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Just auditioned Martin Logan ESL vs 60xt

I just left my Best Buy Magnolia HT and did A/B comparisons between these two speakers. I really wanted to walk away shocked at the ESL electrostatics but was left very disappointed.  They were just muddy and boring compared to the 60xts right next to them.  It was as if someone turned off the tweeter too.  I felt like there was almost nothing over 7k hz like cymbals, upper guitar string plucks, etc. 

Now, the 60xts did sound muddy in male vocals down low but they definitely peaked my interest more than the electrostatics. 

Now, if I ONLY owned the ESL's, I'd probably be happy, get used to the sound and think they sound good.  We're all subject to that trickery, but I just thought there should be more..

I was listening to some of my favorite tracks through Tidal, into a Marantz sr7705 receiver.. 

I know the amp/situation wasn't perfect but the sonic characteristics between the two would be unchanged in a more optimal situation.

Anyone else kinda feel this way?
 
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decooney
2,304 posts
 
I’ve tested my Martin Logan Motion 40s from my HT setup on my audio separates including a 100wpc Cary tube amp, a Cary solid state amp, a 10wpc Triode tube amp, then QS monoblock tube amps, and a high powered Outlaw Audio amp, bi-amped. Not muddy at all.  ALL tests sounded MUCH nicer than anything I ever heard at a BestBuy/Magnolia on a receiver there.

Garbage in = garbage out for most good speakers. A demo at home on good 2ch audio gear can make a notable difference.  
dan2956's avatar
dan2956
9 posts
 
I have the 60 XTs which I had gotten a smokin' deal on from Crutchfield which I could not refuse. I feel that the muddiness in male vocals is due to their natural 80 Hz resonance frequency. It's recommended to read Brent Butterworth's review, he explains this. He's one of the most knowledgeable and senior people I can think of in audio. His exact words: "I heard some of the best midrange I've heard from any speaker": good enough for me to make a decision. I have a power amp that had cost $800 second hand: these speakers are so revealing, that my Quad and NAD amps, hadn't cut it anymore. They're both gone.

I heard Metallica on the ESL11As  at Best Buy in Frisco, TX: that was, without a doubt, the cleanest bass, I've ever heard. But, for a price.
decooney
2,304 posts
 
Demoing with lame power / source / amplification at BestBuy-Magnolia stores is extremely limited.

Take the same speakers home and evaluate on a worthy setup and hear a different result.
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