System #404 (Vantage)

[invenio]

1. Member Name: Gabor

2. Location: Southern New Hampshire

3. ML Model(s): Vantage

4. Year Purchased: 2010

5. Mods/Changes: New feet and power cords (see below).

6. Associated Electronics: see below

7. Comments and/or stories about your Martin Logan experience: I fell in love with the electrostatic sound after getting a demo in a hifi shop and had to get some for myself!

I built this room from planning stage to completion in about 6 months with most of the work being done in a 3 week period near the end. Comments are welcome!

The room is approximately 24 x 23 feet with vaulted ceilings and sound proofing panels to minimize perpendicular surfaces and distortion.

Equipment:

Martin Logan tower speakers, Model Vantage, 40" Electrostatic Panel w/8" 200 watt powered Sub-woofer for each speaker matched with
Mapleshade Threaded Heaveyfeet (8), brass anti-vibration replacement spiked speaker feet and Shunyata Research Inc. Powersnakes (2), Venon PowerCable replacement powercords.

Signal Cable Ultra Bi-Wire Speaker Cables

Polk Audio RT600's (4)
Polk Audio RT450's (2)
Polk Audio LSiC Center Speaker
Polk Audio PSW300 Subwoofer
Polk Audio PSW650 Subwoofer

Conrad Johnson Evollution 2000 Amplifier (Mods: Universal power cable connect added)
Conrad Johnson PF-2 Preamplifier

Onkyo TX-SR875 Receiver

Oppo Digital DV-980H SACD/DVD player

Pioneer Elite CLD-97 Laser Disc Player

PS3

Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700UB Projector

Elite Screens - Home Cinema - 150" Diag. Projector Screen

AVS Voltage Regulator
APC H15BLK AV 1.5kVA H Type Power Conditioner

Media Server (Computer, approx 15,500 audio tracks):
ASUS Xonar D2/PM Sound Card
Winamp media player w/ iZotope Ozone - DSP


You can find more pictures including the room build itself at:
http://www.blu-ray.com/community/gallery.php?member=invenio

 

[twich54]

Gabor, again welcome to you and your nice HT set-up !

 

[amey01]

Welcome - it looks like a huge room you've got there!

 

[invenio]

Welcome - it looks like a huge room you've got there!

It's slightly over 500 ft with cathedral ceilings. I really like the room acoustics. Thanks for the positive comments...

 

[invenio]

I bought 12 feet of corner base traps to put underneath the screen. I did this for two reasons. First, I wanted to cover the white colored heating baseboard as "white" simply did not match the room. And second, it's good to have a little extra dampening in the front of the room where it's hardwood and no carpeting to minimize reflections. I'm fairly happy with the results.

I also purchased a new phono preamp that hopefully will arrive in the next week or so. I'll post some pics once it's all set up.

 

[tsv_1]

I bought 12 feet of corner base traps to put underneath the screen. I did this for two reasons. First, I wanted to cover the white colored heating baseboard as "white" simply did not match the room. And second, it's good to have a little extra dampening in the front of the room where it's hardwood and no carpeting to minimize reflections. I'm fairly happy with the results.

I also purchased a new phono preamp that hopefully will arrive in the next week or so. I'll post some pics once it's all set up.

Looking really nice!

 

[invenio]

Upgraded to a new preamp, Conrad Johnson PV12. Also add a modded Jolida JD9 phono preamp to the system. I also bought a Sony SDP-E800 which I am going to use as an AC3 demodulator. I am planning to mod my Laserdisc player for AC3 output and I needed a decoder.

So the new setup is:

Equipment:

Speakers:
Martin Logan tower speakers (x2), Model Vantage, 40" Electrostatic Panel w/8" 200 watt powered Sub-woofer for each speaker matched with
Mapleshade Threaded Heaveyfeet (x8), brass anti-vibration replacement spiked speaker feet and Shunyata Research Inc. Powersnakes (x2), Venon PowerCable replacement powercords.

