Has anyone heard the MartinLogan LX16?

[Ikarius]

I just ran across these beauties in my local audio store, and was immediately taken with their looks. I gave them a listen, and really liked what I heard; their sound was warm, very accurate, and spacious.

I'm in the midst of building a new primary system; I had planned on only building something "credible"- expecting to go with NHT speakers, but after my visit to the audio store this weekend, I am revisiting what I want to do.

My old system is based around separate Marantz dedicated Amp/Pre-amp, with Vandersteen 2CE mains, VCC-1 center, a Def-tech 12" sub, and paradigm atoms for the rear soundstage.

I had started my new sound system with a Marantz NR-1402 AVR, a pair of NHT superzeros, and I picked up a Final 8-inch sub used on the cheap. After listening to the MLs, I'm seriously reconsidering my direction on the new system- i.e. good, rather than simply credible. The space I'm building the new system in is rather constrained, so tower speakers are off the menu.

Has anyone gotten an opportunity to listen to the new ML LX16 speakers? Thoughts? They're so new, I can't find any reviews. I'm also contemplating what I should use for a center with the LX16s, as the other motion speakers are a substantially different visual design, and I'm not sure what ML considers the "proper" match for the LX16 as a center channel.

How much of a downside is there to turning a bookshelf speaker like the LX16 on it's side and using it as a center? It's been a long time (10 years) since I've shopped audio seriously, so I'm rather back to beginner's learning again.


Cheers
Ikarius

 

[dkane360]

I haven't heard them, but I was seriously considering them as an option when I was looking for bookshelf speakers. They just weren't out at the time.

It seems like they took to best part of the motion series (the tweeter) and put it in a more traditional enclosure with a new woofer and crossover. If you enjoyed the sound and are willing to spend more money, then go for them.

When I read the press release a while back, they were a few different models they were releasing in the same line. I don't remember specifically if there was a center channel, but I imagine that any of the centers with the same tweeter will match.