Newbie needs advice

[SteveFord]

I'm a tube guy who has owned Magnepans for the past 20 years.
Martin Logans have always really intrigued me ever since I got hooked on Stax headphones back in the late 70s and it might be time for a change.
I have two systems with VTL MB250 monoblocks and VTL 300 DeLuxe monoblocks for amplification and the speakers I'm currently using are Magnepan 1.6s and 3.6s.
I like good sound, obviously, and a large soundstage.
My questions are which ML speakers would be comprable with the Maggies, will they work well with my amps and will the soundstage be too directional for my tastes?
Thank you in advance,
Steve Ford

 

[twich54]

Hi Steve, another 'Pennsyltucky' resident here......... having owned Maggies for years myself (lastly 3.6's), given your amplification , but not knowing your budget, I'd suggest Spire's (I love mine !) or the Summitt X (if funds allow).

Depending on where you are in Pa I'd gladly let you have a listen to my set-up if interested.

 

[SteveFord]

Planar Porn, I see.
Yes, I'd love to give them a listen especially because you have tubes and vinyl.
I'm a bit south of York but when the weather warms up I'm always up for a motorcycle road trip!
Budget would be around what I could sell the Maggies for and I'd probably have to go used for the Martin Logans as my tastes always outstrip my budget!

 

[tsv_1]

Hi Steve,

Welcome to the forum. I too owned the 3.6s and agree with Dave that you would/should be looking somewhere in the Spire-Summit-SummitX range of product from ML. They also have a new product coming out soon, sort of a Summit-lite if I recall.

As for used, I see a nice pair of Spires on Agon right now for $4500 - assuming you'll get mid to high 3K for the 3.6rs, seems within the ballpark. (there's also a pair of SummitX listed for $7500 which ain't a bad price for that level of performance.... I know, but budgets are really just guidelines, right

Enjoy your ML journey and please keep the forum posted on your activity.

Cheers,

-Todd

 

[twich54]

when the weather warms up I'm always up for a motorcycle road trip!

Scooter talk..........yeah baby !!

 

[Bernard]

Scooter talk..........yeah baby !!

Dave, I always thought scooters were only the things made by Vespa, not Harley.

 

[babydoc]

Not to muddy the waters, but...

I'm a tube guy who has owned Magnepans for the past 20 years.
Martin Logans have always really intrigued me ever since I got hooked on Stax headphones back in the late 70s and it might be time for a change.
I have two systems with VTL MB250 monoblocks and VTL 300 DeLuxe monoblocks for amplification and the speakers I'm currently using are Magnepan 1.6s and 3.6s.
I like good sound, obviously, and a large soundstage.
My questions are which ML speakers would be comprable with the Maggies, will they work well with my amps and will the soundstage be too directional for my tastes?
Thank you in advance,
Steve Ford

First some good news. Magnepan has come out with the 3.7 and 1.7 replacements for your speakers which are better and not much more expensive than what you paid for yours. I have heard them both at 2011 CES and they are the best Maggies that I have heard, including the 20.1.
Now some bad news. Because of these new issues, it is likely the price for used 3.6 and 1.6 speakers will probably drop fairly quickly as they are no longer current models.
Now some different news. If you like the Maggie sound, you should definitely audition several different M-Ls (Spires, Summits and the newest Theos) to see if you actually like ESL panel sound. It is quite different from ribbons that you are accustomed to hearing. Also since these are hybrid speakers with dynamic woofers you will get fuller bass than what you are now getting so your room size will be a factor.
Some things won't change like placement sensitivity which is characteristic of all planar speakers. The M-L's are easier to drive than the Maggies so your amps will have plenty of headroom

 

[SteveFord]

I'll be sure to give them a listen first.
I've been watching Audiogon and the place isn't swamped with people getting rid of their 1.6s and 3.6s like I thought there would be. Perhaps the lack of biamping capability on the 3.7 might be part of the reason?
I'm glad to hear that my VTLs will do the trick, they're keepers.
I think the Spires are what I'll aspire to - sorry, that was a bad one.