New ML Summit owner saying Hi.

[Lurch]

Hi All.
I live in the UK and have just bought myself a used pair of all black Summits from Guildford Audio. They're being delivered on Wednesday and I can't wait. Got converted to stats by a friend a couple of years back and bought his Quad 989s when he upgraded to 2905s. Unfortunately over the last 18 months the 989s been playing up and cost me twice their purchase price in repairs (also a 300 mile round trip to deliver, then again to collect from service point) so when one went again last week I said enough is enough.
Had a read round, liked the reviews and the fact I couldn't find any moans about issues/problems, this gave me the confidence to audition and buy a pair. I know I have the kit upstream to do them justice and I look forward to just chilling with tunes rather then stressing and waiting for the next sign of problems.

 

[Lightloopy]

Welcome! I'm sure you are in for a treat. ML is quite a different presentation than the Quads. Tell us what you are running upstream? Enjoy!

 

[Lurch]

Welcome! I'm sure you are in for a treat. ML is quite a different presentation than the Quads. Tell us what you are running upstream? Enjoy!

Analogue:
Brinkmann Bardo/12" OL Enterprise Mk4/Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, BigBottle mk3 Phono.
Digital:
Lector CDP7TL, Pimped Node2, Pimped Jolida Glass fx dac.
Amplification:
Music First Baby Reference passive pre.
Icon Audio MB845SE Monos OR Mk2 Nord One UP SE NC500M Monos.
I will upload a photo of the system once the Summits are inplace, in the meantime here's one with the Quad 989s.

 

[khenegar]

Analogue:
Brinkmann Bardo/12" OL Enterprise Mk4/Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, BigBottle mk3 Phono.
Digital:
Lector CDP7TL, Pimped Node2, Pimped Jolida Glass fx dac.
Amplification:
Music First Baby Reference passive pre.
Icon Audio MB845SE Monos OR Mk2 Nord One UP SE NC500M Monos.
I will upload a photo of the system once the Summits are inplace, in the meantime here's one with the Quad 989s. View attachment 21994

once u get ur summits all setup on how u want them be sure and check that both ur bass drivers are working. summits bass amps seem to go bad especially after a whole house power surge!

 

[Lurch]

Luckily here in the UK we don't suffer from horrendous storms with electrical spikes taking out kit. Also I'm buying used from an ML dealer, who is one of the good guys in the trade. When I auditioned them last Wednesday they were working perfectly so hopefully ongoing there should be no problems, but thanks for the heads up.

 

[Technomad]

Funnily enough, I was in Guildford last week, and was planning to look at those very speakers! Time got in the way - I was annoyed to miss out, but had no sooner got home to the highlands when a pair of Spires popped up locally! Summits should be awesome for you, but do report back on how they compare to the Quads.

 

[twich54]

Welcome Lurch, congrats on the Summits !

Say hello to the rest of the Adams family for me !

 

[donlduck1]

Congrats on your Summits. I too, am a former Quad owner. I had a pair of modified ESL-63s which I sold when I went into my "dynamic phase". Came back to stats with a pair of Summits which still own and enjoy. I know you will enjoy them. Happy listening.

 

[Robert D]

How do the Martin Logans compare to Quads? I've heard some say they preferred the sound of the quads. Seems like those are hard to purchase here in the US.

 

[Lurch]

How do the Martin Logans compare to Quads? I've heard some say they preferred the sound of the quads. Seems like those are hard to purchase here in the US.

Will let you know tomorrow when the Summits arrive and I've had a listen.

 

[AlmostHome]

@Lurch
Welcome aboard! I too am coming from Quads, but the Z4 (!). They are okay and will be fine later on in life, but after 6 months enough was enough. I was missing my Carver ALS too much, and decided I'm not getting any younger. I didn't want to be in Hospice some day staring at the ceiling wondering why didn't I get the MLs when I had the chance!
I'm nearing the end of breakin for my new white 13As. The OMG moments keep coming...

PS. Thank you Shawn/daVinci. Customer service like yours should be the rule, not the exception.

 

[Stereonerd]

Congrats on your purchase. I too bought a pair of (barely) used Summits about four months ago and have been in awe ever since. Just be aware that placement is critical as is the sitting position. After the Quads you may find that the bass is a bit overwhelming but happily, loudness can be easily adjusted.

 

[Lurch]

Bass a bit overwhelming ehh, looks like I will really enjoy spinning my 180g copy of faithless reverence

 

[MOON]

Congratulations. I actually bought a pair of Summits 2 weeks ago with brand new stator panels. The sound improvement over my Odyssey's is just stunning. I was quite surprised.

My friend who also has Odyssey's is now on the hunt for Summits or Summit X after hearing mine.

 

[Bernard]

Welcome Lurch!

Former Quad ESL 57 owner here. Loved the sound, but they didn’t really work in my (then) small room. I now have SL3s, and in a larger room, where they work great, albeit they are now long in the tooth.

Reverend Moon, check your PM.

 

[Lurch]

Well they've arrived, a F me sideways, they're stunning, I grabbed myself a couple of 350mm x 550mm, 30mm thick black marble slabs for them to stand on (suspended wooden floor that can act like a soundbox). Dealer spent a good 1. 5 hours on setup & tweaking before leaving me to it.
I started out using my beloved 90wpc Icon Audio MB845SE monoblock valve amps (had them 4yrs feeding Usher Mini Dancer 2 dmd then the 989s) but they left me a bit underwhelmed so swapped to a pair of Nord One UP SE NC500M Mk2s (400 into 8 Ohm, 700/4, 550/2)and Damn!!! The sound opened right up, bass was tight with weight and slam, detail galore across all frequencies, the soundstage & imaging was like nothing I've experienced before. Looks like my MB845SEs are headed for the UK classifieds.

Anyway as promised here's a photo of my system with the Summits inplace.

 

[Stereonerd]

Fabulous! One thing to note: never let the sun hit those panels or you'll have trouble! Very important!

 

[khenegar]

Fabulous! One thing to note: never let the sun hit those panels or you'll have trouble! Very important!

don’t get rid of ur valve amps yet live with what u changed to for awhile u might wish u had kept them! u made a change so yes it’s going to sound different but after awhile u might wish u had the valve amps back! second that keep the sun off those panels!

 

[Steelhead]

Great speakers they sure were a big improvement over my reQuests which I really enjoyed.

The only reason I have mine listed is that I went up to 15a's because of a house sale so said screw it and ordered them but didn't feel the real need to upgrade as the Summits can really do it all.

2nd the valve amp recommendation. Have premier 12 monoblocks and Manley 100/200 monoblocks here at the shack. As EvAnna states "tubes rule"

Have a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lurch]

Main problem in keeping the valve amps is having £3k/$4k just sitting in the corner doing nothing. Whilst I'm in no financial rush to move them on, its a lot of money to be just sat there, especially as the sound with my Nords is so stunning. I've not lost any richness but have added detail, but yes valves do have their own magic.