A few points of clarification. the original poster mentions "later iterations". The CLS IIz is the last iteration, there is no later one.
They have plenty of low bass, its' just not overemphasized like a lot of box speakers. They go below 40hz in a good room, albeit not with the "slam" of a box speaker. I supplement mine with subs I made myself, mainly as I have a taste for bass, but they are fine full range too.
I have found they dont' need 150 or even 75 watts to sound good. I have the earliest version (CLS I) and have no trouble driving them from 22wpc SET 845 monoblocks, or the 25wpc 47 Lab Gaincard. They also work great with my Classe CA200 or CJ Prem. 5 monoblocks. more power than 20-30w is not really needed, esp. if being used with subs, at least IME.
so-called "fast bass" is a misnomer of the worst sort. There is no such thing. Bass has the same speed regardless...the speed of sound is a constant at any given elevation above sea level. What makes people think one sub sounds faster than another is things like overemphasized mid-bass response (sounds punchy and quick to the uneducated). Loose woofer control esp. in a ported design can contribute to the thought that the bass is "slow". What the real problem is is spurious port and box noise, not something coming from the front of the woofer. Inadequate amps can also contribute. But lose the whole term "fast bass", it simply sounds stupid and is incorrect. Those wanting more info should join the BASS/DIY speaker list...where it has been discussed to death.
Also a good crossover (I use a Bryston 10B sub balanced) doesn't take away anything from the quality of the CLS sound. I have run w and w/o and cannot tell a difference.
Bottom line: to me these are the best Martin Logans (save maybe the statements), and pretty much the best speakers I have heard, ever. I've owned many pairs but none equal what the CLS are capable of.
FWIW,
-Ed Sawyer
They have plenty of low bass, its' just not overemphasized like a lot of box speakers. They go below 40hz in a good room, albeit not with the "slam" of a box speaker. I supplement mine with subs I made myself, mainly as I have a taste for bass, but they are fine full range too.
I have found they dont' need 150 or even 75 watts to sound good. I have the earliest version (CLS I) and have no trouble driving them from 22wpc SET 845 monoblocks, or the 25wpc 47 Lab Gaincard. They also work great with my Classe CA200 or CJ Prem. 5 monoblocks. more power than 20-30w is not really needed, esp. if being used with subs, at least IME.
so-called "fast bass" is a misnomer of the worst sort. There is no such thing. Bass has the same speed regardless...the speed of sound is a constant at any given elevation above sea level. What makes people think one sub sounds faster than another is things like overemphasized mid-bass response (sounds punchy and quick to the uneducated). Loose woofer control esp. in a ported design can contribute to the thought that the bass is "slow". What the real problem is is spurious port and box noise, not something coming from the front of the woofer. Inadequate amps can also contribute. But lose the whole term "fast bass", it simply sounds stupid and is incorrect. Those wanting more info should join the BASS/DIY speaker list...where it has been discussed to death.
Also a good crossover (I use a Bryston 10B sub balanced) doesn't take away anything from the quality of the CLS sound. I have run w and w/o and cannot tell a difference.
Bottom line: to me these are the best Martin Logans (save maybe the statements), and pretty much the best speakers I have heard, ever. I've owned many pairs but none equal what the CLS are capable of.
FWIW,
-Ed Sawyer