System #202 (Quest)

[maxspl]

Lee
Middletown, NY

ML Model : Martin Logan Quest

Year Purchased: July, 2007 used, former tradein

Mods/Changes: (Have you done any modifications to your Logans?)
New panels previously installed

Associated Electronics:
Parasound Halo A21 amp
Cardas Cross Interconnect, quadlink speaker cable & twinlink

Comments and/or stories about your Martin Logan experience: I always wanted martin logan speakers, and so did my wife, but some new ones lack bass and were too expensive. My dealer had these used with new panels and immediately I was amazed by the sound and the bass, since the quests use a 12" woofer and large panels.

 

[sebrof2000]

Max - Nice system. Sounds like you fell into a good deal.
How does that Parasound do with the Quests? I was close to buying an A21 a few months ago when I had Maggies but decided to stay with what I had.

Mike

 

[maxspl]

Thanks ! For the money $1300 pair, I could not resist buying the quests, since they had new panels put in. In the dealer's room, he was using the Pass X2 preamp, Cardas golden reference speaker cable, and a Pass X150 to demonstrate these speakers to me. I was sold after the first minute of listening! At first, i was not sure the age of these speakers or how much $$, but after he told me the price, I thought it was a good deal. I listened to many other speakers, Vandersteen and JM Focal which are very good speakers. But new these speakers were 2 to $10,000 depending on the model, So I stayed with the JSE infinite slope 1.8 classics. To answer your question, for the money, the Parasound Halo A21 easily drives these speakers at 250 watts per channel, and competes well with the Pass X150, although the pass costs double the money.


Equipment used:

Parasound halo A21 amp
B&K reference 5s preamp
Cardas quadlink speaker
Cardas twinlink speaker for bass
Cardas Cross XLR
Cardas Cross CD to pre
Roksan Kandy CD
Monster Power HTS 3500

 

[twich54]

Max, Looks good !, sounds good !, and a great deal to boot !!

 

[C.A.P]

Very nice room set up. I love the clock in the center . It always seems to draw the image to the center if you have a focal point . Must be a eye ear brain deal !

 

[JonFo]

Congrats, and great deal for such excellent speakers.

 

[maxspl]

Hi, I read that you have ML quests also. Im sure the Krell does a great job driving the Quests! Did you have the quests since they came out in the early 90's ?

 

[C.A.P]

With the Quests , you need current and lots of it. The Krell is a outstanding amp . That being said its a distinct sound that you can recognize. The bass is all Krell and the mids and highs are a signature sound. ( for the better in my ears) The Sunfire was a amp I also ran that was a tad more laid back but in no way weak. It has lots of current and plays well with them . My Quests are from early 90 IIRC , The new panels are a must , for older units.

 

[Huey]

:wow: Nice system Max

 

[maxspl]

Thanks, Huey! I really like the stereo rack you have- mine is a cheap Lowes hardware department store steel and wire "you assemble together" special for $32 !

 

[asindc]

Nice setup! I just bought the A21 to go with my Vantages. Much tighter and cleaner bass than the Sunfire I was using, though I still really like the Sunfire for HT. Have you had a chance to try the JC1s at all? Just curious to hear from someone who has tried them both.

 

[maxspl]

JC 1 to run ML's

Hi, asindc, my dealer told me for the money spent, I would be better off just running the Parasound Halo A21, rather than going for the JC1, although the JC does put out 400 watts per ch into 8 ohms, rather than "just" 250 watts. I did not have the opportunity to audition the JC, just the A21 and the 5 channel version, the A52. I did audition the Pass X150 and the X250, and these are excellent amps if you have the extra cash.

 

[asindc]

That is interesting coming from someone who would stand to benefit from your possible upgrade to JC1. I have been thinking that long range, an upgrade from ARC LS17 TO LS26, or an upgrade from A21 TO JC1s would cost about the same. It's just a matter of which would give me more improvement. I had been leaning toward the preamp upgrade (long term) even before your response. Of course, auditioning would settle the matter definitively. Still, good food for thought. BTW, I have heard Pass amps with ML speakers before. I agree, they are worth the extra cash. Thanks for the info.

Anthony