I had an opportunity yesterday to spend some quality time comparing, with little distraction, MLs new entry-level electrostatic hybrid, the ElectroMotion ESL 8, and the largest of their budget "motion" line, the Motion 12.
I'd begin by complimenting ML on a pretty remarkable feat -- the introduction of a second line of speakers, utilizing a totally different driver technology, that not only sounds like part of the family, but does it so well that it makes the choice between $2,000 worth of ESL and $1500 worth of Motion much less than obvious. They are different, but damn they're close. The ESLs are more transparent. They have the clear, open midrange and treble, the extension without harshness, that one would expect from an electrostatic panel. The surprise is that the highs of the Motion, with its folded ribbon tweeter, are almost identical. it is in the mids, and in the dispersion, that the two designs differ, and which one is superior is not at all obvious. Relative to the ESLs, the Motion 12 sounds "warm" in the mids. It's not at all unpleasant, and I may even find it easier to live with day to day, though I expect the ESLs are more accurate. They presented what seemed to be wholly uncolored voices, horns and strings, while the lower mids seemed a bit recessed and thin. These are subtleties; they sound more alike than different.
The way the two systems image is very different. The Motions, with their dipole mids and tweeters, disperse broadly and evenly. They sound almost exactly the same from significantly off axis as they do up front. And the image, from a few feet back, is a few feet higher than the speakers themselves. The ESLs lost not only treble extension but midrange clarity and transparency off axis and threw an image exactly as tall as the panels; Merely stand up, and they changed dramatically for the worse.
In a dedicated listening room where the only intentions is sitting in the sweet spot, listening intently, the new ESLs would not only be worth the extra money, they would be worth much more than their price, in my opinion. In a typical domestic environment/situation in which you want to be able to enjoy the music from different positions in the room, or even while wandering around, going about your daily business, the ESLs would be the wrong choice, period. The Motion 12s would, however, do very well and not lose all that much in the critical listening capacity.
There was also a pair of the ML hybrids from last year in the room, the ones the ESL's are replacing, with a significantly larger bass cabinet and a significantly smaller panel. To my ears, these were not competitive with either the Motions or the new ESLs, which I think says a lot about how much Martin Logan has accomplished with these two new affordable models, either of which would be a great choice for a mid-sized room.
Tim
I'd begin by complimenting ML on a pretty remarkable feat -- the introduction of a second line of speakers, utilizing a totally different driver technology, that not only sounds like part of the family, but does it so well that it makes the choice between $2,000 worth of ESL and $1500 worth of Motion much less than obvious. They are different, but damn they're close. The ESLs are more transparent. They have the clear, open midrange and treble, the extension without harshness, that one would expect from an electrostatic panel. The surprise is that the highs of the Motion, with its folded ribbon tweeter, are almost identical. it is in the mids, and in the dispersion, that the two designs differ, and which one is superior is not at all obvious. Relative to the ESLs, the Motion 12 sounds "warm" in the mids. It's not at all unpleasant, and I may even find it easier to live with day to day, though I expect the ESLs are more accurate. They presented what seemed to be wholly uncolored voices, horns and strings, while the lower mids seemed a bit recessed and thin. These are subtleties; they sound more alike than different.
The way the two systems image is very different. The Motions, with their dipole mids and tweeters, disperse broadly and evenly. They sound almost exactly the same from significantly off axis as they do up front. And the image, from a few feet back, is a few feet higher than the speakers themselves. The ESLs lost not only treble extension but midrange clarity and transparency off axis and threw an image exactly as tall as the panels; Merely stand up, and they changed dramatically for the worse.
In a dedicated listening room where the only intentions is sitting in the sweet spot, listening intently, the new ESLs would not only be worth the extra money, they would be worth much more than their price, in my opinion. In a typical domestic environment/situation in which you want to be able to enjoy the music from different positions in the room, or even while wandering around, going about your daily business, the ESLs would be the wrong choice, period. The Motion 12s would, however, do very well and not lose all that much in the critical listening capacity.
There was also a pair of the ML hybrids from last year in the room, the ones the ESL's are replacing, with a significantly larger bass cabinet and a significantly smaller panel. To my ears, these were not competitive with either the Motions or the new ESLs, which I think says a lot about how much Martin Logan has accomplished with these two new affordable models, either of which would be a great choice for a mid-sized room.
Tim
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