System #178 (Mosaic, Fresco, Grotto)

[captain_tinker]

1. Member Name: Tony Brown

2. Location: Sacramento, CA - Home of the Governator!

3. ML Model(s): Mosaic, Fresco, Grotto

4. Year Purchased: Mosaics - December 2006, Fresco, Grotto - February 2007

5. Mods/Changes: None

6. Associated Electronics:
- Marantz SR5600 Receiver
- Pioneer 588A DVD/DVD-A/SACD player
- Toshiba SD1600 DVD Player being used as CD player
- JVC Audio Cassette Deck
- JVC S-VHS Video Cassette Recorder
- Blue Jeans interconnects and 10 AWG speaker cables
- Paradigm Titan's used as surround speakers

7. Comments and/or stories about your Martin Logan experience:

I think I've put my story in some of my posts, so I'll shorten it here. I first heard ML Summits by accident. I was trying to audition a Def Tech sub, and the salesman at the store happened to turn on the wrong system, the one with the Summits attached, and I had never heard anything like it before. At first I couldn't tell where the sound was coming from, it sounded like it was coming from the front corner of the room, but there were no speakers there. I then realized it was coming from this panel of clear material and steel. I couldn't believe it! I then heard the Voyage in walls, and even those were amazing, and pounded the music out in great fashion. I then compared the Mosaics against the Paradigm Studio 60's that I was originally thinking of getting, and was completely sold on the Mosaics. So when I heard that they were phasing them out, and found that they were on closeout for an amazing price, I jumped at the chance. Once I did I realized I just had to finish the job, and get the rest of the package. So, when I got my tax return I convinced my wife to let me get the Fresco and the Grotto too. Wow, what a combo!

8. An image of your system:

Here is the entire setup...

-capT

 

[TomDac]

Welcome aboard, Capt! Great story.

 

[Brad225]

Hey Captin,

Your system looks great. I keep reading about the Mosaics and how good they sound. I am going to have to find some place that has them and take a listen.

I remember first hearing ELS speakers and jaw dropping wide eyed expression of how they nothing like box speakers.

Keep us posted on your system

 

[captain_tinker]

Thanks Tom! I have a few more pics I would like to put up.

-capT

 

[captain_tinker]

I thought this one was a neat shot of the Mosaic.

-capT

 

[captain_tinker]

At night I like to put my feet up, turn the lights down, and put on some music. This is a time exposure shot of the entertainment center with the lights way down. The picture on the TV is a Demo DVD that I put together to show off the Logans. I actually had a friend over the other day and just blew him away with my setup. He has some nice Def Tech, Polk and Monitor Audio speakers in his setup, but he had never heard a Martin Logan before and was just speechless after we spent about 2 hours demoing.

-capT

 

[Robin]

Lovely Mosaic System...

Captin,

Your ML system Rocks!
Your set-up looks very inviting and a comfortable listening environment as well. Do you keep the speaker covers off your Mosaic's Fresco's and Grotto for improved sound imagining?

Your set-up is very cool... :cheers:

 

[captain_tinker]

Robin,
Thanks for the kind words. I do enjoy it a lot! I don't actually keep the covers off, WAAY too inviting for little kids fingers to touch that way. No, the covers stay on. I just took them off because I found it made for a really neat picture. Though even with the covers on, the sound is still just flat out amazing. Not quite the same as an ESL, but still very very good in it's own right.

-capT

 

[philox]

captain_tinker, I never seen nor heard the Mosaics. I went to the Martin Logan timeline in this forum and read up on them. The covers seem to cover above the driver elements...and seems to look like a normal ESL, but are a Thin Film. What is the difference between this and lets say a Ribbon driver?

 

[Joey_V]

Hey Captin,

Your system looks great. I keep reading about the Mosaics and how good they sound. I am going to have to find some place that has them and take a listen.

I remember first hearing ELS speakers and jaw dropping wide eyed expression of how they nothing like box speakers.

Keep us posted on your system

Brad,
The Mosaics are truly something else... very versatile yet coherent and magical speakers! Those were my first and most memorable Martin Logans... the ones that got me to move up to the Summits of today.

I would've been content with the Mosaics, if needed be.

Cap,

I like your system a lot! I've never really seen a Fresco without the grills next to a Mosaic for size reference, so it's interesting that I see the two next to each other, naked.

Great system you got there and enjoy!

Joey

 

[captain_tinker]

captain_tinker, I never seen nor heard the Mosaics. I went to the Martin Logan timeline in this forum and read up on them. The covers seem to cover above the driver elements...and seems to look like a normal ESL, but are a Thin Film. What is the difference between this and lets say a Ribbon driver?

Philox,
Check out this link:

http://www.us.martinlogan.com/speaker_details/mosaic.html#atf

It describes the thin film pretty well. Page 11 of the manual is also very informative:

http://www.us.martinlogan.com/pdf/manuals/manual_mosaic.pdf

It isn't an Electrostatic, it is magnetic in nature, but the fact that it is a very thin diaphragm moving quickly it is similar in sound. I think that the ATF IS basically a ribbon driver.


Joey,
Thanks for that. It's funny how you refer to the fresco's there as naked! I guess in a sense, they are. As the t-shirt of Calvin & Hobbes says "life is short, play naked!" When it comes to speakers, heck, why not?

From what I can tell by listening, the Fresco and the Mosaic seem to have the same tweeter and midrange drivers, so sound very similar in that respect, just not the same size bass driver obviously. So I am almost getting a Mosaic as a center channel in this case. That is why I went with the Fresco as opposed to the Vignette for a center, though that would probably have been very nice as well I am sure. I may still get some vignettes for surrounds someday. I am using my Paradigm Titan's I replaced with my Mosaics as my surrounds right now. They actually don't do too bad of a job. I can tell they aren't ML's, but after financially overextending myself somewhat already by getting the Fresco AND the Grotto, my wife is making me wait a while. She was good enough to let me splurge on that this time, so I will be good for a while and wait.

-capT

 

[philox]

captain_tinker, that's what I thought: the ATF comes close to a Ribbon speaker. I now see that your running a 5.1 HT with your old speakers as rears. The main listing makes your system seem as a 3.1 HT. Tell me about the vignettes, are they also ATF? What would you buy if you use the Mosaics as rears?

 

[captain_tinker]

captain_tinker, that's what I thought: the ATF comes close to a Ribbon speaker. I now see that your running a 5.1 HT with your old speakers as rears. The main listing makes your system seem as a 3.1 HT. Tell me about the vignettes, are they also ATF? What would you buy if you use the Mosaics as rears?

Philox,
Yes, I am using the Titan's as rears. I am not using the Mosaics as rears. Though, if I ever did, and got some nicer fronts, I would definitely spring for an ESL, maybe a Vantage, or Vista. I don't know. As for the Vignettes, all you would ever want to know about them are on the ML website.

http://www.us.martinlogan.com/specs/vignette.html

They are hybrids too just as the Mosaics and the Frescos. They only have the tweeter as an AFT and the mid and bass are in small cone drivers.

Hmm, you are right the main listing does make it seem like it is a 3.1. I'll see about editing it, if I can.

EDIT: There I fixed it. I added the Titans in under associated electronics

-capT