Theos on the way...

[edwinr]

Instead of the SL3s I was looking at, I've ordered a new pair of Theos. They should arrive tomorrow.

Henry Ford is believed to have said: “People can have the Model T in any color – so long as it’s black.” Well, the dealer was happy to misquote Ford and he said: "You can have any color you like, so long as it's black. I also have black. If you don't like that I can give you black". So black it is...

I was told the black finish is outstanding. We'll see tomorrow...

By the way, I was offered a pair of runout Vantages. I choose the Theos because of the bigger, and newer, ESL panels and because I wanted to try electrostatics minus the DSP and digital amplification. Maybe I'll get a cleaner and purer sound. Maybe I just dudded myself. No matter how it turns out, I'll have fun listening.

 

[User211]

Instead of the SL3s I was looking at, I've ordered a new pair of Theos. They should arrive tomorrow.

Henry Ford is believed to have said: “People can have the Model T in any color – so long as it’s black.” Well, the dealer was happy to misquote Ford and he said: "You can have any color you like, so long as it's black. I also have black. If you don't like that I can give you black". So black it is...

I was told the black finish is outstanding. We'll see tomorrow...

By the way, I was offered a pair of runout Vantages. I choose the Theos because of the bigger, and newer, ESL panels and because I wanted to try electrostatics minus the DSP and digital amplification. Maybe I'll get a cleaner and purer sound. Maybe I just dudded myself. No matter how it turns out, I'll have fun listening.

Excellent attitude.

BTW: if you can't make them perform I'll be surprised. Enjoy.

 

[beek]

Congrats,I too was stuck in the black only position.
Oil them when you get em.
Once in a while I put my glasses on & view
From the side. The black finish is great. Pls post pix

 

[amey01]

Congratulations!! Enjoy! And don't forget to post pics!!

 

[edwinr]

Thanks, guys.

Pics, there will be... :bowdown:

 

[mopar04]

Awesome, I ordered mine in cherry but I've got another 3-4 weeks before my Theos and Motif are shipped most likely. I hate waiting

 

[JordanD]

Standard black, or piano black? I have seen the piano and they look really awesome.

My Theos are Zebra Wood, but I am still awaiting delivery on them.

 

[edwinr]

Theos have arrived.

They arrived yesterday. Here's some initial impressions...

Unpacking was typical MartinLogan. Easy and quick. The speakers emerged from the packing in pristine condition. Man, they're a lot bigger than they looked in the shop. The panels are tall and elegant and perfectly match the bass module in size and looks. The black veneer takes a little getting used to after my cherry finish Summits, but I kind of like it now.

I've got two amplifiers at the moment, a Bryston B-60 and a Consonance M100+. Both were hooked up to the Theos at varying stages. The CD player was my trusty CEC belt drive.

How do they sound?

Well to be truthful. Bloody awful! At least the first 5 minutes anyway. I knew from experience what to expect. After leaving the room for half an hour with the speakers playing quite loudly, I returned to find they had settled in quite nicely. The bass was surprisingly punchy when playing some Keb' Mo'. I didn't expect this given the bass driver is passive. As the day wore on, the bass became more extended with some very good definition. I reckon in room, the bass is extending to the mid 30's.

The panels have taken a little longer to bloom. But a day later I was playing some Vivaldi Four Seasons (Telarc) and I was nailed to the seat with the stupendous sound pouring forth from the panels. The soundstage was huge, dripping with definition and detail. The dynamic ability of this new panel is quite startling. This is another thing I didn't expect.

So, I've talked about the bass driver and the panels. How does the speaker sound as a whole? Now this is where I think MartinLogan has kicked a big goal. I don't think I ever heard my old Summits sound as cohesive as the new Theos in my room. I cannot, for the life of me, hear any discontinuity between the panels and the cone drivers. They sound as one.

These speakers are easy to drive but even this early they have the ability to highlight the tonal differences between amplifiers. The Bryston B-60 drives the Theos to fairly high levels, but sounds a little 'fruity'. The Consonance also easily drives these speakers (via the 4 ohm tap) to good levels (not quite as loud as the Bryston) but does so with less 'fruit' and more extension. Either way, I reckon any good 50 watt amplifier will do - for a while. I can't wait to sort out a decent power ampliifier to go with my Audio Research SP9.

Enough chat for now. More listening ahead. I took some pics so I'll try and post them shortly.

 

[beek]

Dynamite Pls keep us posted

 

[edwinr]

I'll post the pics now. They're not perfect, but they'll give you guys an idea.

 

[edwinr]

 

[edwinr]

Sorry a couple of the pics are a little blurry, but some turned out really well. Cool!

