Sohphia 3 vs Martin Logans?

Bachtoven

Bachtoven

New member
Joined
Dec 16, 2013
Messages
462
Location
Davis, CA
Has anyone compared the Sophias to any of Martin Logan electrostatic speakers? Do they even come close to the transparency, speed, and detail of the MLs? I'm sure they play louder and probably have deeper bass. The reason I'm asking is that my wife thinks my ML Theos speakers overwhelm the living room with their height of 59 inches...the Sophias are only 41 inches tall. I told her we'd have to triple or quadruple the price of the ML speakers to get anything comparable to them in a smaller dynamic speaker. Any thoughts?
 
That is a difficult situation. I think the short answer to your question, about transparency, speed and detail, is yes, but if you love the Martin Logans, there is no reason to believe that you will be happy with the Sophias, especially if you are looking for a speaker with the same strengths and similar qualities. That would be a lose/lose situation. I also have doubts that the Sophias would mate well with the rest of your system. For what it's worth, I prefer the Wilsons to the MLs, but that is just my taste. I have had Martin Logans and have heard the Sophias numerous time.
 
I'm sure that I'd give up some transparency, I've accepted that, and I've read that Wilsons favor "hi-fi" excitement over musical naturalness, so maybe the wouldn't be a good fit. No doubt it will be hard to find a speaker that is less physically imposing with the qualities I want/am used to. I'm also looking into Vivid B-1s, B&W 802Ds, Sonus Faber Evolutions, and Revel Studio 2s. All are about a foot shorter than the MLs. My listening preference is classical, if that helps.
 
Great answer Bruce and I concur. I would personally (obviously) pick the Sophia 3 over the ML all day long.
 
Take a look at the Aerial Acoustics 7T speakers. I too listen mostly to classical (string quartet, chamber music, etc.), and they excel. They can also rock when needed. I was blasting them so loud one night, my Triton tripped. I considered the Sophia, but took people's word that the Aerials competed at that level, so I got great speakers, and saved a few thousand.
 
Bachtoven,

Unless you're willing to change out your amp, stay with your MLs.

IMO, the AA 7T aren't in the same league as the WA S3s.
 
Bachtoven said:
Seems like it. Out of curiosity, why would the Sophias not work well with the rest of my system? It's not exactly a Radio Shack receiver!
Click to expand...


Wilson's are great speakers, but they are not a particularly easy speaker to match up with electronics (if there is such a thing….maybe Sonus Faber….but they are not what you describe it is that you are looking for). The odds of pulling something, you like, out of a system and just putting something so different in, are small at best. The Sophias could sound beautiful, or they could make you want to run from the room. This is my concern when I said I have doubts about them mating well with your system….not at all a knock on your system.
 
Bachtoven said:
Seems like it. Out of curiosity, why would the Sophias not work well with the rest of my system? It's not exactly a Radio Shack receiver!
Click to expand...

I didn't say the Sophia's wouldn't work and I didn't say the rest of your system was a Radio Shack receiver, did I?

The key with speakers is to do your due diligence. Make a list of those in your budget and audition. In the past, I have rolled the dice on some speakers and they worked. Other times, they didn't. This year, I spent much more time auditioning, then auditioning in a different setting, and so on. That was the other extreme.

Your system seems very much focused on Home Theater. In that case, Wilson speakers are excellent for HT in my experience. If your goal is to move more into 2 channel, then things get more complicated and more expensive, but also more rewarding if 2 channel music is your goal.

Let's take a step back and figure out what you want to use your system for, where you want to be, etc.

Do you want to maintain a strictly HT focused system or do you want to move into 2 channel or do you want both via a 2 channel/HT integrated system?
Do you have a budget in mind?
Does this budget encompass just speakers or other changes you want to make?

If your goal is to just change your front speakers, then the Sophia 3's are excellent. But I have to ask, will this cause a mismatch with the rest of your speakers?

Mike
 
Mike, I know you didn't say or even imply that. I just meant I know that Wilsons occupy a more rarefied position in the audio world than do my electronics, but they aren't exactly slouches, either!

