Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
First, I can see why people like them. These speakers are like a pretty girl, but she has no brains - no personality - no passion, just pretty. Maybe they aren't tube friendly and I know room placement is key. Even with proper room placement, they image very well, but still no passion. They sound good with SS amps and require a lot of good power. Don't think your 200wpc Rotel with a low damping factor is going to move these and even when they do move don't expect the lethargic woofer to keep up. Overall It was disappointing and I couldn't wait to either get rid of them or use them as rear surrounds.

Price Paid:  $3800.00

Summary:
MARTIN LOGAN REQUEST: THE BEST SPEAKERS (VALUE FOR MONEY) COMIN OUT FROM MARTIN LOGAN FACTORY UNTIL NOW!.
I THINK THAT THI IS THE CULMINATION OF MARTIN LOGAN SPEAKERS FOR GOOD SIZE ROOOM BUT I THINK ALSO THAT MARTIN LOGAN HIGH LIGHTS VALUE FOR MONEY HAS BEEN: ALSO AERIUS i AND SL3 SUITABLE FOR LITTLE SIZE ROOM. AFTER THIS BEAUTIFUL LINE UP MARTIN LOGAN HAS NEVER BE THE SAME: ASCENT, ODISSEY, PRODIGY LINE UP IN TONAL BALANCE WAS TOO MUCH BASS ORIENTED AND THE NEWS SUMMIT , VANTAGE ECC .... .. WITH AMPLIFIER SUB NO, NO I DON'T 'LIKE .( AND THIS NEW SERIES STOP ALSO THE MAGIC MARTIN LOGAN ORIGINAL STYLE.
SO MARTIN LOGAN REQUEST ARE THE DEFINITIVE SPEAKER IN MY SYSTEM AND I THINK NENER CHANGE IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE I MUST SPEND , MUCH A LOT OF MONEY TO UP GRADE THE SOUND AND I THINK IS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND A SPEAKERS LIKE THIS.
MARTIN LOGAN REQUEST HAVE: A BEAUTIFUL TONAL BALANCE . DEEP SOUNDSTAGE AND OTHER HI FI BLA, BLA ,BLA BUT WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT IS THAT WITH THIS SPEAKERS YOU LISTEN THE MUSIC AND NOT THE HIFI AND THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THINK!

BUT IS NOT EASY REACH THIS STATUS IN SOUND BECAUSE:
1)difficult to place in room ( DON' BUY THIS SPEAKERS IF YOUR ROOM IS SMALL ( MINIMUM IS ABOUT 20 FEET LONG AND 15 LARGE, ANT WITH A RIGHT REVERBERATION BECAUSE THIS SPEAKERS ARE DEAD IF YOU HAVE A ROOM WITH A LOT OF ABSORBATION)
2) difficult with other components cd player, preamp and amplifier (you need 200w amplifie withr good quality)
3) difficult to find a very good cable: prepare to spen a lot of money in cable

I take 3 years for fine tuning but now I don' need to change nothing in my two channel system

Strengths:
TONAL BALANCE
SOUNDSTAGE
SOUNDS GOOD ALSO WITH IMPERFECT RECORDINGS

Weaknesses:
DIFICULT TO PLACE
NEED A VERY LARGE A LONG ROOM
NEED BEST AMPLIFIVCATION (200 W)
NEED BEST SOURCE

Similar Products Used:
AERIUSI, SL3, ASCENT ECC.

Price Paid:  $2400.00 from Private Seller

Summary:
The Request is a fabulous speaker. I can provide an interesting contrast between the Request and newer Odysseys that I owned for a year prior to getting the Requests:

Odysseys are better than Requests with:
* Low level detail (5% better)
* Transparency (5% better)
* Bass detail and balance (10% better)
* Macro and micro dynamics (10% better)
* Treble balance (the Request's treble is slightly lower in level (5% better)

Requests and Odysseys are equal with soundstaging and imaging (excellent)

Requests are better than Odysseys with:
* Midrange: This is a big difference! The Requests have one of the most palpable, 3D midranges I've ever heard from any loudspeaker (and I've listed to a lot of different models at length over the years). I would recommend the Request to anyone on this basis alone.
*Bass power and dynamics: The Requests deliver a combination of bass power, extension, and tightness that I normally only hear from very large, expensive speakers at trade shows.
* Lushness: Requests offer a very smooth, tubelike sound that makes them very easy to listen to for extended periods.

Conclusion: If you asked me to choose between the Odyssey or Request I would say; If your goal is accuracy or evaluating upstream components, get the Odyssey. If your goal is the enjoyment of music, get the Request, especially given the price difference between the two models.

Strengths:
* Lush, tubelike, palpable midrange
* Very powerful, extended, tight bass
* Value in terms of what you get per dollar invested (in used market)

Weaknesses:
* Not quite as detailed as the lastest ML designs (but the difference is not huge)
* Not quite as dynamic as the newer ML Odyssey, but again not a huge difference.

Similar Products Used:
Pretty much all ML models in the past 10 years excluding the Monolith or Statement

Price Paid:  $2500.00 from private seller

Summary:
After owning Martin Logan Sequels for 15 years, I sold them and bought a pristine pair of 2000 model year reQuests. They sound AMAZING. All electrostatic speakers require high quality upstream components as they will reveal weaknesses in the rest of your system. Also they require very accurate placement - must be a few feet away from the rear wall and away from the side walls. Drive them with a good clean amp with lots of power that can handle a very difficult impedance load and you will be very happy with them.

Strengths:
Huge soundstage. Airy, open and very revealing.

Weaknesses:
none.

Similar Products Used:
Martin Logan Sequels.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I've had these speakers for several years and would recommend them to anyone looking for a great set of speakers in this price range.

In reading some of the other reviews, I really cannot understand how some others perceive these speakers as being "muddy" in any way. Perhaps they got a bad pair or are using them with components that don't match up well. If anything, I've experienced the opposite problem, that on certain recordings the sound is actually a little too bright and detailed when using a solid state Krell KSA-150 amp. I've found that the Sonic Frontiers Power 3 tube amp does a nice job of softening the sound a bit (at the expense of some high end detail) for female vocals and such and can provide enough juice to drive them.

There is no doubt that these speakers are very finicky when it comes to placement. It is truly amazing how much the sound changes with just minor adjustments in speaker angle and distance from the walls. It really takes a great deal of patience and effort to maximize your listening experience, but well worth the effort.

Strengths:
Great imaging and clarity... it really sounds like someone is singing right there in my living room!

Weaknesses:
A chore to find the right speaker placement.