Martin Logan electrostatic towers. How do they work?

[wreckingball]

Esl's and Bass

Yep! that's actually a good sumation, only thing to add..you'll probably want a sub.

Yes you will need a sub, as esl panels are only so wide and cannot produce spl in the bass region effectively (sound waves have a definite law attached to them, as far as wavelength) I hope you look this up scientifically, and find out why I am right.
Anyway, the main reason why I am promoting ESL's is that they are relativity distortion-free, and produce very clear sound images, they are really a sound
Investment (pun intended) Hear them, and you will l not be dissapointed

Cheers, Steve

 

[rmorris2]

Need of Power

I've auditioned a pair of some Martin Logan Electrostatic speakers the other day and was blown away by the fullness of the sound. I've tried to read about how it works but I was confused. I know a speaker cone makes its sound by making vibrations from a cone going back and forth, but how does the electrostatic towers create its sound?

One thing I've noticed with Martin Logans, is that they need power. The more and cleaner the better. I believe that Martin Logans and maybe two or three other speaker manufactures give more listening satisfaction for the money than most ' really high end ' speaker systems. Now, I do believe, that the Martin Logans are high end. Their sound/presence , give them a A+ in most listening situations. As far as electrostatics, I think they are the most neutral in sound. Balanced by the woofer system quite well. You can't go wrong with Martin Logan speakers.

 

[guitarplyrstevo]

Oh wow, I didn't realize this thread was back up.

Well since we are all talking about electrostatic again, I heard the same Martin Logan speakers again but now at a Best Buy Magnolia store and got a different sound. When I heard the Martin Logan's a year ago, the salesman was playing the Martin Logan Purity towers though a tube amplifier (not sure the brand, only thing I remembered was it was very tiny and had only a couple preamp tubes and a couple power amp tubes). I was completely blown away at the sound I was hearing; almost as if I was at a live concert. Well a couple months ago, I heard the same exact towers, only at a Best Buy Magnolia store, but this time it was connected to a Denon 3808, and got a completely difference response. The sound was very ordinary, tinny and small.

Why was my experience completely different with a solid state amplifier? I know tube amplifiers generally produce a warmer, more natural sound, but is it really that huge of a difference?

 

[bandphan]

i don't see how this speaker can play below 40hrz... i imagine they need plenty of power to.

ML has a few speakers with F3 down into the high 20hz low 30hz range

Oh wow, I didn't realize this thread was back up.

Well since we are all talking about electrostatic again, I heard the same Martin Logan speakers again but now at a Best Buy Magnolia store and got a different sound. When I heard the Martin Logan's a year ago, the salesman was playing the Martin Logan Purity towers though a tube amplifier (not sure the brand, only thing I remembered was it was very tiny and had only a couple preamp tubes and a couple power amp tubes). I was completely blown away at the sound I was hearing; almost as if I was at a live concert. Well a couple months ago, I heard the same exact towers, only at a Best Buy Magnolia store, but this time it was connected to a Denon 3808, and got a completely difference response. The sound was very ordinary, tinny and small.

Why was my experience completely different with a solid state amplifier? I know tube amplifiers generally produce a warmer, more natural sound, but is it really that huge of a difference?

The purity is self amplified, so im not sure about what you heard other than a tube pre and different room acoustics.

 

[R-Carpenter]

He listen to the room ML were in. Most of the people don't realize how strong of an influence the room can play. Not to say that ML is a perfect speaker and MUST sound great to everyone. It's a dipole, room-wrong=speaker-suck.

 

[jostenmeat]

Why was my experience completely different with a solid state amplifier? I know tube amplifiers generally produce a warmer, more natural sound, but is it really that huge of a difference?

I've never ran mine with a tube amp, but do use a tubed cdp as the source. It sounded an awful lot better than my previous Denon universal player. The easiest thing to notice was the significantly lowered sibilance. I know that sounds crazy to some people, but that's what I believe. I don't really care to setup a DBT, but I bet I could tell the difference between the players if using my reference vocal discs. Without starting any flame war, it doesn't really matter, because its what I have and its not going anywhere...

in any case, these speakers are often called a "window to your electronics", because they are pretty transparent and resolving.

He listen to the room ML were in. Most of the people don't realize how strong of an influence the room can play. Not to say that ML is a perfect speaker and MUST sound great to everyone. It's a dipole, room-wrong=speaker-suck.

+1. I've put mine in a few rooms now. The difference was always huge.

I believe mine have a -3db point at 24hz. Of course, its a hybrid design, and that makes it easier to do. The 4x 10" woofers w/ 4x 200w ICE amps help my speakers outperform many subwoofers just on their own.

 

[hotroady]

Oh wow, I didn't realize this thread was back up.

Well since we are all talking about electrostatic again, I heard the same Martin Logan speakers again but now at a Best Buy Magnolia store and got a different sound. When I heard the Martin Logan's a year ago, the salesman was playing the Martin Logan Purity towers though a tube amplifier (not sure the brand, only thing I remembered was it was very tiny and had only a couple preamp tubes and a couple power amp tubes). I was completely blown away at the sound I was hearing; almost as if I was at a live concert. Well a couple months ago, I heard the same exact towers, only at a Best Buy Magnolia store, but this time it was connected to a Denon 3808, and got a completely difference response. The sound was very ordinary, tinny and small.

Why was my experience completely different with a solid state amplifier? I know tube amplifiers generally produce a warmer, more natural sound, but is it really that huge of a difference?

I would say it was the tube amp that made all the difference, not the room. I have a modded set of Clarity speakers used w various tube amps. I listened to both the Purity and Source. The Purity does not have to run on its own amp. They used a higher end amp for Purity demo, which was OK. The source w Denon was flat, thin, lame. My modded ML's driven w Fisher X-1000 or Van Alstine Ultimate 70 or Puresonic Quadramatic, completely blew away their set ups. I think I'm going to bring my Fisher integrated with me, and watch the salesman's jaw drop, when he listens to a solid tube performer from the early sixties.