My system is absolutely focused more on music than HT. I don't have the space for two separate systems, so I've had to make some small compromises, such as finding a reasonably priced preamp that could also handle HDMI for video purposes. If I had the budget and space for two separate systems, I'd definitely have higher quality audio gear for the music system. Believe me, though, the Marantz/Parasound combo yields massively better sound than more former Sony 6400 ES receiver! When I was single I had ML Requests, a Mark Levinson 380S preamp, and a Mark Levinson No.334 power amp, plus a separate video system in a different room. When I got married, I had to consolidate everything, and my interest in multi-channel audio for music developed, so I sold the two-channel gear and bought B&W 804s to appease my wife! It's all a matter of compromise and trying to get the best sound for my budget and space limitations.

I greatly appreciate everyone's responses. This weekend I hope to visit a high-end audio dealer in San Francisco that carries Wilson, Vivid, Revel, and Sonus Faber. Unfortunately, they don't carry ML or B&W, but I'll take some familiar recordings to audition the various speakers.
 
Take the wife, tell her she has to look at them in the home too. Hell, she might hear the ones you want & say "they are nice". Game changer!
 
Bachtoven said:
Mike, I know you didn't say or even imply that. I just meant I know that Wilsons occupy a more rarefied position in the audio world than do my electronics, but they aren't exactly slouches, either!

My system is absolutely focused more on music than HT. I don't have the space for two separate systems, so I've had to make some small compromises, such as finding a reasonably priced preamp that could also handle HDMI for video purposes. If I had the budget and space for two separate systems, I'd definitely have higher quality audio gear for the music system. Believe me, though, the Marantz/Parasound combo yields massively better sound than more former Sony 6400 ES receiver! When I was single I had ML Requests, a Mark Levinson 380S preamp, and a Mark Levinson No.334 power amp, plus a separate video system in a different room. When I got married, I had to consolidate everything, and my interest in multi-channel audio for music developed, so I sold the two-channel gear and bought B&W 804s to appease my wife! It's all a matter of compromise and trying to get the best sound for my budget and space limitations.

I greatly appreciate everyone's responses. This weekend I hope to visit a high-end audio dealer in San Francisco that carries Wilson, Vivid, Revel, and Sonus Faber. Unfortunately, they don't carry ML or B&W, but I'll take some familiar recordings to audition the various speakers.
Click to expand...

That's smart. All of those brands will give you a good idea. The Revel Salon 2's are killer for the money. The Wilson's are excellent too. Good luck and enjoy!
 
It's not easy to change the Panel to Box speakers IMO. Since you have every speakers matched. Can you tell your wife to keep the ML and spend money on elsewhere ( make sure some for her as well ;)) ?

P.S: If you not happy with the ML sounds or just looking for a change ?! that's different story
 
If you love your ML speakers, man-up and tell your wife they aren't going anywhere. If you cave on the speakers, the rest of the system will be next.
 
mep said:
If you love your ML speakers, man-up and tell your wife they aren't going anywhere. If you cave on the speakers, the rest of the system will be next.
Click to expand...


:woot::woot: Yeah, & while your at it tell her the sister looks alright too :snicker:
 
LOL. Well, I certainly like them a lot...almost love them. Sometimes I wonder if electrostatics trade off transparency for body/density of sound. I've already experienced going from 'stats to boxes with the drop from ML ReQuests to B&W 804s. While there was a loss of transparency, they did have a nice warm sound and a bit more texture to the sound. I guess in a perfect world a speaker would have both.
 
Bachtoven said:
LOL. Well, I certainly like them a lot...almost love them. Sometimes I wonder if electrostatics trade off transparency for body/density of sound. I've already experienced going from 'stats to boxes with the drop from ML ReQuests to B&W 804s. While there was a loss of transparency, they did have a nice warm sound and a bit more texture to the sound. I guess in a perfect world a speaker would have both.
Click to expand...

All I'm saying is that if the only reason you are contemplating getting rid of them is because your wife doesn't think they fit with her decor, don't do it. Unless you flip burgers at Mickey Ds and your wife is bringing home the serious bacon, the living room is just as much yours as it is hers. If your not careful, you will end up with your entire stereo system confined to the top of a computer desk (powered monitor speakers with a built in DAC and a laptop as your only source) and even then being confined to a pair of headphones except when your wife isn't home.

Seriously, how many ads do you see on Audiogon with guys selling gear they supposedly love because their wife says it has to go? Give them an inch and they will take the next mile at your expense.
 
No, I'm the main bread winner, and she'd never make me get rid of the system...she knows how much I love music.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top