Vantage questions

[Kaboomnash]

Like I said in another thread, one of my Vantages is arriving today at my home in Colorado via DHL. The other "missing" Vantage was located in Michigan, the long route from San Diego. I really don't see me using DHL again.
No rush I guess since the wife won't be setting them up and I don't get home from Iraq until Saturday (11th). The jumpers and cables are prepositioned at the house awaiting my arrival.

First question group: What are Vantage owners using for spikes? Are the ML spikes adjutable? Do Vantages have the (not sure of the correct name) spike cups to go under them? Is anyone happy with a certain aftermarket spike set, especially taller rear spikes?

Second questions: How long are the Vantage power cords? I am ordering power conditioner(s) today and trying to decide if I will need one or two depending on the distance. Everyone using Belkin PF40 or PF60, happy?

For the past month I have been so "amp'd (yes a pun) to get these ML additions up and working. Thanks in advance for your replies.

Lee

 

[roberto]

Like I said in another thread, one of my Vantages is arriving today at my home in Colorado via DHL. The other "missing" Vantage was located in Michigan, the long route from San Diego. I really don't see me using DHL again.
No rush I guess since the wife won't be setting them up and I don't get home from Iraq until Saturday (11th). The jumpers and cables are prepositioned at the house awaiting my arrival.

First question group: What are Vantage owners using for spikes? Are the ML spikes adjutable? Do Vantages have the (not sure of the correct name) spike cups to go under them? Is anyone happy with a certain aftermarket spike set, especially taller rear spikes?

Second questions: How long are the Vantage power cords? I am ordering power conditioner(s) today and trying to decide if I will need one or two depending on the distance. Everyone using Belkin PF40 or PF60, happy?

For the past month I have been so "amp'd (yes a pun) to get these ML additions up and working. Thanks in advance for your replies.

Lee

Hola Lee...the spikes that come with your new Vantage are super good, you will love them...you can see them at www.martinlogan.com
The length of the power cords are about 9 feet usually. Congratulation with your new sound...and one of the best!!!...happy listening,
Roberto.

 

[Brian_74]

Second questions: How long are the Vantage power cords? I am ordering power conditioner(s) today and trying to decide if I will need one or two depending on the distance. Everyone using Belkin PF40 or PF60, happy?
Lee

My power cords are about 9' like Roberto said. I have the PF60 and love it. It is the ultimate in terms of flexibility and being able to configure each outlet bank and offers the DC trigger on plus the AC trigger on which can be handy. The power cord on this thing is huge and the plug is gold plated to boot. It looks attractive as well. As far as performance, I've been very happy with mine. I have absolutely silent background, no ground hum problems whatsoever. If you're looking for something decent that doesn't break the bank, I highly recommend it!

 

[Kaboomnash]

Thanks

Brian, I bought two PF60's! They do look nice, glad to hear they perform as well.

The stock ML spikes look pretty nice as well.

I hope DHL realizes soon that my Vantages are not getting frequent traveler miles and should be west of the Mississippi River soon if I am to ever hook them up.

Lee

 

[asindc]

Congrats on the new Vantages. You are going to love them! About the spikes: I have thick Burbur (sp?) carpeting in my room, and the bottom of the Vantages slightly rest on the top of the carpet. I just ordered some spikes from OregonDV. They are 2.15" long, longer than the stock spikes. I agree with the other posters that the stock spikes are substantial, but I need longer ones.

About the power cords: I've read in other threads that some have used aftermarket cords on Summits and Vantages with good results. The general theory is that since both speakers have powered woofers, the upgraded cords transfer more power to them. Either way, if your setup allows for optimum placement without any tweaking, I say go for that first. Enjoy!

 

[Brian_74]

Brian, I bought two PF60's! They do look nice, glad to hear they perform as well.
Lee

Did you buy two just because of the length of the Vantage power cords? You could have spent the $300 on some nice aftermarket cords that were longer.

 

[ralflar]

PF60s used to sell for $230 or less. I don't recall precisely how much mine were; I think one was around 200 and the other approx 220. For $300 you can buy a PF60 and a long, fancy power cord. The one issue I have with the PF60 is the long hard-wired power cord, though. I wished it had standard IEC terminals. Then I could use a cord much shorter than the one provided. My PF60s are less than 3' away from wall sockets so most of the hard-wired cords are wound in coils.

 

[ralflar]

Regarding aftermarket power cords

I use after market cables, but not because I expect them to improve sound quality.

