The Martin Logan CLX's, a true work of Art!

[Big Dog RJ]

OK Maties, I know I've preached about being satisfied with what you've got and good enough is "good enough".

It certainly was good enough in terms of the ML Ethos since Nov 2016. Enjoyed them tremendously with various iterations from the CA150, Cav45, Classic 60se and onto the LP125m's (fitted with KT120's). This will be my final pair of amplifiers since I do still have to attend to family priorities...

After working flat out and saving every penny, towards the CLX's, for nearly 3 years of very hard labor, and believe me the company I work for, really put you to work!

Da big dog is in da house!!!!!
The CLX's will arrive on Monday!

I'm still in a bit of a haze... closed a superb very special deal on a trade-in with the Ethos, and the new customer will be delighted to acquire a pair of Ethos in pristine condition. Good on him!

The only thing I would have loved is the special maple color but that color alone was costing a fortune... Plus a 3 months delivery direct from Canada. So I settled for the standard Black version, still looks stunning!
Oh well, I guess you can't have it all.

Will report in due time with some pics and a full write up.
Cheers and best regards to all, RJ

[admin]

Congratulations RJ. The CLX's are my holy grail speakers as well. You have worked very hard and now that hard work is going to pay off. Sounds well deserved.

Of course, we are going to want a thorough review of the sound once you have your system set up.

[joeinid]

Congratulations RJ!!! Very good news indeed. We are so happy for you. Wow!!

[Big Dog RJ]

Thanks for your sincere replies gentlemen.

It wasn't an easy task at all, it took me over 3 years to keep going with the funds, at one point I thought I'd never be able to acquire the CLX's at the rate the cost of living is over here. These things are termed luxury goods and land down unda with heavy taxes, hence the dealers can't provide good deals due to hardly any margins...

It was through the help of another good customer who was very passionate about the Ethos and wanted one at the right price in pristine condition, and mine happened to be just that! Talk about luck...

So I just had to make the deal, it was a matter of time.
I know from what I've experienced the LP125 monoblocks will be a perfect match for the CLX's, since the power is not overkill plus they have a very high musicality factor, as is the case with any CJ amplification, I strongly believe that this will be the best I've ever owned by a far margin.

Also, I will end it at that, as this will be my final speakers and amplifiers, they are good enough! Many have advised that I should upgrade my pv15 to either a GAT or an ET7, however at this stage all the funds went towards the CLX's, so that's all I got.

Yes, I will definitely report with proper pics and a good write up that captures the sound and the true essence of the CLX's, they arrive next week Sun. Gives me just a bit more time to relax with the Ethos...

Cheers and best regards to all, RJ

[joeinid]

We can feel your excitement. Savor the delivery, setup and first few songs. It will me amazing. Great choice!

[Big Dog RJ]

Thanks Joe,
I just packed up the Ethos after a few hours of listening tonight, I must say they still sound fantastic!

I've gone through the full specs of the CLX's and their dimensions, so I've marked down the probable spot, getting ready for delivery. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!...!
Way too excited, the wifey things I'm losing the plot!

I've never been this passionate about a speaker system. The way this thing presents music, it's like an art form and not just a sound...
Plus with CJ amplification, that musicality art form is taken to another level. There is some magic that takes place with the match up of CJ & ML.

I believe it's that simplicity of fine circuits and the sheer transparency of ML's that brings out the music in its purest form, unhindered, uncolored and most of all totally engaging that further heightens the "enjoyment of recorded music". This is actually the statement of CJ and what they stand for, interesting.

Although the room is fairly small, I've had similar size stats in here, such as Maggie's & Quads, so I'm placing these back in those spots, and the carpets still bear the holes of those spikes. I hope the CLX's don't cause too much damage. Carpets can't be avoided as it's part of the apartment's layout, wall to wall carpeting.

Our new place will be far more musical in terms of room size, ambient space and far more area for these kinds of stats to breathe, which is very important. Otherwise there really is no point in acquiring such a large panel.

It is going to be an agonizing week till Sun, each day is going to feel like a week! Oh well, we'll weather it out...
Cheers Maties, have a good one to all, and enjoy your music through that wonderful CJ gear.
RJ

[admin]

RJ,
Can't wait to hear what your impressions are going to be. As you know, they can be very finicky with placement. My room is about 500 sq ft and I spent a lot of time moving both my ML Vantages and Magnepan 20.1's to get optimal sound. It is always surprising how even a one-inch difference 15 feet away from the listening position can make a noticeable difference in sound and imaging. I find planar speakers are much more sensitive to positioning than traditional speakers. As the CLX's are very large and heavy, I would recommend putting them on a carpet or board that you can push around easily. They won't be planted for the best sound, but will make repositioning much easier. You can play a song and literally push the speaker an inch at a time to find the best sounding position. Once you find the optimum position, you can then remove the carpet/board and plan them securely.

