enough to be the first studio in the UK to have the upgrade fitted. I can confirm it is well worth doing for multiple reasons. If you own a pair of Pulsar MK1’s you will be aware of the annoying pop sound you get every time you turn them off. Ex Machina have assured me that this is not an issue and will not affect the speaker. It’s just annoying. The upgrade corrects this and you no longer get a pop when turning off.
Additionally I have been told that the low end range has been extended by 5Hz, meaning we can get even more sub and low end out of the speakers. But at a sacrifice to the overall volume of the speaker. Which is fine, no human being is listening to these speakers at full volume. This is a welcomed upgrade and it is highly noticeable.
I have been told by the guy that designed the new board that the A/D converters are better due to the upgrade. I have no other information on this but a welcomed upgrade.
The switches on the new board are more robust and do not require the protection cap anymore. Which is good as the protection cap could potentially rattle. I didn’t ever experience this but it was a possibility.
With the upgrade fitted you will pretty much have yourself MK2 Pulsars. The only difference between the two are that the MK2’s have updated tweeters which you can choose to upgrade for around £2799 and the MK2’s are slightly smaller by maybe an inch. I have not tested the two different tweeters against each other but I know people who have and most have said it is very close and some have said they prefer the MK1’s tweeters. I am 100% happy with the MK1 tweeters and won’t be upgrading them. I also love the fact the Mk1’s are an inch bigger. So my conclusion on this is that if you have a pair of MK1’s fitted with the MK2 upgrade board you are on to a winner.
Each board is specially calibrated to your speaker spec. You must supply your speaker serial numbers in order for Ex Machina to send out the correctly calibrated board. Once it arrives it’s a really simple upgrade. Dale from SX Pro did mine in about 10 minutes. If you want to get the free upgrade and you are in the UK get in touch with Dale at SX Pro at the link below and I am sure he will be able to assist you.
The upgrade consists of removing the rear panel of the Ex Machina Pulsar and disconecting the DSP board located at the bottom of the rear panel. This requires removing the wires from the board and removing the screws holding it in place.
Once we had the board out it was time to swap them over. As you can see from the picture below. The right DSP board is the MK1 and the left DSP board is the MK2. You can see there is an additional board on the MK2.
Next it is as simple as putting the MK2 board back into the rear panel in exactly the same way as the MK1 board was removed. The cables can be hot glued in. It isn’t necessary as the cables connect solid and do not move.
Lastly it is just a case of screwing the rear panel back in and away you go, you have yourself a Pulsar MK1 upgraded to a MK2. Extended low end, no more popping when turning off and better A/D conversion.
One final thing to say is thank you Dale from SX Pro who took time out his day to come down to us and fit the upgrade. It was greatly appreciated and just goes to show the level of care and attention everyone at SX Pro deliver on a regular basis.
