Martin-Logan Owners
- Thread starter MylesBAstor
- Start date
I have yet to go to a friends house that has them, he put a lot of work into getting them set up right and raves about them. Custom stands, big arse Krells, a subwoofer, room treatments and so forth.
The only time I have listened to CLS's was at an audio store for a group listen some 12 years ago. Some cable company was doing the presentation. Chairs were three rows deep, I elected to sit in the front, almost in the middle. My experience from that vantage point was one akin to listening to giant headphones. Nearfield in the extreme, I was like on stage with the band. In that setup on that day I felt they were a little hollow sounding, too airy and light. Wonderful sound, just not tough sounding, too delicate sort of lacy. More meat, less salad would have made a better meal.
The CLS
I found the Janis sub to be an acceptable match. At the time I never found the impedance curve to be a problem. I took home every amp my dealer had. There was never any problem.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I owned a pair of Janis subs 20 years ago. I didn't know he was still in business. Built a beautiful sub but I remember at the time his biggest competition was Velodyne
He built a pretty good cartridge too in those days! Not sure if John M. is still around; last I know he was living in the Bronx.
That would be me, The CLS were way ahead of thgeir time. The amplifiers of their day were not suited for the impedence curve and current they need. They are remarkable speakers. ML did not market them exactly right either. The time was changing and the big Micro sub sat boom was taking over. Who wanted a expensive big footprint speaker taht was POWER amp murderer when for $1500 they got a Lexacon and sone micros and a sub and had the hall in their room
Todays amps with much better eserves and power make them really sing. My Krell renderss them breathless. I the biggest thing ML foirgot was trhe stands. They NEED to be on stands. ML actually started to recomend using the Arcci stands that are no longer made. I made my own and it was night and day. Bass was tighter and immige was way better. The stands need to brace the rear panels from swaying as that hurts the immage.
there were some other crosover tweaks that we did to mine (Jim Power @ML) that helps too.
George Ann Arbor is only a Hr drive away and the beer is cold . COME ON OVER AND YOU WILL BE BLESSED!
I've not heard Ken's new speakers either.
Of course nobody in the "club" has heard my little Aerius's with tubes.
I have to get my house "guest ready", later this summer I hope.
Of course nobody in the "club" has heard my little Aerius's with tubes.
I have to get my house "guest ready", later this summer I hope.
I have a pair of ML Spires, finished in Natural Cherry with clear binding posts. I got them last February.
They're currently being driven by a pair of PrimaLuna ProLogue Seven monoblocks (2-Ohm tap!).
I think they're a great speaker!
They're currently being driven by a pair of PrimaLuna ProLogue Seven monoblocks (2-Ohm tap!).
I think they're a great speaker!
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I had the aerius with the conrad johnson integrated. very nice. Mated with a Naim cd player.
STILL?!!? Is there even an alternate?? An experiment?? Five, count 'em, five models?? Some experiment! Oh and you seem to have forgotten the CLS led to the first model of the Statement -- CLS on steroids (just like 'Fabio' one of the first owners ;-)
No. No problems. No arc-ing like Quad 57's. No thinness or edginess, unless you were dumb enough to use a current-poor SS amp that ran out of gas at 1 ohm. Remember, a Quad 57's impedance curve drops to nothing a 600Hz, a much nastier place to have that happen (than at 15KHz like a CLS) and yet Peter Walker had no trouble driving them with a 15W tube amp! C'mon, I really don't think you know what you're talking about! You just never heard one with a proper amp. I had a pair of ARC M300 140W triode monoblocks driving my CLS's when I got them (in 1990.) and it was total majik! Finding a sub with really great transient response (Entec's claim to fame, regardless of build quality) was tough. And Entec had just gone belly-up anyway. Did I let that stop me? Hell no! I was just a few bucks away from the best system Chris Hansen ever sold! No good subs? Right! How about a pair of Wilson Puppies, a Mark Levinson 23.5, and a Bryston 10B electronic crossover? How about that Mr. Thin and Edgy?
Oh bullpucky!!
Well NSGARCH is not known for mincing his words. The opinions expressed by Miles were the popular opinion of the day. Lucky for me I had never heard of the CLS when I first listened. I swear the dealer set me up. Each speaker was placed in front of a window! His pair was well broken in and matched with the right components. Two weeks later I put in my order.If I had heard all the negative comments about the CLS I never would have bothered.
The fact is the CLS revealed problems with associated equipment that was not done before. Initially it took the blame. Time proved who the guilty culprit was.
The fact is the CLS revealed problems with associated equipment that was not done before. Initially it took the blame. Time proved who the guilty culprit was.
So the Quad impedance drops dead center in the midrange, and the CLS dips in the lower bass?
Does the Quad have a crossover problem?
Random speaker frequency chart to help (me) visualize this:
http://speaker.rosaryshop.com/index.php/r/tutorial
Neil (nsgarch), I agree that you can be less bombastic and still get your points across effectively. We are mere mortals.
Cheers, George/kach22i
Wrong opinions have consequences. See Stereophile Archives for the review that damned the CLS with feint praise. Despite the fact that the absolute sound had given it great praise. It was the choice of their reviewers and HP was about to make it his second reference. Gayle decided abandon the CLS and go hybrid with the Sequel. See Gayles exit interview. He farmed out the CLS II with disastrous results. BTW I never knew anyone who hated the CLS. Some like me found it extremely frustrating. Along came VTL and the Kinnergetics sub. most thought the problems solved.
My dealer sold me a janis sub. The problem was still not solved. He then came and pressed a device in my hand. Back then everyone knew each other in the high end. I did not even pay for it. Just send me a check if you like it. It was the quicksilver transformer. Insufficient gain in the phone stage. I was using CJ pv5 with a low output mc.
My dealer sold me a janis sub. The problem was still not solved. He then came and pressed a device in my hand. Back then everyone knew each other in the high end. I did not even pay for it. Just send me a check if you like it. It was the quicksilver transformer. Insufficient gain in the phone stage. I was using CJ pv5 with a low output mc.
Once upon a time, I bought a brand new pair of ML Aerius speakers (the original version), and I had them for many years. I used to say that no other audio purchase I had ever made prior to the ML had ever made me as happy. The Aerius were great speakers, but they didn't have any bottom end. When I finally built the addition on to my house so I could have my own dedicated stereo room, I sold them and moved on to a full range speaker.
Mark
Mark
No, the CLS impedance dips at 15,000 Hz (starts a bit sooner, and then just keeps dropping.)
I don't think I understand the question; the Quad, like the CLS is a full range electrostat.
In this dumbed-down, PC culture of ours, I believe a little bombast now and then should be regarded as a refreshing sign that some of us 'mere mortals' have not gone completely to sleep! We are all entitled to our opinions, valueless as they may be. I'd sooner accept an "educated guess" than someone's unvetted opinion glibly presented to me as fact. As Paul Simon so astutely observed, ". . . proof is everything!"
