10 best Martin logan loudspeaker

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daniel

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1.What would be in your opinion the 10 best Martin loudspeakers ( from 1 to 10)
available today new or used (in good condition)?

2. What would be in your opinion the 10 best buy Martin loudspeakers
(from 1 to 10) available today new or used (in good condition)?
p.s. used regular pricing.
 
1.What would be in your opinion the 10 best Martin loudspeakers ( from 1 to 10)
available today new or used (in good condition)?

2. What would be in your opinion the 10 best buy Martin loudspeakers
(from 1 to 10) available today new or used (in good condition)?
p.s. used regular pricing.

That's a lot of ML speakers.. I don't think many of us have heard the entire ML line from past to present to be able to put together a 10 best list.
 
That's a lot of ML speakers.. I don't think many of us have heard the entire ML line from past to present to be able to put together a 10 best list.

Maybe It would be easier for 3 or 5.
 
O.K., I'll try the five best:

1. Statements

2. CLX

3. Summit

4. Prodigy

5. CLS

(disclaimer: this list is totally speculative -- I have only heard two out of these five speakers and the rest is based on conjecture and hearsay)

If you are actually looking for most bang for the buck used values, probably CLS, Prodigy, Odyssey, and Ascents are some of the best values.
 
I'd agree with Rich for the top three, then:

4. Odyssey

5.Ascent i/CLS

I've never heard the Statement or obviously CLX though. I've heard the Prodigy/summit/odyssey/ascent i. The Odyssey is above the Prodigy in my book. The bass is less refined in the Prodigy than in the Odyssey. Although the Prodigy can certainly make you more aware of the lower octaves than the Odyssey or Ascent can.
 
The Odyssey is above the Prodigy in my book. The bass is less refined in the Prodigy than in the Odyssey. Although the Prodigy can certainly make you more aware of the lower octaves than the Odyssey or Ascent can.

Adam, I think the Prodigy is much more sensitive to room and setup. The key is to have them in a large room that has good acoustics. With the right setup, the Prodigy is one of the best speakers out there, in my book. I have a friend who has them set up in a great room with Krell and Naim equipment and they are truly amazing. The bass sounds great and the lower midrange has amazing depth and resonance. I don't think my Ascents come anywhere close to what the Prodigy's are capable of.
 
I'm going to have a go at this - not the 10 best sounding, but the 10 best products for reasons I will state:

1: Statement e2 - what more can be said about a world-class speaker?
2: CLS - as above.
3: Summit - A price-performance ratio better than almost any other audio component.
4: Aerius - Fantastic low-cost entry to the world of top-class electrostats.
5: Prodigy - Looks serious, sounds serious - can now be had for a fraction of the initial cost.
6: Descent i - wow.
7: CLX - I've not heard them yet.
8: Monolith III - basically a hybrid CLS!
9: Vista - because I own them - the best performance I could afford. Quite seriously though, a price-performance ratio not too far off the Summit.

Can't think of a 10. Seriously, they all deserve a place - MLs are fantastic speakers and I can't really think of a dud.
 
Having heard almost every Logan except the Statements (custom order - rare), and eliminating non-stand-alone speakers (no subwoofers, center channels), my list would be slightly different. I would also take into account only the ones I have auditioned and the value for the money.

1) Aerius i -- Legendary ML sound at low, low cost. Introduced the world to ML.
2) Ascent i -- Same as above, but stunning sound, good slam and higher cost than Aerius. Bang for the buck.
3) Odyssey/Quest-ReQuest -- Yeah, baby !! Hard to beat the sound at any cost. Headbanger specials.
4) Prodigy -- Zowie !! And the used price makes it a real steal. Awkward though...
5) CLS IIz -- Purest midrange available -- stop your friggin' heart good. Points taken for lack of bass. Cheap for what you get
6) Summit -- The total package and customizable, but at a cost
7) Sequel II -- Tall, unstable, hard to match to room, but great sound and cost. Competes with Ascent for bang/buck.
8) SL3 -- Same great "Sequel sound" but they jacked the price...:( Underwhelming styling
9) Vista -- Lovely speaker, shy on bass, priced to sell by the zillions. Lacks the wall-o-sound and slam of some of the above.
10) Vantage -- A better Vista, but you'll pay a lot for that 5% improvement

Now remember that I'm not recommending anyone search the 'Gon for a set of Aerius over the purchase of a set of Vantages. I simply believe that these are the Martin Logans that we'll be talking about in 10 years, and represent a great value.

My choice, today, would be a pimped out set of Summits (crazy good sound), but it looses points today because of its' relatively high cost.

~VDR
 
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Ooops Rich, My mistake. I actually didn't mean to not put the prodigy in the line up. It would go right under the Odyssey from my own experience with the Ascent i right under that. But I am, of course, going from what my own ears tell me, so my opinion, like all of ours here, can only be taken with a grain of salt.

Edit: Also I want to add that Perhaps the listening environment was also not favorable for the Prodigy. I know our MLs are super finicky about what room they want to be in and what gear they want to be matched up with.
 
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I've heard the statement with krell's amp and audiomeca turntable. The best demo have heard by a long shot.

1. Statement
2. sl3
3. vantage ( but since it's been a long time, vantage could be second)

I've read ( but not heard) a lot about ascent et aerius. they might be better than no.2 and 3.
 
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