Superb clarity, awsome style

Off axis performance is terrible, does not project volume with authority

I've enjoyed reading the many reviews here so I'm going to give back here and rate the cinima speaker that I've been using for a few years. I love the way this speaker looks its design is stunning and definatly is a conversation piece for visitors to my home even when its off.
Now as far as its performance goes it definatly has some flaws and I would not rate it as high as some of the other reviews have. This speaker sounds fantastic if your head is directly in front of it and the room is silent - simply incredible. Unfourtinatly I live in the real world where if you have any one else sitting off to the side or standing too high or sitting to low their not getting anything even close to awsome preformance of one sitting in the "sweet spot" So I am always telling my friends to sit here and check this out. This speaker is also quite the power hog I have to turn it up quite a bit to reach a decent listining level, this isnt a positive or negitive I'd just reccomend you have plenty of power for this baby.
If your looking to do any casual listning this is not the speaker for you, this speaker has trouble cutting through other sounds. ( I know your thinking, what other sounds? - real world noise - people talking, etc) Shut up so i can listen to my martin logan? I just turn up the volume.

In conclusion, if you want to sit in a silent room by yourself and enjoy musical xtasy this is your speaker. If you enjoy having friends over to watch a movie or catch the game look somewhere else.

Similar Products Used:

polk,jbl,klipsch,vandersteen

clarity, dynamics, beauty and rare musicality

none really.

First of all, I would like state the equipment that I partnered with the Martin Logan Cinema. Here it is: Amplifier: Outlaw 770 (7 channel amp) Processor: Rotel RSP 1066 Speakers: Front Left/Right: Martin Logan Ascent Surround: Martin Logan Scenario Subwoofer: Infinity HPS 1000 DVDs: Pioneer Elite DV-C 36 and Sony NC650V CD Player: NAD 541i Interconnect: Nordost Solar Wind TV: Sony 48” TV Power conditioner: Monster HTS-1000 I have heard and owned several Center Channel over the years. The Martin Logan Cinema is definitely in the top 2% or among the best out there. I like it because it is very flexible. It plays movies very well. The dialogues are clearly reproduced and it is dynamic enough for Home Theater application. When it comes to music, it is also musical. I am fond of Jazz music and listen to Artist such as SADE, Diana Krall, Nora Jones and Sinatra and so far the Martin Logan Cinema met and even exceeded my expectation. When I play Nora Jones’ “Come Away With Me” the Martin Logan Cinema along with the Martin Logan Ascent and Scenario captures her emotion through and through. If you are in my media room, you will be seduced to really sit down and listen to her sing. I really enjoy owning this speaker. I have owned Wharfedales, Monsoons and heard B&Ws, Revel, Klipsch, Kef, Magnepans, Definitive Tech, and Sanus Faber. So far, this is the one that I really love listening my CDs to. The only thing that I really like more than this is the Martin Logan Theater I. My friend has it and made a mistake of listening to it, let me tell you it is an excellent speaker for music and movies. I guess considering the price, it should be expected. However, for those of you who do not have $2800 to invest on a Martin Logan Theater I, the Cinema is your ticket. It gets you 85% of the performance of the Theater.

Similar Products Used:

kef, Magnepan, Sanus Faber, B&W, Wharfedales, Monsoons, Definitive Tech, Infinity, Paradigm

Clarity.

Price ain't cheap.

Simply awsome. But I have the "Theater" model 4 sale. You think this one is great, hear the Theater. I have bought a wall unit that has integrated center channel speakers so I need to sell mine. Will let go very reasdonable in OEM box. email at chilemp @ bellsouth . net

Similar Products Used:

Too many...

Sound Detail Price

non-skid pad on the bottom stretches.

Just go listen! Nothing compares. Listening with descent electronics will make your purchasing decision fast and easy. worth every penny. I am using with Krell and Bryston electronics.

Similar Products Used:

B+W, M+K, pinnacle, psb, monitor audio, audio physique, elon, vienna acoustics, sonus faber, linn, wilson, revel, infinity etc...

Dynamic range of sound

None

Own the product for more than a week (speaker is break-in, I think). If you are shopping for a center speaker, look no further. The name says it all "cinema". Clarify...detail that I could not hear from MK-125.

Clarity,voice is perfect. Never heard anything like it.

A little big. But big is good. When you can work with it.

This is the best center ch. speaker I have ever heard. If you want the best go buy this it cant get much b etter.

Similar Products Used:

Polk,

Clarity, definition, precision, soundfield match to my Martin Logan SL3s

As with all M/L electrostats, placement can be tricky; can make poorly recorded dvd's sound harsh.

Well, we finally broke down after a year of using a smaller ($150) JBL center with our Martin Logan SL3s for our home audio/video system. And I am sorry I waited so long.

I have hesitated posting a review until I was really sure I was happy with the Cinema center channel. And it has taken over a month of patient placement and receiver adjustment to get the performance I had hoped for. But has the effort been worth the work.

The sound quality of the Cinema (once properly placed) is phenomenal. The dialogue is precise and (if recorded well) appropriately placed in the field of the picture frame. The slightest detail is now audible. The blend with my large Martin Logan SL3s is flawless and seamless. An entire wall of sound is now before me as I view dvd's.

