My Babies are in!!!!

[ejspain]

My Impressions 11As arrived today!!!! . OMG I THINK I'M IN LOVE!!! Ok I'll try not to write a novel. First impression (pun intended)...ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL SPEAKER. I ordered the blue. ML said the build would take 6-8 weeks. Got them in 5 1/2. A Martin Logan rep from where I purchased, came to the house, helped me unbox, lug them (90lbs.) upstairs and into my HT. He seemed more excited than me because he's never seen them in blue. Got them unveiled, kinda sorta in the right (temporary) position, toed and plugged in. For now the back of the speaker box is roughly 20" off my back wall and 2' 1/2" from the side wall. Trying not to show my excitement, but I'm literally about to jump out of my skin anticipating power on...what a geek. ML recommends at least 72 hrs breakin before any critical listening. Mind you I haven't upgraded my LCR in over 20 years because my Aeon i's and Cinema i still sound phenomenal. Fired up the 11As and after about 3 hours of listening, the soundstage, clarity and openness was the quintessential ML sound BUT THE BASS!!! I AM COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY with the bass from these bad boys. In 2 channel listening, I can literally turn my subs off (-28). I'm thinking OMG, if they sound like this after just 2 hours and no ARC, I'm never leaving my HT once they break in, I do a ton more tuning, add my Gaia ii, run ARC, etc etc. I'll keep y'all posted. Sorry it's kinda hard to see the blue. More pics of my entire setup coming soon.

 

[Robert D]

6 to 8 weeks is very fast compared to how long it takes to make the panels if you order those. I was told that there is only one guy doing panels. Im glad you got them so fast!

 

[ttocs]

Your excitement is contagious, I'm excited too!

Re break-in, mine sounded amazing right away also. The difference between first hour and 130 hours was mainly just some glaring sounds which went away with more hours.

 

[ejspain]

6 to 8 weeks is very fast compared to how long it takes to make the panels if you order those. I was told that there is only one guy doing panels. Im glad you got them so fast!

yea I thought so too. The rep said they'd already started making a pair for another customer and he bailed so all they had to do was finish the panels and make my blue box. I was prepared to get them well after Christmas but no complaints. Guess what I'll be doing the next couple weeks (years).

 

[Big Dog RJ]

Well done EJ! Now that's more like it
The Impression 11A's are fabulous stats, they perform really well and best of all, fit nicely into most rooms, without much fuss.
Once dialed in properly, given a few 100hrs, you'll find the stats really opening up to effortless levels, with zero distortion.

Obviously provided the amplifiers are also up to par... which leads to my next point;
There have been reports where a handful of owners have found the 11A's to be bright, too hot in HF's and not well balanced. Some have said, even too thin on the mids & highs...
As far as I can decipher, I've never come across any of the Masterpiece series stats having this issue. The only thing that I could possibly determine, even if it's an issue to begin with, those owners didn't have the right kind of amplification. Hence, the amplifiers run out of puff... and the HF's scream out! The stats yell out, "you're not giving me enough current maaate!"

The new Masterpiece series is a formidable line up! Give it proper amplification, with adequate high current and highly stable voltage, and these hybrid stats will perform!

Very very happy with your great choice! enjoy those fine tunes!
WOOF!!! RJ

 

[ejspain]

Well done EJ! Now that's more like it
The Impression 11A's are fabulous stats, they perform really well and best of all, fit nicely into most rooms, without much fuss.
Once dialed in properly, given a few 100hrs, you'll find the stats really opening up to effortless levels, with zero distortion.

Obviously provided the amplifiers are also up to par... which leads to my next point;
There have been reports where a handful of owners have found the 11A's to be bright, too hot in HF's and not well balanced. Some have said, even too thin on the mids & highs...
As far as I can decipher, I've never come across any of the Masterpiece series stats having this issue. The only thing that I could possibly determine, even if it's an issue to begin with, those owners didn't have the right kind of amplification. Hence, the amplifiers run out of puff... and the HF's scream out! The stats yell out, "you're not giving me enough current maaate!"

The new Masterpiece series is a formidable line up! Give it proper amplification, with adequate high current and highly stable voltage, and these hybrid stats will perform!