The woofer amps in Vantages really don't draw that much power. My guestimate is 3 Ampere at 120V for those very short periods that peak power is required (200W RMS * 1.414 assuming Class D efficiency). Three amps is not high current. The stock cords (16 gauge?) should be fine.

But aftermarket cords look much better and can be ordered in custom lengths, which avoids Cabletti.

I would not worry about cables while building a system. Incremental upgrades and improvements are part of the fun!

 

[Brian_74]

PF60s used to sell for $230 or less. I don't recall precisely how much mine were; I think one was around 200 and the other approx 220. For $300 you can buy a PF60 and a long, fancy power cord. The one issue I have with the PF60 is the long hard-wired power cord, though. I wished it had standard IEC terminals. Then I could use a cord much shorter than the one provided. My PF60s are less than 3' away from wall sockets so most of the hard-wired cords are wound in coils.

They make the PF60 in two colors. The black is more expensive. I paid $300 for mine. I agree, a detachable IEC type cord would be nice, but at least the cord is really heavy duty. Nice unit though ain't it?

 

[ralflar]

Alright, I forgot the "Black Pearl". Oh wait, PS Audio already claimed the name for their black PPP .

Yes, the PF60 is a nice unit with great functionality. It also has one of the highest Joule ratings. There are lots and lots of MOVs in this unit. I posted photos of it in another thread. Surge protection should be good.

 

[Kaboomnash]

I bought the two PF60's due to the distances required. I replaced the one Monster surge perotector I had for the system and moved that one to the Master bedroom Plasma.
I got a deal on the pair of PF60's thru a friend, brand new in the 2 per case from Belkin for under $397.00 and shipped for free. They look incredible.
Going to ListenUp today to see about terminating my Audioquest Type 8 cables, and looking for spike cups (the wife is afraid of the spikes and hardwood floors).
I hope to have the system running by the weekend so I can post a system pic.
Thanks, Lee

 

[Brian_74]

I bought the two PF60's due to the distances required. I replaced the one Monster surge perotector I had for the system and moved that one to the Master bedroom Plasma.
I got a deal on the pair of PF60's thru a friend, brand new in the 2 per case from Belkin for under $397.00 and shipped for free. They look incredible.
Going to ListenUp today to see about terminating my Audioquest Type 8 cables, and looking for spike cups (the wife is afraid of the spikes and hardwood floors).
I hope to have the system running by the weekend so I can post a system pic.
Thanks, Lee

Awesome deal! Did you get black or silver? Oh yeah, the spikes that come with the Vantage would mar your hardwood floors in a heartbeat. I'm looking forward to the pics!

 

[ralflar]

...
one Monster surge perotector
...

That conjures up a mental image of imaginary offspring of a giant winged dinosaur and one of those fast smart beasties from Jurrasic Park 1 .

 

[Huey]

First of all...............








:welcome: back from Iraq.

hope you are now enjoying your system..pics plzz

 

[akm3]

Yes, glad to see you in the US safely, and thanks for your service to our country.

So has the wayward Vantage touched down yet?

 

[Kaboomnash]

They are WORKING!

Huey and Allen, Thanks for the welcome back; you know this month home on vacation is going so fast already.
The Vantages have arrived. I went thru a big ordeal yesterday trying to do what I thought would be a very common practice for any high end store, terminate Audioquest cables. Heck no! I probably drove 60 miles around Denver and Boulder trying to get them completed. I ended up doing it myself; stripped back 5 inches of insulation, seperated the four black and four red conductors, the wife braided them like Kimber Kable then I twisted the bare metal tips, install the E-Ticket jumpers and used the cables BARE NAKED!
I rearranged the living room and have everything set up and working. I have listened to radio, CD, and DVD so far. Watched the first few minutes of "Behind Enemy Lines", incredible audio. Also, qued up "Eagles, Hell freezes over" DVD to demo the system in DTS for the wife when she comes home from work.
So far I have not made any treble or bass changes. First I am going with the flat metal feet to get positioning, then going to add the spikes.
A guy from Cherry Creek Audio said he would come by for free to make recommendations and help with the tweaking. Considering that.

Thanks for all your help getting this far, Lee

 

[Craig]

Again, welcome back from Iraq and thanks for serving. I hope you enjoy the Vantages and I'm sure you'll hang on to them for a while. It takes of lot of upgrading everything else before you hear the full potential of what these speakers are capable of.

 

[jmschnur]

It takes about 100 hours or so for the Vantages to break in.

Poisioning is a big deal for them-you can get a lot of improvments as you optimize the angle,tiit, distance for walls etc.

There are several threads on this in the forum.

Let us know how it works out.

Joel