This is an addendum to my earlier review.

A couple "tweaks" I have found to help improve the sound;

First;

Even with the latest "improved" cone-style spikes, I find these to still be a little "wobbly" with thicker carpeting. I found by placing three 25lb. cast iron plates on each speakers' woofer enclosure, DRAMATICALLY tightened and improved the bass as well as focused the image even better! (This probably would be frowned on by Martin-Logan, so do so at your own risk! But I believe the enclosure is more than up to the task of handling the extra weight).

Second;

Try plugging the AC cords into a power conditioner. Currently, I have mine connected to a Monster Power HTS1000, with excellent results. (Also I am using AudioQuest AC power cords).

Third;

While I found the bass to be above average in all parameters in my room, I recently attached a pair of Tekna Sonic C-12 vibration absorbers to the woofer enclosures. WOW! The bass now is as tight and deep as they come.

And last but not least - DON'T FORGET TO BI-WIRE THESE BABIES!

ENJOY!

Clarity, transparencies, reality

need careful tuning and positioning and equipments to support it.

As an US MArine veteran I would not go around beating the bushes. Lets talk straight-talk.....

If you are an audio FANATIC like me, I have been listening, recording and collecting music for 47 years in over 7 countries. My dad even used westrex-THX in his movie theatres (real cinemas) which i used to play with.
I grew up with tubes like the old marantz and horn speakers and electrostatic speakers....my ears simply could not accept anything less regardless of price...
If you like excellent speakers with a limited budget just go get the Request II newest built.
I used to listen to the old martin logan request since 1986. Todays Request II is simply the best....for the budget and medium room like poor little me.
The Bass is sooo solid that I decided to cancel my Watt Puppy purchase plan...after designing and building speaker from components for 15 years, I stop it completely when i herd the Watt Puppy tight and awesome bass whipping in my ear. It is still one of the best but hard to get transparancey on the medium and high frequencies.....
The request got it all matched.....very tight bass (use the Drum and track CD from reference recording.....awesome test CD, then use the Straussfest no 1 to hear the dynamic range, the brasilian and latin guitar and samba.....it is simply awesome.....but you must use the right support equipments....Bi-amp it with krell 150 amps, use electronic crossover and monster cables. Put some sound dampening like pieces of carpets/painting carefully located on the wall and listen to it especially instrumentals....No bright light please, just dim the lights and relax....My hearing is very high frequency sensitive too...
The ONLY thing BAD right now is that the high female voice is too bright because I am using a conrad Johnson solid state (motif-7) preamp.....I need a nice warm pre amp, just do not have the money yet....
put anything aside, the martin Logan request will make you sit and sleep in front of it, it is so relaxing. It is NOT meant for Rap or Rock nROll , metal acid type of music, more toward classical, country, undistorted musical instruments, piano, voice etc..not too good for distorted music.

Similar Products Used:

Jensen electro static, AUdio lab ribbons, Strathearns ribbons, Heco speakers (germany), Infinity, Electro Voice horns, dahlquist, old martin logans, Watt Puppy wilson audio. Revox, tandberg, westrex

Clarity, definition

Slightly bass-shy

I bought a pair in October. They're still breaking in, and I grow more impressed each day. My setup:

Naim CDS CD Player
Spectral DMC-20 Preamp
Spectral DMA-50 Modified bridged monoblock amps
MIT/Spectral 350 speaker cables
MIT/Spectral Preamp/Amp Interconnects

These speakers really mate well with the Spectral gear. They also expose any deficiencies in the front end! While I was shopping, I heard a pair sound abysmal when mated with an indifferent CD deck.

I was initially convinced that I needed a subwoofer in my system. As the woofers are breaking in, I'm not so sure. I'll offer a more complete review in a few months.

impressive clarity and detail

driver integration and construction

Thanks to Andrew for finally letting out the "little secret" of Martin Logan's lousy build quality. Impressed with ML's apparently great value per dollar? Just get out the trusty screwdriver and do a quick comparison between their speaker construction (especially in the woofer enclosures) and ANY other high end speaker manufacturer. They get away with murder because listeners (myself included) are so captivated by the electrostatic sound they are willing to forgive inadequacies that other manufacturers would get pilloried over! Wonder why the bass response is always the Achille's heel of ML speakers? Try flimsy enclosures, cheap drivers and 1970's crossover and transformer technology. I WANT to love these speakers, believe me. I went from a CJ Premier 11a to bridged Spectral DMA 90's to Cary SLM 200's, but no change in amplification could cure what is fundamentally flawed driver technology and integration. It was not an easy decision to trade to WATT/ Puppies, but I can tell you there is a LOT more music to be enjoyed (even without that glorious electrostatic panel) when the speaker is capable of meaningfully revealing the lower frequencies. That said, I'm told there is a new speaker coming out from ML called the Prodigy, and that it is supposedly built to much higher standards, using drivers, enclosures and crossovers that are commensurate with an $11,000 product. Hopefully, I'll hear it at the CES next month and, if its something to get excited about, I'll update this posting.

Similar Products Used:

aerius, SL-3, CLS IIZ

Image, Overall sound stage and reproduction

None yet, but I'm still trying to balance 2 channel & A/V use

So far=excellent. Wonderful reproduction and very accurate. Maybe too much so for some folk. Bass is great, can't even describe mids and highs!,(bi-wired) but I'm still looking for correct settings for A/V.
I have a sub hooked up, but I'm not sure I need it. Not for 2 channel anyway. Great people to talk to as well.

