Martin Logan Heaven

by pcar928fan on All Out Assault
Sony 70
Close up of 70
Prodigy and Descent
MBL101a with Rotel
MBL101a 2 channel system
Ascent and Script

Description

This home theater system was recently upgraded to all Rotel gear. It was initially built around the Pioneer Elite Pro 510 RPTV and the Martin Logan speakers with Pioneer Elite power and processing. I found the Pioneer gear that was in the original incarnation to be sufficient but it was not quite able to fully utilize the fine quality of the Martin Logan speakers in particular the Prodigy.

I upgraded in the fall of '06 to the Rotel gear and it is like a brand new system. The clarity from the ML set up is amazing! These speakers are just unreal. They can play loud or quiet and the definition and openess is unmatched. I enjoy vinyl and usually play it as a 2 channel experience. The Rotel RSP 1098 allows me to by pass all effects to play it in two channel mode or I can play it as a 5 or 7 channel surround experience as I normally do with my CD's.

I use my RB1090 2 channel amp to power the Prodigy front left and right speakers, the Ascent rear left and right and the Script surround rear left and right as well as the Theater are all powered by the Rotel RMB1095 5 channel amp. The LFE is provided by the ML Descent sub. Talk about powerful! WOW!

The room is a bit bright but it met all our family needs. It is the limiting factor to the current sound of the system as it is not tuned to the speakers in any way and I am not able to pick the optimal placement for them. At some point I will add a dedicated theater to the house and it will allow this system to sound even better. As it is no one I know has ever heard anything like it. Most of the folks who have delivered equipment or come to work on the system have never even heard anything like it. The sound is stunning!

The Sony 70" RPTV is AMAZING and I'm waiting for an HD disc system that will play both Blue Ray and HD-DVD in the near future. I hope the 2nd gen players will come out soon. The Sony 400 disc DVD changer is really cool to have for the collection and delivers a GREAT picture through HDMI and the TV handles the upscaling quite well!

Richard Gray Power Company products provide all of the power cleaning and stabilizing for this system and I use Audio Quest, Vampire, and Monster for all my cable needs.

One of my favorite parts of the system is that the RSP1098 allows me to monitor the security cameras at all times no matter what I am watching or listening to. VERY NICE!

3-20-07

The upgrade is complete! The Sony 70" is in place atop the Salamander Quad 20 in black/black. I did not use the rear parts of the Salamander because the Sony DVD changer sticks out the back to far so I bought a black velvet valance and spring loaded curtain rods and used those.

I built the box for the TV to sit on so that I could mount my center channel (Martin Logan Theater) to it and ALSO use it to house my Richard Gray Power Company Pole Pig underneath as well as my APC Smart UPS 750 and a power strip. It gets these products out of the line of sight and out of mind, while all the while they watch over and protect the system!

The SONY PQ is AWESOME it is even GREAT with Standard Def. programming. That said, the HDMI connection is MUCH better than the component connection, but both are very, very good.

4/24/07:

MBL 101a 2 channel system. The MBL have arrived and been placed in the formal living area of the house as a dedicated 2 channel set up.

Eventually this will evolve with higher end source and power, but for now the Rotel RC1070 2 channel preamp and the RB1080 2 channel amp are powering these AWESOME speakers.

The sound is stunning! As good at the Martin Logan Prodigy are (and they are VERY, VERY GOOD, maybe even better with bass) the MBL 101a speakers just have a realism that you don't find with 99% of speakers on the market.

They also have HUGE sound staging and a massive sweet spot!

You might also note that the Martin Logan Ascent and Prodigy have both had a recent side rail upgrade from the black oak to the Obssidian Black rails that I think lend a greater touch of class.

Enjoy the pictures!

4/18/2012

Today I met another wonderful Audiophile! He was selling his MBL 8011am's and I just HAD TO HAVE THEM! I have not hooked them up to the MBL 101's yet, but I can't wait to make those beautiful speakers sing they way they were intended to sing!

I have been waiting for a pair of these for a long time!

5/4/12

The MBL 8011's have been added to the 2 channel system and it sounds AMAZING!!! What a great addition to the system, they also look spectacular! I just LOVE my MBL gear! I have an ARC solid state pre-amp coming this weekend for this system and then I'll be using balanced interconnects which should make it even better! I can't wait.

I moved the Rotel RB1080 from this system to powering the zone 2 speakers that are part of the Home Theater system!

Great times on the Audio front!!!
Read more...

