System #173 (Sequel)

[MotorToad]

Member Name: Steven F
Location: NW Florida and/or south Alabama
ML Model(s): Sequel
Year Purchased: 2007
Mods/Changes: None

Associated Electronics:
At the moment... Carver TFM-42 [was NAD 2100 amplifier], B&K Pro 5 preamp, Fisher R-200 tube tuner (Dad bought it in '64 or '66!), ADCOM GTP-350 preamp/tuner and ACE-515 fancy power strip, Pioneer CDJ-700S (very temporary) CD player.

Comments and/or stories about your Martin Logan experience:

I had shopped heavily for electrostatic speakers in the early '90s before I found a pair of Mirage M-490s for cheap (they were the biggest Mirage made that weren't bipolar) that I've been very happy with up to now. The other speakers I was shopping at the time were Acoustat hybrids (I think the 1+1?) or the Infinity Kappa 6 or 7. I fell in love with the electrostatic clarity and imaging but couldn't afford them in either cash or space requirements.

I came into these speakers through a friend that works at a shop that sells nicer audio stuff, a customer's wife said they had to go because they're too big and he was "replacing" them with some Paradigms, IIRC. The poor, poor man! These Sequels are, as best as I can remember, the first M-Ls I've actually listened to. I listened to them briefly before I bought them but to be honest it was not so much an audition as it was just to make sure they produced noise from all the bits that were intended to and not from any of the other bits!

None of my friends here have been exposed to any real audio systems nicer than my wee Mirages, and they're initially very put off by the size of these, but not a single listener has failed to be astonished by the accuracy of the sound. I'm still trying to get them placed properly, and trying to explain to people why they have to be out near the middle of the room... people just don't "get it." I need better source components, though. I traded my turntable temporarily for some home-brewing equipment, and my NAD CD player went mammaries-skyward a few months ago. I'm also thinking I might want to go bigger in the amp department. The NAD is rated for 60 Wpc and even though the NAD's Watts are bigger and more useful than the department store brands', I think bi-amping with a bigger NAD for the woofers might be in the future. Or, there are a lot of Carvers on ebay...

 

[TomDac]

Glad you found us!!

:welcome:

 

[theWB]

Welcome aboard Steve,
What night of the week is Karaoke night?

 

[STV]

Steven,

Sequels are some great speakers that sound amazing Nice setup! Welcome to the club

 

[twich54]

Welcome MotorToad, so, is your listening room in Alabama and your bedroom in Florida ???

 

[Brad225]

Steve, The contrast of the rails with the black look great. Are they Maple or light Cherry?

Your acquisition of your Sequels is one of the few times that the WAF can be a good thing. Though I do feel bad for the guy who isn't listening to his panels any more.

 

[MotorToad]

Thanks for the compliments! I'm really thrilled with them.

I'm not sure what the wood is... I'm no expert on that stuff. I'll get a closer picture, though it'll probably be too big. I don't have anything on this computer to resize.

I'm an Alabama resident but I'm in Florida right now. I try to spend most of the summers in Birmingham so I can work events at Barber Motorsports.

 

[twich54]

Hey, what's this nonesense about trading your analog rig for "Billy Bobs Brewery Kit " ??? !! Don't worry there's plenty of great analog gear available in todays market !!

 

[JohnP]

Nice system!! Just wondering, what if someone swings that door open way to hard, will it smack your speaker?

 

[Brad225]

Sleepysurf posted this link on another thread. It is easy to use. Once you down load it, just right click on the photo and select re-size. Click on custom or advanced and re-size it to 800x600. It does work but when I posted with it yesterday the photos got smaller with each post. I'm sure it was something I did but give it a try.



If you are using Windows XP, I highly recommend the MS Power Toys Image Resizer (free), available here...
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx

 

[MotorToad]

I've still got turntables... but they're DJ quality (big motor, tough cartridge, but only decent putput circuitry), and my old tabel was nothing special.

That's the front door to the house... but the only thing that goes through it are the mail (YES! I've got a mail slot in the door! ) and the garbage. There's a lock on it that can't be opened from the outside and I have a floor mat between the door and the speaker. There really isn't much else to do with them so to hell with a front door.

Thanks for the resizer link! It didn't work but it had enough information that I could find it on the toys site. It is easy. I'll show you!

 

[MotorToad]

Here's a pic of them at their former home. I felt so bad seeing them stuffed in that little entertainment cubby!

Thanks again, everyone!

 

[Beat_Dominator]

Those look just like the Oak rails on my Sequel IIs

I didn't know that the Sequal had a ported enclosure though?

 

[Dreamer]

Steven,

Welcome, and congrats on the purchase of your Sequels. I also have some of the "original" Sequels, and I LOVE them.

I don't think you can bi-amp them though, inless you do some extensive mods to the crosover--the original Sequels only have one set of inputs, and can't be bi-amped. Perhaps you have Sequel II's, they have two sets of inputs...