Very very happy with your great choice! enjoy those fine tunes!
WOOF!!! RJ

Great points @Big Dog RJ....and yes I am SO FREAKIN IMPRESSED with this speaker I can't stop looking at them...hahaha. Although SUPER ANXIOUS, I'll give them their moment to break-in before running ARC, critical tweaks and listening but from what I'm hearing so far, I think my amplification is sufficient. And it's a plus they are super efficient.

 

[Russr]

@ejspain Congrats on the new speakers... they look amazing!
So, to dive into RJ's train of thought a bit, what are you using for amplification?

 

[ejspain]

@ejspain Congrats on the new speakers... they look amazing!
So, to dive into RJ's train of thought a bit, what are you using for amplification?

The Marantz MM7055 for my LCR (Class AB - 140W/ch).

 

[twich54]

Congrats on your new 'babies' , they have their fathers eyes !

 

[Big Dog RJ]

Yes, the ARC software gizmo is definitely helpful, no doubt! However, it doesn't take into account certain things in your room or if the system is located in living rooms or within open plan designs, such as mine. When I ran ARC with the BF210 and the CLX's, it was quite apparent that certain sections / nodes weren't accessible by it. Such as, the long hallway from the far right of the listening area towards the other rooms then there's the kitchen and dinning area located towards the far back right... so a listening space created within an open plan, ARC is limited in this regard.

It did help by a good margin but at the end of the day, your golden ears are the final judge! When you listen closely and recognise something is off... you'll know exactly where to correct it, simply because only you can determine that. You're the only one that lives in that room, not us!

Do the ARC correction after a few 100hrs, and then fine tune by ear with your favourite recordings. After a few more hours you'll find the best settings then just leave it! Sit back and enjoy those fine tunes! Otherwise you'll be adjusting forever...

Cheers, RJ

 

[MisterB]

Congrats on the new Impressions! Gorgeous! I hope you love them as much as I love mine. Totally agree on the bass. I continue to be blown away with the quality of bass coming out of those 8" drivers. The ability to use ARC to room correct just the bass and leave the panel untouched was one of the main reasons I chose them.

I see in your signature you have 2 1100X's. For about the first 10 months, I didn't use any sub with my Impressions for 2-channel. I was only using for LFE for HT. Then I picked up a second 1100X and integrated the pair in with my Impressions for 2-channel. I played around with the low pass frequency on the 1100X's for several weeks and ended up at 40Hz, 4th order on both. Adds just enough low-end reinforcement to seamlessly blend all the way down to 16Hz in my room. Adding in the 1100X's was the icing on what was already a very tasty cake!

 

[ejspain]

Congrats on your new 'babies' , they have their fathers eyes !

...and I thought it was only me who thought the same.....tks bud

 

[ejspain]

Yes, the ARC software gizmo is definitely helpful, no doubt! However, it doesn't take into account certain things in your room or if the system is located in living rooms or within open plan designs, such as mine. When I ran ARC with the BF210 and the CLX's, it was quite apparent that certain sections / nodes weren't accessible by it. Such as, the long hallway from the far right of the listening area towards the other rooms then there's the kitchen and dinning area located towards the far back right... so a listening space created within an open plan, ARC is limited in this regard.

It did help by a good margin but at the end of the day, your golden ears are the final judge! When you listen closely and recognise something is off... you'll know exactly where to correct it, simply because only you can determine that. You're the only one that lives in that room, not us!

Do the ARC correction after a few 100hrs, and then fine tune by ear with your favourite recordings. After a few more hours you'll find the best settings then just leave it! Sit back and enjoy those fine tunes! Otherwise you'll be adjusting forever...

Cheers, RJ

Great advice RJ....luckily they're in my dedicate media room (movies and music) 18'D x 13'W. Because I can only pull them about 18-20" from their back wall, I placed absorption/diffusion behind them and in the rear of the room. With the new stat framing, I don't believe there will be too much first reflections so I added some absorption just past where the first reflection would be, along side a cylinder diffusion (both sides of the room). My bass traps will be in this week to fill all four corners. Like you said, after burn-in, I'll definitely fire up ARC to hopefully tighten up the bass and integrate them with the 1100X's.

