Thinking about going electrostatic

I have the ML ESL X model which has a dynamic woofer and the electrostatic panel driven by my refreshed Carver Silver Sevent amps.  The next level are the 11a, 13a, 15a models which have a powered woofer so your amp only drives the panel.

This site has a wealth of discussions on all thing ML:

https://www.martinloganowners.com/

I've had Martin Logan electrostatic speakers for 20 years.

They're fantastic speakers with an airy sound unlike dynamic speakers. 

I think the models with powered woofers sound the fullest.

My system includes Summit X for the front, ReQuest for surround, and Stage as a center. The immersive sound for music and movies is just amazing.

However, now I'm planning on selling to try a high efficiency dynamic system.

I started as a fan with Acoustat and had planar for decades. I have always loved Martin Logan. Great sounding speakers. Despite their faults they can be great fun (lack of coherence across the audio spectrum and a bit artificial space). ML has done a good job of making up for missing bass as in Quads. You will likely really enjoy them.

Bill,  I have run ML Vista's for over 10 years now.  At one point I had 3 Vista's across the front (Left/Right/Center) and Scenerio's for rear in a surround sound setup. Powered by Classe or Parasound amps.

You indicated that you have never heard them before, so I highly recommend that you audition a set of electrostatics before purchasing.  It always seems that people either love them or hate them.  (Personnally, I love them.)

So, in general, for electrostatics...

The Good:  

Treble and Midrange are hard to beat.  Fast response time, clear and precise.  They have a level of transparency that few other types of speakers can match. If setup right in the room, soundstage depth and imaging are hard to beat.  And not only left to right, but being a diapole speaker, I have managed to even get a sense of height to the imaging.  Very easy to get lost in the music.  Great for either nearfield or distance listening.  And depending on the type of music you listen to, they can be great fun.

The Bad:

You have to setup placement properly. Distance and toe in are important, but not difficult to achieve.

As a dipole speaker, you also have to make sure you have the wall behind the speaker treated with some (and I stress SOME) absorbation or diffusion wall treatments. 

As mentioned, there is a bit of a timing/coherence between the panels and cone woofer, but I was able to get over that easily.  

Lastly, as with all planar speaker, there are limits with handling high dynamic changes.  The membrane can only move but so much air.

The Ugly:

They want power and CURRENT.  Impediance can drop to below 1 ohm in some models, as you go up in frequency.  So you need an amp that can handle it.  I think the Rotel 1090 would be able to handle it, but you may find you need a bit more grunt.  Most tube amps are going to struggle with it, especially at higher volumes.

And finally, as with most planar speakers, there is a small sweet spot for listening.  Some will call it beaming, and when you get off axis the treble and midrange drop away very quickly.  ML eases some of that by using a curved panel, but it doesn't eliminate it all together.

Your bio doesn't list where you are located.  I'm in southwestern Virginia.  If you are anywhere close, I maybe able to arrange a demo.  If not, check the martinloganowners.com web site and see if someone else is close and willing.

Hope this helps.

- Jeff