Revel Studios vs Martin Logan Prodigy (1 Viewer)

[Geo]

I've narrowed my speaker search down to either the Revel Studios or the Martin Logan Prodigy. These speakers will be used 50/50 music, movies......... I wasn't able to hear these speakers side by side but at two different audio stores. We were so impressed by the sound of both speakers that my wife has left it up to me to make the final choice. My wife loves the look of both speakers but leans slightly towards the Prodigy while I lean towards the looks of the Studios.

Sound wise they are both so good that it's hard to make a decision. So I thought I'd try to get input from others here who have a preference and what factors determined that preference.............

geo

 

[KeithR]

Both are hard to drive, and both are very big, but if you have the room...
You might also audition the Merlin VSM and Wilson Sophia. If it were me, for 10k I would buy the Wilsons in a slick ferrari blue finish. Of course, I own Cubs, so I am partial
--good luck

 

[Mark Austin]

I am partial to Revel, so I would go for the Studio's.

 

[Chris Zell]

I owned Martin-Logan CLSs, and I currently own Revel's (Performas - not Studios). I absolutely loved my CLSs, had 'em for years, and never regretted buying them. The magic transparency and transient snap was addicting, and I never tired of it. I also think ML makes the most beautiful speakers around.

But there is one thing that I finally got tired of that motivated me to get rid of them. They sound terrible if you are moving around, far off-axis etc. So if you are not glued to the listening chair or couch, they do not sound good. I know this sounds funny, but as time went on, I wanted something I could listen to while I was doing something else, and as I played with my kids (priorities change with children!). If you want a speaker that sounds good in many positions throughout the room - go Revel. Kevin Voecks designs them to have very uniform off-axis response, and they do. I have measured my M20s, and spent many hours listening to and measuring a friend's Studios, and they are both by far the most uniform I have seen as you move around the room - astonishingly so. They sound great if you are in the kitchen ajoining the living room where the tunes are, if you are sitting at the computer off axis, as you stand up. MLs don't. In the sweet spot, they are excellent, but not off-axis IMO, especially vertical. the top end fell off a cliff as your ears got above the panel.

Both are great, so you'll enjoy either way, just wanted to point that out.

Not as familiar with the Prodigy as the earlier MLs. How are they at higher volumes? My CLSs got congested if I cranked them, but the Prodigys may be significantly better in that respect, especially since the panels are not full-range. As far as the Studios go, they do NOT get compressed as you turn it up - avoiding dynamic compression is a basic Revel design concept that they pull off well. If you like it LOUD, it may be a point for the Revels.

Have fun, and let us know what you decide!

Cheers,

Chris

 

[rich wu]

Geo,

I also compared Revel Studios and ML Prodigy a couple of years ago. I ended with the Studios. I have since then listened to the Prodigy a couple times and still prefer the Studios. I think the Studios gives a bigger soundstage and better bass than the Prodigy. The Prodigy will be much harder to setup properly unless you have a very large room since they are really deep speakers.

I am just completing my HT system with the Revel Voice, Embrace and B15 sub. If you planning to use your speakers for HT, you should also consider matching speakers. Revel's Voice, Embrace and the B15 are a really match with the Studios.

Good luck.

 

[Donald Shrum]

I would say the ML. Unbeleivable sound and the center matchs very well with the prodigys. Their sub is also one of the best sounding subs I have heard. But, I am partial to ML.

 

[Miles_W]

I will state outright that I am bias...

Having taken care of that..

Martin Logan Prodigys...

note ask the dealer how long he has had his pair. Also what is your room size? The Prodigys need a bigggggggggggg room to sound right... I think that in most cases you will get 90-95% of the performance of the Prodigy in the Oddysey... this is the one I would be persuing now... try and get a listen to that one!

 

[Geo]

WOW, thanks for all the input guys.

Chris,

Very good point about the sweet spot. This is one thing I had pretty much overlooked. I'm rarely listening in the sweet spot. I should of realized this because we've previously owned some Magnepan 1.6's that had the same characteristic. Unlike the 1.6's the Prodigy has an abundance of dynamics, the louder the better.

Miles,

Another good point about room size. Room size is the reason we're looking at the Studios instead of the Salons. I will check out the Odyssey to see how they compare to the amazing Prodigy.

We are also going to check out the Revel F50's this weekend.

As always, thanks for the input.

geo

 

[Michael R Price]

Martin Logan Prodigy? Holy cow! I heard them at a dealer and it was unbelievable...but then again I haven't heard anything else in that price range. They have amazing bass and dynamics and the imaging 'locks' into place very well as you move into the sweet spot (pretty small area). Sounds very real. I don't think you'd have a problem with either speaker

 

[Justin Doring]

Both are excellent speakers, but here are my opinions:

First, I actually prefer the cheaper Odyssey to the Prodigy. The Odyssey seems to have better integrated bass, probably due to the tighter 8" and 10" woofers instead of dual 10" woofers. The midrange and highs sound almost identical. The Odyssey also works better in a larger variety of rooms. Regardless of which speaker you choose, the Martin Logans all have narrow sweet spots and require fairly expensive associated components (Classe' works well).

Second, while the Studio is a great speaker, the Salon puts it to shame. Granted, it is more expensive, but after hearing it, I could never be happy with the Studio. Both Revels have huge sweetspots, however, and sound excellent off-axis. The Revels will also require expensive associated components (they're voiced with Levinson, but if you're on a budget, Proceed will do in a pinch).

As far as the matching center channels go, the Martin Logan Theater is a nice center, but the Revel Voice is the best center channel on the market. Of course, it's double the price of the Theater.

The Revels and the Martin Logans are very different sounding speakers, however, so it's really up to personal preference. If I didn't have the money for a full-blown Salon/Voice/Levinson system, then I'd probably go for the cheaper Odyssey/Theater/Classe' system. It just depends on what you want to spend. You might also consider the B&W Nautilus 800 series, the Vienna Acoustics Mahler (although their matching center is not in the same league with the others mentioned here), the Dynaudio Contour series, and the new Wilson Sophia, or even the NHT 3.3, as there are lots of great speaker packages in your price range.