System #225 (Aerius)

[Sasha]

Member Name: Sasha Miocic

Location: Zagreb, Croatia

ML Model(s): Aerius

Year Purchased: 2007

Mods/Changes: None so far

Associated Electronics:

amp Rotel RA-1062
CD Denon DCD-755AR
Kimber Cables

Comments and/or stories about your Martin Logan experience:

Hi all! Glad to be part of Martin Logan Community, even from far away Croatia, country located in middle eastern Europe.
I just bought my first MLs 5 days ago. It was always dream of mine to have these speakers. To complete the audiophile dream, I have to buy McIntosh amp and Wadia CD player. Slowly I am getting there!
My first impressions of MLs go back 10 years when I fell in love in vibrant, rich, clear, warm and free sound that these beautiful speakers produce. Since they cost twice as much here than in USA, buying them is not easy. Lucky me, I found one used pair of Aerius, mint condition, sleeping in previous owners basement. They were too big for him. I brought them home, wife accepted the fact that they are huge, plugged them in and felt overwhelmed by its gorgeous mids. He who says that they lack low and high is or 'loudness generation' or has rather big high freq rollof in his ears Yes, it doesn't have disco club pumping sub, but the bass information is there, great albums sound great, Peter Gabriels live is phenomenal, Marcus Millers bass is fat as he wanted, even classical music has all the notes needed to present music in a most relaxed way. I am stunned by its uniformity, no note is sticking out and no note is missing. I wish I had better ampification, but in time, I hope I will make that McIntosh dream come true as well
For now, I am planning to buy ML dynamo, just to provoke those subs, mostly for movie watching, I like to feel those LFOs too
These last 5 days I cannot stop listening to music. It is revelation :bowdown:


**********

 

[twich54]

Sasha, Welcome !, another M/L Love story !! Glad to have you aboard.

 

[amey01]

Welcome - and the system looks great!

 

[tonepub]

Nice system!

Welcome on board....

Good to see people from all over the world here.

 

[Sasha]

Yesterday was a sunny day. I decided to ditch the TV since I feel that it takes a lot of mid stage depth. Without it it seems like somebody opened the rear wall!! I fear that I will have to get one of those flat TVs which I don't like, to put them on the wall so I have free space between the speakers. Also I pulled them into the room a bit, and spreaded them an inch. The ambient they create in albums like Michel Petrucciani's Playground, or Diana Krall's Live in Paris is remarkable. I could sit in the sofa for hours!

I am thinking of installing couple of diffusors behind the panels, since I fear the wall is just bouncing the sound off, rather than spreading. I hope to get even larger stage. But that will have to wait the 'wife factor' to soften a bit.

Here are couple more photos. The first thing I have to buy is new tv rack. This one is awful!

The 'guys in the back' are made by my wifes father. He is famous puppeteer here. They look sick!

And one 'desktopeesh' for the end :bowdown:

 

[kach22i]

I am thinking of installing couple of diffusors behind the panels, since I fear the wall is just bouncing the sound off, rather than spreading. I hope to get even larger stage.

Removing the TV and pulling the speakers into the room a bit more were good moves.

Look at my system #42 (link in my signature), I built a whole "diffuser wall".

Long before installing diffusers I would consider an absorber of some type (quilt-like) located in between the two speakers.

Perhaps getting your favorite artwork transfered to fabric and stretched over an absorbant material or insulated frame shadow box may do.

Right now I'd rather have your set-up over mine. You have a very good starting point, most of what I've suggested are fancy bandages.

 

[Sasha]

Removing the TV and pulling the speakers into the room a bit more were good moves.

Look at my system #42 (link in my signature), I built a whole "diffuser wall".

Long before installing diffusers I would consider an absorber of some type (quilt-like) located in between the two speakers.

Perhaps getting your favorite artwork transfered to fabric and stretched over an absorbant material or insulated frame shadow box may do.

Right now I'd rather have your set-up over mine. You have a very good starting point, most of what I've suggested are fancy bandages.

Thank you for the reply! Your system is blessed with great electronics!
I am honored if you think you'd rather have mine set-up over yours :bowdown:
Interesting idea for the absorber in the middle. The thing is, that picture on the wall is my absorber secret. It is installed on a wooden frame, behind it, in the picture is 1 inch thick absorbent sponge Unfortunately, there is where big screen should go. Maybe I can put the tv on the stand and treat the wall behind it? Still thinking about solutions when I decide to buy slim TV...

I cannot believe how they got me to listen to music again. I play CD after CD, can't get enough :music:

 

[Bernard]

Try my trick of using swimming pool noodles behind the speakers - check the link to my system.

 

[Joey_V]

Great system, Sasha! I like the way you put it all together.

Joey

:welcome: to the fold...

 

[kach22i]

Thank you for the reply! Your system is blessed with great electronics!
I am honored if you think you'd rather have mine set-up over yours :bowdown:

I used to have Rotel amps driving the main speakers as you do now, not bad but tubes open up a new world.

Your "room acoustics" and "layout" to startout with are what I envy and I think is a better "starting point" than what I started out with. My situation is far from idea, I think that as you "upgrade" you will get even more enjoyment out of the speakers and more importantly the music.

