These produce a very deep soundstage. With acoustic jazz and classical music, these speakers create a sense that the musicians are in the room with you. Mid and highs are extremely transparent and realistic without harshness.

These are large speakers that may or may not fit in your decor.

I've owned my pair of ML Ascent i's for about 10 years. These speakers throw a deep and wide image. They reproduce excellent detail and transparency with out sounding bright or fatiguing. The blend from the electrostatic panel to the aluminum coned woofer is very smooth and uncolored and the speakers appear to be quite low in terms of distortion. Highly recommended. Mine have the Cherry side panels.

These need to be several feet from the back wall.

As I noted in a previous review I have owned these speakers for five years and can only say that I am impressed with their performance. I am currently running them with an NAD M3 signature series two channel amp and a ML Descent subwoofer. The sound is amazing and I am glad that I heeded the advice of other people on this site who have posted that I should get a better amp and cables. The difference is profound!
Receiver: NAD Signature M3
Sub: Martin Logan Descent
DVD: Sony DVP-S9000ES
Monitor: Pioneer Elite Signature PRO 101-FD
Blu-Ray: Samsung BD-P3600

everything

size

The best speaker that I have heard under $4,500. They are outstanding. Unmatched highend and midrange, sounstage etc... Worth every penny! go listen.

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B+w, thiel, sonus faber, monitor audio, wilson, revel, psb,infinity, pinnacle, audio physique, PMC, magnapan etc.....

Vocals, whether pop or opera, are better than being there. Quality recordings are presented the way they were meant to be.

Have a definite sweetspot, so be ready to adjust your furniture accordingly. Bass will not impress the rumble-loving crowd.

I bought these as floor demos. The ESL screens had dents in them and ML replaced them with Ascenti panels. Incredible speakers. Lifelife vocals. I installed spikes which tightened up the bass quiet a bit. Initially running them through a 120w Technics receiver and they still sounded good (the Tweeters rep listened and was surprised). I have since upgraded to B&K 200w monoblocks. The bass is stronger and very natural. But not a quantum leap improvement over the receiver. I'm a strong believer in putting your money into your speakers. These speakers amaze me everytime I hear them. I had JBL pro-line monitors and went and listened to B&W 803's and Sonus Faber's. These were the only one's that justified the change.

Everything

Won't do your dishes for you. . .

This is an update from a much earlier review. Having had these speaker for over two years now (approaching three), I can say with some authority that these are great speakers. I'm still satisfied--more than satisfied. This product is truly a happy marriage of looks and performance, perhaps ML's best buy for the money. The bass issue: In reading some of the previous posts, I see some valid concerns re: bass response. In my own experience, after having upgraded my amp to something quite substantial I have absolutely NO complaints about bass response. In fact, the bass response can even be said to be a little on the heavy side. So, if you notice a lack of bass, I recommend a few things: 1)Upgrade your amp. I use a Classe CA-301, which I highly recommend. Remember, you should spend as much (or more?) on your amp as on your speakers. 2)Use good stuff upstream. That means, pay attention to your source, your cables, your preamp, etc. If there's a weakness upstream, you'll hear it downstream. 3)Once you've upgraded, give it a little time. Both speakers and amps tend to get better with age. My system (currently) Ascents Classe CA-301 Classe CP-45 Cardas Golden Cross XLR Straightwire Crescendo RCA Sony S9000ES DVD/SACD Meridian 588 MIT 750 (I think) Happy listening. . .

Definition, clarity, soundstage. Voices have an "in the room" quality. You will hear things you have never heard before, and the sense of space is immense.

To sound their best, plan on spending serious $$ on electronics. Placement and setup can be confusing. Be patient, it pays off huge. Not for small rooms. They cost a pretty penny, but you won't find anything in this price range or above that competes. Hard Rock on these is painful.

I love my ML Ascents. The detail and soundstage are awesome. The bass is very accurate, and much improved with biwiring using Audioquest Granite. I could hear dramatic improvements with every upgrade in my system. High quality electronics, cables and interconnects are the secret to making these things sing. Current System: Bryston 4BSST amp Bryston BP25 preamp Bryston Balanced interconnects Audioquest Granite - external biwire Audioquest Diamondback interconnects Denon CD player

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B&W, Magnepan, JBL, Energy, Infinity, Paradigm, Boston, Klipsch, Mirage, Thiel

Great detailed sound. These are used as my 'main speakers' in my home-theatre system and they do the trick. Beautiful to look at, especially for non-audiophile wives that do not like speakers as the main focus of a room. = )

Set up takes a little bit of time. Warm-up on the speakers in about 30 min. of listening, and the bass, I suppose, could have been a bit punchier. I'd also have to say, these speakers are for people who can afford them, or people who are desperate to hear one of the best sounding speakers ever made.

