Vic, from one fart to another, welcome aboard !
New (old as in Senior Citizen) Member from Chicago, IL area
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Welcome Vic! I’m in the Chicagoland area also! Welcome to the club!
Woof! Good one on the Bose!
I had those exact ones as well, man going back to senior school... had the 301 series III and then the 901's series IV with active eq. We hung those suspended from the ceiling using the Bose supplied accessories. Driven with a Carver power amp and Carver preamp, it pumped out tunes virtually 24/7... didn't miss a beat and would still play in rain, thunderstorms, tropics whatever! Bought the 901s from Spore dealer at the Adelphi, my go to place for anything audio. After Bose it was Paradigm speakers and then onto Maggie's, Quads... & finally ending with ML's.
Aaaah ...Chicago! That's where I completed my under-grad at Lewis University Romeoville IL. Small Christian Bros catholic Uni background... but I'm not catholic, rather just prefer stats!
That's where I got my name "big dog" from da hood!
Also, first experienced the ML SL3 in a highend store in Naperville. I think the name was Sound Lab... or something great chaps to deal with. I remember the day, I walked in and auditioned both the Aries and SL3's. Driven by a Krell integrated 150w amp and Krell top loading CD player. We loaded in a disc I brought along, Norman Brown - Better Days Ahead. From the moment he hit play... oh my golly! Was I transfixed! I didn't move until they closed the store and a couple bought the pair of SL3's that I was demoing. I even helped them load it into the boot of their car, and it was bloody snowing! Yet no boxes or anything just wrapped up in cloth and plastic, they drove off! I visited the store again the following month, had saved up a few dollars from Uni jobs, and went straight in and bought a new pair of SL3's and some Monster speaker cables. That was it! Funny, in one of my electives called, Interviews & Presentstion skills, I actually wrote a paper and did a presentation on ML & Bose. The ML were presented on the SL3 and the Bose 901 was presented. The lecturer thought I'd end up being a speaker tech specialist or designer...
Well enough of that said, sorry for the digress...
You just gotta love Bose for what it can do. Obviously ML is in a totally different league!
Cheers to both!
RJ
I had those exact ones as well, man going back to senior school... had the 301 series III and then the 901's series IV with active eq. We hung those suspended from the ceiling using the Bose supplied accessories. Driven with a Carver power amp and Carver preamp, it pumped out tunes virtually 24/7... didn't miss a beat and would still play in rain, thunderstorms, tropics whatever! Bought the 901s from Spore dealer at the Adelphi, my go to place for anything audio. After Bose it was Paradigm speakers and then onto Maggie's, Quads... & finally ending with ML's.
Aaaah ...Chicago! That's where I completed my under-grad at Lewis University Romeoville IL. Small Christian Bros catholic Uni background... but I'm not catholic, rather just prefer stats!
That's where I got my name "big dog" from da hood!
Also, first experienced the ML SL3 in a highend store in Naperville. I think the name was Sound Lab... or something great chaps to deal with. I remember the day, I walked in and auditioned both the Aries and SL3's. Driven by a Krell integrated 150w amp and Krell top loading CD player. We loaded in a disc I brought along, Norman Brown - Better Days Ahead. From the moment he hit play... oh my golly! Was I transfixed! I didn't move until they closed the store and a couple bought the pair of SL3's that I was demoing. I even helped them load it into the boot of their car, and it was bloody snowing! Yet no boxes or anything just wrapped up in cloth and plastic, they drove off! I visited the store again the following month, had saved up a few dollars from Uni jobs, and went straight in and bought a new pair of SL3's and some Monster speaker cables. That was it! Funny, in one of my electives called, Interviews & Presentstion skills, I actually wrote a paper and did a presentation on ML & Bose. The ML were presented on the SL3 and the Bose 901 was presented. The lecturer thought I'd end up being a speaker tech specialist or designer...
Well enough of that said, sorry for the digress...
You just gotta love Bose for what it can do. Obviously ML is in a totally different league!
Cheers to both!
RJ
Hello Paul and thank you !
Hello, RJ. I totally remember Sound Lab stores. If memory serves they had a store in Palatine IL and that is where I bought the Aerius i's.
I'll be damned! How interesting. Are they still in business? I ended up being one of their room acoustic setup techs, especially for panel type speakers and ML's. Man... this is going way back to 93/94! The chaps there must be all old & bald... I can't remember the guy I was dealing with but I used to visit their store on such a regular basis, so as to not annoy them anymore, I think it was their GM who offered me a small stint as room setup tech. He could see my enthusiasm from a mile away...! compltey nuts about ML stats, and from that point onwards, is what got me into the highend dealership business. I couldn't hardly study, although I finished with a 3.8GPA, must have been a fluke ha!
Enjoy those fine tunes!
Cheers mate, RJ
No, RJ. Sadly Sound Lab is no more. The brick-and-mortar high-end audio retailing business is really piss poor here considering that the Chicagoland area population is in excess of 4 million people
Oh! Dear me... I had a feeling that was the case. Since after I left IL in May of 98, around 99/2000 I didn't hear from them. So we never hooked up again and life went on... Yes, the highend during those years are completely different to nowadays. It's just a hard sell now and with the digital domain, everything can suddenly vanish onto an online platform. Any chap can sell highend gear from a shed, yet still profile a kick-*** website showing a multiple array of gear. With no showroom or demo room of course, and life goes on.
That's basically what happened, so I sold out and migrated! Cheers mate.
Enjoy those stats, they're just beautiful in reproducing pure music!
Woof! RJ
That's basically what happened, so I sold out and migrated! Cheers mate.
Enjoy those stats, they're just beautiful in reproducing pure music!