Again, congrats on the purchase!

[roberto]

Congratulations RJ. Now I have to sell mines to another audiophile...LOL. I have a little advices for you: Lift them from the floor, 15 cm. Not 16cm or 14 cm. Make a couple of wood stands for them. Use hard wood for them. Also use the spikes that comes with them. Use the power cords supplied by Martin Logan. Good quality power cords are. Use the flashlight for the proper alignment of the hi-mid range stat panel for room acoustics and stage.
Enjoy!
Happy listenin!

[Big Dog RJ]

Yes, thank you for all the suggestions and your advice Admin & Roberto.

The major flaw I will have will be the room. Frankly speaking it seem as if the CLX's are bigger than our apartment! I was waiting for our new house to be built but this is taking longer than we anticipated... They are still developing the land and that was two years ago!

Therefore, for my luck, when I just happened to enquire about the current pricing of the CLX's, it was way more than I had initially thought. I then asked the chap for a probable solution and so the deal was made via a trade-in for the Ethos plus a special discount on the current model for 2018. Next year, actually speaking Dec/Jan 2019, the price goes up to 40 grand for the pair!

I cannot do any mods on the floors as we are renting and I've already caused major holes in the carpets from previous speakers spikes. For all the proper placement I will have to wait till we move into our new place.

For the time being, I will place these at the same spot where the previous Maggie's and Quads used to be. That will still give it about 5ft from the front wall, about 1ft from each side and around 6ft apart from the curved panel's centre. Listening distance will remain the same about 8ft, angle in a bit using flash light method, plus exact measurements with my laser light. Sit back and fall off the sofa!

Will report back on Mon, after the initial few hours...
Cheers to all, kind regards
RJ

[Timo62]

RJ,

Congratulations on you new Martin Logan CLX Art!!! They look beautiful.

[roberto]

Yes, thank you for all the suggestions and your advice Admin & Roberto.

The major flaw I will have will be the room. Frankly speaking it seem as if the CLX's are bigger than our apartment! I was waiting for our new house to be built but this is taking longer than we anticipated... They are still developing the land and that was two years ago!

Therefore, for my luck, when I just happened to enquire about the current pricing of the CLX's, it was way more than I had initially thought. I then asked the chap for a probable solution and so the deal was made via a trade-in for the Ethos plus a special discount on the current model for 2018. Next year, actually speaking Dec/Jan 2019, the price goes up to 40 grand for the pair!

I cannot do any mods on the floors as we are renting and I've already caused major holes in the carpets from previous speakers spikes. For all the proper placement I will have to wait till we move into our new place.

For the time being, I will place these at the same spot where the previous Maggie's and Quads used to be. That will still give it about 5ft from the front wall, about 1ft from each side and around 6ft apart from the curved panel's centre. Listening distance will remain the same about 8ft, angle in a bit using flash light method, plus exact measurements with my laser light. Sit back and fall off the sofa!

Will report back on Mon, after the initial few hours...
Cheers to all, kind regards
RJ

My dearest friend RJ,
Do not worry about the size of the speakers. You can see my pics and my room is very small. These speakers can sing in all rooms. If you have a
equilateral triangle position from the distance of the inner stat panels, you are OK. This will narrow the golden seat, but the magic remains. My golden seat position is only for two persons. But, what kind of magic!!!!

Make the stands using any hard wood. Put some coins under the spikes. Yes, I do know...coins spoils the image...I don't think so! There are many things that you might use under the spikes. But 15 cm height stands are the best. I did try all height sizes...and not only me chose that height.

The ideal speaker must be with the size of the room where you are listening...but this is not possible, right? This way, all the bad resonances or room boundaries will not be present...but, these speakers are marvellous.

And having 5 feet away from the back wall is more than enough. I have mine only about 3 feet away, and believe me, the overall sound is very good.

Please, tell us your findings,
Happy listening!

[Big Dog RJ]

Thanks for that Timo, I am super excited about this, I've never been so passionate about a stat of this nature but then again this is not a regular stat! It took me an awful long time to finally acquire these, and these will be my very last.

G'day Roberto,
Yes, I agree with you regarding the room. In fact my good mate, Kostas, who actually got me into thinking seriously about the CLX's, gave me some room measurements and specs to follow. I will use these and see how it works.

I was told by ML that the 5ft from the front wall is more than adequate, so you're absolutely right! They also mentioned that 2ft from the sides would be ideal, since these can very easily propel the sound way beyond the panels itself. However, having side room limitations, they told me that at least 1ft is OK and should work remarkably well as long as I follow the angle inwards correctly based on listening position, which you also correctly pointed out.

