Martin Logan Versus Magnepan

For less than the price of either of these speakers new -- both evry nice speakers -- you can get mint condition used CLS2's or CLSz's and experience a full on electrostatic. Far better than either in terms of transparency and ability to resolve detail. Matched with a really fast sub woofer, like the Vandersteen, near perfect.

I havedone comparisons also and the 1.6's easily beat out the ML Aerius and possibly the ML SL3 also. The Maggies are more coherent and full bodied. I have also compared the Maggie 3.5R to the ML CLS2z and the ML Request still no match, the MLCLS2z needs a lot of power and the Requests donot have that top to bottom coherency you get with the Maggies.I bought the 3.5R Maggies and am very satisfied.

The Mags are more seemless than the ML's you speak of here but the ML CLZ's will convince you that ML is doing it better - the price is more but the pleasure is great and do not let anyone tell you they do not have bass they do and isit is clean not boomy or blaring. The real winner though are the Quads which can be gotten for the range of prices here.

i almost sprang for the m-l cls-llz's, but even m-l sez that 93db is the *max* spl ewe can get outta these - ok for some of the music i listen to, but not all. m-l sez this won't improve w/the addition of subs (which i *do* use). perhaps not as much of a concern in a smaller room, but my room is 25x38. i understand the quads have similar dynamic limitations. i am going to buy the either the nhb645's, the r645's, or i'm gonna experiment w/my own set-up of dynamic drivers on the bottom (accuton ceramic drivers) in lieu of newform's standard scan-speak mid-woofers. john meyer of newform is very helpful, i'm yust not sure which way to go, yet.

I'll make one observation, in response to the last part of your question. A friend of mine has the Maggie 3.5s, which he drives with a Classe 200. He was in love with everything about the speaker, except that it didn't have quite enough punch on kick drum and drum kits for his tastes, which run primarily to rock. I listened to his setup and could see what he was talking about, although it didn't bother me with classical music. In talking with another friend whose opinions I trust, he felt that you really need a lot of power and current to make these speakers sing. I've heard 3.6s with Bryston and Sonogy amps which sound very good, but you're talking well over 200 watts and a good deal of current. I'm curious if other people who own them have had this experience?