Woof! RJ
I think it's that way all over now. The stores I use seem to be doing ok, but I feel like they do a greater and greater part of their business now setting up home theaters and sound systems in homes/businesses. The business is changing for sure.
So many folks order things online without even seeing or hearing them. I'm shocked how people order new cars online now without even driving them.
Yeah mate go figure! Just the other day, one of my neighbors ordered that Chinese made SUV called Haval. It arrived on a truck, in full glorious blue! I asked him what the heck is this color matey? He replied, "brilliant sporty bluuu." Uh?
Jeez man, I wouldn't see myself driving that color even if it was a Ferrari or Lambo, it looked like a sports car from the Smurfs episode!
Then we jumped in and went for a drive, he said it's the first time he's ever driven it. Wait a minute... I asked you haven't even driven the dam thing? So, apparently, it comes with a full 90 point vehicle check (whatever that means) road worthy test & certificates, plus 5 year warranty just in case the wheels fall off during that initial test drive...!
Oh boy... what has the world come to? I guess you could even purchase a submarine on eBay.
Cheers to that!
RJ
Jeez man, I wouldn't see myself driving that color even if it was a Ferrari or Lambo, it looked like a sports car from the Smurfs episode!
Then we jumped in and went for a drive, he said it's the first time he's ever driven it. Wait a minute... I asked you haven't even driven the dam thing? So, apparently, it comes with a full 90 point vehicle check (whatever that means) road worthy test & certificates, plus 5 year warranty just in case the wheels fall off during that initial test drive...!
Oh boy... what has the world come to? I guess you could even purchase a submarine on eBay.
Cheers to that!
RJ
Yeah, that's nuts. Kinda like getting a pair of main speakers without ever hearing them.
I guess if your only goal is to get from point A to point B then it's fine. I want my car to drive a certain way and be fun to drive. I always test at least 3 cars that I've research before choosing one. The only exception was my 911 turbo. It was the only sports car I tested. I at least test drove it. It had a 3 year factory certified warranty on it, but if it hadn't driven the way I wanted it to then I would have never bought it.
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I was able to hear the Martin Logan Statement E2 at the Sound Lab in Palatine! A phenomenal system!
Nice one mate! Can you remember what type of amplification they were using?
Back in the day, it was mostly Krells, ARC or VTL. These could drive those Statements to full effect. There'll never be another Evo-II.
Cheers RJ
Back in the day, it was mostly Krells, ARC or VTL. These could drive those Statements to full effect. There'll never be another Evo-II.
Cheers RJ
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I will be 70 this year and I conifer my self older not old...lol. I started out with the Quad system and eel's. Was a great system for the time..
Nice one Garret, and congrats on turning 70 this year! Soon you will be one more year wiser!
BTW, which Quad ESL's did you previously own? And what type of amplification did you use back then?
I started out with Maggie's, back in 88 then onto Quad ESL 63's placed on top of Gradient subs. Used conrad johnson amplifiers, Meridian transport and an Aragon DAC, it was marvellous! Over the years... onto Apogee's, ML CLS and CLSIIz's then back to Maggie's. Had a few Infinity's and Paradigm speakers but nothing quite like stats!
Quads didn't last too long in tropical climes, not to mention virtually any type of ESL's. However, Maggie's and other ribbon panels I had, such as Apogee's, lasted a bit longer. Even on those panels, corrosion would start on the wiring and things just fell apart with adhesives etc.
Fwd another 25yrs... now in Aus, that's not an issue. Melbourne weather is usually hot and dry, so ideal for stats! Had several newer iterations of Quads coming out of China, absolutely useless! Owned: 988, 989, 2905 and 2912's. They all failed miserably, it was an absolute disaster! I never had such problems with the original ESL 63's made in England. Peter Walker was a legend!
Only around Oct 2017, I ventured back towards ML's Reserve Line speakers and the rest is history! Just thought of sharing my wonderful experience with Quads. Will never forget it!
Cheers, RJ
AlmostHome
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Ha! Congratulations Garrett! I too will turn 70 shortly, but I have to say I'm not all that sure about the wiser part!!!!!
I have reached a conclusion though, and that is that old age begins at 15 years older than whatever my current age happens to be...
You'll probably find that you are not alone in having a bit of senior in your makeup. I am older than you. Ha!
How about posting a picture of your ESL-X.
Steelhead
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum
Senior here as well. Big 7-0
Long time Stat owner. Loved both the Acoustat 2+2 and big Beveridge's I heard back when I could have not afforded the boxes for either of them. Fast forward and I purchased reQuests, then Summits, and now 15a's.
It all started with the Koss electrostatic headphones I bought in the 70's, speaking of 7-0.
Anyways, welcome and happy listening.
Senior here as well. Big 7-0
Long time Stat owner. Loved both the Acoustat 2+2 and big Beveridge's I heard back when I could have not afforded the boxes for either of them. Fast forward and I purchased reQuests, then Summits, and now 15a's.
It all started with the Koss electrostatic headphones I bought in the 70's, speaking of 7-0.
Anyways, welcome and happy listening.
Morning. I had the British Quad 100 watt amp and ESL 55's. It was a great sounding system for that time period. I had a thorens turntable feeding the system. I sold that to travel the USA and Canada for a couple of years and then when I got back into the sound systems I went box speakers. Bose 901's, Kef 104's, B&W 801's, 802's, Totem Winds, and just purchased the Martin Logans ESL 11a's. Love the stage presence they present. Pain in the *** to set up by yourself but worth it in the end. The Quad amp was an amazing little amp for the time. It had a lot of detail when I think back.......
The nice thing about Canada is we don't have to worry about high humidity values as you do. We only have a couple of months of it. I have a dedicated room and central air so that helps with what we do get. Have a great day...Garett
