System #377 (Quest)

[bracurrie]

Name: Brad

Location: Middle Tennessee

ML Quest

Year Purchased: used 2011

Associated components:
Pre-amp - Audio Research SP-6B (recently serviced, tubes replaced and capacitors evaluated)
Amp's - B&K Sonata M200 mono block amplifiers (checked out as stable, but have been able to find little information on the internet)
CD - Pioneer DV09 (came with the package and is heavy as hell)
Tape Deck - Denon DRS810 cassette deck (I have metal tapes and am not afraid to use em)
Turntable - Yamaha P450 fully auto turntable(paid $25 plus $15 for new belt) with a Grado g-1+ cartridge with new Gold stylus (paid more for that).
Cabling - Amp interconnects are Monster shielded. Component interconnects are custom shielded coax.
Acoustic Treatments - Commercial short-pile carpet over 3/8" pad over concrete; 1/4" T-111 paneling over insulated stud walls behind and right. Paneling over concrete wall elsewhere. Unfinished cieling of engineered truses spaced irregularly. Room is L shaped with larger rectangle longways along back wall with smaller rectangle in back on the right. Quite by accident the acoustics are quite good without any need for further modifications.

 

[TomDac]

Welcome aboard.

First off, I would give the panels a good vacuum. Leave them unplugged overnight and then vaccuum them front and back.

Next, you absolutely need to move your speakers away from that wall so they can breathe. Electrostatic panels produce sound from both sides and the sound waves coming from the back (commonly called "rear wave") will kill any imaging/soundstage. When properly placed, the speakers should disappear and you should not be able to tell where the music is coming from. While sitting in the "sweet spot" you should be able to close your eyes and pinpoint where the musicians are playing their instruments on the stage.

Below is a link to the Quest owners manual. There is information about placement in there and we have a whole section here on the MLC site dedicated to placement and room treatments.

Welcome to the wonderful world of MLs! You are in for a real treat.

www.martinlogan.com/pdf/manuals/manual_quest.pdf

 

[Jimna]

Welcome! Lots of very smart folks here that share their knowledge so do lots of reading and get to know the search function.

 

[tsv_1]

Welcome to the forum Brad

Double good deed there - helping out the widow and yourself at the same time

As Tom and Jimna mentioned, you've come to the right place for experienced opinions and a massive knowledge database.

Good luck as you experiment and dial in your system for even better sound!

 

[Bernard]

Welcome Brad!

You have not mentioned what you are using for wires, and whether you have bi-wired them (the manual explains this in detail).

 

[repman]

Welcome Brad , I hope you enjoy the site and your new toys

 

[churchill]

Welcome to the club Brad! I owned the same B&K monos back in the early 90's!

 

[bracurrie]

Tom,
Thanks for the input. The owners manual was an eye opener. As to the placement of the speakers, I played with them at 4 feet to 6 inches, with a little to no toe-in and because of the room acoustics that position with a little toe-in seems to work well. I lose low end definition any further out and I would speculate that the toe in helps them breath a little as the side walls are at least 6 feet away.
How much resonance comes from the cabinet holding the bass driver? Would it be worth the trouble to try putting a hard stone or steel surface under the speakers? Previous owner installed metal chair feet.
Thanks again!
Brad

 

[bracurrie]

Welcome to the club Brad! I owned the same B&K monos back in the early 90's!

chuchill,
Thanks for your reply. What motivated you to buy and subsequently replace the B&Ks?
Thanks
Brad

 

[bracurrie]

Welcome Brad!

You have not mentioned what you are using for wires, and whether you have bi-wired them (the manual explains this in detail).

Bernard,
Thanks for the reply. I am bi-wiring the speakers using solder tipped cables 8 feet long. It was the first modification I made after speaker placement. I am uncertain how much impact it had as I didn't have the listening hours before I installed them, but as I listen to each additional CD I marvel at the detail in the mid to highs with little harshness. I just wish I had my 15 year old son's ears.
Brad

 

[Bernard]

Brad, I don't think solder-tipped cables are the best. If the solder is uneven you could get gaps between the connector and the cable. I think that spades are best, for the most secure connection.