At the dealers place they sounded marvelous but his room is heavily damped with huge speakers all over the place. He has massive Harbeth's, Dynaudio, some other huge Towers plus Quads, and other Martin Logan's such as Montis & Summits, sometimes the sound of the CLX's gets duffuesd...

The best place and room set I've heard to date, is at Kostas place, they are nothing short of magical!
I know I will be able to achieve at least close to around 80-90% of the potential but definitely not 100%, as for that our new place will be best suited. I've already made a placement grid for the CLX's in our new place, since I've got the floor plans and there is ample space for these things to deliver its true art form.

I will definitely report back with all placement options and my initial thoughts, should be an awesome ride!
Cheers mates, have a good one.
RJ

[roberto]

Thanks for that Timo, I am super excited about this, I've never been so passionate about a stat of this nature but then again this is not a regular stat! It took me an awful long time to finally acquire these, and these will be my very last.

G'day Roberto,
Yes, I agree with you regarding the room. In fact my good mate, Kostas, who actually got me into thinking seriously about the CLX's, gave me some room measurements and specs to follow. I will use these and see how it works.

I was told by ML that the 5ft from the front wall is more than adequate, so you're absolutely right! They also mentioned that 2ft from the sides would be ideal, since these can very easily propel the sound way beyond the panels itself. However, having side room limitations, they told me that at least 1ft is OK and should work remarkably well as long as I follow the angle inwards correctly based on listening position, which you also correctly pointed out.

At the dealers place they sounded marvelous but his room is heavily damped with huge speakers all over the place. He has massive Harbeth's, Dynaudio, some other huge Towers plus Quads, and other Martin Logan's such as Montis & Summits, sometimes the sound of the CLX's gets duffuesd...

The best place and room set I've heard to date, is at Kostas place, they are nothing short of magical!
I know I will be able to achieve at least close to around 80-90% of the potential but definitely not 100%, as for that our new place will be best suited. I've already made a placement grid for the CLX's in our new place, since I've got the floor plans and there is ample space for these things to deliver its true art form.

I will definitely report back with all placement options and my initial thoughts, should be an awesome ride!
Cheers mates, have a good one.
RJ

RJ,
You do know about audio, right? First thing is to get used to your new sound, is play a lot of music. And what you are feeling good right now to play. The place where you are going to have them, there should be nothing in front of them, right? Also you use a equilateral triangle for the sweet golden seat spot right? Then, you have it!! Just keep in mind this: an inch makes a difference. But this difference is not a bad thing. What it does is move your seat at the event, only that. The stage remains having the musician(s) right there...at the stage. So just choose where do you want to seat. Front rods, or one third of the theatre, or in the middle of the event, or at the back of the event.

For fine adjustment tips: just towing them from their inner panel, you get closer, and bringing to be even, you go to the back of the theatre. you get this, and for more precision, lift their back with the spikes a little bit, only two turns will do. Make a dot with a marker, and you can count how many turns you have.

I had use big rooms and very small rooms, and their sound is very pleasant. All my customers are very happy with them and the results. Just a little patience and with your hearing skills, you are done.

You must get used, accustomed to your new sound. You have to listen all your music, and you will start to discover a new way of listening pleasure. You will discover all your old recordings, and you will start to claim: I never heard that before...this is a normal happening.

Happy listening!

[roberto]

RJ, I forgot, use a masking tape to mark where you like what you heard, and then keep changing their position. If you do not like the further positions, them you can come back to the one you like easily.

[Big Dog RJ]

OK Roberto, got it thanks for that mate.
I will certainly keep these points in mind, and try out all possible options. Thanks for your insight and thoughtful suggestions, I think they will come into good use!

I was wondering, in your experience, how long does the bass take to fully open up?
I know this is obviously based on how much I listen but my listening sessions are very limited.

System is on only on Sun and Mon nights, average listen sessions are about 4 hrs each night, so a total of 8hrs during these two days. These are the only two days I have off, hence all other times are flat out at my work place.

Unless I get sick or take annual leave... Now that's a thought!

Martin Logan states that 100 hrs is adequate but even when I had the Ethos, it took far more than that!
Let me know your thoughts. Cheers mate
RJ

[roberto]

RJ,
You must find the bass resonance of your room, in other words, where the bass energy of your room helps to the bass to resonante. This is not a one bass note. Its the boundaries of the room. How do you do it? Do not worry for the famous five feet...the stage will not get spoiled here. Seat and call for some friends to help. Or, just move both speakers to their back wall each time, a half of a foot, and take a listen. Moving them will make to find this room resonance that will help you with the bass energy. You must have a room bass cancellation, so move your chair to your back wall, or find the bass resonance spot...difficult, but not to hard to find. If your head is about two feet away of the back wall, you are in trouble here. There is a bass cancellation usually at that particular distance from the back wall. The wall that is behind you, behind your head. If there is not wall, then, you must find the resonance that I am talking about. It is a room bass energy cancellation what you have. This cancellation is not showed on dynamic speakers as it does on the CLXs. Trust your ears, those are the final judges here...

