Ok I finally got the chance to sit down and listen to an awesome combination of gear, which was obviously quite different from what this owner previously had; (MG20.7, MC452 with the GAT pre). He had retained the Kondo Overture for a while now, about 3 years and I have tried the overture on my previous Quads, which I liked very much.
Now the system comprises of the Martin Logan Ren15A, CJ Classic 120 (with EL34’s) and the GAT series 2 pre.
I can go on virtually all day about the sound, soundstage, dynamics, subtle nuances and so on, but since I am addressing a well-versed audiophile audience, I will make it as simple as possible.
I don’t know whether or exactly what component contributed to the overall sound, since it is somewhat hard to say on the Ren15A, especially when it has high powered built in amps! Therefore, to me the Classic 120 seemed to be overkill for a stat hybrid with such high efficiency to add.
The sound was very powerful, seemed to have no limits in output power. Dynamic is an understatement! It is more like a rocket taking off, and yet can deliver a whisper in a wink! The speed, transparency and acceleration from a charging African wild elephant to a butterfly is so seamless, it is quite mind boggling. For those looking for a big powerful sound, would find the Ren15A as a perfect fit, especially for quite large rooms, having ample space behind the panels.
The design is very different to the previous models. The panel (using Blade tech) is even thinner! It looks like the side of an A4 sheet of paper, so to speak yet very rigid and very robust. The panel is completely flat/straight without any fixed tilt. The cabinetry is solid! It is heavily braced and does not vibrate and it is quite longer compared to say the Summit or the Ethos. It is quite heavier as well, and would require at least two people to move around for placement. Quite a number of controls as well on the back, including the Anthem Room Correction software port.
To me, I found this to be too fiddly. I just prefer to drop in a CD or drop the needle, sit back and just listen! I guess I’m old fashioned… Even when I had the big Infinity’s, adjusting that dam cross over was a pain in the butt… high gain/low gain/HF filter/LF filters/low pass & high pass something else, bloody hell, what didn’t it have? I also found with every track you played, you would have to always adjust accordingly and this was very annoying.
Fast fwd 25 years, I can see that ARC software and Room EQ seems to be more simpler, when you get it right. However, to me this seems too cumbersome, plus with my lame IT skills, I probably wouldn’t get it right in the first place!
The Ren15A definitely has a wider soundstage, one that is also more in terms of that 3D depth and superb visual effects. The bass is what struck the most, it is up there with all the bass that is required, hence no need for subs in this system. The only drawback for me was the levels were too loud, and my ears are not accustomed to such high levels. Call it mature listening, not sure but after a while I began to have listener fatigue. I would have never thought a CJ system would give me listener fatigue especially when CJ is known for sublime sonic purity and allows you to relax into your favorite recordings. But this was far too loud. When it was turned down it was very smooth and something that I could easily live with forever.
We then tried the Kondo Overture- AH! Now that’s what I call relaxation and musicality at its best! Delivering just 32w of pure class A in integrated form was superb on the Ren15A! It was all there! Basically, nothing to complain about here whatsoever. It did not have the airy high extensions of the GAT/Classic 120 combination, but everything else was just right. The highs, superb EL34 midrange, and tight super-fast mid bass was what I was looking for. It had all the required SOTA details/attributes since the Ren15A is powered and delivers the bass extremely well compared to any other ML hybrid I have heard so far. I am assuming that the smaller models, ESL 13, 11 & 9 would also be able to provide similar transparency and detail retrieval but with less bass impact. Then again depends on the room.
I am not sure what to compare here exactly though, whether I should review the amps or the speakers but one thing I would have preferred to listen to would have been the CJ amps driving a full range stat / panel on its own, such as the CLX. I can only imagine what the sound would be like upto a certain point, when the powered bass drivers take over. As far as driving the panel, I sincerely think anything from 20 to 50 watts of healthy power is more than adequate!
To sum it up, I couldn’t see myself spending this kind of money on a system where the pre-power combination alone amounts to nearly 50 grand! Then comes along the Ren15A which will retail in Aus close to 50 grand, so all up amps plus speakers are 100 grand plus. Forget it, I am not in that league, even if finances permitted. But for those who would consider this level of spend, plus what it delivers at this expenditure, I would have to say is truly remarkable.