Signal Cable Ultra Bi-Wire Speaker Cables
Custom interconnect cables w/ locking RCA plugs and Belden LC-1 cable

Polk Audio RT600's (x4)
Polk Audio RT450's (x2)
Polk Audio LSiC Center Speaker
Polk Audio PSW300 Subwoofer
Polk Audio PSW650 Subwoofer

Pre/Amp/Receiver:
Conrad Johnson Evollution 2000 Amplifier (Mods: Universal power cable connect added)
Conrad Johnson PV-12 Preamplifier
Jolida JD9 phono preamp (Mods: JJ Tesla 12AX7 matched tubes, Obbligato Premium Film 1.0uF 630V caps, OPA637AP opamps, Sound Damping Sheet applied to interior)
Onkyo TX-SR875 Receiver
SONY SDP-E800 (used as AC-3 RF Demodulator for Laserdisc player)

Players:
Rega Planar 3 Turntable (Rega RB300 Tonearm. Dynavector 10X5 cartridge. Monster RCA connector upgrades.)
Oppo Digital DV-980H SACD/DVD player
PS3
Pioneer Elite CLD-97 Laser Disc Player
Panasonic PV-9450 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR
Aiwa XC-30m 5 disc CD Player
Sony cdp-215 Cd Player
Sony TC-WE305 Dual Cassette Deck

Projection:
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700UB Projector
Elite Screens - Home Cinema - 150" Diag. Projector Screen

Power:
AVS Voltage Regulator
APC H15BLK AV 1.5kVA H Type Power Conditioner

Media Server (Computer, approx 15,500 audio tracks):
ASUS Xonar D2/PM Sound Card
Winamp media player w/ iZotope Ozone - DSP

Room/Furniture:
Walker Edison Everest Multilevel Component Stand (x2)
The room is approximately 24 x 23 feet with vaulted ceilings and approximately 150 12"x12" sound proofing panels and additional corner base traps to minimize perpendicular surfaces and distortion.

 

[invenio]

Recently added an auto-off Digital Noise Reduction mod to my laserdisc player. Figured I post some pictures. And I'll add a few of the beautiful ML's as well.

The theater with some "mood lighting."

And the "Vantage."

 

[Rehan Azim Hashmi]

Hello invenio!

Your listening room looks very nice. The listening room is extra large
size. Therefore subjectively speaking you will need a powerful amplifier
to be able to handle the larger than normal sized space. The Conrad Johnson
amplifier seem like one of their solid state designs. Should be able to handle
the large space plus low resistance of the Vantages. The polished and shining
wood floors make the room look very nice. The Sanders ESL amp i have not heard.
But from its specifications and reviews by users it seems like a very good bargain,
just like the Vista's for $2000. Like everyone says its quality watts that count more
than quantity watts. The Conrad Johnson may get the better of the ESL amp on
quality but i think given the large space the ESL amp may just make your speakers
really shine.

Very Happy Listening my friend.

 

[invenio]

RAH-
Thanks for the compliments on the room. I actually built that room specifically for a home theater. It took some work but it was well wroth it as it is now my favorite room of the house! Here are some pics of the build (before and after): http://www.blu-ray.com/community/gallery.php?member=invenio&folderid=6072

As for amps, I am always looking to experiment. The Conrad Johnson is a monster weighting 115 pounds! It outputs 200 watts @ 8 ohm and double that @ 4. It's hard to experiment when your talking about $10k amps but I am always looking. I usually play my music at "moderate" levels but I've turned the volume up on occasion and have never had any problems with distortion or clipping. ML's are often hard to drive and that is why I invested in a quality amp.

 

[invenio]

Here are two pictures of the "Beast."

 

[Rehan Azim Hashmi]

Hello invenio!

Many thanks for your immediate reply and accurate feedback. Thanks for posting additional pics
of your Conrad Johnson amplifier. I was mistaken, i can now clearly notice the
vacuum tubes. Subjectively speaking, tubes sound best with ML electrostats. Tube
amplifiers by Conrad Johnson are among the highest quality and best built amplifiers
that re-create the emotional music event in the listeners space. After reading the additional
information i can clearly notice that you have a great power amplifier to match the
wonderful Vantage loudspeakers.

Happy Listening my friend.

 

[invenio]

Hello invenio!

Many thanks for your immediate reply and accurate feedback. Thanks for posting additional pics
of your Conrad Johnson amplifier. I was mistaken, i can now clearly notice the
vacuum tubes. Subjectively speaking, tubes sound best with ML electrostats. Tube
amplifiers by Conrad Johnson are among the highest quality and best built amplifiers
that re-create the emotional music event in the listeners space. After reading the additional
information i can clearly notice that you have a great power amplifier to match the
wonderful Vantage loudspeakers.

