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MartinLogan.... what's the deal? Worth it?? etc etc

ProfJohn

ProfJohn

Lifer
Was at Bestbuy playing around today and saw some MartinLogan speakers that everyone there is in love with.

They do sound great. Just wondering what the deal is and if anyone has any experience with them???


Am looking to do a really nice HT in my new house and am thinking two Preface 6-1/2" as fronts with the Encore TF as the center a sub or two and some cheaper (but nice) speakers as the four surround to complete my 7.1 or 7.2 system.

Thoughts??

Something better for the money??

Perface $500ish x 2 + $299 for encore (closeout price) = $1300 for fronts and center

Can I find a better combo for those three at or near that price that will be better???

BTW The room will be a 18x20 living area on the second floor of the house. Am thinking that I will get a big ass plasma or LED tv since I am not impressed with projectors (unless someone can change my mind) to power it I am thinking about a $1000 7.2 from Onkyo or Yamaha etc.
 
YOyoYOhowsDAjello said:
Someone around here has some... and calls traditional speakers "distortion boxes"

Now who was that? :hmm:
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Lol...now if he was talking about ribbon tweeters (which have their own problems), he might have an argument, but electrostatics (Martin Logan) have pretty ugly spectral decay plots, worse than dome tweeters in a comparable price range.

Distortion boxes...oh dear. Most of the resonances in cabinets are caused by woofers, and woofers also have the ugliest decay measurements...electrostatics/planar speakers need a woofer to cover the low end regardless due to their low efficiency and low excursion capabilities.
 
As far as Martin Logan isn't it the only above average speakers they have in Best Buy HT? They only have some entry level Klipsch and Polk in my area, plus some mirage satellites.

18x20 room...is the ENTIRE room being dedicated to HT? If it is, you will probably need a DLP, because the 65" LCDs/Plasmas just don't cut it in a big room...you can spend $3k on a 84" DLP...or $20,000 on an 85" plasma.

If the entire room is being used for HT, I don't think the MLs have good enough dispersion to fill the entire room, just my 2 cents. You probably need some traditional floorstanders.
 
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They're selling them at Best Buy now? Wow... I only remember them as being a hi-fi line and they were always impressive to me but I never seriously compared them with other speakers in similar price ranges. I don't know how a lower end priced one would sound like.
 
Astrallite said:
As far as Martin Logan isn't it the only above average speakers they have in Best Buy HT? They only have some entry level Klipsch and Polk in my area, plus some mirage satellites.

18x20 room...is the ENTIRE room being dedicated to HT? If it is, you will probably need a DLP, because the 65" LCDs/Plasmas just don't cut it in a big room...you can spend $3k on a 84" DLP...or $20,000 on an 85" plasma.

If the entire room is being used for HT, I don't think the MLs have good enough dispersion to fill the entire room, just my 2 cents. You probably need some traditional floorstanders.
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I'd tend to agree; even sight-unseen (unheard?), I'm heavily inclined to think that these are some cheapened-up models made especially for BB. Wouldn't be the first time. :\
 
Astrallite said:
As far as Martin Logan isn't it the only above average speakers they have in Best Buy HT? They only have some entry level Klipsch and Polk in my area, plus some mirage satellites.

18x20 room...is the ENTIRE room being dedicated to HT? If it is, you will probably need a DLP, because the 65" LCDs/Plasmas just don't cut it in a big room...you can spend $3k on a 84" DLP...or $20,000 on an 85" plasma.

If the entire room is being used for HT, I don't think the MLs have good enough dispersion to fill the entire room, just my 2 cents. You probably need some traditional floorstanders.
Click to expand...

I think ML are only sold at Magnolia BB's. I don't think the regular BB's carry them.
 
For $1300 I think you can find some pretty outstanding ID products. Especially if you are only looking at the front three speakers.
 
vi edit said:
For $1300 I think you can find some pretty outstanding ID products. Especially if you are only looking at the front three speakers.
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You should be able to do well in the price range. There are some things which would be nice that will be a little too much for that, but at that point you are starting to pay more for the name and looks than for the acoustical design.
 
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If you want to go with that electrostatic type sound, why not also consider the Magneplanar home theater?: http://magnepan.com/model_MMGW

Like others have said, $1300 for just fronts and centers can get you a lot. For example, that can get you the top of the line product from Ascend Acoustics: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/

(according to that website, their loudspeakes are supposed to be particularly synergistic with Harmon Kardon electronics)
 
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You can get full 5.1 system from Hsu for that budget: http://hsuresearch.com/products/enthusiast1.html

Enthusiast 2 level gets a beefier sub, but will be slightly over the $1300 price point.

I am sure there are lots of other options, too, and a lot will depend on what type of sound you like, aesthetics,and most importantly in terms of rapidly increasing price, how loud you like to listen and how deep and tactile a bass response you need. (for example, Hsu bass more just integrates into rest of sound and fills it out, vs. say SVS that wants to create a very tactile, chest thumping, wall shaking type of sound that may extend into the sub-sonic region too)
 
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As with any speaker technology, if implemented within the room right, they can generate good sound. Each speaker technology has its pros and cons. Some electrostats are known to be very difficult loads into the amplifier, some are known to having beaming effects at the top of their pass band due to the physicality of the electrostatic driver compared to the wavelength of the frequency being driven. Electrostats are more difficult to setup within the conventional living room. If you have to keep the speakers up against the front wall, I would high recommend not considering electrostats (or any speaker that has a dipole-like radiating pattern).
 
Tiamat said:
As with any speaker technology, if implemented within the room right, they can generate good sound. Each speaker technology has its pros and cons. Some electrostats are known to be very difficult loads into the amplifier, some are known to having beaming effects at the top of their pass band due to the physicality of the electrostatic driver compared to the wavelength of the frequency being driven. Electrostats are more difficult to setup within the conventional living room. If you have to keep the speakers up against the front wall, I would high recommend not considering electrostats (or any speaker that has a dipole-like radiating pattern).
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Great answer.
 
Infinity's Primus series is great value for money, and Paradigm's Atom speakers are nice, too. The Hsu satellites are probably better suited to HT than listening to music, but the nature of horn-loaded tweeters is that they don't sound as funky if you put them in inadvisable locations.
 
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