And on another note, my humble CAV45 and the Ethos, closing in at just under 15 grand- is truly “remarkable” as well!
Cheers, RJ
Now the system comprises of the Martin Logan Ren15A, CJ Classic 120 (with EL34’s) and the GAT series 2 pre.
I can go on virtually all day about the sound, soundstage, dynamics, subtle nuances and so on, but since I am addressing a well-versed audiophile audience, I will make it as simple as possible.
I don’t know whether or exactly what component contributed to the overall sound, since it is somewhat hard to say on the Ren15A, especially when it has high powered built in amps! Therefore, to me the Classic 120 seemed to be overkill for a stat hybrid with such high efficiency to add.
The sound was very powerful, seemed to have no limits in output power. Dynamic is an understatement! It is more like a rocket taking off, and yet can deliver a whisper in a wink! The speed, transparency and acceleration from a charging African wild elephant to a butterfly is so seamless, it is quite mind boggling. For those looking for a big powerful sound, would find the Ren15A as a perfect fit, especially for quite large rooms, having ample space behind the panels.
The design is very different to the previous models. The panel (using Blade tech) is even thinner! It looks like the side of an A4 sheet of paper, so to speak yet very rigid and very robust. The panel is completely flat/straight without any fixed tilt. The cabinetry is solid! It is heavily braced and does not vibrate and it is quite longer compared to say the Summit or the Ethos. It is quite heavier as well, and would require at least two people to move around for placement. Quite a number of controls as well on the back, including the Anthem Room Correction software port.
To me, I found this to be too fiddly. I just prefer to drop in a CD or drop the needle, sit back and just listen! I guess I’m old fashioned… Even when I had the big Infinity’s, adjusting that dam cross over was a pain in the butt… high gain/low gain/HF filter/LF filters/low pass & high pass something else, bloody hell, what didn’t it have? I also found with every track you played, you would have to always adjust accordingly and this was very annoying.
Fast fwd 25 years, I can see that ARC software and Room EQ seems to be more simpler, when you get it right. However, to me this seems too cumbersome, plus with my lame IT skills, I probably wouldn’t get it right in the first place!
The Ren15A definitely has a wider soundstage, one that is also more in terms of that 3D depth and superb visual effects. The bass is what struck the most, it is up there with all the bass that is required, hence no need for subs in this system. The only drawback for me was the levels were too loud, and my ears are not accustomed to such high levels. Call it mature listening, not sure but after a while I began to have listener fatigue. I would have never thought a CJ system would give me listener fatigue especially when CJ is known for sublime sonic purity and allows you to relax into your favorite recordings. But this was far too loud. When it was turned down it was very smooth and something that I could easily live with forever.
We then tried the Kondo Overture- AH! Now that’s what I call relaxation and musicality at its best! Delivering just 32w of pure class A in integrated form was superb on the Ren15A! It was all there! Basically, nothing to complain about here whatsoever. It did not have the airy high extensions of the GAT/Classic 120 combination, but everything else was just right. The highs, superb EL34 midrange, and tight super-fast mid bass was what I was looking for. It had all the required SOTA details/attributes since the Ren15A is powered and delivers the bass extremely well compared to any other ML hybrid I have heard so far. I am assuming that the smaller models, ESL 13, 11 & 9 would also be able to provide similar transparency and detail retrieval but with less bass impact. Then again depends on the room.
I am not sure what to compare here exactly though, whether I should review the amps or the speakers but one thing I would have preferred to listen to would have been the CJ amps driving a full range stat / panel on its own, such as the CLX. I can only imagine what the sound would be like upto a certain point, when the powered bass drivers take over. As far as driving the panel, I sincerely think anything from 20 to 50 watts of healthy power is more than adequate!
To sum it up, I couldn’t see myself spending this kind of money on a system where the pre-power combination alone amounts to nearly 50 grand! Then comes along the Ren15A which will retail in Aus close to 50 grand, so all up amps plus speakers are 100 grand plus. Forget it, I am not in that league, even if finances permitted. But for those who would consider this level of spend, plus what it delivers at this expenditure, I would have to say is truly remarkable.
And on another note, my humble CAV45 and the Ethos, closing in at just under 15 grand- is truly “remarkable” as well!
Cheers, RJ