Happy Listening my friend.

Thanks for the comments! It's great to have ML fans from all across the world! I think you maybe the only member living in Pakistan! It's cool how Martin Logan's bring people from all over the world together. I would imagine that it's pretty hard to find Martin Logan speakers in Pakistan,... but maybe I'm wrong? I think great audio quality and beautiful speakers can be appreciated by anybody in the world and thus makes the audiophile hobby truly cross-cultural.

I feel I got really lucky to find the Conrad Johnson amp as I've heard many stories of how ML's are difficult to drive due to their swings resistance, often dipping down to 2 ohms or lower. It was actually the first Conrad Johnson piece I had acquired. After being impressed with it's performance I decided to buy one of their preamps, which subsequently I upgraded to one of their higher end models. I have nothing but positive things to say about their equipment.

Here is a picture which more clearly shows the tubes. I usually listen to music in very low light conditions and it's great to have that warm glow of the tubes shine!

And here is a picture of the Conrad Johnson Preamp:

 

[Rehan Azim Hashmi]

Hello invenio!
Many many thanks for your nice and thought provoking words. And thanks for posting
additional two images of Conrad Johnson power amplifier and pre-amplifier.

Martin Logan Owners is a great website, one i fully appreciate. This website exemplifies
a small miracle of appreciation. I think it is wonderful that all members contribute
voluntarily because they all appreciate superb sounding audio equipment.

There is a reasonable and fair Martin Logan dealer in Pakistan. His HiFi outlet is located
in Lahore. A different city from Karachi. Not only is he the authorized dealer for
Martin Logan but he is also the dealer for Conrad Johnson,Pass and Krell electronics.

I agree with you that the HiFi hobby is cross-cultural. However there is a difference
in individual members because they come from different countries. Each country has
its own culture different in some ways from other countries. Just like all individuals
are different in some ways from each other. I think it is great that this diversity of
experiences of members is respected at Martin logan Owners.

I think music sounds very good in low light and is the next best thing to no light. However,
in some respect it may be better than no light because one can still appreciate the
great artistic design of the electronics. And also appreciate the warm glow of the tubes shining.

Very Happy Listening my friend!

 

[invenio]

RAH-
It sounds like you are very knowledgeable of what's available in terms of reputable dealers. I'm sure it is much more difficult to get high end audio gear in Pakistan than here in the US where there are an abundant number of high end audio stores, not to mention a vast network of individuals who are constantly buying and selling their equipment.

I think you make some excellent points of having some minimal light to enjoy the beauty of our ML's and other pieces of audiophile equipment. I took a look at the pictures in your System Gallery and I find that the CLS is one of the most aesthetically pleasing ML designs. Simple, elegant, and very eye catching all at the same time. I'm sure the sound is equally as impressive. No wonder the CLS is one of their most popular models even after all this time.

 

[Rehan Azim Hashmi]

Hello invenio!

Many many thanks for your kind and thoughtful ideas.

Very Happy Listening my friend!

 

[invenio]

Thanks, RAH.

It's cool to converse with people from all around the world. I'm going to Europe for 3 weeks next month and I'm going to keep my eye out for any high end audio shops. I'm interested to see what they offer there.

 

[Rehan Azim Hashmi]

invenio i agree with you that it's nice to converse with people from all around the world.

Appreciation of HiFi may be cross-cultural however most listeners belonging to one country

do not share the same language, experiences or culture with listeners from maybe a different

country. Room for misunderstanding the other person here. Subjectively speaking i think

lack of politeness should not be allowed. For the fear that it may cause pain.

In addition to the wonderful sight seeing and window shopping opportunity i hope you are

able to listen to great HiFi at a number of audiophile outlets.

 

[invenio]

So it looks like one of the tubes in my Conrad Johnson PV-12 is going bad. I noticed a slight audible "shhh" sound and I called up Conrad Johnson. They suggested I try swapping the tubes to see if the sound changes as it could be a tube nearing the end of its life. Sure enough, swapping the tube made the sound go away. So I ordered a replacement tube which hopefully will be shipped out tomorrow. I'll swap it out as soon as I get it and report back.

Here are some pictures of the PV-12: