[FireGuy]

Not to offend, but why would anyone buy audiophile speakers from Best Buy?  Magnolia maybe...
Why would Martin Logan allow their product be sold by people who are clueless to their product?  Sorry for the rant.

Jim

Jim - I couldn't agree more.  It's just not Martin Logan;  Mirage, Def Tech, B&W and Vienna Acoustics are sold there as well.  BB's associates are not that well trained (I'll blame corporate for that) as I have always experienced a level of indifference.   Lack of well defined demo areas is another story.   I would like to see BB turn it around but I'm not anticipating that being the case.  It appears they prefer to sell phones, cameras and collaterial parts + games and placed the speaker/componets section as an add on, because it's a "fit".

[cstory]

One thing that appears obvious from this thread, is, if the only place you have heard the Martin Logan's is Best Buy, you certainly are not hearing them at their best. I too don't understand why ML decided to have BB carry the electrostatic speakers. It would appear that it has cost them nearly as many sales as they have gained. However, back to the original question of comparing the two speakers.

Like most questions of this type it boils down to personal preference. I owned MG I's and SMG-C's, ordererd a pair of 1.6's then backed out once I found a pair of used Arieus speakers. Personally, compared to the ML's I have heard, the Maggies sound slightly veiled. The detail one can hear from the ML's is greater than what I have heard from Magnepan's. For me, midrange detail trumps all. You may not feel that way.

Don't put too much stock in what people say in forums like this, (myself included), but do yourself a favor if you can, and try and listen to the Electromotions at a real ML dealer. At least then you can have a good baseline for your comparison.

Chuck

[SteveFord]

That's good advice - ML has a line of high end dealers which is where you'd want to give an audition.
Best Buy is a place to buy a cheap patch cord, not speakers.

[jarcher]

I don't know if they are still in business, but The Listening Room in MD sold me my 1.7s.

A much better place to listen to & buy Magnepans than Gifted Listener. They carry all the magnepan models & good electronics / subs / etc to pair with them. Decent listening spaces as well. I listened to some 1.7s there last year and ended up buying a used pair as I liked them so much and didn't want to wait three weeks to take delivery. Actually, any place is better to buy maggies from than gifted listener.

Iistened to some higher end Martin Logan's at the now closed Soundworks with Mark Levinson gear in a good room with my own music & still could not warm up to them like I did the Maggie's - and I always thought they looked so cool so wanted an excuse to like them. No dice. At their best they could be very transparent like a good electrostatic, but we're otherwise disappointing. Bass / panel integration was one issue. But overall seemed to thin in key areas. Best of luck!

[jk@home]

Good to hear some ML owners chiming in, didn't want this thread to become too bias. My last speakers were Thiels, which had lots of problems, but were excellent in the detail and imaging department, which I loved.

I have read the MLs (and electrostatics in general) have a fuller sound at lower levels, compared to Maggies. Although the 1.7 is reported to be improved in that area also. I do a lot of late night low level listening, one of the advantages of having my IB subs in the ceiling, as opposed to standard floor subs, is there is less vibration transmitted to the room below (which is the bedroom).

BTW, not to derail this subject, but there is a Maggie vs ML thread going on right now over at that other place. That's not me. ... Get better quick Mart, they need ya there. Nuff said 

[I.Greyhound Fan]

When I bought my 1.6's, I was able to compare them to a pair or more expensive ML's (i can't remember the model) at my local dealer that carried both brands.  Maggies and ML's have a completely different sound.  It is like comparing apples to oranges.  The 1.6's had more depth, sweeter midrange and were more musical.  The ML's had a light airy sound with more transparency and better imaging.  Both sounded great but I preferred the Magnepan sound.  Although, I would love to have a pair of ML's as a second system.

[josh358]

When I bought my 1.6's, I was able to compare them to a pair or more expensive ML's (i can't remember the model) at my local dealer that carried both brands.  Maggies and ML's have a completely different sound.  It is like comparing apples to oranges.  The 1.6's had more depth, sweeter midrange and were more musical.  The ML's had a light airy sound with more transparency and better imaging.  Both sounded great but I preferred the Magnepan sound.  Although, I would love to have a pair of ML's as a second system.

Yep. And the very characteristics that account for some of those differences mean that you can't have both at once. The ML's are controlled-dispersion speakers, and that improves clarity, but costs depth.

Until someone comes up with a perfect speaker and we move way beyond two channel stereo, we'll have to pick our poison.

[jk@home]

Speaking of apples and oranges,  I'm also entertaining the idea of building a pair of these instead:



At first glance I had reservations for the look of the speaker, but the "form follows function" is growing on me now (unlike the Orion, which I didn't really care for). Of course some folks have made much less flattering comments on the appearance of new LX521  . Has anyone here heard and can comment on what similarities and differences there are between planars and the Linkwitz products (other than the obvious)?

[Davey]

Those are not Planars! 

Dave.

[jk@home]

Those are not Planars! 

Dave.

This is true...but they are dipoles. Like a second cousin?

[SteveFord]

Woodshed relative but we're pretty liberal on this Circle.
If he stuck an oversize fez on the top bit like Ohm does that would really dress them up a lot.
Introducing The Shriner...

[rotarius]

The reviews of ML-ESLs are fantastic, all of them point to an amazing value at their price point.  I heard them at BB and obviously realized that judging the speakers there was of no value.  You will not be impressed.  I was looking to get Theos or Vantage at first but decided to try these and see if I like them then get the better models when I get a dedicated listening room in the near future.  I for one am thoroughly impressed by what I am hearing in my living room.  I have owned Vandy 2CEsigs, Focal 826, Usher 6381, ET LFT8B, Revel F12, F32 and a few others before these, the ESLs seem to be the best for the music I listen to, mainly jazz, classical, acoustic stuff, some bluegrass and folk.   They only need to be placed about 2 feet from the wall behind them and set-up was easy.  The first thing I did was to pull out my radioshack db meter and test tone disc.  None of the other speakers had such a flat response, +5db peak at 40hz and a gradual roll off above 12khz.  For the frequencies in between, the response was within 3db of the reference level.  In fact, the panel response was within +/- 2 db below 12khz!!  No other speakers have come anywhere close to measuring this good in my room.  I doubt the 1.7 would measure this good in my room.  Oh yeah, they sound great.  Cleanest midrange and treble I have had with a healthy bass response to boot.

[njpozner]

Just to chime in, I've had a set of MartinLogan Electromotions for about 18 months, and I am thrilled with them. If not for Best Buy/Magnolia, I might not have ever known about electrostats in the first place, so although the listening room at Magnolia might not be the best place to discover these speakers, getting them in front of more people has to have some value.