ML speakers for front

[vinodk]

Hi Guys!
New to this forum. I just purchased Fresco's for surrounds to go with my Aerials (Model 6 & CC3B) in the front & surprisingly they blend very well & are more spacious sounding. Now I am intrigued by ML speakers & planning to upgrade the fronts. What are my options as I don't want to take a sideways step? My main concern is the center channel. Is Theater i as good as Aerial CC3B especially when it comes to off-axis performance? I am considering either Clarity's or Aeon i with Theater i. Is there anything better coming out from ML? My budget is 4-6k for the front three speakers.
Thanks,
Vinod.

 

[taylode]

Hi Guys!
New to this forum. I just purchased Fresco's for surrounds to go with my Aerials (Model 6 & CC3B) in the front & surprisingly they blend very well & are more spacious sounding. Now I am intrigued by ML speakers & planning to upgrade the fronts. What are my options as I don't want to take a sideways step? My main concern is the center channel. Is Theater i as good as Aerial CC3B especially when it comes to off-axis performance? I am considering either Clarity's or Aeon i with Theater i. Is there anything better coming out from ML? My budget is 4-6k for the front three speakers.
Thanks,
Vinod.

If you're willing to go used you can easily get Ascent i's and a Theater i and probably stay under the $4k mark. The combination of Ascents, Theater, and Fresco is the combination I have and it works pretty well.

 

[vinodk]

My main reason for buying new from a dealer is he is giving me good trade-in value for Aerials. I have settled on Theater i as the center channel but I am debating weather to go with Aeon i or Clarity in the front. Any help is appreciated.

 

[SugarMedia]

If you have a good relationship with your dealer, why not see if he'll let you take a demo pair home for a few days.

 

[vinodk]

My dealer did tell me that the performance between Aeon i & Clarity is close & that Clarity is more easy to place in a room than Aeon i. In any case I am going to bring Clarity & Theater i home this weekend & demo them. Ofcourse my main concern is Theater i with regards to its off-axis performance. Front speakers are going to be approx. 13 ft. away from the main seating position & the room is only 13 ft. wide therefore I am guessing that 30 degree dispersion angle of Theater i should cover all the seating positions.

 

[Robin]

Ascent i and Theater i or Stage...

If you're willing to go used you can easily get Ascent i's and a Theater i and probably stay under the $4k mark. The combination of Ascents, Theater, and Fresco is the combination I have and it works pretty well.

vinodk,

Welcome to the ML Club!

I agree with taylode totally, Ascent i's and Theater i or Stage (The Stage will be about the same price as the Theater i, when it is released soon)...

Good luck!

It is good to have you here.

Cheers

-Robin

 

[vinodk]

Hi Guys!
Thanks. When is the Stage coming out? I would love to get Ascent i but my budget forces me to stick to Aeon i or Clarity.

 

[Reverb2009]

Hi Guys!
Thanks. When is the Stage coming out?

My guess would be 1st or 2nd quarter next year.

 

[SugarMedia]

My dealer did tell me that the performance between Aeon i & Clarity is close & that Clarity is more easy to place in a room than Aeon i.

Vinodk-

I found the Aeon-i VERY easy to place in my living room. My only problem right now is that I'm working on slap echo reduction...which will be fixed soon.

 

[Robin]

Try audiogon for great deals...

Hi Guys!
Thanks. When is the Stage coming out? I would love to get Ascent i but my budget forces me to stick to Aeon i or Clarity.

vinodk,

The Ascent i, can be had on the "Audiogon" web-site, if you wait for a deal. Ascent i's are excellent ML speakers. I believe, the "ML Club", in the 'For Sale' section, has even had them for sale also...
IMHO, I highly recommend the ML Ascent i...

Good luck.

Cheers

-Robin

 

[vinodk]

I think I will go with Aeon i instead of Clarity as the price difference is not huge & I am hoping that Aeon i is a good step up from Clarity. I don't want to regret my decision later & get stuck with Clarity & start thinking what if I would have gone up to Aeon i.

