Description

Pricing: D=Demo, R=Retail, & SC=Stereo Club

I buy a lot of last year Demos & trade a lot with a Stereo Club

Goal: Full range detail with good transparency, sweet mid/highs due to the 2 electrostatic panels, & a tight clear bottom end due to the 6 ten inch woofers.

Limits: The Martin Logan SL3 speakers are an electrostatic panel hybrid which can limit the musical soundstage to either a small to mid-size sweet spot depending on the room acoustics. I have opened up the soundstage by placing 2 subs at the corner postions of the listening room. During listening sections, I toe-in the speakers a few inches to focus on the detail of the music, but if I walk around the house or out in the yard, I turn the speakers parallel with the back south wall to fill the house with music.

Room: 18.2 ft W x 16 ft L x (8 to 20 ft) H

Main speakers placed 4 ft away from south standard 8 ft tall wall facing north to 20 ft tall stairway. Concrete floor with full carpet

Music: Broadway, Classical, Film Scores, Folk, Jazz, Rock, Opera, & World. In other words: almost everything but bubble gum, extreme pop, ultra negative, or rap

Last Count: 1800 CD's, 2 CD-Circle Surround's, 5 24/96 DAD's, 10 DTS-CD's, 100 DVD's, 700 LP's, & 70 SACD's
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Components Toggle details

    • Sony CDP-XA7es
    20 bit, remote, balance/RCA analog out, coaxial/toslink digital out
    35 lbs
    • Pioneer Elite PDR-19RW
    CD recorder
    • Yamaha TX-400u AM-FM Tuner
    presets, remote capable
    • Rega Planar 3
    belt, 33 & 45 speed with RB-300 arm
    Cardas wire from cartridge to RCA termial
    • Extreme Phono None Felt Mat
    special friction, non-static phono mat
    • Grado Ref Sonata
    nude elliptical diamond cartridge
    • Aragon 47k
    AC-DC Phono Stage
    • Audio Research LS-16
    vacuum tube stereo line
    20 lbs
    • Aragon Palladium mkII
    pair, balance in mono blocks rated at 400 watts into 8 ohms (5Hz-20kHz)
    80 lbs ea
    • Martin Logan SL3
    pair, 2 way 1 x 4 ft electrostatic panel hybrid with 10 inch woofer at 89 dB
    130 lbs ea
    • N H T Sub Two
    pair, Sunfire 500 watt powered, 2-10in woofers
    • Harmonic Technology Pro-Silway MkII
    pair, balance 1 meter
    Sony XA7ES CD player to Audio Research LS16 pre-amp
    pair, balance 2 meters
    Audio Research LS16 pre-amp to 2 Aragon Palladium mono blocks
    • Harmonic Technology Precision-Link
    pair, RCA 1 meter
    Yamaha TX-400U AM/FM tuner to Audio Research LS16 pre-amp
    • Harmonic Technology Truth-Link
    4 pairs, RCA 1 meter
    all remaining analog inputs & outputs
    • Harmonic Technology Crystal Silver phono cable
    pair, RCA 1 meter
    Rega Planar 3 turntable to Aragon 47K phono pre-amp
    • AudioPrism Waveguide
    passive/inductive, opposing magnetic for interconnects or power cords
    • Synergistic Research Resolution Reference .5 AS
    pair, 6 ft for upper 1 x 4 electrostatic panels
    • Synergistic Research Signature 10 Active Shield
    pair, 6 ft for bottom 10 inch woofers
    • MMF Music Hall Cable Elevators Plus
    uplift Synergistic Research speaker cables from off the floor & away from the power cords
    • Synergistic Research Reference Master Coupler
    1 meter power cord
    from Richard Gray 400s to Audio Research LS16 pre-amp
    • Synergistic Research Master Coupler
    six, 1 to 2 metered power cords
    from 3 wall sockets to 2 Aragon Palladium mono blocks, 2 NHT Sub Two Subs, & to Richard Gray
    Richard Gray 400s to PS Audio Juice Bar
    • PS Audio Juice Bar
    6 socket extention
    • Richard Gray 400s
    4 socket power storage

Comments 7

Showing all comments by jd3.

