MIDRANGE! SOUNDSTAGE! LOOKS! VALUE (at current used prices)- at this price, NOTHING can touch these. Check them out before you dump thousands more (like I was going to) on newer, inferior speakers.

VERY large. Need room to the sidewalls and behind. Don't crowd these babies- give them room to breathe! Don't try to drive them with a receiver, they will rebel.

The best speakers I have had the pleasure to own, and one of, if not the best, speakers I have heard, period. Open and airy, "box" speakers cannot approach this level of un-coloration. Soundstage is huge, midrange is to die for- very natural with no trace of harshness found in some speakers that make you reach for the volume knob to turn it down. Highs are defined and clear. Bass is great and lacking only the VERY lowest frequencies- not enough to make me turn on my subs for two channel listening. Just freakin' gorgeous! Blue ML logo shining through panel is SOOO cool! Driven with a McIntosh MC352, which seems to be a good match for these. I've owned and listened to a lot of speakers, and as good as they all were they all had some drawback that nagged me. These are as close to my ultimate as I've heard. VERY proud owner!

Customer Service

EXCELLENT! Ordered grills for my Ascents and had them in no time! Called several times and gotten courteous, knowledgeable advice.

Similar Products Used:

Owned: ML SL3's, Ascent i's, KEF 205's, Klipsch RF-7's, Paradigm Studio 100 v2's (another great speaker value!), Studio 60 v4's, Impact Technology Vento, Focal 807's. Auditioned: B&W 802D's (great, but expensive), Several Focals and other B&W's, newer ML's- Vantages and Vistas (sorry- buy older, used ML's), new KEF 205/2 and 207/2's, Paradigm Studio and Signature series.

power, transparency, 3-D soundstage, looks, smoothness

nothing except size but they do look more like a piece of art than a speaker, and the price unless you have the money of course

Wow, I just auditioned these speakers and man are they impressive. Anoyone who doesnt give these above a 4 is crazy. They were playing through 2 Krell FPB350's (monoblocks). The soundstage was so deep and wide, when the piano started to play it sounded if you could stand up and throw an apple at the pianist and hit him in the head. And the soundstage was so 3 dimensional it was though there was speakers behind me that were playing the ambience in the music. Also they were so transparent and played with such effortlessness that it didnt even seem like they were playing the music. The mids were like satin sheets rapped around you in smoothness. The highs were good but didnt have too many good crisp highs in the recording I listened to. It was smooth jazz. But they were excellent. The bass was very tight and hit me with smooth tight force. If you have the money dont even bother listening to any other speakers. If you want even smoother and deeper sound audition them with a good tube amp. But Krells are some of the finest in the world so. HAH ok

Similar Products Used:

Krell FPB350's, Martin Logan, Krell, sunfire, Theta digital, Mag's, B&W Nautilus, Wilson Watt Puppy

wonderful detailed sound, 3-D imaging. They cost a lot but outperfomed similar and more expensive speakers I auditioned.

They are expensive and big

I have owned the ML Prodigy's for about a year now and they still make me smile everytime I listen. They do dual duty in my system both home theater and dedicated two channel. My Stereo set-up consists of Sonic Frontiers power2, ARC LS25II, Theta Miles, VPI Aries etc. Surround is Classe' CAV150 and SSP-75 fed by a Sony DVD. I Listen primarily to two channel music and I auditioned many speakers (Sonus Faber, Maggies, Dynaudio, Ariel) when making my decision. I found nothing with the timbral accuracy, sound staging ability, or dynamics (micro & macro)of these speakers. I think they sound best with tubes and at least 100 watts. As they all say match with good components or you will not hear how good these speakers really are. They need careful attention to set-up (space away from side and back walls). By the way I have had zero problems with build quality or performance.

Similar Products Used:

ML SL3, Dynaudio, Sonus Faber, Ariel, Magnepan

See review

They need a High current amp to drive them, and high quality components/ cabling to live up to their potential.