 

[Reverb2009]

I think I will go with Aeon i instead of Clarity as the price difference is not huge & I am hoping that Aeon i is a good step up from Clarity. I don't want to regret my decision later & get stuck with Clarity & start thinking what if I would have gone up to Aeon i.

The clarity is a grate speaker but in my opinion it is not a reference quality speaker, it is an entry-level speaker. The Aeon is not leaps and bounds better then the clarity but it is better.

Either way I think you will be very happy.

 

[Dominick22]

With your budget, I think that it is important for you to understand ML's reasoning for creating the different speakers. If you are looking for reference speakers, then yes-the theater i is the way to go. But the Cinema is great as well. The Theater i was created with the goal of matching a center channel to the Statements. In other words, if you dont have a great set of fronts, the cinema will suffice. IMHO, I dont think you should purchase the Theater i unless you have (or plan on getting) at least the Ascent i's or greater front speaker set.
My local Tweeter has their demo room set up with the cinema-Ascent i's-and claritys for the reference system. It is run by B&K components and is impeccable.(Sounds better than my Theater I because of great components)

ML's actual reference 5.1 system is the Theater i-Ascent i's-Clarity's-Descent-Take a look and it is what they use in all their manuals.

Im letting you know this because if you are going to get Aeons, there is no sense in getting the Theater i for 1,000+ dollars because the cinema will suffice. The dealer will probably disagree, but remember why he is there!! To sell!!

Hope this helps,
Dominick in New Jersey

 

[Dominick22]

Agreed that the clarity's are not of reference quality for the front mains, but they are ML's surround reference speakers. Also, this will be largely determined by the size of your room and function. EX: If you were going to put them in a sitting room for casual listening, then they would be great. For booming movies, however, they will struggle.

Dominick in New Jersey

 

[LaserMark4]

So Many Options....No "One" Solution

OK, let's get one thing straight-- almost everybody on this site has systems that even the Gods would have killed for only 20 to 30 years ago. Technology and quality are out the roof. As we all know, there are many factors that make up a great listening room and/or environment. Combinations and choices are almost unlimited, but I agree with Dominick22 that size and function of the room are critical to the selection.

Just this year, I assembled Aeon i fronts, Theatre, and Aerius i rears, with an awesome sub (HSU VTF-3/2) to blend out the "base-ment", all driven by some great separates. I don't know of anyone else with this combo, but in my 13 x 18 x 7.5 dedicated HT/listening room, this room ROCKS and works for me. I guarantee with Aeon i's, my room doesn't "struggle" when it is all working together-- if anything, I am constantly throttling back to save the ear drums (but the neighbors are in awe!). As for music (and as a previous musician) it is wonderful as well....I am a happy camper!! Maybe I move to Ascents in the future, but for now, I love the sound and having a ball!!

As SugarMedia recommended, if you can try some equipment first in the room, you will get a great sense of how much sound/horsepower you'll need, and then ultimately what you can afford.

ALL of ML's stuff IMO is awesome. You can't go wrong with any of the combinations you are discussing....some will just be a bit better than others, but it's all good!

 

[zaphod]

OK, let's get one thing straight-- almost everybody on this site has systems that even the Gods would have killed for only 20 to 30 years ago.

hnmm, i'd better ditch those mac amps and quad ESL-57 on my 2 channel system ...

 

[LaserMark4]

hnmm, i'd better ditch those mac amps and quad ESL-57 on my 2 channel system ...

You guys WERE Gods buying Mac's/Quads 20-30 years ago!!

 

[vinodk]

Has anybody tried digital amps with ML speakers? I currently have Gemstone amp but because of its size & rack space I am having some issues with the heat therefore I am looking for an amp with smaller form factor which is more efficient. How are Sunfire amps with ML's.

 

[Jeff Zaret]

Which ML's?
By digital do you mean solid state?
A lot depnds on budget as well as size and the power/current requirements.

Jeff

 

[vinodk]

I am looking at Clarity with Theater i. By digital I mean Class-D or with switching power supply which is more efficient & generates less heat.