What brands/types of cable are you using for your interconnects and speakers?

 

[bracurrie]

Brad, I don't think solder-tipped cables are the best. If the solder is uneven you could get gaps between the connector and the cable. I think that spades are best, for the most secure connection.

What brands/types of cable are you using for your interconnects and speakers?

Bernard,
Many thanks for the dialog.
Cables and interconnects seem to be where there is a lot of passionate discussion and serious money spent by enthusiasts.
My DYI speaker cables are the result of my experience building a very large O gauge model railroad with my father when I was a kid. Through trial and error we discovered that using silver solder on multi strand copper had the least amount of electrical loss ( not sure that means its good for speakers). For my speaker connects I soldered monster XL cables (on sale after Christmas) using silver solder careful to infuse completely after removing the plastic strand( don't get why its there). For the amplifier connections I did use spades that I soldered carefully to the two combined multi strands for the bi-wire as I couldn't thread the two together through the hole on the post.
The preamp to amplifier interconnects are Monster Interlink IIs that came with the system. CD player and tape deck will soon be connected with custom made coax RCA cables.
What is your opinion of coax cables for RCA interconnects? What cables and connects do you use and why?
Brad

 

[Bernard]

What is your opinion of coax cables for RCA interconnects? What cables and connects do you use and why?
Brad

Brad,

I don't give cable geometry any thought when evaluating them. I use Cardas Neutral Reference interconnects and speaker cables. When choosing a cable I did not have many choices, and the Cardas sounded the best of the ones I listened to, and the construction looked solid (good connectors, etc). It allows me to hear changes when I upgrade other components.

I bought a Discovery Signature interconnect off Audiogon, and could not tell the difference between it and the Cardas when used between my CDP and preamp. I didn't like the connectors though, and got rid of it. The one thing I did like about it was that it was more flexible than the Cardas.

 

[churchill]

chuchill,
Thanks for your reply. What motivated you to buy and subsequently replace the B&Ks?
Thanks
Brad

I got married and downsized my system to a receiver a pair of speakers and it stayed that way for about 10 years. Then in 2006 I discovered Audiogon and started back into the higher end stuff!

 

[guido]

- B&K Sonata M200 mono block amplifiers (checked out as stable, but have been able to find little information on the internet)

Hi:

What information are you looking for?

I used to drive my SL3s with B&K M200 Sonatas, which I still have in my closet. I may still have the manual somewhere.

Guido F.

 

[Krazikiwi]

Granite platform

Welcome to the 'stat world' of music reproduction Brad,

I doubt you will ever listen to a 'normal' cone speaker again!

I use 1 inch (3 cm) granite under my Quest Z's to decouple them from the floor. A custom kitchen shop would sell this as worktop so either getting offcuts or finding a stonemason will do it. I use copper coins ( carbon squares are better) under the spikes to save scratching the stone when adjusting the position. Speaking of which, the original Quest spikes were pretty flimsy IMHO, ordering a new set of the large fat ones that you can turn by hand is well worth it. I bought mine via my ML dealer, there are 3rd party suppliers as well I think.

Also, using a spirit level to adjust the vertical is helpful.

Have fun, the Quest is a large speaker surface wise with incredibly deep sound staging and image detailing. Immerse yourself in great music and hunt out new stuff, it's a great journey.

Jeff

 

[bracurrie]

Hi:

What information are you looking for?

I used to drive my SL3s with B&K M200 Sonatas, which I still have in my closet. I may still have the manual somewhere.

Guido F.

A copy of the manual would be great if you were so inclined to scan and send me a copy via email. I am looking for specs, care and feeding information.
What did you replace the Sonatas with and what difference did you notice? What preamp are you using?
Thanks for the reply.
Brad