After 5 years...

[Faithdies]

I have finally gotten my first pair of Martin Logans. This passion started while I was working at Tweeter. I remember hearing the Ascent i's in our main surround room. The song was a drum solo from a sound test CD coming from full B&K separates. No other speakers ever sounded the same. At the time I knew I would probably never have the money to afford ML's. Then the Montages came out. Now I know they aren't the same as the more expensive ESLs but they still sounded fantastic.

Well, 3 years after I left Tweeter I was buying a 32" LCD when my friend who knew of my love for them told me they were getting the Montages in for $800's a pair. I bought them immediately.

I haven't taken a pic of the system yet for a few reasons. One, the system is complete and I'm not posting it until it is. Second, the amp that they are currently being run off of is horribly embarrassing. Haha. Oh well.

Currently, I have a pair of Montages, an Infinity center channel, two OM50 Mirages as rears and a Mirage sub. The question is this...Should I upgrade my Receiver first or my center channel. The receiver is not strong but very clean, A Harmon Kardon from a few years back. My center channel on the other hand is a cheap Infinity from years ago. Personally, I feel that I should upgrade to a Martin Logan center channel first. I was just wondering what your opinion on the matter is. If I do replace the center I would probably go with a Fresco(I'm working on a budget)

 

[Faithdies]

Also, if the consensus becomes a receiver what would you recommend to use on a budget. I'm thinking a Denon but I'm not sure.

P.S. I wonder If I'm the youngest member here at 25.

 

[Audioquest]

I guess it depends what you mostly use it for.
If it were me I would go for a better receiver and put it in phantom mode and have no center channel temporarily rather than use one that doesn't match well.
Unless you have a second dedicated 2 channel system, I'd be guessing you use it for music a lot more than movies and the new receiver would be more beneficial.

 

[Faithdies]

Yeah, the center is really obvious. The rears aren't too bad actually. I'm assuming that the dispersive nature of the Mirages lends itself to melding with the ML's better than I had hoped. I will be using it for music, more so for movies/gaming. Halo 3 already sounds 50x's better.

 

[eknuds01]

I would think the speakers would make the biggest difference right away, especially if you listen to a lot of multichannel music and movies.

If 2 channel audio was your thing, then I would invest more into the electronics (or upgrading to a better set of main speakers). There are lots of options for you, but for most people an upgrade on the speaker(s) will deliver the most bang for the buck. Next in line (for music, say) would be a nice CD player and really good recordings of your favorite artists, then pre-amps, amps (or a quality integrated amp if that's how you want to go), cables, etc.

You're moving in the right direction: get the best speakers you can afford for right now.

Happy hunting!

Erik

 

[Faithdies]

That was my thought. It was also always what I told people shopping at a budget when I worked at Tweeter. You will notice more of a difference in speakers than in a change in your receiver. Once you get all the speakers you need, upgrade to a fantastic receiver. Just wondering what your opinions on the matter were.

I just called Tweeter and they said I could do a Fresco for 650 or a Vignette for 450. I might do the Vignette as my center next.

 

[TomD]

Congratulations on your purchase. I am rather new to all this and would not presume to give actual advice, so let me just share some experience. I also had an issue with the center speaker. I always thought it was the weakest link. I recently upgraded to a cinema i and found that 1) it could use more power than I can currently give, and 2) it is an extravagance in that it is for 5.1 recordings, which are mostly movies.

This comes down to the choice. If your preference is for stereo recordings, go for electronics, if for movies, go for the center. Either way by the absolute best that you can. I have found that the extra spent now is forgotten years from now, but the equipment remains.

I am not sure if some receivers can efficiently utilize the center speaker, or surrounds for that matter, in stereo (2.0) recordings. If I switch to a 5.1 setting on my receiver the center and rears are activated, but they do not necessarily sound as good as just having the fronts played in stereo mode. You know what your electronics are capable of and should consider the options.

It is difficult for me to decide where is the best place to spend one's hard earned dollars; speakers, amps, players, even cables and peripherals. Before I discovered this group, I was naively content. Then serious audiophiles happened:bowdown: and resistance became futile.

 

[Beakman]

outlawaudio.com has a sale on preamps right now ($~200 off on two models). They have a nice selection of very affordable and very capable equipment, if head equipment is where you want to go.

 

[JonFo]

Hi, and Welcome aboard.

To your questions, I'd counsel to go for the Center speaker before the receiver.

Unlike the ESL line, which demand the best amp you can afford, the MartinLogan Designer line is a more traditional load on amps, and the ones in your HK receiver are actually very good.

I based the 'easy to use' system for my wife on an HK receiver and it works well.

You will gain more from a cohesive soundstage across the front from a matching center than from a few more watts.

Unless you are pushing crazy volumes and running into clipping already, I'd say the receiver could be left for a future upgrade.

 

[Steve]

One option that no one has mentioned yet is to keep the receiver, but add an external 5 channel amp. For the same price as a fresco, you could substantially upgrade your amplification, giving you headroom for future speaker upgrades. Don't know what receiver you are currently using, but I suspect a discrete amp would be a noticable jump in audio quality.

Outlaw Audio sells good stuff for reasonable prices. You can also pick up outlaw even cheaper used on audiogon.

 

[Faithdies]

Thanks for the comments. A seperate 5-channel amp has been something I have been thinking of. I've always heard good things about outlaw audio but I don't have any real experience with them myself. That might be a good route to go.

 

[IWalker]

Also, if the consensus becomes a receiver what would you recommend to use on a budget. I'm thinking a Denon but I'm not sure.

P.S. I wonder If I'm the youngest member here at 25.

Just barely edged me out...I'm 26.

 

[eknuds01]

i am 28, and I think Joey is 25 or 26, but I think we have a few members that are like 23 or 24.

 

[Steve]

i am 28, and I think Joey is 25 or 26, but I think we have a few members that are like 23 or 24.

My wife often tells me that I act like a teenager...does that count?

 

[eknuds01]

My wife often tells me that I act like a teenager...does that count?

I don't have a wife, but if I did, I am sure she would say the same thing about me.

 

[Faithdies]

Haha. Ok. I was just kidding.

So, I got the Fresco. I managed to get a brand new "open box"(It had obviously been opened to show someone and then marked as open box) for 515. I didn't think I could possibly get a better deal on anything else so I got that.

Next step is definitely receiver. Though the 5-channel amp idea is probably the direction I'm going to go.

 

[eknuds01]

Haha. Ok. I was just kidding.

So, I got the Fresco. I managed to get a brand new "open box"(It had obviously been opened to show someone and then marked as open box) for 515. I didn't think I could possibly get a better deal on anything else so I got that.

Next step is definitely receiver. Though the 5-channel amp idea is probably the direction I'm going to go.

See if you can find a used Sunfire multichannel amp. Also, I have heard many good things about Outlaw amps (great price!).

Erik

 

[Joey_V]

i am 28, and I think Joey is 25 or 26, but I think we have a few members that are like 23 or 24.

I didn't even know IWalker was 26.... sweet!

I'm 25... and I know we have others here who are 19 even! Perhaps the iPod generation ain't so bad afterall.

 

[kcl]

Then there's those of us competing at the other end of the age spectrum. Sigh. (I'm 60, by the way. )

 

[tonepub]

The outlaw stuff is very good bang for the buck...