A short historical background to my sudden interest in Martin Logan's. In another forum, a foreign friend who owns the mighty Q7 was surprised on how a Montis, which he was auditioning for use as surround speakers for his HT set up, actually fared very well when compared to the Q7 for stereo use. He even hinted that the Montis had the upper hand in the crucial midband. As a q3 owner, this got me curious and luckily, there was a Montis available for audition. Needless to say, I was so impressed, so much so that when I returned them, I actually missed them, specially it's alluring midrange. Fast forward and I'm currently auditioning a Summit X. First of all, I've got to correct some comments I've read stating that the newer Montis is the better speaker since it better integrates the esl with the bass drivers. IMO, this is false. The Montis seems to have more bass and may thus sound more impressive. But the dual bass drivers of the summit load the room more smoothly and evenly, creating a very seamless blend with the esl panels. And as for the crucial midrange, my friends positive impressions of the Montis vis-a-vis his Q7 was certified by my experience with the Summits. I have to conclude that great as the drivers and cabinet construction of the q3 and q7 are, simple physics dictates that it's hard to beat the midrange of a boxless panel unencumbered by crossover components, regardless of quality.
So the question i had to wrestle with, is the Summit x better than my Q3? In the midrange, it's an unequivocal yes. After you listen to vocals thru the SUMMITS or even the Montis, you will hear the q3's cabinets, despite the heroic efforts expended by not just Magico but by most modern box speaker makers to "eliminate" cabinet colorations. I can't comment on the Q7 or an XLF or a VR 9 in my room, but with the Summit and the Montis in my room, the performers are simply more present than with the Q3. In the bass, the Summits give the q3 a good run, and in fact, those two 10 inch servo powered woofers give the Summit more weight. Surprisingly, the q3 throws a deeper, wider, precisely layered and more holographic stage, something I didn't expect from forward firing cones pitted against dipoles. The q3's imaging was likewise more precise and pinpoint, but some may argue that such precise imaging doesn't occur in real life.
I'm sure there will be valid contradicting opinions from owners of Dynaudio, Wilson, Focal, TAD, Von Schweikert, Sonus Faber and many other cutting edge and truly excellent dynamic speakers currently available and I'm eager to hear their comments and opinions. I've had the pleasure to experience some of these speakers as part of very expensive systems but in my humble opinion, few beat or match the ML's midrange purity and accuracy, particularly with vocals, and that uncanny ability to place performers in the room. And while 15k is not chump change, considering the product offerings from 10k to 200k, the Summits strike me as a screaming bargain. I have to qualify though that my listening preference is for vocals, small scale jazz and classical. And having experienced the mighty VR 9 system of Jack D, I certainly am aware of the benefits of what a true full scale transducer brings to the listening experience specially with continued SPL levels above 90db with complex music.
The Summits are not the newest speakers sporting the latest cutting edge technology. Just compare it to the latest reissue of the SF Extrema with its liberal use of carbon fiber and God knows what other space age material used in its construction. And compared to my Q3, the Summit's hollow woofer cabinets and it's overall build integrity strikes me like Lego building blocks! But for my listening preferences, I find the Summit and the even cheaper Montis hard to beat regardless of cost.
So the question i had to wrestle with, is the Summit x better than my Q3? In the midrange, it's an unequivocal yes. After you listen to vocals thru the SUMMITS or even the Montis, you will hear the q3's cabinets, despite the heroic efforts expended by not just Magico but by most modern box speaker makers to "eliminate" cabinet colorations. I can't comment on the Q7 or an XLF or a VR 9 in my room, but with the Summit and the Montis in my room, the performers are simply more present than with the Q3. In the bass, the Summits give the q3 a good run, and in fact, those two 10 inch servo powered woofers give the Summit more weight. Surprisingly, the q3 throws a deeper, wider, precisely layered and more holographic stage, something I didn't expect from forward firing cones pitted against dipoles. The q3's imaging was likewise more precise and pinpoint, but some may argue that such precise imaging doesn't occur in real life.
I'm sure there will be valid contradicting opinions from owners of Dynaudio, Wilson, Focal, TAD, Von Schweikert, Sonus Faber and many other cutting edge and truly excellent dynamic speakers currently available and I'm eager to hear their comments and opinions. I've had the pleasure to experience some of these speakers as part of very expensive systems but in my humble opinion, few beat or match the ML's midrange purity and accuracy, particularly with vocals, and that uncanny ability to place performers in the room. And while 15k is not chump change, considering the product offerings from 10k to 200k, the Summits strike me as a screaming bargain. I have to qualify though that my listening preference is for vocals, small scale jazz and classical. And having experienced the mighty VR 9 system of Jack D, I certainly am aware of the benefits of what a true full scale transducer brings to the listening experience specially with continued SPL levels above 90db with complex music.
The Summits are not the newest speakers sporting the latest cutting edge technology. Just compare it to the latest reissue of the SF Extrema with its liberal use of carbon fiber and God knows what other space age material used in its construction. And compared to my Q3, the Summit's hollow woofer cabinets and it's overall build integrity strikes me like Lego building blocks! But for my listening preferences, I find the Summit and the even cheaper Montis hard to beat regardless of cost.
Good news is they are much cheaper.
