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Maggies and Subwoofer...again


Well, I've had the Martin Logan Abyss sub for a couple of days and let it break in just a bit next to my utterly un-broken-in Magnepan 1.6/QR's.

So here's the deal. This is a very musical sub. My expectations from ML have been met and I wouldn't expect less from them. It makes sense that the ML subs work great with the Maggies considering they build a speaker with many of the same strengths and weaknesses. I have the sub running from the amp to the high level inputs which sounds better than the outs on the Pre (once again).
Setting the sub at 30HZ crossover I'm getting a not perfect, but pretty satisfying blend. And I have the gain on the sub just up a little, so we're talking about just a bit of fill for the 2 channel music. The driver of the sub seems lightning quick and at least as quick as the Vandersteen I auditioned. But dare I say that the Abyss seems a bit tighter and refined? It could also be my room, but suffice to say that the Abyss is a good match for the 1.6/QRs and a great deal for about a grand. My other sub is a big water-heater SVS, used for home theater. I set it up on spikes and it's not in the same league at the Abyss, but again, much better than I expected. The SVS weakness (asside from being ported) is that the crossover lowest setting is 40HZ. Once the Maggies break-in their bass will mix in with the SVS too much. The Abyss, as I said, can be set to 30HZ which makes more sense for speakers like the Maggies.

So now the question becomes....do I keep the Abyss or do I trade it back for a PAIR of Martin Logan Dynamo's. The Dynamo is a smaller 10 inch driver model, but it's built the same way. Someone somewhere implied that it was sonically inferior to the Abyss, but actually they are just about the same, expect in output. The little Dynamo is quite musical as well and TWO of them might be a better pick over ONE Abyss.

Comments and ideas welcome!

R.
robbob
6 responses Add your response
itigap
4 posts
 
Because your area of concern with respect to one or two subs is strictly music, I would suggest the answer depends primarily on your room's effect on the eveness of bass response from a single sub at you listening position.

The great advantage of multiple subs is in dealing with room nulls. If you do experience nulls, then a second sub can provide fill because you should be able to position it to have a peak in the range of the null from the other.

Cheers,

Gary
dfhaleycko
178 posts
 
Bbro, I'm really impressed! Your power company must love you :-(

How big is your room? How is the integration of the REL with the MG 20R's?
bbro
191 posts
 
I went all of the various routes with my MG 3.6Rs and now my MG 20Rs from active biamping with large Adcoms and now Odyssey Stratos Extreme Monobloc SE's with a Bryston 10B active Xover, plus various tubes on top and big SS on the bottom all providing various levels of integration and success. I recently aquired a Spectron Musician III SE class D amp @ 600 watts per side (800/side into the 4 ohm 20R maggies) and the speakers just came alive. I will soon be trying a pair of Spectons MIII SE's operating in an active configuration (one amp per side operated in "bridged mode" which is said to deliver ~ 2000 watts per side into the 4 ohms which I have heard rumored is very special. I also will try the two amps in conventional , one on top one on bottom with the Bryston 10B active Xover. Incidently I am also running a REL Stentor III full range along side the 20Rs currently cutting off ~ 28HZ on down with very good integration.
dfhaleycko
178 posts
 
Pretty cool room. What's behind the curtains? Any room treatments?

I've heard that the Odysseys' with the upgrades are killer. Clearly the sub is a great thing for home theatre, not sure you'll need it with music if you do the upgrade. Also, Mye stands will help your bass a lot too.

I'm not a video guy, so the best pic for me is the one with the speakers out front ;-)

Have you tried tube rolling the 6SN7's? I've got a cute little Mapletree preamp which uses 12SN7's which are the same tube with a 12volt heater. My current fave is a pair of Tung-Sol round plates, which are a WAAY cheaper in the 12v version than they are in 6SN7 guise.

enjoy the music!

Df
robbob OP
273 posts
 
Thanks for the comments. I'm currently using a tweaked Odyssey Stratos Amp with a cap and board upgrade along with a Rogue Metis tube pre-amp. I'm very happy with the sound so far and nothing is broken-in yet. I plan to get the Mye stands and next year I'll probably break down and get the Mono-block upgrade from Kraus at Odyssey.
Still, it's a big room with cement floor under foam and carpet and very dampened. Bass works hard in my space. I'm looking for musical sound here, and not HT. I have a fat SVS sub for that stuff.
Room and gear can be seen here:

http://ghostlight.zenfolio.com/p280561067/?slideshow=1

R.
dfhaleycko
178 posts
 
What amp are you using on your Maggies? With enough current, you may not really need a sub?

Lately, I've been trying different amp combinations with my 1.6's. I've removed the factory crossover, and I actively bi-amp, plus I have Mye stands which also really firm up the bass.

With high power on the Maggie bass panels, I don't feel the need for a sub at all. The last couple of weeks, I've been using Innersound ESL amps on the bass panels, delivering about 600wpc to each speaker driver (just to the bass panels) while using tube amps on the tweeter/mid drivers.

Other times I've been using two pairs of tube amps delivering about 120wpc on each side. With the tube amps, I really prefer the foundation provided by a sub. I've been using the Vandersteen 2Wq, altho I wouldn't recommend it as a perfect match. I think you're on the right track with the ML subs.

The best ML sub I've heard is the Descent, which my best friend uses with his Maggie 3.6's. It's pretty awesome. I've also heard the Abyss, but not the Dynamo, so I can't help you much there. But the Descent is clearly superior IMHO to the Abyss. And I've seen them available on the 'Gon pretty reasonably priced.

Anyway, my point is that with enough power, you might change your point of view about the need for a sub, especially if you have a nice rigid stand for your Maggies.

HTH!
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