from sl3 to request: is really upgrade?

[radioman]

Hi to everyone,
there is possibility to buy request in special price, but I never heard before.
experiences are well accepted.
amp is arcam p1000 used in bi-amp.

thanks

 

[roberto]

Hola Paolo. The Request was voted as the best midrange of the world, regardless of price in the 90s...the SL-3 is also from the 90s. Both models are great speakers on these days, and challenge speakers costing two or three times their value. Happy listening!

 

[radioman]

before I didn't explain that I listen since 2 years with sl3, and enjoy that!

 

[TomDac]

Hi Paolo,
reQuest is a big upgrade, as the panel for the reQuest is much larger, and the bass integration with the panel is better also.

 

[radioman]

Hi Tom, I wish you had answer, 'cause I read your past set up.
is critical bass response in the room? wf is larger than sl3.

 

[wallacefl]

Have listened to both on several occasions...Request has a better panel to the extent it covers more range as the crossover point is lower but the woofer IMO is behind the SL3 in bass quality and melding with the panel.

 

[Peter_Klim]

I own both. Request are in a larger room for a 2CH system and the SL3 in a smaller room for a HT system. They sound very different - because of the room. I had both of them in the larger room and to me, surprisingly, they sounded very similar (maybe because I was so use to them sounding so different). But then again, the comparison only lasted about the length of one song, I wasn't listening super critically (is that a word) and I had the volume only slightly above background listening level (I live in an apartment).

I'd be willing to do a more critcal comparison for you, but my SL3 have 2 year old panels and the Request has one panel that has a noticeable degradation in SQ.

 

[TomDac]

I went from Sequels to reQuests, so not quite the comparison you seek, since SL3s were better then the Sequels... the panel size is HUGE on the reQuests... Much more of an amplifier will be needed to drive them. But with the right amp, reQuests are AWESOME. They are just so damn big. My partner couldn't wait for me to get Summits because not only were they much better sounding, but they fit the room better..

I sold my reQuests to my best friend and so I still get to hear them... albeit in a smaller room, but they really are awesome speakers.

 

[slowGEEZR]

My first Martin Logan experience was via a pair of reQuests powered by tube amps for the panels and transistor amps for the woofers. I was blown away by the sound I heard and became a Martin Logan owner (Aerius) that day. Since then, I have heard many different Martin Logan speakers with many different equipment configurations and in many different rooms, with and without acoustic treatments. I have learned that Martin Logan speakers can be made to sound utterly terrible to utterly fantastic depending upon setup. The blending and quality and subjective amount of the bass of each model has as much to do with the setup as with the design differences between the models. Yes, as you go up the line, the sound capabilities increase, but a lesser model in one setup can sound much better than a better model in another (poorer) setup. This being said, I believe that the reQuests can ultimately deliver more of the Martin Logan magic due to its larger panel size.

 

[peacefulcargo]

I went from SL3s to the Quests (with new panels) and definitely felt holistically I had lost something as with the SL3, the bass is pretty seamless considering its passive. The Quests I had and I am sure the Requests need an amp that can handle moving that 12 inch woofer as fast as the panel (which in reality is a tough call).

 

[radioman]

for moving 12" wf's magnet I 've 2 choice: 7ch arcam used in bi amp passive, or 90w pure class A am audio. no doubt about this...

 

[retiredelectrician]

New to this site. Hi all. Thought I would pass on some information based on the fact that I now have a brand new set of Requests.

I have a set of Requests that as of yesterday have brand new panels and woofers right from Kansas.

There is no question that the treble in the older panels had some attenuated. It was the most obvious difference I heard from the new panels with music sources I have heard a million times. Holy frig these speakers sound good.

The bass with the new woofers was for the most part the same other than being slightly muted as the woofers need about 100 hours to break in. PLEASANTLY SURPRISED to find out the woofer in the Requests is the same woofer used, in an array, in the ML Statement 2s which cost in the area of $100,000.

The biggest difference/improvement of all though was having about $600 worth of MIT caps, better internal wiring, and better internal woofer cabinet damping done about a month or two ago. Due to the MIT caps and better wiring, (I assume) the image localization difference was night and day. Front to back to back and side to side and way past beyond the left of the left speaker and the right of the right speaker. The whole stage opened right up and was noticeably more focussed.

