I've owned the reQuests for almost three years (since their introduction). I really enjoy the natural sound, nothing artificial about them. For home theater I prefer the "in your face" sound of Klipsch, but for detailed jazz pieces I've been very satisfied with these. I've augmented the bass with a Velodyne 18" sub and would recommend the same to other reQuest owners.

I've had the Requests for several months now and listen to them avidly. No doubt they are a conversation piece. Guests come in and always ask to listen to the speakers. Of course I love to oblige. Many reviews on the Requests complain of a lack of bass. Well they are right in some respects. The bass is there, it just doesn't punch you. Listening to an Aerosmith album for instance you'll notice it sounds great, however it's missing that umph that you get with other high-end speakers. Also, keep in mind these speakers are extremely directional. Don't plan on leaving the room and expect the sound to envelop the other areas of your home. So, to sum up, if you listen to mainly rock stay away from these speakers. If you have an eclectic taste then these speakers will serve you well.
System:
Yamaha A3090
MIT T2 Bi-Wire
Sony CDP-CX90ES

These speakers disappear so well it is sometimes eerie. Even cats freak out wondering where the sound is coming from. I agree that the reQuests shine on eclectic music - female vocal, acoustic guitar and bass - but I feel they are also excellent at reproducing rock and jazz. Even my James Brown and Funkdelic CDs sound great through them. My last speakers where the Mirage M3s, which are more dynamic, but less true to the original. The immediate impression from some of my friends was that the Mirages sounded better. After 15 minutes or so they realized that the Mirages only sounded more like what they thought high-end should sound like. They are always blown away by the openness and imaging of the Logans, especially when I play HDCD encoded discs.
Recordings with a natural sense of space really make this speaker sing - the Cowboy Junkies' Trinity Sessions, the Weavers' Reunion at Carnegie Hall, Rob Wasserman's Duets and Trios, Modern Jazz Quartet from Monterey, Grateful Dead's Reckoning... Proper setup is critical to get the most out of these speakers, however.

The sound might be considered a bit laid back for some, but to me, this is the way music should sound. I've been listening to a lot more music since I switched to the reQuests.

Associated equip:
Aragon 8008ST amp
Creek OBH-12 passive potentiometer
Camelot Arthur 3.0 DAC
Audio Alchemy DTI
Marantz CD-67SE
Sony DTC2000ES dat
Homebrew solid core cables

I heard these speakers with a Levinson 332 amplifier and the Levinson #39 CD processor that has its own level control and doesn't require a pre-amp. All the cables were Purist Audio. The Martin Logans were amazing. The soundstage was very well defined, and had much depth. Detail was not overwhelming, nor lacking in any area. The high end was nice, but not too bright. The bottom end was not punch-you-in-the-gut hard, but was satisfying and very tight. Overall, one of the best-sounding speakers that I've ever heard. I've heard speakers that cost many times more(Genesis V's), and these speakers in my opinion can hold their own against some of these. I give them a 5. At their price, they are very hard to beat.

believe it or not...in my room it's the bass.

soundstage doesn't go beyond the speakers.

I've had several ML products in my listening room with the best sound coming from a pair of Sequel IIs that I unfortunately traded in for the Mono III's. That said, the ReQuests have that tradidional ML sound that is easy to listen to. I was surprised to find lots of people who are critical of the bass performance since that, to me, is their overwhelming strength, far better than the Dunlavys and the Monoliths (at least in my room). I position the speakers about one third of the way into the room and a few feet from the side walls with the speakers slightly toed in. There is about 9 feet of open space behind the speakers so the sound stage opens up nicely. I'm never aware of separate bass and panel speakers as everything meshes together very well. Some of my more demanding recordings, like the 2 Gladiator CDs sound incredible.

I think a mistake a lot of people make is they try to get great sound by buying good speakers and then don't support them with good electronics. These speakers will highlight the electronics you use and poor or mismatched components will eventually weave their way into the sound leaving you wondering why the speaker failed you. I'm a fan of high current amps and all Martin Logans, (at least the 4 I've owned) seem to benefit greatly from gobs and gobs of power. Given a little love, dedication, attention to setup, and good electronics these speakers provide good sound and good value.

I'm not selling these speakers!!

System:
Krell KSA 250s
Krell HRC-2
Krell KAV 300 CD
Wire World and MIT cables
Transparent Audio power cables
Tice Signature 3 power conditioner
2 dedicated 20 amp outlets.

You can see the setup of these speakers in my living room at steveneshan.com. Don't forget to sign my guestbook with your thoughts and links to any sites you know that has personal home stereo systems. No Businesses, please.

Similar Products Used:

sequell2, monolith iii, sl3, dunlavy sc4a

DEPTH OF STAGE, DETAIL

NONE

INSTEAD OF BI-WIRING THESE, BI-AMP AND GET SOME SERIOUS BOTTOM. THESE SPEAKERS WILL ABSOLUTLY SING WHEN YOU DO THIS. REMEMBER, THE BASS PERFORMANCE IS ACURATE, SO JUST ADD SOME HORSE POWER AND IT MAKES ITS OWN SAUCE!

