Quad vs. Martin Logan?

The dealer above has a vested interest in telling you the Soundlabs are the best!! But, he is telling you the truth.

I am a Maggie guy, I really love the open airy Magnepan sound, and would argue the comment on inner detail not being defined in any of the ranges. But, I really think that the finest speakers I have heard, are the large SoundLabs, they are truly sublime.

The new Quads, and oddly enough the re-manufactured ones that are sold in stacked sets, are fantastic and have excellent bass definition if not extension.

I agree wholeheartly agree with the above post on MartinLogans. Just my opion, but it always sounds to me like a poorly integrated subwoofer has been introduced when listening to those. The Innersounds I think do a MUCH better job at the hybrid integration than the MartinLogan's.

For what it's worth here is my Ranking of the speakers mentioned:

1)Magnepan's (20.1 I think is the finest speaker made)
2)SoundLabs
3)Quads (989 with the extended bass panel is so good it's scary)
4)Innersound
5)MartinLogan

Macdadtexas, you read my mind. That's exactly how I'd rank these if I were forced to objectively rank speakers (the other parts of the system are soooo important). Also, don't forget that Maggies aren't electrostats! It's a magnetic planar technology. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that, but I think it's so.

Int, I think Duke has given you an excellent summary.

I have 989s* and they are indeed fabulous-sounding speakers. What I love about single-panel 'stats is their coherency, their 'all-togetherness'. It's difficult to describe and sometimes takes several hearings to understand, but for the music I love, large-scale classical and film, they sound simply wonderful. The several comments about integrating cone woofers with planar MR/treble applies to ALL multiple-driver systems. While a few of them sound fabulous and many sound very very good, there's always a little discontinuity somewhere.

I suggest you listen very carefully to as many of these as you can, and don't forget the Eminent Technology hybrid-planar speakers. Compared with the rest of these, they're QUITE affordable. http://www.eminent-tech.com/main.html

* Now driven with the the equally fabulous-sounding Antique Sound Lab 805 DTs, 50-Watt SETs
.

Yes, the Maggies are a different technology, but more like electrostats than cones, much closer in sound reproduction.

I agree with Jeffreybehr regarding his Quads. I really think those (along with the SoundLabs) are the pinnacle of electrostat sound.

Then again, it's all so subjective. Every speaker mentioned here sounds great, really. It becomes what your preference is.

BTW, glad to here about the ASL amp. I really want to try some Hurricanes with my Maggies when my kids are a little older, so I don't have to worry about them getting burned by the tubes. Good luck.

Ditto. I owned a pair of MLs and never got used to the tonal difference between the Mylar and the enclosed woofer. Yeah, MLs look cool, but they don't sound like what hi-end can sound like.