Has anyone listened to Legacy speakers?

I'm with you Tubeears - the Convergence model is wonderful.
However don't expect the 98db claimed efficiency, Audio magazine measured 92db.
Sean has heard these speakers...apparently they didn't make his best of Legacy list. He told me they didn't boom; so was it a sizzle problem? I work in a manufacturing plant that employees 800 people. Every year we are required to take a hearing test. Invariably the nurse who reads the results will utter something like "Oh my gosh; you can hear 0db across the board...I have never seen that before". (We seem to have high nursing staff turnover). Anyway, the point is Sean; do you have bat ears or what? How far do them things you call ears stick out from yer noggin. I'm serious...give me a number. Perhaps you could elucidate on exactly what you heard. By the way about two weeks after you were here I had to move a pair of Golden Flutes from in between the preamp-amp to the tape loop...they were sucking far too much life from the sound.

My latest disappointment in speakers were the Martin Logan SL-3. The SL-3 lacked integration between drivers, the treble was hotter than anything I've heard from any Legacy model (past or present), and seemed best suited for background music. Auditioned on the same day and system were the Ariel model 8b - talk about blah. The 8b ranks in my mind as the second worst speaker system I have ever heard. I can't believe all the (seemingly unending) interest in Ariel I hope to hear them again someday to confirm or dispel my impressions.

How long ago did the ML SL-3's come out? That is when I gave up actively searching for better speakers

Muller, as i told you when i briefly listened to your system, your speakers sounded FAR better to me than the Legacy 1's or Classic's. I was being completely honest and sincere in those statements. I hope that you took them as so.

Other than that, i really couldn't pass any type of critical judment on your gear. I was not familiar with your system at all, the specific room acoustics, the recorded selections that you played, etc... I would hardly call listening to a couple of tunes in an unfamiliar environment worthy of a "complete review". Trying to form "set in stone" opinions using such a limited demo would surely result in a less than honest portrayal. As such, i could not pass ANY type of accurate judgment on ANYTHING there.

As you might remember, i did suggest sitting back further away from the speakers than where you had your chair previously positioned. Due to their physical size and amount of drivers, that specific design WILL take some space before everything blends together. I think that anybody that is familiar with the layout of the drivers would agree with my assesment. They are not "nearfield" speakers in any sense of the word.

Other than that, there were several other suggestions that i could have made in terms of how you had things set-up. I refrained from doing so as we were strictly on a time limited basis. Besides that, most people take offense to constructive criticism or suggestions about their system, especially if you aren't well acquainted. As such, i was there to give you money and pick up some gear. I thought that the transaction and experience of meeting each other went quite well overall.

As to your comments about my hearing ability or "bat ears", i can specifically state that i do have hearing loss. I already know this from testing that i've had performed. Nonetheless, this does not eliminate my ability to subjectively listen and / or pass judgment on what i do hear. Given my background in Pro Sound reinforcement, working with electronics for a living, LOTS of experimentation within several of my systems, set-up and tuning of several other installations, the amount of gear that i've owned and been exposed to, etc.., i would consider myself slightly more experienced than the "average" audiophile. Maybe so, maybe not. Either way, i've tried to share what knowledge and experience that i do have and learn from others along the way.

I'm sorry if i said something to offend you. I based my comments about Legacy speakers on what i was familiar with and what i have experienced first hand. As such, i did not even remotely take into consideration the time that i spent listening to your speakers or system. It would have been like trying to write a review of a car that you went on a 5 minute test drive with, but were sitting on the passenger side for the entire trip. Not fair or accurate at all.

I'm glad that you're happy with what you have and hope that you continue to enjoy it. As to the problems that you encountered with your secondary amplifier, i hope that you were able to resolve them in an economic manner. I'd like to Thank You once again for the more than fair deal that you gave me on the equipment that i purchased from you. The spare drivers have come in more than handy and the speakers really filled out after hitting them with a couple hundred of watts for a couple of weeks. The difference in bass output was quite astounding. Sean
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Sean, as always your response was polite and well thought out. It was a much better response than my little rant deserved. Thank you!
I tried moving my listening position back as you had previously suggested. It just will not work for me. The ratio of reflected to direct sound is too great, (too much room sound). The speakers and listening position are in an 8' equilateral triangle. Would that be considered nearfield listening? I really don't know that is why I ask.

I don't want to get this thread any further off topic than we already have taken it. As such, let's try a fresh thread on the topic. This way, others can chime in and share their experiences. Sean
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I've auditioned the Legacy line-up twice - largely because there were qualities I liked a lot about them and some that I really didn't. I understand why so many people are happy with the speakers, they are definitely a "rocker's speaker" and I'd recommend anyone to audition them. But, with that said, I didn't end up buying them.

First, I felt the Focus was the sweet spot in the line-up. I didn't like the new Empire speakers - they were not natural sounding to me. And, the Whispers are just not a real-world speaker for my home (speakers too big).

I thought there were significant benefits of the Focus versus the less expensive speakers, particularly in the area of mid-range and vocal transparency.

If you love rock, love moving a lot of air, this speaker will immerse you in the sound. And, if you want a fairly revealing mid-range, then the Focus may be the speaker for you.

My problems had to do more with coherence and the boom. But, everything is a trade-off. If you end up getting them, enjoy.

By the way, I ended up going a very different direction than the Legacy. After auditioning Thiels, Revels, B&W's, Ariels, Dynaudio, etc. over a two year period I narrowed my search down to Revel and Harbeth's. If you like the full sound of the Legacy, you may love the Revels (which I did), and I strongly recommend them. But, I ended up with the Harbeth's 7ES. It's a much smaller speaker, but I love the mid-range. I heard the Red Rose the other weekend in NYC and found them an even more revealing speaker. I loved them, but they were another $1,000 more than the Harbeths ($2,400).