What do you think about a MartinLogan / Velodyne / Harman-Kardon setup? (1 Viewer)

[Javier_Huerta]

I'm going to buy a sub later today; the Velodyne CHT-120 (I chose it over Polk and Definitive entries). I can try it for a couple of weeks, then I can exchange it for some other piece if I do so desire.

It will be used with a set of MartinLogan Scenarios. Sadly, I won't see those speakers for at least a month; the importer said he'd have to order them from the States.

The amp will be an HK6650R integrated, with 100W RMS at 8 ohms. It's the beefiest, sturdiest integrated I've ever seen, and currently powers a set of JBL LX66 tower speakers easily.

Do you think the whole setup is sound? As I said, I won't be able to listen to it all together for a while, and when I do, I won't be able to exchange any piece (except the amp, of course).

Thanks!

 

[Miles_W]

Javier,
if you are not worried about buying second hand it might be better for you to get a set of used Aerius/Aerius i speakers. They are a significantly better speaker than the scenario and can be had at between 800-1200us ... check here...
Link Removed
good luck

 

[Javier_Huerta]

I don't think I'd ever buy a used set of Martin Logans. I don't know. Could it be the thrill of opening the box and seeing a *new* speaker? Nah, truth is I'm worried about damage to the panel.
Besides, I live in Mexico. Not many people own MartinLogans, and those who do rarely sell them. And if they do, they usually ask some 90% of the original price. Kinda sucks living here for that alone
BTW, I just got my Velodyne. WHOA. Never had I heard bass so taut, musical, and at the same time, visceral. It was love at first listen.

 

[ling_w]

Doesn't many of the ML ES panels drop down to below 2 ohm at high frequency? Can your receiver handle such a low capacitive load?

 

[Kevin T]

ling:

iirc, most ml drop down to the 1.30 range at around 20 kHz. i really hope his integrated can handle a dip like that.

kevin t

 

[John Sully]

Yep, I'd worry about the ability of your integrated to run the ML's. Electrostat's can be great sounding speakers, but they take an amp with real cojones to drive them. The highly reactive load presented by the input transformers on the panels, in addition to the usually very modest efficiency evidenced by most electrostats makes them problematic. Good luck, but don't be surprised if you have to buy a hefty new amp to drive them.

 

[Javier_Huerta]

I'm not sure the H/K can handle 2 ohms. The guy at the store told me it should be able to handle it, since the Scenarios drop (only) to about 2.5 ohms. I have another amp that I know for a fact can handle 2 ohms (a Luxman amp), but I'd rather not use it because it can only deliver 30 watts at 8 ohms (of course, the figure is supposedly 90 watts at 2 ohms - still I think it's too small).

Any recommendations on a separate amp that can handle the MLs? Should I look for one that can handle less than 2 ohms? I think that will be a difficult task.

 

[Kevin T]

i'm pretty sure most offerings from classe and aragon can handle the ml easily. i've notcied ppl recommend the classe ca-200 but i'm partial to the aragon 8008bb (or 8008st if you wanna save a little $$$). i listened to a pair of aeons powered off a plinius sa-102. sounded sweet in the vocal range but was seriously lacking in the lower end dynamics. the 8008st you can usually find on audiogon for around $1000. you might also wanna consider a 4004 mkII which usually goes for $600-800.

kevin t

 

[LarrySkelly]

Do you have the HK yet? Give it a try before you buy separates. I've been driving a pair of ML reQuests for over a year with a Marantz SR8000, and the sound is good. A good amp would sound better, but this is pretty good. It really depends on the receiver - a good receiver will handle it.

 

[Javier_Huerta]

Larry, it seems you are right. I called MartinLogan, and they told me I was lucky, since the Scenarios have a 6 ohm nominal impedance, and only drop to about 3 ohms at 20 KHz. They told me they designed the Scenario and the Script to be used with good quality A/V receivers, so a nice integrated would power them adequately. I do have the amp with me; as a matter of fact, I have had it for around 12 years or so! I don't have the instruction booklet anymore, but it mentioned it was a high current design.
The guys from the store called me and they told me they would let me have the demo set of MartinLogans while my speakers arrived. So I will be able to try the amp and the speakers for a while. That's good