Martin logan prodigies

You might try listening to the new speaker from Martin Logan, the Ascent. I recently heard this on what I considered mid-fi electronics, B&K & Yamaha. The new voice character of this speaker is truly amazing. What I think is more amazing, is its price, $4,000. These speakers would be a great match for the new Jeff Rowland model 10 or 12. These solid state amps will not only provide great Mid range & high end performance but will really give you performance at the lower octaves as well. If you combine the price of the JRDG amps with the reduced cost of the speakers then it becomes a more cost effective match. Or maybe consider a used JRDG model 8ti. You might do that package around $11,000, not much more than the speakers you are considering. But the sound will be angelic. Good Luck

Concur with the guys that say that full range esl's are the only to go. Hybrids, whether esl or ribbon still have the big problem -- crossovers and different types of "drivers". Affordable speakers haven't gotten this right yet. Heck, most unaffordable hybrids haven't gotten this right either. ML hybrids offer just a "taste" of esl mid range transparency with their punk-ass panels. Sorry fellas ,but dis is da truth. Panel size has everything to do with the ML esl experience. If you want Quads I suggest you you back to the earlier models. Back to early 63's or 57's if you can find them. Quad's have really suffered with age. Crosby mods are a good thang. There is only one, and only one, esl that can give you most of the benefits of electrostatics and balls at the bottom -- dat be da big mojo, mofo Sound Labs. (Good luck with service, though, keep your little Aerius or SL 3's as a back up). Full range esl's do have their shortcomings -- while bass is extremely accurate and mid-bass is strong (hell, %^&^%&9@! generous) with the right recordings, these don't get "raucous" (without well thought out and costly subs, at the expense of some transparency). That said, I've embraced and struggled with ribbon/plannars and electrostatics for the past 15+ years. These types of speakers can bring you closer to the music... given associated equipment and source material... than anything else. But you have to be prepared to live with them. I live with them and love them 90% of the time. Once you have a taste of real detail and transparency, you can't go back, only try to find nirvana.

Jim -- Why da you talk da way you do -- know wha' I' sayin'? You seem like you da man and you down wit' the info on some bad ass kit, but den you lose my respec' when you talk like you on crack, know wha' I' sayin'?

Hey, Hank. Whose on the pipe, now? ;-) Your point is well taken, though. But whenever I talk about the SoundLabs, "big mojo, big mofo" is the most descriptive way to differentiate these from other full range esl's. It takes off from there, if you know what I mean. And if I happen to be listen to da blues (every day thang)... Happy New Year.

As a dealer for those "big mojo, big mofo" Sound Labs, I have yet to encounter any customer service problems. I am aware of two instances in which customers posted negatively regarding Sound Lab's customer service, and I investigated both thoroughly because I want my customers to be taken care of should a problem ever arise. In both cases, Sound Lab was not at fault. In a post over on AudioReview, the customer faulted Sound Lab when it turned out an unauthorized repair facility dropped the ball and never fixed the problem or contacted Sound Lab. When Sound Lab found out about the problem, they fixed it and returned the backplates the next day. And over on SLOG, a customer blamed Sound Lab for what turned out to be shipping damage and unauthorized repair attempts. He also wrongly accused Sound Lab of being slow, when the 3-month time delay he refers to was because he was slow to send in a deposit for the repair work! In my experience Sound Lab bends over backwards for its customers. The speakers are big and expensive to ship, and repairs may take a little time, but in my experience they are wonderful people to deal with. I have only had one customer need repairs, and the folks at Sound Lab took superb care of him. If anyone would like to contact this customer just e-mail me and I'll put you in touch. audiokinesis@home.com.