I listened to the Ascents at a dealer a couple of weeks ago. The Midrange is spectacular but there was still a lack of continuity between the bass and the panel. IN fairness, I am not sure the speakers were set up very well, but there was a discontinuity between the two.
Interestingly enough, my wife loved the sound of the speakers while I less enthusiastic. |
When I first got them I was far from impressed with the bass. After almost two weeks I love them. |
I believe you can get the SL3, Ascent and Aerius to integrate, but the SL3 is the hardest. What they all need is a wonder amp and great setup before they integrate. The elusive wonder amp is the big problem. There are very few solid state amps that will not be shown up by electrostatics and very few valve amps that will move the bass woofer fast enough. Very rigid coupling of the speaker to the floor is perhaps the most important part of setup to get the upper bass to sound fast enough. Where they actually crossover, which is above the upper bass, they blend remarkably well. |
I had a chance to listen to the SL'3's at Peak Audio in Halifax, here in Nova Scotia. The electronics were Moon 3 amp, E.A.R. pre, arcam fm23 cd player and all wiring was siltech. I found myself just wallowing in the music. Before I used to find the bass rather distinct or seperate but this set-up was working. I could live with it very easily. The martin-logan midrange can really do magic. Cheers, Bluenose |
Has anyone heard an Aragon 4004 Mk II with the SL3s? Didn't change my life, but I thought it worked very well. Also, is the Prodigy head and shoulders above the SL3? (I would hope so, at $10K.) Thank you. |
Pstahlman, the Ascents are worlds better than the sl3s @4,400 anything above that will also be better. Also when you by Martin Logans you need to size the panel according to your room size( very important) The new series Martin Logans got the bass correct, They are much more dynamic than the older ones. The sl3s bass is like its not even involved in the music, very sloppy. If you bet the sl3s disconnect the 10" woofer and use a sub and you will then be happy |
Every speaker with a crossover involved and multiple drivers has a continuity problem. I have a pair of ML Odysseys and a pair of Eggleston Andras in two different systems. They both deliver awesome sound but not in a totally seamless way. Anytime a diver is handing off to another even if they are supposedly matched it is not a seamless exchange . . Try any sub with any speaker and if you can say that is seamless than you cannot hear real well - which may be a blessing. The ML's are not for everyone but their value and awesome delivery of speed particularly with the new series improvements are definitely worth considering and their resale value holds up compared to many high end vendors. |
Ligi --- For the over 30 years, I always have believed that my obsession with this hobby was due in part to the pretty good hearing ability I thought I had. Now because of your post I must reevaluate this belief. The integration between the subwoofers on my Vandersteen 5s and the upper drivers appears to be seamless. If my hearing were not defective, as you point out, this would be quite an accomplishment for Richard Vandersteen, because Peter Moncreif has said that the Vandy 5s are as transparent as electrotastics.
I used to own the SoundLab A-1s, and I am not impressed with the inherrent limitations of electrostatics, compared to a multidriver, cone-based system such as the Vandy 5s. However, I now know that my hearing is defective, so my opinion should be disregarded. |
Hello Everyone,
This topic is getting more and more interest and I got to speak out for my two pairs of SL-3. I got to say you really need good equipments with Martin Logan Speakers I started off with Marantz MonoBlock (MA 500) now up to EAD PowerMaster 2000. Everytime I made an upgrade on the amp the bass just got more and more tighter and quicker. So during these upgrades I have upgraded my cables and also have improve the speaker performance. What I am trying to say here is, these speaker are great but make sure you are running the very best thing for it. I wish some day soon I will be able to upgrade to a pair Ascents. but in the meantime I really enjoy my Martin Logan Speakers. They are one of the best speakers out there what won't break you wallet.
Bill |
Pctower: I listened to the Vandersteen 5's a few weeks ago and must suffer from your hearing anomaly as well. The only problem that I can see is setup since the subs are contained in the same space as the rest of the drivers. The dealer however had done a very nice job of it. |
Appreciate your validation. In looking over my previous post, I was harder on electrostatics than I should be. ML has a long-standing, well deserved, high reputation and I have not heard any of the new models. I just get a little upset with posts that contain judgmental, blanket statements about deficiencies in those who do not agree with the post's author. |
hello,
This post was not started to start a war. It is simply to display opionins and findings that we have all had. I like Logans and Levinson the next guy will like Krell and B&Ws everyone has diffrent taste and when your in high end audio that is to be exspected. Thats why there is so many diffrent audio manufactures. Enjoy your gear for what it is and because you like not because 10 people said its the best. Your ears are the boss. Opinions are great. its good to get alot of them when shopping but when it all comes down and you pop in your cd you are the one who needs to be happy. ENJOY |
Lev335, what size room do you have these in? I currently have aerius i but whould like to go with the Asscents very soon if they will work in my room which is 17'w x 15'd with cathedral ceilings. How close can you have them to the back wall? ( measuring from the woofer module )thanks in advance.
PS...If you arent' doing anything with that old 380 I will be glad to keep it warm for you! |
Ha Ha, I sold my preamp. I have had the aerius and the sl3s and now the ascents my room is 17 x 12 but it is a dedicated listening room. No tv in that rrom just my system my cds and my couch. Your room will work really well for those speakers. I had called Martin Logan prior to buying the sl3s and they said they would work really well in my room. Your room is even better than mine. The farther away from the walls the logans are the better they sound. Mine are about 44" off the back wall to the front of the panel. Good luck you will be blown away if you get rid of the aerius and go with the ascents. I was blown away when I went from the sl3s to the ascents. Email me I can get them a little cheaper than you I get a little discount through my dealer. Let me know |