Similar Products Used:

MAGNEPANS, OTHER MARTIN LOGAN, CELESTION, B&W

Overall excellence, superior design that also looks beautiful, tremendous build quality, staggering frequency response.

None, other than the fact that it needs to settle in like all other high end equipment.

These are my favorite speakers in the world bar none. I have brokered and resold Wilson products and owned many other brands, but nothing compares to Martin Logan Requests. I am distubed by some of the reviews I see here, as I am a critical listener who has heard many famous and not-so-famous designs (Electrostatic and dynamic). I use these guys with Krell MDA 300 monoblocks and can not get over the sound. They are magnificent! I am speechless, as I have not heard such clear detail-ever. There is nothing to comment on, much less critique, as the design is superior sounding, well-engineered, and even elegant looking. Everything I see, including the shipping crates, wreaks of thoughtful/thorough engineering. I do not believe I will be able to listen to cone/dynamic speakers again.

Take some of these other postings with a grain of salt. I have always heard concerns of cheesy cabinet construction, and I am here to tell you they are simply unfounded. They are not as heavy as the Wilson designs, but what good is a resonant free cabinet when you use a French (Focal) inverted dome tweeter that does not measure flat to an electrical signal? I do not approve of the way Wilson loudspeakers are voiced, as I believe they over-emphasize higher frequencies to emulate the extended sound of electrostatic designs. Also, the Watt-Puppies have a mid-bass prominence problem that leads me to wonder if Dave Wilson might have had something to do with the design of the original Bose 901's(I'm just kidding).

I am smitten. The only suggestion I could possibly make would be regarding the settling time of the speaker when fresh out of the box. The Owner's Manual indicates 20 hours, and it takes much longer than this for them to reach their optimum performance. That being said, these and the Krells have ended a 12 year mission to reach audio nirvana. Mission accomplished! Many thanks to Gayle Sanders and his excellent staff at Martin-Logan, as you should be publically decorated and honored for your great works.


David J. Zolyak, CSP, PE

Similar Products Used:

Vandersteen, Thiel, Wilson, KEF

I listened to these speakers and they blew me away...they are correct in every area that you would expect $5000 to be. But what impressed me is, what i can only describe as a coherent wavefront that actuall lets you FEEL the music. It was amazing. However i was listining to this system in a very well treated room and with a 15K amp. I wonder how these speakers sound in a real room with realistic electronics??? What setups have other heard these in?

sound, artistic style, price

mediocre build, ML cuts corners that are not obvious at 1st

I have owned many of ML's speakers, from the SL-3 to the Monolith. No, I haven't owned the extremes of the spectrum-- the Aerius's or the Statement.
First I have to qualify that I really love the sound of electrostats, especially the mid-range and the soundstaging. They are incredibly revealing and detailed. The bass, however, is always a problem for panel speakers, and ML's hybrid designs attempt to combat that deficiency with good results.
Now to the ML line. The ReQuest and the SL-3 are probably the best value in the ML line. Martin Logan's entire line is a DECENT value, and at first glance you wonder how they can make a speaker sound and look that good when companies like Wilson and B&W charge 2-4 X as much. Well, I can tell you how they do it. They cut corners that are not immediately obvious. The speaker is beautiful, even artistic in its design. But remove any of the woofers in any of the ML speakers and you will be flabergasted at the poor quality-a stamped spyder and a meager magnet. Closely inspect the cabinet-it is spray painted particle board. That's OKAY for a 2-3 thousand $$ speaker, but not for $5000+ speakers. The ReQuest is a good compromise. It doesn't have the clarity of the Monolith, especially in the lower treble and lower midrange, but it has equivalent or better bass. And it's price makes it a good value. I suggest potential buyers of ML speakers shy away from any speaker in their line costing over $4000-the build quality just does not justify it. In this case less is definately more.

Similar Products Used:

SL-3, Monolith, Stylos, Logos, Watt/Puppies

Let's reiterate! Incredible midrange clarity, soundstage as big as a mountain.

Three must be the charm. This is my third pair of Logan's. Finally my ride on the Sonic Nirvana Express has arrived.

To me, these things do it all. Incredible soundstage, spooky "you-are-there" midrange, highs are crystal clear.

OK, so the bass maybe isn't as tight, deep, and well defined as say a Hales Transendence 8, but what do you want for half the price! Bass is still very impressive overall.

Some caveat's, learn from my earlier mistakes, trials & tribs, Logans need some room to breath and unfortunately the best electronics "up stream" that you can feed 'em.

Also helps to have an understanding spouse who will tolerate some of those wacky looking room treatment thingies.

Get it all right, and you'll be rewarded with some of the most REALISTIC sound this side of a live musical event.

Asssociated Eq.:

Classe CA301 (incredible pc.)
Theta Miles (running direct to amp)
Well Tempered Labs Classic V
B.A.T. VK-P5 (phono stage)
CARDAS AC cords
PAC IDOS AC conditioner
Sennheisser HD600
Musical Fidelity X-Cans
Argent Room Lens (set of three)

Similar Products Used:

ML Sequel II, Aerius i, Alon IV, Magnaplanar MGIII