New to ML: Fresco or Vignette?????

[drjb101]

I am doing a remodel and finally want to upgrage my 5.1 speakers to go with my new 58" Plasma and I have been considering the ML speakers primarily because they look nice and I need nice wall mountable speakers to please my wife's design. But now I am trying to make sure I make the right call on which one has the best sound quality in a 16ft room space. Also should I use the same line for all 5 speakers (incl center channel) or should I get a different center channel speaker? Any help in choosing between the two brands and whether to have all speakers from the same line would be helpful.

Thanks
J

 

[aliveatfive]

My advice: Buy ML for the sound. Looks are secondary. If you've decided to use these for ht only, 5 Frescos would be fine. You're better off not mixing brands. If your intent is to use these for stereo music listening also, I might consider a pair of ML electrostatics for your front 2 channels. In this case you could use a Cinema i or Stage for a center channel, and a pair of Frescos for rear surrounds.

 

[captain_tinker]

drjb101,
I own a Fresco for a center channel, and I love it. I have heard the Vignettes, and they are ok. Not quite as nice as the Frescos, but a lot smaller. If you absolutely have to have wall mounted, go withthe Fresco. I think you'll find it quite impressive indeed. Though I have also heard the ML inwalls, and I was floored by how good they sounded. They are very similar in sound to my floor standing Mosaics. I believe it was the largest one, the Voyage I think.

http://www.us.martinlogan.com/speaker_intro/voyage.html

Out of curiosity, what kind of components do you have to run these with?

-capT

 

[jk319]

The fresco-i is a very nice speaker. It doesn't dig very deep though, and if you happen to like it very loud, you will want to x-over even higher. So, pick a good sub!

 

[bober]

You should definitely go with the five Frescos. Add a Grotto subwoofer and you will have a great sounding surround sound system. What will you be powering the system with?

 

[Thai]

Why not get three Frescos for the fronts and two vignettes for the rears. The rears are not THAT important. Then with the money saved, i would get a nice sub. IMHO, the Grotto is a bit weak for HT purposes...i found this out for my system and room (16x11). Thus, i upgraded my sub to Depth "i" and have been extremely happy.

If you have more financial freedom, then you can do what i did. Just click on my signature to see my system. Even though my system does not have a separate amplifier for my Vantages & Stage, my Denon does an excellent job for HT purposes. The 2-ch stereo part sounds good too! I have not found the need (yet) to get a separate amp because the Denon does not seem like it's stressing too much.

 

[jk319]

I completely agree with Thai. If the OP is like me and does not have any multi-channel music recordings or player, the rears aren't that important. One of my surrounds cost only a very, very small fraction of one of my mains or sub. Works perfectly for HT imo, and I got to pour the budget into 2-channel music and a great sub as a result.

 

[Charliemike]

One of the things to consider is that if you do in fact get ESLs for your L/R fronts that if your receiver is decent you can get away with a phantom center for a while.

Yes, now I know that some people here will disagree strongly with me but I've been using a pair of SL3s with a phantom center and I think it sounds better than my buddy's complete Infinity 5.1 setup.

If you go with Frescoes or Vignettes, then I'd suggest a center.

Just something to consider