McIntosh and Martin LoganHi

[miatancdan]

Hi

I decided on the Martin Logan Theos as best choice considering my room. I was considering the Martin Logan ElectroMotion, Magnepan MG1.7 or MG3.7.

Since my room is 10ft wide x 20ft long, it is not possible to have the Magnepans 2 feet away from side wall as they be to close together.

Reason to choose Theos instead of ElectroMotion is that panel area 44" x 9.2" instead of 34" x 8.6" of ElectroMotion.

One concern I do have is regarding using McIntosh MC302 amplifier. Since the McIntosh uses output autoformers, does this effect how well the MC302 will work with Martin Logan ESLs? Is the 2 ohm tap best choice? or should I use the 4 ohm tap? What is the min impedance of the Theos?

Posted this on audioaficionado too as want as much advice as possible.

Dan

 

[roberto]

Hola Dan, you should use the 4 ohm tap. This is the recommend factory Theos impedance (4 Ohms, 0.8 at 20kHz. Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.) But trust your ears and choose the one that you liked most. I have custmers that like more bass, then the 8 ohms option is the one, others say the bass is too much below control and liked tight, they use 4 ohms. If you use the 2 ohm tap, them you might get too much panel highs and loose some bass weight... it all depends on your liking and your room behavior. Changing the impedance taps will not harm your speakers or your amplifier. Happy listening,
Roberto.

 

[miatancdan]

Thanks Roberto

I will try the 4 ohm tap when the speakers arrive.

Dan

 

[Gordon Gray]

Dan,

Hopefully the other Gordon will chime in. He's one of our resident Mac / ML gurus.

GG

 

[dmusoke]

Hi

I decided on the Martin Logan Theos as best choice considering my room. I was considering the Martin Logan ElectroMotion, Magnepan MG1.7 or MG3.7.

Since my room is 10ft wide x 20ft long, it is not possible to have the Magnepans 2 feet away from side wall as they be to close together.

Reason to choose Theos instead of ElectroMotion is that panel area 44" x 9.2" instead of 34" x 8.6" of ElectroMotion.

One concern I do have is regarding using McIntosh MC302 amplifier. Since the McIntosh uses output autoformers, does this effect how well the MC302 will work with Martin Logan ESLs? Is the 2 ohm tap best choice? or should I use the 4 ohm tap? What is the min impedance of the Theos?

Posted this on audioaficionado too as want as much advice as possible.

Dan

Dan:

I posted in the newbie section with the same problem(no takers yet). I evaluated the Theos and Magnepan 1.7. Both sound great but i liked the vertical dispersion the 1.7 had. The tonality and imaging remained the same whether i stood or sat down which wasn't the case with the Theos. I choked this up to the taller 1.7 panel but can you raise the Theos base to increase dispersion?

Anyhow, my room is 11" x 20" and leaving only about 3 feet from the side wall for the 1.7 which wouldn't be enough(right?)

Thanks,
David

 

[Ron]

Hi

I decided on the Martin Logan Theos as best choice considering my room. I was considering the Martin Logan ElectroMotion, Magnepan MG1.7 or MG3.7.

Since my room is 10ft wide x 20ft long, it is not possible to have the Magnepans 2 feet away from side wall as they be to close together.

Reason to choose Theos instead of ElectroMotion is that panel area 44" x 9.2" instead of 34" x 8.6" of ElectroMotion.

One concern I do have is regarding using McIntosh MC302 amplifier. Since the McIntosh uses output autoformers, does this effect how well the MC302 will work with Martin Logan ESLs? Is the 2 ohm tap best choice? or should I use the 4 ohm tap? What is the min impedance of the Theos?

Posted this on audioaficionado too as want as much advice as possible.

Dan

Dan, I have had the Vantage, Summits, and now the CLX. I have used the McIntosh 205,402, and now the 303, and 601's. I have always used the 8 olm tap. Two different professional installers, Cedia approved. Sounds good to me.

 

[gmartan]

Hi

I decided on the Martin Logan Theos as best choice considering my room. I was considering the Martin Logan ElectroMotion, Magnepan MG1.7 or MG3.7.

