Hey Everybody! Intro and Question.

[obladioblaeric]

Whats up everybody. I am new here, but I have been browsing around reading many posts for a few weeks now. I decided on getting some ML Sources used from audiogon about a week ago.

I have a Musical Fidelity a308 integrated amp (150w - 8ohms, 300w - 4ohms). I moved up from a pair of Cerwin Vegas so it was a pretty dramatic difference in quality! The Sources sound very nice and non fatiguing. I hear so much more in my music collection and I am sure I will probably be sticking with Martin Logan.

However, when I crank up the volume a bit, I am noticing what sounds like clipping, though I am not sure if it is indeed clipping. I say this because a few times I have heard the woofers on the speakers make a "cracking" sound and I could see that they were moving pretty forcibly. I listen to a lot of classic rock so I am not like pounding hip hop beats through the speakers or anything. I get amazing sound at a modest volume, but if I want that extra boost in volume I think I will have to eventually upgrade something. I am not sure if it would be the amp or the speakers. So I guess I am asking if I need more power or speakers that can handle more power.

I have to say I do find the Vistas really attractive. Can anyone tell me some differences between these and the Sources and if that upgrade may possibly help? I am not in a big hurry to upgrade, I am fine with not cranking it up really loud all the time, but I'd like to know what I should do once I have some more cash!

 

[Feltran]

Welcome to the club.

I'd go with Sources and a subwoofer, personally.

I haven't heard Vistas, but I have heard Sources and Spires, and the Sources sound pretty great, but their biggest problem is a lack of bass, in my opinion. The only other big thing that might sway you away from Sources is that they have a very small sweet spot.

 

[DrJRapp]

The sound you are hearing is not clipping but the sound of the Source's woofer reaching the limits of travel. Think of it as the banging a door makes against the wall when swung open too vigorously and fast.

A sub is probably a good idea since the Source is probably just about at it's limits for your room size and listening habits. When I think Cerwin Vega I think loud, lacking finess. When I think ML Source I think finesse...you need more speaker to make it loud with finesse.

 

[tsmooth]

If you check my system link I went the Source to Vista route and both speakers are excellent. With the used market right now, you could pull a Vantage for close to the price of a Vista, something to think about. I played the Source with audio DVDs at concert levels and never heard what you are talking about. How old and how many hours are on the speaker? Just like they say with a new car or many other things, not good to push it right out of the box. Other then that, not sure what is happening for you. I had to move to Vistas because I just fell in love with the look, the low box with a huge panel just pulled me in. They also sound larger then the speaker (well outside and inside the footprint), especially with some well recorded content. Sources sound awesome, but if you are in to imaging and depth, something like the Vista, Vantage, on up with give you more of that.

My $.02

 

[Dreamer]

Welcome to the club!

I'd like to chime in here. The Source is a VERY nice little speaker, and cansound REALLY good when driven properly. That Musical Fidelity a308 integrated amp is a fine piece of gear, and may be powerful enough for driving high-efficiency speakers, or "box and cone" speakers that the Brits love so much, but it may be running out of steam with the Source, especially at loud levels. You migh tconsider getting a separate amp and running the pre-outs of the Musical Fidelity a308 into it to drive the Sources...

Although the Vista WILL be a bit of an improvement (especially in soundstage size and midrange clarity and "sweetness"), the Vista is even more power-hungry than the Source. Unlike the Vantage, Summit, and Spire, the Vista does NOT have an onboard amp for the woofer. If you upgrade to the Vista, you should DEFINITELY get some sort of seperate amplifier--something with high current like a Sunfire. If you like the Musical Fidelity sound, look at the Musical Fidelity - Supercharger 550K Mono Power Amp. You can pick up a pair of these new from Audio Advisor now for under $2500 (they are on sale). The 55K puts out a massive 750wpc into 4ohms, and that should be more than enough to make your Source or Vista sing!

Good luck--this is a great forum, and there are a lot of very knowledgeable people on here to help you along in your journey...

--Richard

 

[obladioblaeric]

Thank you very much everyone for your comments. It may be possible at loud levels I am hearing a combination of clipping and the woofer being overdriven. I am unsure of whether the original owner of the Sources had played them any louder than at polite volumes (he had an apartment in Chicago that I got them at), so this could mean that they aren't used to it? I don't know.

But thanks again for all of your opinions. Its great to have a community like this for ML owners. I will keep on listening over the next few days and see if I come to any other conclusions. The reason I am sort of reluctant to blame the amp is that it is a monster and really seems like it would have plenty of power. If I do hear vocals beginning to get distorted though, would this mean that there is definitely clipping? It is always nice to have some more power on hand, so I may go the route of more power first anyway.

 

[churchill]

Welcome!

While I can't comment on the Sources, haven't heard them...

I have a pair of Vista's that I recently purchased on Agon for around 2k, it's a great speaker but does require some amplifier. If you like the black finish they can be had for less than 2k on Agon.

I think adding a sub in your case would help take some heat off the Sources! Plus you can still use it if you move up to the Vista's!