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Has MartinLogan gone too far with powered woofers?

I currently own Ascent i's and ordered Summits before listening to them, showing my confidence in Martin Logan. However, I then compared the Summits to Wilson Sophia’s and Watt/Puppy 7's with interesting results. With identical equipment (ML 309 cd player, ML 320s preamp and a pair of ML 436's) there was no comparison. The Watt/Puppies clearly stood above the Sophia’s and the Martin Logan's "limped" in last.

The problem with the Summits was that you couldn't dial out the bass. It was always present. And where does base management end. I have bass management on my DVD player (Marantz 9500) on my processor (Anthem Statement D1, with room eq./room resonance filters) and now on the Summits.

I am now torn between just keeping my Ascents or moving to the Sophia’s.

Do you think Martin Logan, a great company, has gone too far by powering the bottom end?
tailor3
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
My guess is that the Summits you listened to had un-broken-in panels that weren't reaching down (in frequency) yet to mate well with the bass. When they do, it will be possible to turn the woofers down and still have the right amount of bass (coming from the panels as well.) As for the powered bass, well, they sure sound good, but I'm not convinced that switching amp technology is quite there yet, although I'm sure that's what's in my ML Depth, and it sounds very tight and has plenty of output.

I do think in the case of hybrid electostats, powered bass is good because it allows for a tube amp of more modest power on the panels without having to bi-amp and all that entails.
krelldog
326 posts
 
Let your Summits break in-I have a hunch you'll be keeping them.
bpwalsh
1,215 posts
 
As you have learned, it can be unwise to make such a leap of faith based upon what you currently own. Krelldog is correct about breaking them in, although that's no guarantee you will change your mind, so you might want to explore other speakers. Once you've owned dipoles, it can be very hard to go back to box speakers unless the former have glaring faults. You're surely not lacking power with the Levinson 436s which are pretty nice amps, leaving you with plenty of options. It might help to describe your room, listening preferences and what you like and are looking to improve in your current setup.
Brian
calanctus
151 posts
 
The Summits allow you to cut the bass by 10dB at 25 Hz and also at 50 Hz. Has this not worked for you?
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