As far as amplification, you probably will want to replace the NAD amp. According to the manual, the Sequel only needs 30 watts, but I've found that they aren't really happy with anything less than 100 watts of high-current amplification, and will really sing if you feed them more! I originally drove mine with a pair of CArver Silver7t's (375wpc, conservatively), and they sounded heavenly. I made th mistake of selling my S7t's several years ago, and am now driving them with a pair of CArver M-500t's bridged mono (which, into the 4ohm load of the Sequels, is giving me about 900watts each) and they sound good, but not quite as solid and open as with the S7t.

Anyway, you might look at Bryston or Parasound or Sunfire--a lot of folks here seem to like them.

And placement--well, those of us who have owned MLs for th elast decade or so could write a book on that issue--it's really pretty specific to your room, your listening material, and your own ears...

I'd suggest starting out placing them so that the distanc efrom the back wall is about 80% of the distance from the side wall, and use the "flashlight" method to get the "toe-in" angle dialed in. You don't really need to have them out in the middle of the room, just be sure tey are at least 3 or 4 feet out from the rear wall, or else you'll lose a lot of the "air" and openness in their sound.

Spikes help tighten and clear up the bass. Since I see you have hardwood floors, you can put coins under the spikes for a cheap solution to protect your floor, or you can go out and buy some "speaker point protectors" at an audio store or on EBAY.

And I've been experiementing with mass-loading these speakers too--adding mass to the cabinet. I've posted onthe "Tweaks" category, and have a link to some pics if you are interested. This tweak is VERY inexpensive, and doesn't alter your cabinets or require you to glue anyting to them--just place some weight on top of the transformer box! It did a LOT to tighten up the bass, and really brought the integration between the ESL panel and the woofer (which has always been a complaint with the original Sequel) into much better definition, and increased the smoothness of the low-mids too.

I've had these speakers for over 10 years, and I've moved them 5 times (still have the original shipping boxes and foam!), and every time I move into a new place, it takes me about a month to get them really "dialed in" to the acoustics of the new room. I'll make the measurements, set them up, listen for a day or so, make some adjustments, listen for a while, move, listen, move, listen, etc. I usually get them pretty good by the end of one week, then I usually don't listen to them for two or three days, then we start all over again. I find it's best to do an adjustment, listen, then walk away for a few hours before listening again. IT will take longer to get them positioned this way, but the final result is that, after a few weeks of periodic moving and listening, they should be optimally placed. You need to give your ears (and your brain!) a rest between each adjustment, so you have a more "true" perception of the change, I think...

So, take that for what it's worth, and ENJOY you rnew speakers. I think you will get YEARS of joy from the Sequels. They are very robust speakers, and when driven by the right combination of gear (amp, pre, CD, turntable, etc) they throw a stunningly 3-D soundstage, and are capable of reproducing an astounding level of detail.

Just remember, to ENJOY them, and don't get too wrapped up in getting it "perfect" right away. Equipment like this takes time to get dialed in, but the final result will be TOTALLY worth it.

Welcome to the "club". Your purchase puts you in some very elite company.

Abandon hope all ye who enter....

--Ricahrd C.

 

[MotorToad]

Heh, that part about bi-amping... see, my cat, uhm, was on my keyboard and, uh, through some odd coincidence, see, it typed that whole sentence ot on its own! Yeah! That's it. Actually, I just assumed since almost every speaker I've seen in the modern era had separate binding posts. It didn't occur to me until I made my "n00b questions" post that I didn't notice a pair of posts on the back. C'est la vie.

I'm not hugely concerned about the floor, the house is 50 or 60 years old and the floors have so many issues that spike marks wouldn't be visible. I'm thinking of spiking the front and leaving the feet on the rear to get the woofer off the floor a bit... but that tilt might drive the highs too... high. I definitely think they need some weight. I can feel the entire structure vibrating which, it seems, would not only damp the woofer's action but use the entire panel to send out low frequency sound in a very unconstructive manner.

I have access to a friend's Roland SRA 200e amplifier. It's 100Wpc but it's designed for DJ systems so I've no faith in its ability to live with the impedance of the MLs or in the quality of its sound so I haven't bothered. I also suspect when really pushed its 100 Watts might not add up to the NAD's 60. I think right now I need a new CD player more than the amp.

One thing is for sure, I'm enjoying these quite a bit more than I expected. And I expected a lot! When I first heard the staging put forth by those Acoustats many years ago I have been searching for the right speakers, and these have all that plus you're not stuck with a single-seat listening area.

 

[Robin]

Steven's ~ Super Sequel System...

Steven,

Wonderful Sequel System! :cheers:
Your listening environment looks enchanting. Very inviting and relaxing looking. :wow: It must give you many, many wonderful hours of listening enjoyment. :banana:
Lovely hardwood floors as well... Totally Awesome Dude.

 

[MotorToad]

Thanks! It is nothing if not "relaxed!"