Martin Logan drawbacks/negatives?

[boycer11]

Thinking about getting some Martin Logans. Haven't heard them in person or talked to a salesmean in a long time.

Are their any drawbacks of them like small sweet spot?

Looking at Summit X, CLX, or the electomotions.

My current room is only 15'9" by 12 wide, but this house is up for sale.

Plan on eventually using in the living room of the new house as a HT/2 channel setup.

 

[jmschnur]

Small sweet spot, some times the hybrids have problems with panel to woofer integration. You must have the right amp to drive them properly.

Montis seems to have addressed these issues well

All ML electrostats sound great with female vocals. Their 3d effect is legendary.

Listen and choose.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Rickk]

Newer models are said to have better panel/cone integration. The sweet spot on the EM/ESL is wider and taller than the "Source" or the "Purity" (2 models I have had in my home). Amplifier power isn't as much an issue with the Motions and Electro Motions. I have my EM/ESL connected to a NAD C326BEE at a rated 50 watts and they sound very good to me.

 

[sleepysurf]

IMHO, the narrower sweet spot (vs. dynamic drivers) is NOT as bad as many claim. I have my Summits in a family room setup, and actually spend more time listening way-off-axis than in the "sweet spot." Still very enjoyable soundstage and imaging, even from the side. As the above poster said... listen and choose!

 

[twich54]

adding to what the others have said, I'm curious as to what your other components are ..........source, amplification, etc. You've listed three examples of M/L's with different personalities for sure. Your existing room would never allow the CLX's or the Summit's to work their magic, room interaction is very important if one expects to get the most out of their set up.

 

[projectormovielover]

I agree with twich54 because he is a mod and can kick me off the forum lol

If you do get a diff room or stay in the one your in for longer I really think you should go some Vista at the bargain price of 2K per pair at the mo. Electromotions will be good but you will benefit with a large panel like the theos but they are quite spendy at the moment 4-5K or try some Vantage.

If you do HT then I assume that means you will have a large screen 100 inch with a center ch sitting underneath so you wont have much room for front L/R. You want somthing that will still be off the side walls so go for Vista, Vantage,spendy Theos or spendy Ethos

 

[amey01]

Are their any drawbacks of them like small sweet spot?

Yep, there are many. There always have been.

* As you say, small sweet spot - they beam the sound;
* Additionally, the sound when standing can be different also;
* They require power
* They are big
* Woofer integration (for hybrids) and bass response (for pure electrostats) can be an issue
* They require maintenance
* The rear wave can be an issue, meaning harder to integrate with a room - positioning is imperative
* They can be hard to drive - you definitely need a good amplifier
* Sound can change with humidity
* Sensitive to dust and pollution

I'm sure there are others. Basically, they demand a lot from the owner. But they also reward immensely.

 

[boycer11]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I wasn't planning on doing a system until I move or build a new house. Then I saw the CLX on here for $12,750 and started getting ideas about starting to buy some pieces. The closest ML dealer is 80 miles away.

I currently have a Denon receiver that is like 5x100, infinity surrounds, and definitive powered sub that I was like $1200 7 years ago and think either 300w or 600w. In the new house I was hoping for at least a 20x16 living room with a flat panel above the fireplace and the martins on the sides.

 

[Rich]

Drawbacks? Well, to be honest, the speakers are no longer made in the heartland of Kansas as they were for the entire existence of the company. They are now made at the Paradigm factory in Canada. As a result, they now have kind of a nasally tone tone to them. On the bright side, though . . . Celine Dion sounds wonderful on them.

 

[tsv_1]

Drawbacks? Well, to be honest, the speakers are no longer made in the heartland of Kansas as they were for the entire existence of the company. They are now made at the Paradigm factory in Canada. As a result, they now have kind of a nasally tone tone to them. On the bright side, though . . . Celine Dion sounds wonderful on them.

LOL... not only that but the "voicing" seems to have somehow changed as well... for example, Heart's hit song "What about Love" now sounds more like "What a Boot Love".

 

[eknuds01]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I wasn't planning on doing a system until I move or build a new house. Then I saw the CLX on here for $12,750 and started getting ideas about starting to buy some pieces. The closest ML dealer is 80 miles away.

I currently have a Denon receiver that is like 5x100, infinity surrounds, and definitive powered sub that I was like $1200 7 years ago and think either 300w or 600w. In the new house I was hoping for at least a 20x16 living room with a flat panel above the fireplace and the martins on the sides.

You might get a wide range of responses since many of our forum members have a mixed bag of dedicated rooms that are fully treated with a suite of amps for each channel.