Love the sound... but not for the hard rockers. I'm a Heavy Metal 80's nut, or at least it is still part of my genre of music selections. I've not ever listened to these speakers with 'under rated' powered amps, but I can certainly attest to the fact that my Sunfire Ultimate Rec. certainly does the trick. I haven't noticed a real lack in bass, but I typically listen to with my Sunfire Sub Mark IV w/ the cross-over at approx. 70Hz. All-n-all I've loved the sound of Martin-Logans ever since my cousin bought a pair 7 years ago. Since then the sound & build quality has only improved.

Similar Products Used:

(Current System) Sunfire Ultimate Receiver, Sunfire Sub Mark IV, Pioneer Elite DV47-ai DVD, Pioneer Elite Pro64 HDTV, Klipsch RC3 Center, 2 side RS3 surrounds & 2 RS 3 rear surrounds, RCA HDTV Receive

Imaging quality Clarity of vocals and stringed instruments

Not enough bass, but this is easily remedied with a Depth or Descent subwoofer

I dediced to wait until I assembled my entire system before submitting a review of the Ascents. I can only say that while they are excellent speakers with outstanding presence and imaging qualities, they were somewhat lacking in bass...that is until I purchased a matching Descent subwoofer. The final result is astounding! To any of you out there who have these speakers or are considering purchasing them, I can only say that they are excellent speakers whose full potential is only fully realized when they are matched with a ML subwoofer. I can only speak for the Descent, but I am sure that the Depth would provide the kick that makes the difference. Nothing I have listened to can equal ML's ability to replicate vocals or stringed instruments (mids and highs) but the matched sub has really made a difference in my sytem and is the best "bang for your buck" upgrade that you could consider. Before you go out and blow a lot of $ on a higher-end amp, think about adding one of ML's subs to your system as they are perfectly integrated without being "muddy" or "thumpy". My ML speaker system consists of a Cinema center, Ascent mains, Script surrounds and the Descent sub. It is outstanding as a two channel music system and is absolutely in 5-channel surround mode. I listen to everything from Jazz and Electronica to Reggae, Classical, Opera, Alternative and Hip-Hop. For music that rquires more bass i.e. Electronica, Reggae and Hip-Hop, the sub makes a huge difference but is less noticeable with classical and Jazz. Of course, all Dolby digital 5.1 material sounds MUCH better with the sub as well. In summary, I couldn't be happier with my Acent's but must admit that I am even more pleased with the overall effect with the Descent sub.

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B&W, Jamo, KEF

clarity, detail, dynamics, integration, imaging

none---if you can afford them.

I have owned these pair for 2 weeks now. Even at 20 hours of use, one can discern the astonishing detail, well-spaced sound stage and the dynamics of these speakers. I was initially considering of buying either the ML Aeon or the ML Clarity because they are more affordable. However after realizing that ML Clarity could not be bi-amped I decided to spend more and get these. I am glad that I did. The sweet spot on these is larger and they provide warmer sound overall. Every once in a while, you run into a product that is so well design that it really blends engineering and art together and creates magic. The Martin Logan Ascent is just that product. I have owned and heard numerous speakers such as B&Ws, Wharfedales, Monsoons, Magnepans, Sound Labs, Def-Tech, Dynaaudio, PSBs, Revel, Infinity, and Kefs but the ML Ascent are on a league of their own. They engage you in the music emotionally that you lose track of time. By the way, they are also superb home theater speakers. I tested it with Gladiator and Matrix and was equally impressed in their performance. I realize that these are not cheap but if you have the funds to afford them, you will be treated to years of musical ecstasy. The associated gear that I partnered with these speakers: Outlaw 755 bi-amped the Martin Logan Ascent and powers the MLCinema Outlaw 750 powers the Martin Logan Scenario (for rear channel effects) Subwoofer: Infinity HPS-1000 (1000 watts) Speaker wire: Audioquest GR 8 Interconnects: Nordost Blue Heaven Processor: Rotel RSP 1066 CD player: NAD 541i DVD/CD players: Pioneer Elite DV-c36 and Sony NC 650V SACD/DVD/CD Player.

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B&W, Monsoons, Magnepan, Revel, Wharfedale, PSB, Sound Labs, Quad, Kef, Def Tech, JBL, Infinity, Paradigm