M.L. Ascents or Sonus Faber Grand Pianos

This is a situation where YOUR ears have to be the judge. I have heard both of these speakers, but they are very different. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. It depends very much on what you listen to and how you listen to it. The Sonus Fabers are more dynamic and fuller sounding. They are not terribly critical on room placement. The Martin Logans image beautifully, but are less dynamic and a bit shy in the bass region. I personally like Martin Logan speakers. Their transparency and imaging for 2 channel music are worth any of their short comings, but that's a personal opinion. You have to decide which has the greatest strengths vs weaknesses for what you listen to and how you listen.

Thanks for your reply. I think we are going to go with the Logan's. I beleive they would be better for home theatre. What do you think about buying a $3000. set of speakers from someone in these classifieds?or spend the extra and be sure your getting what you need.

What are you going to drive them with? That will make a difference.

As far as buying here on A-gon I have had a great luck. Most of my transactions were before I was in this business and feedback can be found as user: Abstract7. If you check the number of disputes on A-gon it's a very small number compared to the total number of transactions that occur. It would be interesting for A-gon to post it--but I'm sure it is a fraction of a percent. That being said--it's not foolproof. Communication and check the sellers feedback. Anything over $1000 and I always have a conversation with the person. I like to know there experiences with the product, why they are selling it--and usually just talk about this hobby for a while. If someone is a fake, you can usually tell it. One person that I chose not to do business with could not tell me the serial number of the product and would not take a credit card, even though he was an audio dealer. To me, that just didn't sound right--so I walked away. One thing to keep in mind with ESLs is the panels do fade over time. The Ascents have an automatic off/on (turns on when a signal/music is played), this lengthens their life. They are also smaller and don't degrade as fast. But most importantly is humidity. ESLs do not favor humid climates. If the speakers are coming from Florida there's a reasonable chance the panels may have to need to be replaced (and if you live in Florida you might want to think about this). The fading occurs very gradually over time and it's not the kind of thing that all of the sudden they don't work--they just don't work as well as they used to. My first pair had this problem (on one speaker--so it was obvious to me), but had it been the same on both I might not have discovered the problem for some time. In dry climates you can go for probably 6 years or more without needing replacement. They are very easy to replace should you need to do that.

I encourage you to do some long-term listening before you decide. In my judgment, the Sonus Faber is one of the most listenable, non-fatiguing speakers available at any price. Martin-Logans always sound (to me) fabulous for the first 20 minutes, then OK for the next hour, then like my back molars are being drilled for the duration.

Just one ear's experience. Make the decision that is right for you but remember that listener fatigue is often not apparent for hours or even days.

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