Martin Logan - wow


I heard my first electrostatic speakers yesterday, ML Ascent at a very helpful dealer. These are clearly my cup of tea -- I liked better than the B&W N802s I listened to at the same time. Vocals are amazingly present. So of course I have some questions:

1. The bass wasn't great. Better than a monitor (I listened to B&W N805) but not much punch, and more important, sounded a little sloppy. Are there adjustments that one makes to the crossover, some little magic knob, that might improve this?

2. Are most users combining with a sub for stereo use (I'm not doing HT)?

3. We listened in a small room (about 8x8) at the store. My room is about 25 x 14 x 8', with speakers along the 14' wall. What model of Martin Logan would do the best job in this room? Bigger, smaller? I mostly listen at low-ish volumes, but would like to crank it ocassionally?

4. My amp is a Classe CA-200 (the newer style, same as current CA-201). Will this amp do justice to the speakers?

5. Other speakers I should listen to? I hear "maggies" and "innersound" -- are there others to consider?

Thank you!
ehart

Showing 1 response by zenaissance

All electrostatic speakers have a distinct sound that for some is an acquired taste or a lifelong fascination. The things you would notice about them is their fast, transient, and very holographic presentation that gives you a very realistic illusion of the real thing. If you want a lot of deep, chest thumping bass you may not find them with ESL speakers, unlike box speakers. However this is not a problem at all if you get a subwoofer- there are many out there that can do a very proficient job and mates well with Martin Logan speakers. Basically the bass in ML is fast, and tight (very accurate)- not bloated. The integration between ESL panel and bass is quite seamless.

Proper placement is also important in obtaining the best sound out of ML speakers. Unfortunately, many dealers are not very good at setting up Martin Logans and so the sound is less than optimal. They need at least 3-4 feet out from the wall with a slight toe-in (10-15 degrees). A slight forward tilt will help the clarity a bit as well. The Ascents would do quite well for a room of your size. Classe is not a bad match for MLs. Usually a good tube pre-amp will be a perfect balance for the system.

I have heard the Innersound speakers in some audio shows and they are quite good. However Martin Logans have always been rather special- their midrange magic is something I feel that even the Eros cannot quite match.

If you want to learn more about Martin Logan, you can check out the official Fan Club site: http://www.martinloganowners.com

Certainly if you have a specific question on ML speakers, you can post it directly on the site's forum. Check out the various member system set-ups (with photos) and they should give you a fair idea of how they should be set-up.

Good Luck!

Jason Liu