Poor and unsophisticated

MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum

Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

newbie1

New member
Joined
Dec 12, 2009
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
delaware
I do not even own MLs (but I have heard them and love them and have always wanted MLs) and the only thing in my budget would be the "Source" line but I want to know before I go any further what these speakers need for amplification. Posts I have found suggest you can "get away" with a $2,000 amplifier. What I need to know is what is the minimum you need and how on earth can you find out if an amp can power a 4 ohm impedence speaker because amps seem to be rated in terms of watts. Would be used primarily for recorded music so I don't care if it has a tuner or surround sound and such.
 
Welcome 'newbie'....with regards to driving the 'Source' you by no means need to spend 2k for great sound. Are you opposed to buying used ? depending on your room size at at what levels you listen a 50-100 watt integrated will do nicely.

As far as ability to drive, if it's got a 4ohm rating you should be fine, heck even a decent receiver should work fine.

I see you're in Delaware.....have you been to see the boys over @ Overture ?
 
Welcome newbie, as Dave stated if your not opposed to buying used you can get more bang for your buck. Only a couple of my pieces were bought new and even those were well discounted.
 
You might also consider the Purity speakers, which are similar to the Source but have their own built-in amplification. It doesn't give you flexibility of amps, but it is probably cheaper than trying to buy a pair of Source and an amp to drive them.
 
Welcome 'newbie'....with regards to driving the 'Source' you by no means need to spend 2k for great sound. Are you opposed to buying used ? depending on your room size at at what levels you listen a 50-100 watt integrated will do nicely.

As far as ability to drive, if it's got a 4ohm rating you should be fine, heck even a decent receiver should work fine.

I see you're in Delaware.....have you been to see the boys over @ Overture ?

Many thanks--have been to overture for turntable stuff (cartridge and phono preamp). Do you have a particular amp or receiver recommendation for MartinLogans because everything I've heard/read suggests they need a very solid amp and a 50 watt/channel receiver isn't going to cut it. By 'integrated' do you mean a combined pre-amp power amp?
 
You might also consider the Purity speakers, which are similar to the Source but have their own built-in amplification. It doesn't give you flexibility of amps, but it is probably cheaper than trying to buy a pair of Source and an amp to drive them.

Thanks this is an idea to consider
 
Welcome newbie, as Dave stated if your not opposed to buying used you can get more bang for your buck. Only a couple of my pieces were bought new and even those were well discounted.

Not in principle but receivers and amps don't last forever--every one I've had eventually goes bad (after many years) while I found that speakers and turntables pretty much last forever.
 
As long as the room you're putting them in isn't too big, get a used pair of Purities for around $2k and you'll love the sound. (In a bigger room, I think the Purities need a subwoofer, but in a small room they're fine without one).
 
If your budget is truly as restricted as you say and you still want to get into a pair of Logans, I would seriously consider the used market. You can get a steal on some Clarities, Ascent's, Odyssey's, or Prodigy's. I think those speakers are alot more bang for the buck.

And I ran my Ascent i's on a standard sony receiver for a long time with satisfactory results. Remember, I may not have the best sound they can produce, but it is still much better than any other crap speaker I could hook up to the sony receiver. And upgrades can come in time.

I hope to see that you are a new member soon!
Dominick
 
Used CLSIIZs + behringer EP1500=under 2000?

I do not even own MLs (but I have heard them and love them and have always wanted MLs) and the only thing in my budget would be the "Source" line but I want to know before I go any further what these speakers need for amplification. Posts I have found suggest you can "get away" with a $2,000 amplifier. What I need to know is what is the minimum you need and how on earth can you find out if an amp can power a 4 ohm impedence speaker because amps seem to be rated in terms of watts. Would be used primarily for recorded music so I don't care if it has a tuner or surround sound and such.

I use this combo in my bedroom(well,CLSIIs in any case).Try to find a pair of used CLSs with new or nearly new panels.The panels should last around 10 years. None of the smaller MLs begin to approach the sonic attributes of the CLSs-and I have heard a few.
 
That's not really 40% off, because the Sources are actually $1100 each, not $1400 each MSRP like that site says.

supposedly the ones they are selling are not the standard vinyl wrapped ones, rather actual wood veneer models that were (I think) set to go to Tweeter before their demise. Thus the difference in MSRP.
 
I agree with Twitch on buying used.You could either buy Aerius i's or SL 3's and have extra money left over to put into an amp.I used to own Aerius i's, fantastic speaker which you should be able to purchase on audiogon for $900.

Sorry, but I strongly disagree with using a receiver for Martin Logans.You just are not going to hear the full potential of your speakers.
Cheers, Greg
 
I started this whole process with a Denon 2307 receiver and a pair of ML Source speakers. That was pretty inexpensive and I loved the results. I then used the receiver as my pre-amp and purchased a cheap rotel amp. After that I sold each piece one by one and moved up a few pegs each time. I guess for me that was the best part of this hobby. Instead of holding out for a year or whatever, I would purchase a piece and enjoy it until I could make another upgrade.

To each his own...buy I don't think they really opened up until I was able to get to my current Sunfire amp.
 
One thing everyone is forgetting is the deference in efficiency between the older Logan models, and there newer more average consumer friendly line. If you where to purchase the Sources, a mass market receiver pushing 120 "receiver watts" (wattage with no actual oomph behind it) would give you satisfactory performance (as far as make goes goes, the sonic differences between lines are all a matter of personal preference), just keep in mind that a unit in that range should retail between $900-$1200. Buy used or new on clearance and you'll save some dough. If you where to go the route of buying a higher end older line used model then it would behoove you to at the very least pre-out to some type of dedicated 2-channel amplification that produces steady ratings at both the 4 and 2ohm levels. For individual recommendations take a quick tour through the site.
 
Buy a used pair of Aerius and a Rega Brio 3...

You can even get that with an internal phono card if you need it...

Add a used Rega Apollo CD player and you should be able to score a whole system for 2 grand.
 
Hi Newbie1. I am also a new member of this forum. I agree with what most have already stated, buy used. There are many great dealss out there. Have have recently built my system, using ML Sequel IIs, AES AE-3 DJH preamp, and bi-amping Aragon 4004 MKIIs for less than $2K in as little as 18 months. I have tried various combinations with other gear I own, experimenting along the way with borrowed equipment and have come to build a great system in that short period of time. Don't rush, choose the right ML/Amp combination for the size of your listening room & budget, and trust the used "Audiophile" market. All of the gear I purchased has been used and well cared for buy "True" audiophile sellers/dealers and I have had no trouble with any piece of gear. I am still building my audio nirvana system and am well beneath the overall price I was expecting to pay. Good Luck with your entry in the ML world.:music:
 
Back
Top