Components Toggle details

    • Martin Logan Descent
    Piano black top, in the lower right of the pic.
    • Martin Logan Prodigy
    Prodigy in black oak w/ extra side panels in Piano black
    • Martin Logan Ascent
    Ascent Speakers with extra side panels in Piano black and black oak
    • Martin Logan Script
    Customized the woofer cover with Martin Logan speaker grill cloth before the factory was doing this
    • Martin Logan Theater
    Awesome center channel. Replaced my Cinema with this. See it on top of the TV.
    • Rotel RB-1090
    Great amp powers the Prodigy the one in the middle of the stack.
    • Rotel RB-1095
    Powers all of the surround and center channels at the bottom of the stack in the amp pic for the 1090.
    • Rotel RB-1050
    Powers the zone 2 speakers, sitting at the top of the amp stack.
    • Rotel Rotel RSP 1098
    Multichannel surround processor with TFT screen display. At the top of the rack, allows me to see my security cameras at all times.
    • Pioneer Pioneer Elite PD-F2 CD changer
    300 disc changer.
    • Rega Planar 2
    Nice turntable. Simple and effective. Pictured on top of the CD changer.
    • Rega RB-300
    Not usually associated with the P2's but it is nice on my table
    • Rega Exact
    Pretty high end for a P2 table
    • Rotel RDV 1050
    Universal disc player.
    • DirecTV HR10-250
    Satellite receiver. High Def w/ TiVo.
    • Samsung DVD-VR330
    VCR/DVD-R combo player recorder.
    • Pioneer Elite Pro-510
    53" High Def Rear Projection TV. This is one of the best TV's ever built! It has an AWESOME picture. Looking forward to a 70" Sony, but I will miss this picture, the Sony is not as good at Standard Def as this TV!
    • Richard Gray 400s
    Three of these, Pro, Mk II, original 400 in bedroom for that system.
    • Richard Gray 400s
    I have a Mk II, and Pro, and an original.
    • Richard Gray 400s
    I have a Mk II, Pro, and original of these.
    • Richard Gray Substaion 120V
    Power mangement system for all amps, you can see it peeking out from behind the stack of amps.
    • Richard Gray Pole Pig
    Front end isolation, you can just barely see it on top of the component rack.
    • Rotel RT 1080
    AM/FM Tuner.
    • Pioneer CT-05D
    Elite Dual cassette recorder. Waiting for more room in a new rack to move back into the system.
    • Pioneer CLD-59
    Elite Lasar Disc Player, waiting for more room in a new rack to get back into the system.
    • MBL 101
    My 101a cost $15,000 says the owner I bought them from. They might not have been new when he paid that for them. They will be the basis for a 2 channel system or a 4th Home theater system in the house at some later date.
    • Rotel RC-1070
    I am using the RC1070 as the 2 channel preamp with my MBL 101 2 channel system. It is not of the same caliber as the speakers though and will be changed out eventually.
    • Rotel RB-1080
    This amp like the Rotel Preamp does not fit the quality of the MBL 101a speakers it is powering but it does a reasonable job. Eventually I will upgrade the amp for the MBL and move this amp to Zone 2 duty through the Home Theater system

Comments 7

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Owner
gfloyd1 - I am using Monster speakers wire. Have a really nice pair (can't remember the number right now) for the Prodigy mains and all the surrounds are using runs of really thick Monster through the walls, installed during the home build out. I have AudioQuest Copperheads for the Pre to Power amp runs and I have various interconnects mostly from Monster but also some Vampire.

Cdwallace - Yea, that multichannel thing is a real kick in the pants. I figure if you have the speakers and they are wired up why not enjoy them! Even if you are NOT watching a movie!

pcar928fan

Pcar - Glad to hear you are enjoying your system. Its good to see another fellow MC listener on the gon. Surprisingly, we are the minority. As for the not so natural experience, shoot me an email so we can talk further. An engineer and friend of mind walked me through my system setup for music. Now my system plays music 10x better and it sounds natural and more live. It didn't take me much either. If you're interested, let me know.

Happy Listening and enjoy!

cdwallace

What speaker wire and interconnects did you select for your system?

[email protected]

Owner
I usually listen to them in 7 channel mode, but sometimes switch back and forth. It is very encompassing to listen in 7ch mode. When all the speakers are really equal in Timbre and quality it is a wonderful though not natural experience. Now I don't use the DVD player for my CD's...I just play them out of the mega changer mind you, so I am certainly not getting the FULL effect as I would w/ a transport and a DAC or even a nice Rega Apollo CD player...I would like to add one of those in the future though!

I guess I didn't really answer your question...I LOVE IT! Is there better gear for that? Probably. Is there better gear for the money...MAYBE...

Thanks for looking!

pcar928fan

Pcar - How do you like listening to CD's via the Rotel DSP?

cdwallace

Owner
Sdatch,

Yea, the carpet would be good but area rugs and my wheelchair don't get along well, actually that is a general rule...wheelchairs and carpets NEVER get along well. I will carpet the theater when I build it regardless.

Yes, that is a Fernandez RetroRocket in the shadowbox, it is one of the Star Wars Stormtrooper limited edition guitars they did. I need a Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Yoda if I am to finish out that collection.

My main guitars are by Abyss Guitar company. You can find them at www.abyssguitars.com They are all custom hand built to your specs and WAY more affordable than they should be! If you are looking at guitars or thinking of spending a few $$$$ on a guitar give Kevin a call and tell him James sent you! They are AWESOME and you WON'T be disappointed!

Thanks for the comments!

pcar928fan

Overall, very nice. Throwing down an area rug might help tame some of the brightness, although there are sometimes mitigating factors involved (like spouse approval). Also, I happen to play guitar so I am intrigued - do I spy a small amo and a framed guitar in one of those picture?

sdatch

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