I bought the ML Prodigy''s after having owned a pair of SL3''s. Although the Prodigy''s cost quite a bit more they simply kill the SL3''s in thier ability to portray large scale dynamics. The bass reproduction and extension are also much better. I am a listener who finds tonal accuracy to be a critical attribute in sound reproduction and these electrostats are the best I have found in that regard. When set-up properly they create a huge 3-D soundstage, musicians seem to be in the room with you. Bass reproduction is fast and tight (and again tonally accurate). I auditioned Ariel(8b''s), Dynaudio Confidence 5''s, and Sonus Faber Amati''s when making my decision. The Ariel''s were seriously lacking, they seemed to have a very large dip in thier frequency response in the upper mid range giving them a very laid back, distant presentation. The highs seemed rolled off, and I got serious port noise when they were playing rock and roll at any kind of loud level. The Dynaudio''s sounded great but I thought the ML''s soundstaging was better. The Sonus Faber''s where beautiful furniture, sounded great but I felt the ML''s and the Dyn''s sounded better (especially for the $). The ML''s may not have the slam that some of the best dynamic speakers do but if you like tonal accuracy, spatial presentation, detail, and a very fast transient response these are your speakers. I am using a Sonic Frontiers Power 2, Theta Miles (bal. version), VPI ARIES w/Grado Statement, Sonic Frontiers phono SE, Audio Research LS 25II, Nordost SPM, and Red Dawn. Also Classe'' CAV 150 and SSP 25 for multi-channel. As a side note I have had no trouble with the fit and finish of these speakers. They have worked perfectly from day one. I much prefer tubes than solid state with these speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Dnaudio, Ariel, Sonus Faber, ML SL3''s.

Amazing highs and mid-range. Huge soundstage with no listener fatigue.

Build-quality, lack of deep bass.

I really had a true love-hate relationship with these speakers before I decided to sell them. The bass never blossomed like I expect, despite driving them with 700 watt Classe monoblocks. Also had "build-quality" problems with the system. Had to have the ELS panels replaced when they began to crinkle in the corners. Also had to have the dealer get new grills due to a glue problem, according to ML. Lastly, one of the logo light switches broke and ML sent me new ones. ML has been VERY good about warranty items, but the problems were very disappointing. I believe the pair I had were built very early on. ML has most likely corrected the problems outlined above

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Revel Ultima Salon

See review

None

For those of you who rated this below a 4 are simply disgruntled for not being able to afford these near perfect speakers. Bass is plentiful yet fast and tight. The midrange is revealing, accurate, and sweet. And for $10k this speaker is a bargain. There were other speakers in the listening room that cost MUCH more but did not put up nearly the gigantic soundstage nor have the transparent quality nor were capable of revealing the subtle details in recordings. You can literally hear the quality of the wood and strings when violins or guitars are played through these speakers. Drums snap and pop. And vocals...god, the vocals. Martin Logan speakers are substantially much improved since their last generation of speakers. If you didn''t like their speakers before their current line was introduced you owe yourself a listen. IMHO, electrostatic speakers are the only type worth ''buying'' simply because you can''t build them yourself like you can with conventional loudspeakers.

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Everything

Incredibly transparent and detailed. Nice looking speaker.

Boomy, undefined bass.

I auditioned these speakers at Magnolia Hi-Fi in Seattle in an all Krell system (sorry, don't know the models). The music used for this audition was Diana Krall.

The midrange and highs were classic Martin Logan: very transparent, open, and detailed. But as good as the mids and highs were, the bass was disappointing. I was really surprised at how boomy and undefined it was for a $10k speaker. I pointed it out to the two salesmen who were with me, and they both agreed. My NHT 3.3's, while not as detailed and transparent in the mids and highs, have taught me what tight, detailed bass sounds like.

There was a pair of Vienna Acoustics Mahlers in the same room, also in an all Krell system. For comparison purposes, I listened to the same track of music. The Mahler's confirmed my impressions--MUCH improved bass definition and tightness.

In conclusion, if you like Martin Logan speakers I recommend you buy the CLS IIz's and a high quality powered subwoofer to integrate with them. A good friend of mine has done just that, and it is a very impressive system. I found the Prodigy's bass quite disappointing and standing in stark contrast to the extreme detail and transparency of the higher frequencies. Try before you buy.

Similar Products Used:

NHT 3.3, Martin Logan CLS IIz

treble timbre, mids, mid-lows, bass, soundstaging, dynamics (both macro and micro), design

poor grill design

Okay. As you can see, I have owned several Martin Logan speakers in the past. And, while I love the electrostatic sound, the relationship has been a love-hate one at times. All of the speaker models had its strengths, but all, save the Prodigy, I have found were lacking. Most disturbingly, the quality of the construction, at least to me was poor, most notibly when I removed the drivers from the cabinets. The bass was always disjointed and thin. The Monoliths sounded good, except for the bass, but they needed to be bi-amped with a $3500 Krell crossover to be at their best.