I mentioned in previous threads that I was looking at a pair of SL3s or something similar. I could have bought a pre-loved pair of MLs for way less than half of what the Theos cost me. But the sound quality of the new designs compared with the legacy models meant I was very happy to resign myself to a diet of beans and dry bread until my bank balance returns to the black.

 

[amey01]

Nice pics - I can hear Goulburn rocking from here!

 

[beek]

I was very happy to resign myself to a diet of beans and dry bread until my bank balance returns to the black.

Funny you mention that I did it with hot dogs in 75 for my first pair of Maggies....it was worth it

 

[tsv_1]

Congrats Edwin

I have that same Bryston integrated in a non-ML system - a smart little workhorse it is too. Glad you and your new tall/dark/hansome friends are warming up to each other

I see you may have a pull-down screen just above your system there and yet I don't see signs of an HT pre/pro. Does your system double as a 2-channel projection based HT at times? Or am I seeing things that aren't there (or not seeing things that are there)?

Cheers

 

[edwinr]

Congrats Edwin

I have that same Bryston integrated in a non-ML system - a smart little workhorse it is too. Glad you and your new tall/dark/hansome friends are warming up to each other

I see you may have a pull-down screen just above your system there and yet I don't see signs of an HT pre/pro. Does your system double as a 2-channel projection based HT at times? Or am I seeing things that aren't there (or not seeing things that are there)?

Cheers

The Bryston is a great little amplifier - at times it sounds like a high quality pre/power combination. My HT system is 2 channel only. Previously I used my PS3 as the bluray player. It has since been replaced with a Sony BDP S580 which is SACD compatible. My projector is a Panasonic PT AE700 which is still going strong with 2700 hours on the original lamp. Now that I have bought the Theos, I may buy the Motion 4 bookshelf speakers as surrounds. That will mean I will have to find a suitable surround sound receiver...

Beek: Your hotdog diet sounds better than my beans and dry bread!

amey01: We're nearly related! My new speakers are the sons or yours

JordanD: The speakers are standard satin black.

mopar04: Be prepared to be blown away when your speakers arrive.

User211: Thanks. Like any ML there will be a long period of tweaking once they run in.

 

[JordanD]

Just got the phone call today! My Theos are on the way now. I assume the Zebra Wood is in high demand, or since Zebra Wood is difficult to work with, maybe that is why they took so long? But either way mine are also on the way and I couldn't be happier.

 

[roberto]

Congratulations!!! Give you some time to break them in properly and a total new industrial standard in transparency will be there in you new sound!. They are very, very good speakers. Happy listening,
R.

 

[trillion]

Congrats Edwin,

I bought a pair of Theos (cherry wood) and received them about a month ago. I too am blown away by the bass they produce. I had to buy them wothout reviews and anything written on the net was reviewing previous ML speakers and Ethos with powered woofers as the best thing out there. I prefered having the flexibility of choosing my amps and on my budget went with the Theos. I have never been happier. I will soon vertically biamp my Theta with Theos.

What Cable are you using with them? I picked up some Nordost SuperFlatline Gold Cable and it improved the bass dramatically. I have placed my Theos in a home theater system with a Krell processor and Sony 5000es blu ray and a 120" projection screen with Sony vpl projector. If you plan on using your Theos forget buying a receiver whether you are planning to use the receiver to drive the speakers or as a preamp the Theos have a terrible habit of negatively displaying every bit of sub par equipment and recordings.
I had a Rotel 1098 processor that sounded just awful when hooked up to the speakers. The bass was terribly bloated and the speakers lost every bit of magic in the treble and mid range.

 

[edwinr]

Hi Trillion.

I'm using Tara Labs Prism Omni speaker cable, and custom interconnects. I have a roll of the Tara Labs cable given to me by my brother who used to work in a hi-fi store. The cable is okay - nothing special.

The Theos speakers have drastically improved in sound. I think it's more to do with the minor tweaks I have been making in positioning than the speakers 'running in'. But... I could be wrong. I am surprised at the bass response and dynamic capabilities of the Theos. Martin Logan has done a nice job in the design. I can only wonder what the Summit X would sound like in my room.

My Bryston still sounds okay. I can't fault the B-60 but I have to admit though, I have been keeping my eye out for a power amplifier bargain. I tried the Anthem A2 with very good results. I want to try a more powerful Bryston and maybe a Classe or Pass Labs X150 if I can find a good one. I don't want to commit too much money on anything at the moment, because I have been (not so) secretly drooling over a new pair of Summit X's. If I buy a pair of these I would not have to upgrade my sub...