Is there an alternate to Martin Logans?

Thank you Bigcigarman I concur. To me a speaker is a transducer. It's sole purpose is to accurately reproduce what is on the recording. Being quite familiar with live music as well, as both a participant and a listener it is true. Live music has a quality that I have NEVER heard quite captured by an audio system, close but no cigar. There are too many variables. The recording if well engineered will represent what was captured by the microphones, hopefully it will capture the ambience of the recording venue as one might hear it if there but it will never sound like the live experience. And I, like you wish more people would go to concerts and experience it live and really know that experience. Many do for sure but it is obvious to me that many don’t and it is too bad, they would love it. Listening to live music and listening to recorded are in reality two completely separate experiences and never the twain shall meet. Thanks again for your post, you have put things in well needed perspective. Will

Be careful Bigcigarman. Now that Phill_06896 has defined *HI-FI* for us Audiogon mortals, I understand he's about to define music and dictate the specifics of tonal correctness as well.

"My name is Bigcigarman. I know what musik sounds like because I play a insterment! Sometimes I stick my head in the insterments and have my musik friends blow them so as I know what a orchestra sounds like. That's why I'm a expert!"

Joe, that's not fair. It's clear that you have access to Phill's truths before the rest of us.

I owned the ML ReQuest and had the opportunity to play with their positioning in two separate (one dedicated) rooms for over a year. The ReQuests were a considerable jump up for me and I truly loved the sound, but after hearing a pair of Avalon Eclipse's (advertised on Audiogon and the owner was only 20 miles away) I knew that I had found the speaker for me. It wasn't until I brought home the Avalon's and compared them directly that I could hear the "dis"-integration of panel and woofer. I bought the Avalon's for reason's other than that (ie. rich textures while remaining extremely transparent, holographic imaging and HUGE soundstage), but the top-to-bottom coherence and low frequency transparency have become my main appreciation of these 2 way dynamic speakers. I don't doubt that other dynamic speakers can duplicate or exceed these qualities; however, I have doubts about the ability of a panel and dynamic woofer accomplishing the same. If the day does come that panel and woofer integrate seemlessly AND the midrange textures match or exceed that of my reference (at a fair price), I will be the first on the list of converts. I love the CLS, but it is too limited of a speaker for all music genre and too limited of a sweetspot (Wife likes to listen too on occasion). Next chance I get, I'll check out the Merlins. Live the good life! Jordan