Great product. Recommend.......

Hooked to:
Naim CD5
Parasound AVC 2500
Bryston 4B
Monster Z bi-wire

Similar Products Used:

None - Replaced Polk SRTs

Good looks and finish - wonderful and realistic sound - incredible mid range and stunning highs

Cabinet finish could be more exotic

Rather than leave a review on speakers that I don't OWN or have in my home - I just got my ReQuests - I waited 6 weeks for them to arrive - before I made the buying decision I listened to the the SL3's, The Prodigy and the ReQuests - I choose the ReQuests for its larger soundstage and better bass - I've been on an upgrade part since Novemebr and the ML's were the last in the chain - the setup is a bit complicated and they need to be at least 2.5 feet out from the wall and angled slightly - after an hour or so I was ready and right from the box they sounded incredible - I've had some great speakers - I just sold some Mirage M3Si's that I had for about 6 years and before that I had B&w's -the 808's, 801 and 802's - in comparing them I would have to say that the ML's are the closest to realism on the Mid's and highs of any speaker that I have owned or even auditioned within my price budget. I won't say that the ML's are nirvana -but they come close - and you have to have good electronics since the ML's are very revealing.


My setup:

Conrad Johnson Premier 14 PreAmp
BAT VK30 PreAmp with NOS tubes
Rotel 1090 Amp
Pioneer CDR-99 with Audio Alchemy DDE v3.0 and DTI Pro
Conrad Johnson DR 1 and D/A 2B - Transport and Convertor
Kenwood Audio Purist Analog Tuner
SOTA Turntable w/MMT Arm and Sumiko Blue Point Special
Lehmann Black Cube Phono PreAmp
Kimber Silver Streak Interconnects -Pre to Amp
Audioquest, Monster and Kimber cables
Monster 2.4 Bi-wire speaker cable
Monster HST 3500 Power Conditioner
Martin Logan ReQuests

Similar Products Used:

Acoustat 4's, Mg2A's

good looks, sound, price

build quality, price

Dave from Nevada, I agree with you 100% on the fact that ML does cut corners and build quality is awful but I do think their sound is impecable and their looks will impress almost every signifant other (maybe not the Statements).
But on either account I didn't purchase them because I weighed the facts and I didn't think a year or two of audio pleasure is worth $4000. And to Andrew Berens again I agree with you but not every speaker has to be $75,000 like Wilson X-1s to be a good speaker.. check out the entire Legacy line of speakers they're amazing with build quality and that is what they're known for and they have impecable sound, and they use alot of the same materials B&W does mainly the Kevlar material and has better sound but B&W charges much more on their speakers. I understand why Wilsons are so expensive, they're made with precision and hands-on, unlike many speaker companies. But is it worth -60,000 more? I think not. These speakers are ok speakers, they aren't amazing in my humble opinion.

Similar Products Used:

Magnepans and other ML products.

open soundstage, natural mids and highs

bottom end/electronic selection

Bought these guys to replace my quads (the other choice was to replace my wife) love the soundstage the dynamic range and the mid to high end of the speaker. The bottom end was better than the quads & maggies but somewhat dissapointing.

Originally I ran them on krell kva-250 combo which had them sounding bright and a little "tubby" on the bottom. I now have them on ARC/ls-16 and the 100mkII amp... night and day. The ARC gear created greater depth, opened up the mids and highs, more definition without the edge. Another item that's quite handy is the ps audio power plant... wow

If these are a little to large for your room, look at the maggie 1.6QR

Similar Products Used:

maggies quads

great accurate soundstage. unbelievable quickness.

price and size.

the very best speaker i have heard or owned. i did not expect the bass impact...thought i'd need a sub-woofer. i do not! the build quality is exceptional.

Similar Products Used:

none.

Transparent, clarity, natural...etc etc

None particular IMHO. Some might want more level in treble, but you don't loose any information here. The treble just don't call for your attention. Analyst-freaks might be disappointed? Needs good amplification to give it's best, like Mark Levinson, Krell, Electrocompaniet and such.

My first entry into high-end, and the ReQuest fits my ideals like a hand in the glove. Used with Sony XA-7ES CD-player. EC 4,5 pre-amp, EC AW-250R power-amp and MIT-cables. This setup plays music as you would hear it live. The AW-250R drives the ReQuest like a charm, and is a good match. The bass goes deep and with a very strong authority. The placement is a little important. Correct placed and with proper amplification the bass goes deep enough for me and has good punch. As another review mentioned. Someone has complained about poor bass. This is not a problem here, and I believe this is a problem if you choose a wrong placement and if you don't provide a good amplification with enough power to drive them. This speaker demands more than a $1k amp with 100W!! The mid-tones are the most delicate, clear and transparent I have ever heard, and the high-notes are just simply there. The soundstage is HUGE when used with Electrocompaniet. This speaker is ideal for acoustic music, vocals and playing the BLUES. Sorry...got to go, Stevie Ray Vaughan is just about to play "Little Wing" just for me. Press PLAY. My strongest recommendations. And I am not trading them in...