Aerius vs Clarity

[Andrew Seale]

Hello All, I am planning on buying a pair of Martin Logans soon, and I'm not sure which direction to take. I have heard the Claritys and Aeons. I thought the Aeons were a far better speaker. I have never heard the Aerius, but know that the Aeon was its replacement. I have seen some Aeriuses going for around $1000, which is far cheaper than either the Aeon or Clarity. Any opinions on which would be better? Or should I save for another few months and get some Ascents?

 

[Dan Prorok]

I think you will find the Aerius (or Aerius i) much closer to their Aeon replacement than the Clarity. Despite its comparatively low price in the used market, the Aerius is a fantastic speaker and, with the appropriate electronics, can really be made to sing. I will probably get some flack for this, but I really wouldn't consider the Clarity to be a high performance loudspeaker in the same class as the Aerius or Aeon.

If you are looking at that Ascents and are really considering one of the medium-sized panel speakers and budget is really an issue, you may wish to consider a pair of SL-3's. They are about the same vintage as the Aerius and are the predecessor to the Ascents (uses the same panels). Given a choice, I'd take a pair of SL-3's with brand new replacement clear-spar panels over a random used Ascent. I just took a peak over at Audiogon and see there is a pair of SL-3's there for a mere $1000...a steal...while folks are asking more than twice that for an Ascent i. In terms of value, I think you'd do much better putting $1000 into an Aerius or SL-3 and putting $1500 into some upgraded electronics to feed them than dropping $2500 on the Ascents.

For a value shopper, you really can't beat the Aerius, SL-3, and Quest/Request vintage of speakers. The next generation Aeon, Ascent, Odyssey, and Prodigy speakers have really come down in price in the last year so their value has improved, but they haven't yet acheived the dirt cheap prices the mid-90's vintage speakers trade for.

Of course, this is just one guy's opinion...a guy with SL-3's who someday wants some Requests or Prodigies.

 

[Andrew Seale]

Thanks for the info!! I've never heard any of the vintage line really, so I wasn't too sure about them. You're right about the Claritys. They did sound great, but when they cranked up the Aeons right after, I was blown away. Money isn't a huge issue, it will just take a couple more months of not blowing all my money on the weekends. That's great advice on the SL-3s. That's a definite consideration now as well. The Ascents are still in the ball park for asthetic purposes alone. Next to the newest line, I think they are ML's best looking speaker. And if they're that much better than the Aeons, I know I'll be happy Will have to buy another amp though

Thanks Again!!

 

[Pcar928fan]

For a value shopper, you really can't beat the Aerius, SL-3, and Quest/Request vintage of speakers. The next generation Aeon, Ascent, Odyssey, and Prodigy speakers have really come down in price in the last year so their value has improved, but they haven't yet acheived the dirt cheap prices the mid-90's vintage speakers trade for.

My current speakers are all from the previous generation (Prodigy, Ascent, Script, Theater, Descent) and I would say the Ascent is an AWESOME speaker. Put a nice Descent with it and you would have a smaller sweet spot, but just as sweet a spot as you get with a Prodigy I think.

I prefer the "look" of that speaker generation, but if you don't mind or even prefer the "look" of the SL3/Aerius i THAT would be the way to go! I had a pair of Aerius i and sold them for $1k. They are GREAT speakers, but they are not as good as Ascent. Never heard the SL3's and it could be that they are so close to the Ascent that it comes down to money and "style"... YMMV.

 

[Pcar928fan]

Andrew,

How far are you from IWalker? He is selling his Quest Z's... less than $2k! What a SMOKIN' deal that would be fore you!!!

 

[Andrew Seale]

Thanks for the advice! I haven't looked at IWalker's post yet. I was thinking about it and I really like the look of the newer generation as well. I will probably go with the Ascent or Aeon size because my den isn't really large. It's big enough for one of those, but I don't want to get too big. I may hold off and save for the Ascents. Those are the ones I REALLY want. I haven't heard them, but I've heard the Aeon i's. I was told these even go beyond that! I'll probably end up doing that. I did have an amp to push them with but sold it a while back. I'll need to get another one since I'm running a Harman/Kardon DPR1200 - digital path receiver...don't want to blow it up

Thanks again for the advice!!

 

[eknuds01]

Thanks for the advice! I haven't looked at IWalker's post yet. I was thinking about it and I really like the look of the newer generation as well. I will probably go with the Ascent or Aeon size because my den isn't really large. It's big enough for one of those, but I don't want to get too big. I may hold off and save for the Ascents. Those are the ones I REALLY want. I haven't heard them, but I've heard the Aeon i's. I was told these even go beyond that! I'll probably end up doing that. I did have an amp to push them with but sold it a while back. I'll need to get another one since I'm running a Harman/Kardon DPR1200 - digital path receiver...don't want to blow it up

Thanks again for the advice!!

I've said it once and I'll say it again, you'll be hard pressed to find a better speaker in the $1000 range than a used pair of Aerius i (or plain Aerius).

Erik

 

[Pcar928fan]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, you'll be hard pressed to find a better speaker in the $1000 range than a used pair of Aerius i (or plain Aerius).

Erik

I agree with that... Ascent are decidedly better, but also what 2X the cost plus a bit more probably... Maybe $2400... Look and sound better though, but not by huge amounts.

 

[Andrew Seale]

I missed out. There was a guy selling a pair of flawless SL-3's that lives about 10 minutes from me. He sold them a couple of days ago - AAHH!! I'll keep those suggestions in mind. I'll look more at the vintage line (which are still gorgeous). I doubt I'll see another deal like that any time soon, but I'll keep my eye's open. Thanks

 

[Andrew Seale]

Forgot to mention that he was selling them for $1000