What took the place of the reQuest, and is the replacement "that" much better?

[stieger]

What took the place of the reQuest, and is the replacement "that" much better?

Hi folks,

Moving soon (I hope) and my room is pretty big (finally) - roughly 22ft x 24 ft with faulted ceilings.

Running a meridian 861V4, pro crown amps - 600wpc into 4 ohms, so I have plenty of power.

I have clarity's I'm moving to the back + the Logos center channel.

I'm debating on getting ReQuest speakers, but trying to determine if their replacement (Ascents???) are That much better.

Did anyone replace their reQuests with a speaker from the newer line? If so, what were your impressions? Was it worth the upgrade cost? I want a big panel, and not sure if the new ascents or prodigy's are "that" much better than the requests for home theater. I'm in marketing, and I know how "the next best thing" can be slightly better, but wording can make all the difference in the world.

Looking for your opinions, and since this is my first post, help me out!!

Stieger

 

[TomDac]

Hey Stieger,
I believe the Ascents were the replacement for the SL3. I think comparing the reQuests to the Odyssey would be more fitting.

With that being said...

I listened extensively to the Ascents before upgrading to a larger Logan from my 17 year old Sequels and I can tell you that the reQuests BLEW the Ascents out of the water, IMHO.

Find yourself some well cared for reQuests and don't look back!


Just my .02...

Tom.

 

[stieger]

Tom - that was my impression of the entire new line of martin's. Although I appreciate they are cutting edge and changing technology(s) to enhance the speaker, I believe their best speakers were the reQuest and SL3's. It could be that I was introduced to electrostats at the time these were shown in the dealer showroom, and they left a very good impression on me. Since then, the Prodigy and others just haven't done it for me, I have found myself getting "fatiqued" by listening to long, or in a room where they are too loud.

I've been eye'ing a few on audiogon. In a couple weeks, I'm going to find a pair to call "front left and right" for my home theater. I just loved the size of those - there's no way anyone could walk in to the room and not wonder what they were.....how fun!

Thx guy!

Stieger

 

[EricE]

Hey Stieger,
I believe the Ascents were the replacement for the SL3. I think comparing the reQuests to the Odyssey would be more fitting.

With that being said...

I listened extensively to the Ascents before upgrading to a larger Logan from my 17 year old Sequels and I can tell you that the reQuests BLEW the Ascents out of the water, IMHO.

Find yourself some well cared for reQuests and don't look back!


Just my .02...

Tom.

Tom,

Did you do a actual review post between the two?
I've been thinking of selling my Quest Z's for a Ascent i but now your post has got me thinking.....

 

[TomDac]

No, I never posted a formal review.

It is very hard to accurately hear the qualities of the Ascent or any other Logan in a store. They aren't broken in, placement and acoustics are for sh1t and they just don't sound good. I know and accept this and after going to several stores to listen to them, I was not impressed. First impression on the reQuests when I heard them in the previous owner's house hooked up to a seriously good system was friggin' jaw dropping. I bought them on the spot.

I suggest you hang on to your Quests.

Tom.

 

[EricE]

My Quest Z's were built in Feb. 1993 according to the serial number doc. That is going on 12+ years now.

My thoughts right now are they may be nearing the end of their life.... Soon things like stators, power supplies and crossovers might need to be replaced and they do cost some $$$ from ML. If they can live for another 5+ years, would the costs outweigh the value and enjoyment that I get from the speakers.

i.e.. replace the internals for $1200+ cdn. new stators = ? new bass drivers = ?

Should they stay or go....?????

 

[TomDac]

I'd keep 'em, but that's just me. If I was to get rid of them, I'd go with the Odyssey or Prodigy, but NOT the Ascent..

 

[Barbados]

Directly comparing the reQuests to Odysseys - With any decent recording you will find the Odysseys more transparent and a fair bit more dynamic. The midrange of the Odyssey is purer.

While the Odysseys do extend deeper in the bass, I find the reQuest to have a more live sounding punchy bass... a more tactile realistic solidity to string bass and kick drum...and there's no overhang at all.

A used pair of reQuests is a hell of a lot of speaker for the money. A much greater value than the Ascents IMO. I personally wouldn't have upgraded to the Monolith IIIx at the time if I'd heard them before.

-Gerren

 

[Spike]

Go with the reQuests

I've had my ML reQuests for the last 8+ years and have not had any need to upgrade the speakers. Instead, I upgraded the electronics to having tubes (AES SixPacs) on the panels, solid-state on the bass in a bi-amping configurations and never looked back. The reQuests are very hard to beat when paired with good, complementing electronics. I auditioned Prodigy, and Odyssey at the local dealers paired with Krell amplifiers and they sound thin, edgy/harsh in comparision to my setup. I've also heard the Odyssey paired with Audio Research VT100 tube amplifiers and they sound better than the Krell, but still on the analytical, dry side. The reQuests have excellent midrange performance and are magical when paired with the Cary/AES amplifiers. Hope this helps...

Spike

 

[Barbados]

I realize the thread started only asking about reQuests vs. Ascent but I'd like to add that the Odysseys are more linear with a more extended an airy top end. Further to Spike's post, I agree with Tom in that you should not use ML dealer demos as a reference...do not trust them. Online reviews are actually not a bad way to get an idea of what they are like.

 

[EricE]

Well I did a full wash on the stators last night so time will tell if they sound much better.

What intrigues me are the new Gen2 stat panels with the clear spars. With all the talk of improved dynamics and low level linearity it sounds like a much improved speaker. The Prodigy has had so much praise from the press that some of that magic must have trickled down to the lower models that also use the new panels.

 

[Spike]

Well I did a full wash on the stators last night so time will tell if they sound much better.

What intrigues me are the new Gen2 stat panels with the clear spars. With all the talk of improved dynamics and low level linearity it sounds like a much improved speaker. The Prodigy has had so much praise from the press that some of that magic must have trickled down to the lower models that also use the new panels.

With comparisions between my reQuests and other newer models, I noticed some 'boominess' (blurriness) in the lower mid-bass region for the newer models, Prodigy, Odyssey. In my opinions, the reQuests have better delineation probably due to its lower crossover frequency, 200Hz vs 250Hz for Prodigy and Odyssey. While the new stat panels may be (marginally) better, this blurriness in the mid-bass kinda ruined things for me. Try auditioning your QuestZ with tube amp and you'll be surprised at how musical your speakers can be.

Spike

 

[EricE]

Thanks Spike

I just can't wait to get home today and listen to the newly washed panels. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a big change. There wasn't much dirt buildup on them though so.....

Is 18h enough time to let them dry?

 

[DTB300]

I fan dried my Sequel II Panels - one hour on each side with two fans. One on the top half and one on the bottom half. Turn top to bottom 30 mins, then after 1 hour turned them around and did the same drying pattern. No problems for me.

But too long is much better than too short

Dan

 

[abhijit]

Thanks Spike

I just can't wait to get home today and listen to the newly washed panels. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a big change. There wasn't much dirt buildup on them though so.....

Is 18h enough time to let them dry?

Just for curosity, how did your panel sound after a wash. How long did you leave them to dry?