With the Prodigy, Martin Logan has created an entirely different beast. The construction is much better, save for the grill, which still fits poorly, and could have been constructed better. The drivers are made by Scan-Speak, very well constructed, and very, very, very well matched to the panel. Incidently, Krell uses this brand of drivers in their $35,000+ speakers. At first I thought that the force-forward design of the woofer set-up was a marketing ploy, but it works. Incredibly. Prior logans have lacked the really deep bass-- the thump you in your chest, get up and go bass that gets your pulse pounding and your toes tapping. But even more so, in other designs the bass has always been monopole, and radiated from the front of the speaker, while the rest of the sound was dipole and less localized. This was because dipole bass, theoretically could not work because it would cancel itself out. Ingeniously ML has solved this problem by putting the drivers in a configuration that makes the bass also fill the room like a dipole. The bass is quick, deep, dynamic and matched impeccably to the rest of the speaker. It fills the room effortlessly. Another area that this speaker excels is the timbre of the treble, which all of the prior models have lacked, save the Monolith, when biamped and actively crossed-over. The timbre is outstanding, even equalling the Watt/puppy tube amp combo I have owned. One further area of excellence in this speaker is the quality of the sound at lower levels. Somehow it appears to be more dynamic then any other speaker set-up I have heard previously at low levels. And when you turn-up the juice, the speaker keeps delivering, and delivering. There is no comparison that I have heard, except the $40,000 Red Rose towers demoed by Mark Levinson. Touche' Gayle Sanders. Now just fix that grill design.

Similar Products Used:

Monolith III, ReQuest, SL-3, Logos, Stylos
Watt/puppies

Amazing unearthly imaging, incredible detail. Much improved over previous Martin Logan products.

Non musical and a tad shrill. Cool looking, but how do you match the furinture?

This is Martin Logans best 'affordable' speaker yet. It easily puts the sl3 and the monoliths to shame with it's much improved mid base and low end. And just like the rest of the line, this electrostatic has amazing detail and imaging. With the improved mid, much of the shrill often found in the voice is removed and sounds much more musical. Voices materialize in front of you and guitar plucks sounds like you can touch em.

BUT, these speakers are still not 'musical'. It's very good at picking out detail and bringing all the sounds out and to the front. But, at times it's nice just to listen to the music and not the sounds. There's just something unrealistic about the Martin Logan sound.

Everytime I've listened to Martin Logans though, they've been mated to very forefront equipment. Mcintosh or Krell. I'm very interested in seeing what these speakers would be like mated to a soft spoken Linn system or Audio Research tubes.

For general listening, I'd still go to an old school cone speaker. There's something just amazing about the B&W 802's mated to good equipment (levinson) that will keep me from ever buying Martin Logan. There is one absolutely amazing quality about these speakers. Home theater. If you can get the seat in the middle, then you'll definately enjoy the surround sound detail. If you don't get the middle seat... oh well, it's an electrostatic. What did ya expect?

Similar Products Used:

B&W 801, 802

Big and Unusual

Power Hungry. Plasticky sounding midrange. Indefinable bass.

I auditioned these at a local stereo mega store (a step above Best Buy, et al but not as good as a local "Hi-End" store). I was amazed at how it made the Krell amp and preamp sound so much like an Adcom amp & preamp. There was a distinct muddiness throughout the entire midrange. Being someone who has done much drafting on mylar, I immediately understood what material was in use in these odd looking speakers. The bass was muddy and ill defined..like it was coming from the next door neighbors instead of just in front of you.

I am amazed that so many people here have submitted such complimentry reviews. In my estimation, a pair of Magnepans are much better sounding (if you like that plasticy sound) and generally less expensive too.
My suggestion is that everyone who likes the sound of Martin Logan Speakers and especially those who think they sound lifelike, go to a symphony at a good concert hall (or even a marginal one for that matter). Then listen to your Martin Logans again. You will then understand what crap these speakers are.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus 802, Klipsch Heresy, Klipsch Reference Rp-3s, B&W 602s