Martin Logan vs. Everything

ML and any open baffle/dipole/planar speaker are a different animal.   Not better or worse, just different.   Some people love them, others don’t.    It’s your ears, don’t let other’s opinions influence yours, particularly if they are biased against open baffle/dipole/planar speakers.

Sounds like you landed in your sweet spot. I had a pair of 13a’s  in my one system and a pair of 15a’s in my other listening room with matching ML Force 212 subs. I liked them so much I even had the Illusion C34a center channel on both systems.   I loved this for about 4 years; however,  when listening to 2 channel my ears got fatigued to the point I couldn’t listen to them anymore during listening sessions.   So, I ended up going in another direction. Just goes to show how crazy this “music” stuff really is.  Continue to enjoy you ML’s. 

Did you expect the dealer to say "Yes your speakers are wonderful - I have nothing to sell you!"?

I have the lowly ML ESLs and whenever I walk into a store all the other speakers sound boxy and have less image and soundstage quality.  In 7 years I have not found another speaker that could replace mine.  And, by the way, I heard Revels at a store in New Jersey and the salesman asked what I thought of them and I said I liked mine better.  He asked what I had and I said Martin Logan.  He replied "Ahhh...'nuff said".

I've owned ML speakers and loved them.  My sole complaint would be the extremely limited seating to get the full stereo sound stage.   Move six inches off centre and the sound was compromised.  Now running a pair of SoundLab panels.  They give me the sound I love and are not at all fussy about where you are seated. 

I have been using a pair of 11As (Impressions) for about eight years now. I am in the same boat; I can appreciate and definitely enjoy dynamic driver speakers from many other manufacturers, but I just don't feel the same need to continue listening to music the way I do with ESLs. It might very well be a situation where I've "trained" my ears to prefer them, but frankly I figure as long as I'm happy that's what it's all about, right? That and the hokey pokey?

Could it also be that those dealers sell brands other than Martin Logans??

They make some nice stuff and if you like them, then that is the most important part.

Most of us are attracted to a kind of sound. If you are lucky enough to have found speakers that really appeal to you, then different house sounds are not likely to sound better, only different or not as good. So, upgrading is easy, get a better Martin Logan speaker if you want to upgrade.

Sometimes our values change as a part of the learning process. For instance, I used to have a set of ribbon speakers with a bass driver. The comments were that this kind of design does not have great coherency across the audio spectrum. I couldn’t hear it. I was really happy.

Over time I attended hundreds of acoustic concerts and I started realizing the sound I liked wasn’t very real and they sounded great with only a couple genre of music. So I switched. The lack of coherence became obvious of my old speakers and other shortcomings. Now I am on my third set of this brand. If I want better speakers, I just go up a couple levels.

So, for now and maybe forever you are good.

FWIW, I almost bought ML's based on an audition of a pair in a SOTA system/setup/room. Wow stuff!

But before buying them I listened to them again in another store (same owner) in a nearby city. Small room, less than optimum set up. Sounded lousy. Opted out as at that time I had neither the room, nor the stuff, that could make them shine. 

Getting a speaker to play well in your room is always a huge part of the equation, as are the upstream components.  It sounds like you've got yours dialed in to your liking.  Anything different probably sounds a little foreign to you, and would likely take some time to adjust to.

No need to compete. Two different beasts.

It is good that you have escaped " the MDF box" and so has your sound. 

@dz13 +1

I have had my ESL X’s for a couple of years now and while I was a bit cautious about going with electrostatic after years of dynamic speakers. I am absolutely pleased with them. I worked with Crutchfield because they are very good about returns. I returned a set of Wharfdales, I wasn’t quite pleased with the vocals. Now I am considering moving up to the ML 13a.

As others have said, it matters what pleases your ears.

From a listener's perspective MLs often come out on top.

In terms of being able to ignore the room and provide life-sized imaging it's rare to find other speakers that do as well.  Perhaps the Sonus Faber Stradivari can compete there.

Where the MLs can lose points on is overall frequency response and dynamic range.  The SF Stradivari are the only speakers I know that can best them in both imaging and frequency).

It's quite possible once you get used to the ML's you really can't hear anything else as neutral, and that's fine, but it may also be hard for others to come and love the ML's for the same reason. 

I think there are people who like or get the electrostatic or planar sound and others who don't. If you really like or love that sound, don't worry about what others think or tell you. 

"Any better" is very subjective!  Over time our ears get used to the speakers we listen to.  More expensive definitely doesn't mean better 90% of the time.  Modern speakers are overpriced in my opinion.  Every now and then a gem pops up that is truly worth their price but not very often at all.  I know of a highly respected audio engineer that has been using Meyer Sound speakers all his life at live venues. Although Meyer sound is not considered "hi fi" equipment, but professional equipment, this engineer uses bookshelf Meyer Sound in his recording studio because he is used to the brand's/ designer's sound signature and not because he can't use better ones.  He's just used to their sound.  

I heard these playing a Roger Waters album at a show and they sounded amazing. Mostly. I noticed some odd effects best described as phasing –like the channels were reversed or holes in the frequency response. Could have been the setup. Either way, if you like them, that's all that matters. A home demo of alternatives is the only way you can really be sure.