sl3,aerius, vantage
- Thread starter daniel
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I've had Aerius' and SL3's in my system before. Can't comment on the Vantage though. To me, the Aerius panel is just too small, it isn't able to generate the full sound of the SL3's. While it is a good sounding speaker that many people are happy with, the SL3 is better in just about every respect, a little more of everything.
However, what really sets the SL3 above the Aerius is that the panel crosses over lower so the panel makes more vocal sounds than the woofer, where the Aerius doesn't. I think the Aerius crosses over around 450hz or so. I just feel the Aerius is a compromise to meet a price point, and they did very well with it, but if you have the $$$ the SL3 is a no-brainer in comparison.
Having said that, the same can be said for the SL3 vs the ReQuest, the bigger the panel the better....
However, what really sets the SL3 above the Aerius is that the panel crosses over lower so the panel makes more vocal sounds than the woofer, where the Aerius doesn't. I think the Aerius crosses over around 450hz or so. I just feel the Aerius is a compromise to meet a price point, and they did very well with it, but if you have the $$$ the SL3 is a no-brainer in comparison.
Having said that, the same can be said for the SL3 vs the ReQuest, the bigger the panel the better....
Daniel, another thing to consider is that the cost of a new pair of Vantages, or even used ones easily puts you in range of used Odyssey's or even Prodigy's, definitely ReQuests.
However, these being such large speakers affects the WAF. The SL3's and Vantages are a nice size for getting the wife to buy in. If you're really lucky you can find SL3's for under $1200.
However, these being such large speakers affects the WAF. The SL3's and Vantages are a nice size for getting the wife to buy in. If you're really lucky you can find SL3's for under $1200.
Big panel = big room needed. I will be releasing a major mod to my quests real soon to help with a smaller room but you do need at least a 16 X 20 room or bigger to get them to open up. Also you need a lot of curent to get them to sing . Older ML like high currant amps ! Preferably SS. But a good Tube will do the job too
eknuds01
Well-known member
How many of you were able to compare, in the same familiar environment, sl3 or aerius to the Vantage?
What did you find, what aspects are better,which ones are less good ( bad doesn't apply
I have listened to the Vantages plenty both at the store and other friend's houses. It is certainly a better speaker compared to the Aerius, and I have owned the ML Aerus i since 2001 or so.
That said the Vantage has powered woofers and it is also a little larger vs the Aerius. I would think the Vantage is better suited for larger rooms. Also, since the Vantage employs powered woofers you can try using a tube amp for the stats. You can also do this with the older line of ML speakers, but most would tell you that you need a SS amp for the woofers and then (if you want) a tube amp for the stats. The Vantage seems to eliminate the middle man and you can power the stats with a great SS amp (if that's your preference) or the a tube amp if you want.
Obviously this comes down to budget, and I have said this numerous times - you'd be hard pressed to find a better speaker on the used market for $1000. However, if you have a larger room and/or want to listen to music at higher levels, then the Vantage is probably the ideal choice.
I haven't listened to the SL3.
Erik
I do have a large room: 27L X 17W X 13H
p.s. I was planning to buy Vantage in spring but we had to redo the rooftop.$$$
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