Newbie Needs Advice

[floridajim]

Hello,

I am planning to add Martin Logans to my 2 channel system. I have never owned any and am over-whelmed by the number of choices. Looking for some help.

First, my audio room is small -- 10.5 feet X 12.5 feet. Cieling is just over 8 feet. It is a dedicated room with extensive acoustic treatments -- Auralex diffusors and a floor to ceiling DIY bass trap in each the front corner.

Music preferences include Rock and roll, Jazz and classical.

My budget is around $2,000 (Used).

Is there a down-side going with used MLs?

I am thinking that a model with smaller drivers (say 8") would be a better choice in my space. I am concerned that the larger drivers would be too much for my small room.

My present amps will not handle MLs, so they will need to be replaced and are not an issue.

Any thoughts/recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[tsmooth]

I am sure with your location in Florida, there are a few people listing what you are looking for on www.audiogon.com. Models you could afford are:

Older used (quality though): Aerius (i), Quest, Request (large), Ascent (good speaker), SL3, Scenario, and probably even a few more.

They would need quality amplification as you touched on, but probably an Aerius I would be a good pick for the size of your room.

Newer used: Clarity, Purity, Source, and Vista. The Purity has an amplifier built into the speaker, so you have the option to run an RCA from your pre directly to the speaker. I owned a pair of Sources for about 6 months in a similar sized room with great results. I currently own a pair of Vistas and they can be had for about $2K on the used market if you look around. Vistas would be my recommendation, but I have only heard and never owned any of the older models (only able to listen when I worked for a local dealer). If you are able to find a babied model of the one of the older models, you can get a whole lot of speaker for the money. Make sure to ask what condition the panels are in, if the owner was a smoker, if they have been vacuuming the panels, etc.

The warrenty on used MLs does not transfer to a different owner, but their customer service is outstanding in the event you need to get parts, etc. If you are worried about the warrenty, I would then recommend finding a demo pair from any hifi store (5 year warrenty without the new speaker markup).

I would recommend searching this site for advice. Look through previous posts and member’s systems as many people have similar setups. Good luck.

 

[eknuds01]

Tsmooth gave you some excellent advice.

I would add that the older line (aerius, SL3, ReQuest, etc) has a different 'house sound' vs the new line of ML speakers. Both lines, however, are fine choices. You should be able to audition the newer models at Best Buy.

You have many, many options. If you are considering buying a used speaker like the Aerius and the unit is around 10 years old, you could consider getting new panels (and maybe new woofers). That is equivalent to getting a brand new speaker. Attaching the panels and/or woofers is simple. If the speakers are 5-8 years old and were moderately used, then I wouldn't worry about new panels. Another excellent choice is the Aeon i - love that speaker!

New panels easily add 10-20 years of life to your ML speakers as long as you don't drive them to very high levels 24/7.

Since you need new amps, make sure you find a nice (probably solid state) unit that can deliver gobs of current. We like amps that double down the wattage as the impedance is cut in half. Thus, brands like Krell, Plinius, Sunfire, Bryston, etc are very popular on this forum.

 

[FISH_MAN]

it's worth a far drive to hear them in person

I think you should listen before you buy so you can get an idea of what you are after I would agree that used vistas would be nice but used vantage's would be better they have a controll knob on the back for low bass this is really handy especially in small rooms! I think the new models martin logan has would fit your room much better. a freind of mine has request's they are a great speaker and would be great in a small room but would be hard to get placement just right i would go for a new smaller speaker used like the vista or vantage. my opinion is to always spend more on the speaker first then the room then the amp. the vantages have 200watt amps in them that helps take some strain of your amp and the panels are not that big so I do not think they draw that much. my rotel 200 per channel could rock them and never failed to give good sound it is struggling a little to keep up with my new spires but is holding its own.krell and the others may blow your budget but are a must for the really big panels.