Since my room is 10ft wide x 20ft long, it is not possible to have the Magnepans 2 feet away from side wall as they be to close together.

Reason to choose Theos instead of ElectroMotion is that panel area 44" x 9.2" instead of 34" x 8.6" of ElectroMotion.

One concern I do have is regarding using McIntosh MC302 amplifier. Since the McIntosh uses output autoformers, does this effect how well the MC302 will work with Martin Logan ESLs? Is the 2 ohm tap best choice? or should I use the 4 ohm tap? What is the min impedance of the Theos?

Posted this on audioaficionado too as want as much advice as possible.

Dan

With the Summits I found that the 8 ohm tap provided the best mid-range and bass. The two ohm tap messed up the mid-range but increased the treble a little. After eight months of experiments with different amps I realized that amps with output transformers simply can't output high frequencies where impedences are going down to 0.8 ohms. Only a good direct-coupled amp will give you all the transparacy and air that brings music to life and will show what these speakers are really capable of. I love my McIntosh gear but can't recommend output transformer equipped amps with ML speakers.

 

[gordonmenninger]

With the Summits I found that the 8 ohm tap provided the best mid-range and bass. The two ohm tap messed up the mid-range but increased the treble a little. After eight months of experiments with different amps I realized that amps with output transformers simply can't output high frequencies where impedences are going down to 0.8 ohms. Only a good direct-coupled amp will give you all the transparacy and air that brings music to life and will show what these speakers are really capable of. I love my McIntosh gear but can't recommend output transformer equipped amps with ML speakers.

... this is the reason I decided to go with a powerful Krell amp (KSA300s) for my SL3's. This amp doubles its power for every halving of ohm meaning 2x300w into 8 ohms, 2x600w into 4 ohms, 2x1200w into 2 ohms, etc... You need lots of high current with the Martin Logans and the Krell's deliver that moreso than the Macintosh amps. I guess it also depends on your listening habits - if you don't listen at high volumes it will not matter as much as someone (like myself) who really likes to crank their music up!

 

[Gordon]

I've tried all three taps and believe the 4 Ohm tap provides me with the correct balance. The 8 seemed a bit fat and bloated while the 2 was lean and thin. While trying them, I left them on each tap for several days playing many types of music to get a feel for each tap. As Roberto mentioned, it won't hurt anything to experiment with each. I'm sure there are many amps out there without the autoformers that sound as good if not better (or worse) than the Mickeys. I'd suggest giving all the taps a try and see what sounds best to you. Perhaps the McIntosh/ML combination will/will not meet your expectations.

It is a combination that brings us what we want in regards to clarity, stage and a bit of warmth. It may not appeal to all but what line does? I look forward to your impressions and by the way, congrats on the new speaks!!

Gordon

 

[gmartan]

... this is the reason I decided to go with a powerful Krell amp (KSA300s) for my SL3's. This amp doubles its power for every halving of ohm meaning 2x300w into 8 ohms, 2x600w into 4 ohms, 2x1200w into 2 ohms, etc... You need lots of high current with the Martin Logans and the Krell's deliver that moreso than the Macintosh amps. I guess it also depends on your listening habits - if you don't listen at high volumes it will not matter as much as someone (like myself) who really likes to crank their music up!

I never found it to be a power issue. My 80 watt Unico hybrid integrated, from the den, sounds just fine across the spectrum without rolling off the highs and sounding dull. Of course, the big separates sound even better due to increased damping factor and transparency.

 

[autoformer]

I have Summit X connected to the MC452. I started with the 4 ohm taps and found the midrange too hard and penetrating. Certain female vocalists would just seem to drill into my head. Literally painful. I was very close to dumping my Summits and moving to something else.

Switching to the 2 ohm taps made a huge improvement for me. But others posting in this thread seem to have just the opposite experience, so listen and decide for yourself. But do at least try the 2 ohm taps and see what you think.

Hi
One concern I do have is regarding using McIntosh MC302 amplifier. Since the McIntosh uses output autoformers, does this effect how well the MC302 will work with Martin Logan ESLs? Is the 2 ohm tap best choice? or should I use the 4 ohm tap? What is the min impedance of the Theos?

Posted this on audioaficionado too as want as much advice as possible.

Dan