The placement caveat has to do with making sure the tweeter is firing at your head. If not, you will perceive the sound coming from the wrong place, perhaps above or below your picture. This placement requirement had me befuddled at first because of lack of placement options I had with the rack I already owned. But the solution was to acquire a pair of feet (the bottom of the speaker is tapped in three places to accept feet) and I tilted the speaker obliquely up toward our ears. It looks a little odd, but the sound is now rock solid in the picture.

The other surprise had to do with the extra volume I had to give the Cinema versus my SL3s. They have to be cranked up +5db compared to the mains. I don't if this is because of efficiency, because the Cinema has so much smaller an electrostatic panel, or because of my placement. All I know is that it takes that much more power to get the seamless sound stage I now enjoy. And that difference was not obvious when I use the built-in noise generator from the receiver. The pink noise test would only indicate I need about a db or a db and half to balance with the mains. However, when I left the volume for the center at such a reduced level, the sound from the Cinema was coming right from it's front and not from the image on the TV (which is above the center speaker). Only after I experimented with the volume with playing various dvd's (and ignoring what the pink noise balance had indicated) did I get the sound to "lock in" where it belonged. The interesting thing about the placement (had to mess with further forward and further back too) is that there was little difference in tone or the apparent source of the sound. Further forward or further back seemed only to affect the volume, not the character of the sound. The two things that locked in the sound were tilting and adding volume from the receiver.

If you have M/L mains, and you cannot afford the Theater (which at almost $3K was beyond my reach), then try the Cinema. Be patient. Use good cables (I use Alpha Core M2 Goertz, see my review elsewhere) and love the sound.

Similar Products Used:

JBL

Clarity, imaging, uniform dispersion

No trim options

Many who have written concerning their excellent experiences with Martin Logan speakers have stated that their all-ML systems sound great with this as a center-channel speaker. No doubt. But my experience is with other speakers, so I thought I might have something to share.

My system has evolved from a basic two-channel setup to a full-blown home theater. I suspect there are many who are in similar situations, i.e., they haven’t had the luxury of buying a complete system of matched speakers. My basic system has consisted for years of a pair of Infinity Reference Standard IIIb speakers. These image so beautifully, that I decided to have them rebuilt to Infinity’s specs last year. The result was great, but these speakers have always been extremely inefficient, power-hungry beasts. I am currently driving them with a 1500 watt Carver amp (M1.5t). I started with adding a mid-line Polk center (very nice speaker for the price) and a pair of B&W LM-1 for surrounds. After I moved from pro logic to DD & DTS, I decided that I needed a new center. I tried several models in my home, including centers from Snell and B&W. None blended with the sound field created by the other speakers. I was always very aware that the center channel speaker was there as a separate source of sound. Finally, I upped by budget a bit, and took home the ML Cinema. I was immediately blown away. The center channel seemed to disappear into the soundstage and the depth and clarity was viscerally thrilling. I’ve had this speaker for about three months now, and it’s like getting a whole new DVD and CD collection. Though the Cinema is not particularly efficient, a clean 100 watts is all that’s required in my rather large listening space. I was so impressed with the impact of this speaker; I bought the nearly-as-amazing ML Scripts for the surround channels (see my review of the Scripts in that section). I now have an amazing system that will provide enjoyment for years. I honestly don’t think I could have found a better center for my system than the Cinema, with the possible exception of the flagship Theater center channel.

Configuration:

A/V Receiver – Onkyo TX-DS777
DVD Player – Toshiba SD3105
CD Player – Sony ES-CDP8
Cables – MIT Terminator II (throughout)
Mains – Infinity RS-IIIb (rebuilt)
Surrounds – Martin Logan Scripts
Monster Power HTS-3500 power conditioner

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Polk, Snell

I've gone thru many and heard even more center channels, if your looking for the center that is not full range, then this is the one, now dialog is not the only thing that comes from the center, but it's the most important, and this speaker delivers in spades, because of it's 3 way design, the dialog is handled by the "MartinLogan's proprietary CLS (curvilinear line source) electrostatic technology and enhanced by our newly developed "concave lens" transducer", dialog is smooth and crystal clear. The highs are razor sharp, and the mid bass is very punchy and extremly quick. The sound of the off axis is just as good os center stage. The only downer is the price, but well worth it.Frequency Response:
80-20,000 Hz +/- 3dB
Sensitivity:
89dB/2.83 volts/meter
Impedance Magnitude:
Nominal: 6 ohms, Minimum: 3.7 ohms
Crossover Frequency:
300, 3500 Hz @ 12dB per octave
Woofer Type:
2ea 5.25" magnetically shielded in a sealed cabinet
Mid-range:
Curved ESL, vapor deposited polyester film with proprietary insulated stators
Highs:
Vacuum formed 1" soft dome, ferro fluid cooled voice coil
Weight:
28 lbs
Dimensions: 33.5"W x 10.5"D x 8"H

Timbre matching with Martin-Logan Aerius i

Expensive, large size makes placement difficult

This center channel is phenomenal! When matched with the Aerius i, the front sound field is seamless and provides a truly outstanding electrostatic listening experience for both home theater and music. I never used to listen to music with the center channel but now it's my preferred listening mode. Obviously, I highly recommend it.