Should I upgrade to Martin Logan Montis?

I haven't heard the Theos or the Montis but since no one else is jumping in here's my 2 cents. Many ML owners feel that the larger panel of the Montis is an audible improvement over the smaller panel of the Theos.

Next, the new hybrids (especially those with the powered woofer) are supposed to be ML's best integration of panel and woofer cone yet. The Montis should have plenty of bass, unless you're a bass head, so reducing the number of crossovers and trusting that ML can do the transition from woofer to panel better than you can makes the Montis sound pretty enticing.

I'm a believer in the theory that in the real world (sub $100,000) speakers can offer the biggest upgrade bang for the buck. You could take all this out of the realm of theory and haul your speakers down to the dealer's shop and compare them to the Montis.

Thanks Tom. I am leaning towards getting the Montis. Ideally, I would rather not have a subwoofer in my listening room. Since it is not that large a space and like you say, it is not easy setting the crossovers etc. I think I've done a decent job of it, but certainly the Montis with its DSP technology can do it better.

Thanks,
Jason

Another way to come at this question is to ask if you're happy with the overall sound of your system. The MLs are very transparent speakers so they will definitely reflect the components upstream from them.

Do you wish your system sounded a little smoother or more lively or more relaxed, for example? If so, getting a nice tube preamp or one of the Pass XA.5 amps that are showing up here a lot lately might provide more of what you're looking for.

Also, if you have a smaller room the Montis might be too much speaker. What do you think Jason?

Thanks Tom. I took the plunge and picked up a pair of Montis for $5500. They might be a little big for the room, but who knows until I try them out right.

My room is going to be 11X14. I will be putting them against the 11 ft wall. My thinking was that I should have more space for them, if I got rid of the subwoofer. So the Depth I will be used in the family room with the pair of Theos.

Kind regards,
Jason

Well, you got a nice deal on the Montis. I don't think you'd have a problem getting your money back if they don't work out.

Are you familiar with the Martin Logan Owners website? In the Room Acoustics forum there's a thread (14x18x8) where someone posts that his Montis sound good in a room about the size of yours.

There is also a thread in there somewhere where someone did extensive testing of room treatments and came to the conclusion that using absorption behind the speakers worked the best. That might especially be worth a try if you can't get them out very far from the front wall.

Let me know what you think after you get a chance to listen to them.

Thanks for your responses Tom! I received my Montis yesterday and must say that I am really impressed. They really have the low level that kinda lacked in the Theos. Now I need to decide whether I should replace the power cords to the Montis with something a bit better. Any suggestions. I use Voodoo cables on all my other gear, but those can be pretty expensive. Any suggestions?

Glad to hear that you like the Montis so well Jason. Is the low level you speak of the bass frequencies?

As far as cables go, they shouldn't affect the sound because they are just charging the panels. The audio signal is produced by your amp. But they might make a difference, you never know. I would try some cables that you already own before buying new ones though.

Congrats on the speakers. But an amp/preamp upgrade should have been first on the list.

Shakey