Bobzilla

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Absolutely amazing at what they do well (everything other than low bass), and astounding when paired with a subwoofer that can keep up. Amazing soundstage, rock solid imaging, and timbre accuracy that is unequalled in the ML line. The IIz is a distinct step forward from the previous series in the CLS line. No question that the IIz has better bass extension than the original CLS, and IMO, better soundstaging due to the differential panels. Too bad that ML is no longer making a pure electrostatic speaker - would seem to be a market for a no holds barred halo product out there.

Strengths:
Amazing clarity, emotional involvement in the music, a feeling that the performers are in the room with you. No question that they will either bring out the best of your great equipment (and music), or expose the weaknesses.

Weaknesses:
Although I measured in room response at nearly flat levels to 35hz, the feeling of bass below 50hz isn't there. Need the aforementioned sub to bring the palpability of the bass up. That said, best results when the sub is out of the picture no hgiher than 50-60hz, so use a 24db/octave crossover slope

Similar Products Used:
Have had or heard a great number of ML, Magnepan, B&W, Quad, KEF, etc.

yhm23280

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.64 of 5, 14.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
"Bad recordings sound even worse" "They excel at strings, brass,and percussion but not with rock music" The complete understanding of the real meaning of the above comments copied from CLSII reviews may be very important in reducing the number of audio exchanges. What would lead to the above comments? Lack of lower midrange or upper base, according to my 20 years of audio experience. In this case, good recordings from RR or Sheffield having balanced tones and harmonics sounds more natural than the natural sound when lower midrange's hazing is reduced: Reviewers seem to describe this phenomenon "startling vivid". So far so good! Who minds the artificial element if it always makes pleasing sound? .... Why does ordinary recording sometimes sound OK, sometimes unacceptable? Or, why does a recording sound good in System A but unlistenable in System B, while System B is reviewed highly by a pro-reviewer? After careful review of the review, don't you often find the comment, "Good source or system matching" as an essential requirement? If a recording is slightly deficient in that tone or has slightly rough highs, sound reproduced by a system which slightly lacks lower midrange is likely to be like trees having stem but no leaves; rock music has no body in this system. If the system kills harmonics too, then sterile sound. Inherent merits of CLS with its characteristic tonal balance will take maximal advantage of audiophile recordings at Hifi shop. If you confine your listening experience to audiophile recordings, CLSII will give you more pleasure than other loud speakers. You may find yourself listening to those good-sounding but mediocre performing CDs all the time and sometimes other CDs to see if they still sounds bad. What I would recommend for years of unfrustrated listening is to buy a system with good tonal balance (warm). Look at impedance curve of speakers; high or at least not low impedance between 70-300Hz. Good cables faithfully preserves musical information in this frequency range.

Strengths:
Matching CDs sound very good.

Weaknesses:
Many CDs sound bad.

Price Paid:  $3500.00 from n/a

Summary:
I wish I still had my CLS IIz speakers. I sold them about five years ago because the amps I had at the time just didn't cut it. I could only play them at low volume and when there was drum "whacks" the panels touched the stators. I will (have to!) find another pair again. Even though I had to keep the volume very low there was a magical sound to them that no other and I mean no other speaker system is capable of! Nothing else has the same "you are there" feeling as the CLS. Decibals are not the only factor for the experience. They do indeed play loud when matched with proper amplification. By the way I have heard them on numerous occasions with proper amplifiers driving them and the sound is absolutely fantastic! And now for the fellow who called them crap? I am not going to bash Quad or you for that matter. I think you have likely never heard the CLS set up properly. Quad is nice but they just don't have the clarity or presence of the CLS. Make sure you get amps that are up to the job, proper cables, and take the time to experiment with placement. Also make sure they are placed exactly the same in relation to one another and room boundaries. I currently have a pair of JM Lab Electra 920.1 speakers because my amps can easily drive them and they have a fast coherent sound to them (very musical). Although they do sound great in their own way they still can't do that "transport you to another world magic" that only the Martin Logan CLS can! You CLS owners know what I mean!!!

Strengths:
True "you are there" presentation. Clarity. Holographic soundstage/imaging. Absolute revealing of details. Tonal balance.

Weaknesses:
Difficult load on amps. Fussy placement. (mucho experimento!) Reveals system flaws. (weakness?)

Similar Products Used:
Martin Logan Aerius, Monolith, Acoustat model X, Totem Mite, JM Lab Electra 920.1 (current)

Price Paid:  $5000.00 from Sound Advice

Summary:
I listened to 16 pairs of speakers before finally settling on these. The CLS is a classic electrostat(not a hybrid). It requires high, clean power, pinpoint placement and top notch equipment to support them. When set up appropriately there is no speaker I've heard that can match it in terms of pure crystalline sound. The best midrange period. Voices sound so real it can be eerie. They excel at strings, brass,and percussion but not with rock music. These speakers are at their best with jazz, r&b, classical. Because there is no bass enclosure they are light on the low frequencies. You must use a sub with them. Another problem is the tiny sweet spot. Once you find it, lock your chair in place. Lastly they need to be raised about a foot off the floor and slightly angled. I know this all sounds like a pain in the neck but when I have people hear these speakers for the first time...they are stunned! I will never give them up!I use the Mcormack DNA 1 to drive them, Melos shagold reference preamp and a sunfire true sub.

Strengths:
Stunningly lifelike sound when properly supported. Gorgeous to look at.

Weaknesses:
Finicky placement,needs gobs of power, tiny sweet spot, needs sub for low frequencies.

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $2000.00 from 2nd hand dealer

Summary:
These speakers are definitely my last, they are the best, period. I borrowed a pair of old CLS from a friend who complained that they needed too much power. I found out that the foils were totally used up, they could play only at very low volume but the sound was so intriguing that I began looking for a more recent pair of used CLS IIz. I couldn't believe my luck when I found a mint pair for only 2000 euros. You need an excellent amp that can drive 1-Ohm loads. I use German AVM MOS-FET monos that do the job nicely without being over-expensive. The source is absolutely critical, the speakers show all the strengths en weaknesses of the recordings and all the weak links in the chain. Tweakers eat your heart out. Now I found I need a better phono-stage, with my former speakers I simply didn't realize how bad the phono of my AVM pre-amp is. I just had to quit listening to my vinyl (I own about 450 LPs). I listen to Drum & Bass, Dub and Electronic stuff which has lots of (deep) bass and in the beginning this wouldn't work at all, I could hear the foil hitting the stators (I like it loud sometimes). Then I bought an excellent active sub with an active crossover so now the IIz have only to cover the stuff from 80 Hz on up. Perfect! I can have room-rattling bass and the speakers can play louder without straining my amps (and my ears and nerves). Classical music sounds also much better with the sub even when there is no deep bass on the recording. You have to set the speakers up very carefully, the left and right must be placed at exactly the same angle and distance from side and rear walls, otherwise you won't get that holographic soundstage.

Strengths:
Totally natural sound, very realistic soundstage

Weaknesses:
Need excellent gear to drive them, bad recordings sound even worse, the foils don't last forever and are expensive.

Similar Products Used:
Heco, JBL, Elac, Canton