Some other info I would like to pass on.

I over the period of a few months auditioned 5 or 6 power amps in my listening room. I was able to listen to each for a week or so.

Everything from a Rogue ST90 tube amp, the worst and most useless of the lot trying to drive the Requests, to an OCM 500, nice, a 4b, nice but kinda bright, and a few others.

There is no question that the Krell KSA 250 which is now and will always be here with my Requests is the amp that sounds best, never comes close to sounding like it is running out of power, and took control of the woofers during busy heavy bass passages like no other. ( I am talking about what I could afford in the used market. I know there might be better amps out there but for my budget the KSA 250 does the job in spades.)

I read on this site that the Requests were voted best midrange in the world in the 1990s regardless of price. I am not doubting the statement but if anyone knows where I can read this I would be very greatful.

I am sure I will have more to say at some point and hope to hear back from anyone who cares to comment.

NOTE:Comments either in agreement or disagreement are most welcome. I am a believer in free speech. I am not a believer in political correctness. Simply because you can not have both, they are not compatable. The point is nothing you will say will hurt my feelings so if I am wrong about anything or have misspoken about anything feel free to say what you feel.

 

[peacefulcargo]

New to this site. Hi all. Thought I would pass on some information based on the fact that I now have a brand new set of Requests.

I have a set of Requests that as of yesterday have brand new panels and woofers right from Kansas.

There is no question that the treble in the older panels had some attenuated. It was the most obvious difference I heard from the new panels with music sources I have heard a million times. Holy frig these speakers sound good.

The bass with the new woofers was for the most part the same other than being slightly muted as the woofers need about 100 hours to break in. PLEASANTLY SURPRISED to find out the woofer in the Requests is the same woofer used, in an array, in the ML Statement 2s which cost in the area of $100,000.

The biggest difference/improvement of all though was having about $600 worth of MIT caps, better internal wiring, and better internal woofer cabinet damping done about a month or two ago. Due to the MIT caps and better wiring, (I assume) the image localization difference was night and day. Front to back to back and side to side and way past beyond the left of the left speaker and the right of the right speaker. The whole stage opened right up and was noticeably more focussed.

Some other info I would like to pass on.

I over the period of a few months auditioned 5 or 6 power amps in my listening room. I was able to listen to each for a week or so.

Everything from a Rogue ST90 tube amp, the worst and most useless of the lot trying to drive the Requests, to an OCM 500, nice, a 4b, nice but kinda bright, and a few others.

There is no question that the Krell KSA 250 which is now and will always be here with my Requests is the amp that sounds best, never comes close to sounding like it is running out of power, and took control of the woofers during busy heavy bass passages like no other. ( I am talking about what I could afford in the used market. I know there might be better amps out there but for my budget the KSA 250 does the job in spades.)

I read on this site that the Requests were voted best midrange in the world in the 1990s regardless of price. I am not doubting the statement but if anyone knows where I can read this I would be very greatful.

I am sure I will have more to say at some point and hope to hear back from anyone who cares to comment.

NOTE:Comments either in agreement or disagreement are most welcome. I am a believer in free speech. I am not a believer in political correctness. Simply because you can not have both, they are not compatable. The point is nothing you will say will hurt my feelings so if I am wrong about anything or have misspoken about anything feel free to say what you feel.

This is great , I started out living with esl bass (Quad 63s, 988s,989s, Final Sound 1000i and then went to ML SL3s and Quests but decided to go back to esl bass with subs (saying that I have not heard the Montis) . When I had the Quests I used to run them with Bryston 28SST2s (1000W) and they sounded great. The big panel on the Request in some ways cannot be beat. I think Krell is a good choice to manage that passive woofer.

 

[roberto]

Hola retiredelectrician. Try to searh or find the Request review by The Absolute Sound. Also Stereophile. I truly think that I read that at the Absolute Sound. I do not have the articule, but I remember showing my customers the Request review at the time, as a sales point. That statement help me out a lot to sell some Request here. Happy listening!

 

[shakham]

Always heard bigger is better....for panels that is.