Having said that I think you can do just fine with your existing amp and one of the newer models since they have internal amplification (models such as Montis and Ethos).

You might want to audition an older generation if you aren't opposed to buying used. You may very well enjoy the sound more vs the newer line. The older generations can also be bi-amped.

These speakers are easy to maintain. Just give them a good dusting every now and then and you can also vacuum the panels a few times a year (perhaps more if your house is very dusty). Down the line you can add treatments, better amps, cables, etc.

In my opinion maybe 75-85% of the 'experience' is already built in to the speaker unless you have some really oddball shaped room or you listen to music at very loud levels with a 30 year old kenwood receiver. The last '25%' is where you can tinker with speaker placement, treatments, and better electronics. I don't want to minimize the importance of good amplification or quality cables. In your case you will most certainly see some improvement once you venture away from the receiver and get into separates.

Erik

 

[Rickk]

Im currently running the EM/ESL with only 50 watts! So you don't have to go nuts on power (if you can't or don't want to).

 

[beek]

Yep, there are many. There always have been.

* As you say, small sweet spot - they beam the sound;
* Additionally, the sound when standing can be different also;
* They require power
* They are big
* Woofer integration (for hybrids) and bass response (for pure electrostats) can be an issue
* They require maintenance
* The rear wave can be an issue, meaning harder to integrate with a room - positioning is imperative
* They can be hard to drive - you definitely need a good amplifier
* Sound can change with humidity
* Sensitive to dust and pollution

I'm sure there are others. Basically, they demand a lot from the owner. But they also reward immensely.

Also a very large Pleasure Spot.....

 

[beek]

LOL... not only that but the "voicing" seems to have somehow changed as well... for example, Heart's hit song "What about Love" now sounds more like "What a Boot Love".

You did'ent tweak the accent ctrl??
My Vistas have a setting for English,The Queens English,Spanish,Russian,Irish,Italian and other setting available on request?

 

[Rickk]

The EM/ESL only speak Canook...

 

[boycer11]

I thinking I am going to wait until I build or buy a new house before getting anything. I just thought the clx for $12,750 were a good deal since I cant afford $25k for new ones. Looks like my denon does 6x90 in surround mode and 2x120 in 2 channel mode. Course I dont listen to jazz, I am more rock, country, r&b. My last album was Adele though. And I bet the song "bleed" by cold and it been awhile by staind. So which speaker would be best for my music type? How does ml sound with mp3s?

 

[Gordon Gray]

Hi boycer,

Not to sound like a snob and with all due respect, if you are serious about using ML's with MP3 playback, I would suggest you consider other speaker manufacturers.

Regarding music type and "voicing" to a particular type of music, a good speaker will do all types well.

Based on your music preferences, a cone speaker would likely be the more appropriate choice. Recommend that you check out the "Golden Ear Triton Two" speaker. List $2,500.

Good luck.

GG

 

[Necrosuit]

Howdy,

let me throw a nudge at ya. I purchased the CLX Art last year for a really good deal. My dedicated room is not nearly big enough for them 19x10. But I will be getting a bigger proper room for them in the future and decided to buy them when I could afford them. Even in the small room I enjoy the hell out of them and cant wait to hear them in a proper room when that time comes. Def need a sub though.

 

[boycer11]

Hi boycer,

Not to sound like a snob and with all due respect, if you are serious about using ML's with MP3 playback, I would suggest you consider other speaker manufacturers.

Regarding music type and "voicing" to a particular type of music, a good speaker will do all types well.

Based on your music preferences, a cone speaker would likely be the more appropriate choice. Recommend that you check out the "Golden Ear Triton Two" speaker. List $2,500.

Good luck.

GG

Thanks, I figured someone would say that when I threw out mp3s. I still have a ton of cds and recently about 300 vinyl records from my grandfather. It just seems like eventually the only way to get music will be via downloads over the internet. Course you are probably right, I should just invest the money and stick with stick with my bose sound dock for my ipod. Course I love the sound of martins and to feel the kick from the sub on something like eagles hells freezes over "Hotel California" .

 

[boycer11]

Howdy,

let me throw a nudge at ya. I purchased the CLX Art last year for a really good deal. My dedicated room is not nearly big enough for them 19x10. But I will be getting a bigger proper room for them in the future and decided to buy them when I could afford them. Even in the small room I enjoy the hell out of them and cant wait to hear them in a proper room when that time comes. Def need a sub though.

Thanks for the feedback. I already have a definitive technology sub cube I that is powered by 1800 amp with 2 10" woofers for subs. I will just need to pick up some dedicated amps when the new house comes. The denon will struggle to push the clx.