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Owner
Now in Martin Logan fan club web site system #4 at: http://www.martinloganowners.com/memsys.html

jd3

Owner
Update in Nuance & Fluence My Friends Systems web site, see - http://www.arduman.com/aa/Sayfalar/john/john.htm

jd3

Owner
Bought a 2nd AudioPrism WAVEGUIDE & placed both on the power cords of the Martin Logan SL3 speakers. In the near future I plan to buy 2 Synergistic Research active shield power cords to use on the Martin Logan SL3 speakers & place the AudioPrism WAVEGUIDE on the balance interconnects from the pre-amp to amp. That way any interference will be cleaned up before being ampfied. Debating on rather buying a 2nd Richard Gray 400s for the other side of the stereo or go for a PS Audio Ultimate Outlet to power the Synergistic Research active shield power cords.

jd3

Owner
System edited: Move the main Martin Logan SL3 speakers from 3 ft 3 inches to 4 ft away from the back wall to increase soundstage & to place the Synergistic Research speaker cables with the Music Hall Cable Elevators Plus away from any power cords

jd3

Owner
I just received the above items & here is the first report:

I thought that the AudioPrism WAVEGUIDE came as a pair, but it was single. Therefore I wont use it on my power cords to the Martin Logan SL3 speakers, but on the Sony XA7es CD player. This is because the Sony XA7es CD player power cord can't be removed. The center hole for whatever gets put in the middle of the AudioPrism WAVEGUIDE is too large for the normal power cord of the Sony XA7es & too small for the Synergistic Research power cords. My first reaction is: too few with too little adjustments for too much money.

The Extreme Phono NONE FELT MAT/STANDARD is very interesting. I removed the normal felt mat & palce the Extreme Phono NONE FELT MAT/STANDARD in it's place. The new mat holds the LP in place while playing & I has to turn off & stop the record player before taking the LP off. A little slower starting & stopping normal LP playing but I think that extra friction & less static makes up for it.

I placed the 2 MMF Music Hall CABLE ELEVATORS PLUS on each speaker cable & used the enclosed rubber bands to hold the cables down. I haven't experimented enough to hear any difference in the sound, but at least the speaker cables are away from the power cords.

jd3

Owner
I just bought 2 AudioPrism WAVEGUIDE to go on my power cords with the Martin Logan SL3 speakers, 1 Extreme Phono NONE FELT MAT/STANDARD to go on my Rega Planar 3 turntable, & 8 MMF Music Hall CABLE ELEVATORS PLUS to uplift my Synergistic Research speaker cables from off the floor.
This is going to be my 1st expriment with tweats. Any buddy have any experiences?

jd3

Owner
CD Player: cheap 2nd generation Sony to late 1980ish Sony es to Sony CDP-XA7es
Record Player: mid 1970ish Phillips with $25 cartridge to Rega Planar 3 with Grado Ref Sonata cartridge
Taping: mid 1970ish Technics cassette to Yamaha cassette to Pioneer Elite PDR-19RW
Pre-amp: mid price Yamaha to Audio Research LS9 to Audio Research LS16
Amp: mid price Yamaha stereo to Aragon 8008BB dual mono to Aragon Palladium mono blocks
Speakers: Polk SDS-2a to Martin Logan SL3
Subs: Roger Sounds lab passive to NHT Sub Two mono to NHT Sub Two stereo
Interconnects: Monster Cable 400's to Harmonic Technology Precision-Link to Harmonic Technology Truth-Link
Phono Cable: Rega standard to Cardas Cross to Harmonic Technology Crystal Silver
Power Supply: Monster Cable HTS-800 to HTS-2000 to HTS-5000 to Richard Gray 400s & PS Audio Juice Bar.

jd3