Bernard, I love the pool noodle thing - very nice idea.

 

[Sasha]

I used to have Rotel amps driving the main speakers as you do now, not bad but tubes open up a new world.

Your "room acoustics" and "layout" to startout with are what I envy and I think is a better "starting point" than what I started out with. My situation is far from idea, I think that as you "upgrade" you will get even more enjoyment out of the speakers and more importantly the music.

Bernard, I love the pool noodle thing - very nice idea.

I have a certain fear about tubes. Are they powerful enough to play these bigones? I understand that the panel would sing, but the bass I'm affraid about. Maybe biamping? But thats far in the future

Yes I saw the pictures of your system, and I must say it is not easy. I am really happy about my room. That was, as much my wife cannot believe, one of important issues when I was buying new apartment 2 years ago :music:

For the diffusion behind the speakers I was planning on getting one of those tall straight diffusors, in white, i think it would look cool aswell. They are also not expensive to make I hope, so that will settle in the room quick enough.

I am also saving for Martin Logan Dynamo subwoofer, since we like to watch a lot of movies too, and Aerius lacks a bit of bottom end.

Joyful Christmas in anycase :rocker:

 

[Sasha]

Another afternoon well spent with MLs. Today I had more scientific approach. Maybe I shouldn't have done it (what tense is THIS ). Anyway, below is lame drawing of my room. Listening place is center couch.
Firstly, do you think another speaker/listener location would be better?
Second thing I was fighting about today was bass. In the listening position, when I stand up, the bass is much more accented, so when I sit down I feel that it could be better. Also I took a chair and listened in various positions in the room. I cannot say that anywhere else is better overall, the stage is best in sweet spot ofcourse. But the bass around the kitchen table is much more 'airy'.
Next thing I put speakers on granite tiles, just to lift them a bit, and I think it got better. So I presume I will have to get spikes for them, since the 'button spikes' are too low?
I was again playing with the wall distance, but mostly it was affecting the stage and above bass area. So it got me thinking: what if I was sitting in standing wave dip? That would suck! Will subwoofer help then? I guess it would, but maybe I should concentrate on applying some bass traps. I think, if I deal with the bass in the back somehow, it won't bouce back so I will have better bass rensponse in the sweet spot, am I right?
At the end, I turned the music off to rest a bit, since I pollluted my ears.

Thanks for listening

 

[benleeys]

Sasha, welcome to the fraternity of Martin Logan owners. :music:

Just days into your new toy, I see that the tweaking madness has already got you too. Don't worry, it is pervasive in all of us here. It never ends. Sometimes it gets us into trouble with our house partners, but we never give up. We don't really care if the room looks like a disaster area, so long as the music soothes our being and inspires our souls. It can be expensive, but with some ingenuity, we get by, even if we have to survive on noodles everyday. Take heart, you're in good company. There's plenty of encouragement within in these pages. Forever seeking nirvana.

Life is short. Enjoy!

 

[Gordon Gray]

Hi Sasha,

A couple of thoughts. The Aerius was my second ML and I had a room somewhat similar to yours at that time.

Assuming your wife doesn't mind, move your listening sofa to the left (as you are looking at the ML's) so that the left edge of the sofa is 1.5 meters +/- from the side wall. This should give you sufficient room to get into and out of the dining area.

At that point, you should be able to get a wider distance between your speakers and maintain a sufficient "sweet spot" area on your couch.

This will allow for a wider soundstage and hopefully, a more engaging listening experience. Also, please experiment with the distance from the ML's to your back wall. My sense is that you can pull them out further into the room. Minor increases in this dimension can make substantial differences in the overall musicality of your system. This should also increase the three dimensionality of the sound.

Also check all measurements (toe in / distance from back wall) to ensure that both speakers are located accurately.

If possible, keep the TV out. This will further allow an increase in imaging performance. If this is not an option and you experiment with my suggestions, the TV should have less negative impact than your previous set up.

Final thought. I assume you are using the spikes. If not, the threaded sliders will negatively affect the sound you can get from your Aerius system.

And yes, as others have said, please enjoy the journey and good luck.

GG

 

[Bernard]

To complete the audiophile dream, I have to buy McIntosh amp and Wadia CD player.

Why McIntosh?

 

[Sasha]

Hello enthusiasts Long time no hear...

Nothing changed drastically for me, but there is a candy on its way, so I wanted to ask final advice from xperts. A friend of mine who is very skilled with his solder, is making a tube amp for me! Weee. It will be KT88 tubes, and roughly 50W per channel. Since I don't know much about details and all, is there certain stuff that I should ask him to do before assembling the amp? And what exactly he can do to make my Aerius sing better? He is saying that I should have some switch between linear and (i forgot), and maybe a calculated low freq shelf (I am not sure about that one), and some stuff I do not know even to repeat. Help
I can honestly say I am dying to hear the new amp. Since he brought his small 2x10W tube amp I was blown away. It was ofcourse lacking power, but the sweet sweet middle and highs were so creamy that I almost died
Thanks for input!