power requirements of CLX vs CLS

[JMAUSGP]

Zaphod,

Your room is the exact dimensions of my listening room. And I think your room is similar to Baby Docs room. In fact Babydoc originally thought his room was too small for CLXs but I think you would find today his CLXs work in his room just fine.

Now I do have room treatments in my listening room but I happen to be listening to the CLXs with the new Moon Titan that came today and it is absolutely phenomenal.

I would think that other new CLX owners with similar dimensions would tell you the same thing.

The CLX will work in a large room and it is true that some speakers can't do a large room justice but the opposite is not necessarily true. My Martin Logan dealer has a renovated house that is his show room. He has different rooms set up with different speaker systems including, Magico, Wilson's, Dynaudio, and of course MLs. None of the rooms are much bigger than what you described.......Holy crap, I am listening to Beatles Love and Help just scared the bejesus out of me.... wow TonePub was right again this amp is on another level.

Hey, the bottom line is that if you get the CLXs you will have years of enjoyment tweaking them, your room, your equipment and your friends

Ask Ken what he thinks, if he comes up for air any time soon.

 

[kwr]

awesome insights guys.

my room to be (in the new house come june 26th) will be 13' by 22' by 8' the height and width are set in stone (support wall and basement ceiling height can't really be changed...) and the lenght is a bit flexible, but 22 is about the best i can get.

so that is 2200 cubic or so, not that bad.

the new room really has me thinking that the CLX jump might be a good thing. i just have to convince the other voting member but she's coming around slowly.

i really wish that i could bi-amp the CLX - then i'd know for sure that my current amplification would meet the needs.

sigh.

I have had longer term experience with electrostatic speakers in ten different rooms now. The best room we ever had was the 9x13x22 foot room with brick and plaster walls, windows at one end with thick drapes covering. Quads at 1/3 position and listening at 2/3. Rental property 1993 so nothing in the way of room treatments beyond furniture and books.

I suspect your room will be superb for the CLX given sensible bass trapping and front wall diffusion. I have always favoured big quality solid state current for stats. Grab some of Ethans panels for the corners, set up the speakers well off the front wall, fire up a big solid state amp and post a photograph of your big sloppy grin.

Purely incidentally Brian Walsh has had experience of Soundlab A1 in quite small rooms sounding good - maybe he could put up a few thoughts

Kevin

 

[Kenscollick]

My room is 19 x 25 with a vaulted ceiling going to 12' the problem with all rooms is that you have to get i and out of them the doorways are the devils if you have a full 13' wall to place your speakers that is a good thing. right now mine are 6' apart and I could probably get another few inches between them giving any speaker room to work is important.

 

[zaphod]

interesting. i have some people saying that my new room will never handle CLX and others saying that it will do fine. curious...

it makes me wonder about all those who have floored by CLX in rooms of similar size - or rooms the size of a hotel suite at a show?

certainly i might not get all that i can get from them, but that doesn't mean that they will sound bad. or hampered. i'm reminded of when i heard the CLS in my dealer's room in London Ontario. big room - 17 x 35 with 10 foot ceilings. one of the best rooms i've ever heard and the CLS (driven by spectral amps) opened up and greated an incredible soundstage that sounded so real i was taken from that room to a new place.

now, my CLS have never and will never sound that good, that open, that real. but i have a little 11x18x8 room and nothing will ever make my CLS sound in that room as good as i know the CLS can sound.

does that mean i ditch the CLS and get a pair of spires, or box speakers or something else? i don't think so - i really like the CLS

back to the CLX - i guess that what i'm thinking is that while the room might not let the CLX sound to their full potential, the CLX will certainly make the room shine to it's full potential.

 

[RichTeer]

back to the CLX - i guess that what i'm thinking is that while the room might not let the CLX sound to their full potential, the CLX will certainly make the room shine to it's full potential.

Very good point. I would think that if you haven't already done so, some judicious use of room treatments would be in order.

 

[JMAUSGP]

Zaphod,

Very eloquently put. Also note the ones telling you it will work in your room are people that have them already working in similar rooms.

With as Rich says the right room treatments the CLXs will let you even go beyond the full potential of your room.

You made another interesting point about being taken to a different place. With my Summits I would play something and get "Taken to a different place maybe 50% of the time", and don't take that wrong that is pretty amazing, but with the CLXs I think you will find everyone gets taken away every time. That is the big difference between the CLX and some of the other ML products at least for me. Excuse me but the CLX train is pulling into the station.....I gotta go, Depeche Mode Playing the Angel is on this train.

 

[urskog]

I heard CLXs in a room that was about the size of a normal living room but with weird angles, a fireplace almost on the middle of one of the walls, a couple of windows and all around hard surfaces.
My first thought when I walked in was: this will sound like a crapfest for sure.
Boy was I wrong!
The CLXs was by far the best speakers I've ever heard and in an environment I would've flat out said was bad.
If I had the funds to buy them and managed to get approval from the missus I would certainly buy a pair (not to be confused with grow a pair..).
If they sounded that awesome in that environment I can hardly even imagine how they will sound in an ideal setting

 

[Bernard]

If I had the funds to buy them and managed to get approval from the missus I would certainly buy a pair (not to be confused with grow a pair..).

Hehe! Love it !!! :ROFL:

 

[twich54]

certainly i might not get all that i can get from them, but that doesn't mean that they will sound bad. or hampered.

Lance, I see your point and understand. I'm sure with carefull set-up, acoustic treatments you will be rewarded !

back to the CLX - i guess that what i'm thinking is that while the room might not let the CLX sound to their full potential, the CLX will certainly make the room shine to it's full potential.

Good point, but, IMO, given the exspense of the CLX if you can't get at least 90% of what they are capable of all you have achieved is 'bragging rights' !