 

[ejspain]

Congrats on the new Impressions! Gorgeous! I hope you love them as much as I love mine. Totally agree on the bass. I continue to be blown away with the quality of bass coming out of those 8" drivers. The ability to use ARC to room correct just the bass and leave the panel untouched was one of the main reasons I chose them.

I see in your signature you have 2 1100X's. For about the first 10 months, I didn't use any sub with my Impressions for 2-channel. I was only using for LFE for HT. Then I picked up a second 1100X and integrated the pair in with my Impressions for 2-channel. I played around with the low pass frequency on the 1100X's for several weeks and ended up at 40Hz, 4th order on both. Adds just enough low-end reinforcement to seamlessly blend all the way down to 16Hz in my room. Adding in the 1100X's was the icing on what was already a very tasty cake!

@MisterB we need to chat. And yes...I LOVE THESE SPEAKERS! From what I'm hearing so far, there will be no need for subs while listening to 2 channel but I like your little trick with the low pass frequency deal'y'o.... I tried screwing with those settings in my previous setup but ended up leaving it alone. Would love to have a side chat (after break-in). I want that "tasty cake"....especially because I am from Philly...go Eagles

 

[Brandon Hartwick]

Do those models have the rear firing woofer as well? The newer ML speakers handle the bass so much better than previous offerings, the active crossovers make a world of difference and really make the whole speaker come alive. Congratulations on your purchase!

 

[ejspain]

Yes'sir...dual 8"s...the "quality of bass" is phenomenal. I'm a bass head (ok there I said it ) but with the 11A's, I can literally turn my subs off for 2 channel listening....its that good....and I'm still very early in the break-in stage. I've had my Aeon i's over 20 years...and they sound lovely when paired with a sub. Unfortunately I've never heard other models, pre-Masterpiece series so I was SUPER SKEPTICAL going with the 11A's because of my experience with the Aeon's. I must've read every review on the net before pulling the trigger. What did it for me was everyone mentioned how great the improvements were in bass over previous models, mid bass controls and ARC. Major, major upgrade.

 

[Reverb]

My Impressions 11As arrived today!!!! . OMG I THINK I'M IN LOVE!!! Ok I'll try not to write a novel. First impression (pun intended)...ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL SPEAKER. I ordered the blue. ML said the build would take 6-8 weeks. Got them in 5 1/2. A Martin Logan rep from where I purchased, came to the house, helped me unbox, lug them (90lbs.) upstairs and into my HT. He seemed more excited than me because he's never seen them in blue.

They look amazing. I'm sure they sound amazing too. Congratulations!
Hey, the color blue looks awesome, excellent choice.

 

[Brandon Hartwick]

Yes'sir...dual 8"s...the "quality of bass" is phenomenal. I'm a bass head (ok there I said it ) but with the 11A's, I can literally turn my subs off for 2 channel listening....its that good....and I'm still very early in the break-in stage. I've had my Aeon i's over 20 years...and they sound lovely when paired with a sub. Unfortunately I've never heard other models, pre-Masterpiece series so I was SUPER SKEPTICAL going with the 11A's because of my experience with the Aeon's. I must've read every review on the net before pulling the trigger. What did it for me was everyone mentioned how great the improvements were in bass over previous models, mid bass controls and ARC. Major, major upgrade.

Yup, I believe it

I had a similar reaction when I went active bass on my old Aerius I's. Newer technology really does make a massive difference.

 

[MisterB]

@MisterB we need to chat. And yes...I LOVE THESE SPEAKERS! From what I'm hearing so far, there will be no need for subs while listening to 2 channel but I like your little trick with the low pass frequency deal'y'o.... I tried screwing with those settings in my previous setup but ended up leaving it alone. Would love to have a side chat (after break-in). I want that "tasty cake"....especially because I am from Philly...go Eagles

I occasionally traveled to Philly for work years ago and became very familiar with the legendary Tastykake. Would be happy to share more details of my setup and some of the trial and error I went through when integrating my 1100's with my 11A's.

 

[Lightloopy]

Butterscotch Krimpets.... oh, and the Chocolate Junior. My favorites.