Can you provide your room size of more or less, how are you setting your system? This will help me to provide a better advice about this. You are getting there my friend...just patience.

Also, the bass of these beasts are super fast! They do go bellow 40Hz, but you must find their position to project the bass energy to your place. Its your room, not the speakers...so you must find the spot.

Happy listening!

[Big Dog RJ]

G'day Roberto, thanks for your message.

I hope I'm not troubling you with all my questions.
I've never been so passionate about a stat panel of this nature ever before! I'm very fortunate to have managed to obtained the CLX's, as I thought financially I would never get there but somehow I did!

Yes, here are the room dimensions:
Width = 13ft across
Height = 8ft
Length = 30ft long

I can get 4&1/2 ft distance from front wall, listening position is exactly 8ft, and the wall behind listening position is not right behind me, rather it is way back towards the end of the room, which is nearly 22ft away...

This room has all in one: lounge area dining table kitchen area wall behind includes kitchen cupboards.
About half way from the lounge, there's a sliding doorway, which is about 4ft opened, and can be closed for privacy but is usually kept open.
That doorway leads to our room, at the back towards kitchen, there's another standard doorway that leads to another room, washrooms and back door. That's about it!
This is our humble shoe box!

When the Ethos is playing tunes with some hefty bass lines, the whole house shakes... Including the fish tank that is located opposite to the larger doorway. The fish love the bass!

Our new place that is being built, lounge kitchen area will be around 3 times larger, hence ample space for critical placing.

Re. To bass, yes I do know the CLX's can produce phenomenal bass, lightening fast, high definition, high resolution and very accurate to the affect of natural tones, not enhancements...

This leads to my next point about a review that JV made in TAS issue Feb 1st 2009; he claims the CLX's to be the best stat he's heard and made it his reference dipole but then contradicts his statements by saying it lacks bass. Goes onto compare it to the Quad ESL 2905's, claiming the 2905's bass is superior... This is total nonsense!

I owned the 2905's!
1. They are nowhere close to the CLX's
2. They roll off the highs, they cannot reproduce the top end compared to a ML stat or a ribbon transducer, such as Maggie's.
3. The Quad bass is not accurate, rather musical fuzzy and has a drumy affect.
The best attributes of the Quads are it's soundstage depth, due to its special dispersion pattern and the mid-range is nice and relaxing. The 2905's gave me immense pleasure listening to music during late night sessions and it sounds very warm, plus with CJ amplification, it's a superb match!

The CLX's or any ML stat, will sound far more dynamic, authoritative, far more transparent, ultra fast, extreme resolution and extraordinary soundstage compared to Quads. The other huge factor is Quads are now made in China (very poor quality control, for me it was a total disaster!) CLX's are made in Canada and nearly every ML speaker. Their quality control is top notch!

Anyway, sorry about the rant, I'm just very annoyed at JV's review of the CLX's, it is completely off track. Another point I would like to stress quickly, during JV's review, his amplifiers are ARC 610t monoblocks! Even at a blistering 600w, the dam things could not drive the CLX's properly to reproduce bass quantity...

My good mate Kostas is using a 30w Class A Pass Labs XA30.8, it controls and drives the CLX's bass to extraordinary levels, it is like nothing I've ever heard.

I sincerely think CJ amplification is far more superior to ARC when it comes to driving and handling stats or ribbon panels or a combination of both. CJ's power supplies and current capabilities are far greater than ARC, and they have no issues driving panel type designs. I know this for a fact, from personal experience.

Getting back to my room dimensions, as you can see space is somewhat limited but I'll have to manage somehow. Can you imagine I've had big Maggie's and Wilson's in this shoebox... Very imposing as soon as you walk in!

Cheers mate, and thanks for your great advice.
RJ

[admin]

Hi RJ,
Although the room is narrow, it is rather lengthy which is nice plus. I'm a big fan of acoustic treatments and it is a simple method of aiding sound manipulation when room characteristics are not ideal. Getting some absorption panels on the walls/ceiling can often significantly improve the overall sound and is aesthetically pleasing (which is important when the listening room is a general habit area of the house). Just one extra thing to consider if your are having acoustic issues.

[roberto]

G'day Roberto, thanks for your message.

I hope I'm not troubling you with all my questions.
I've never been so passionate about a stat panel of this nature ever before! I'm very fortunate to have managed to obtained the CLX's, as I thought financially I would never get there but somehow I did!

Yes, here are the room dimensions:
Width = 13ft across
Height = 8ft
Length = 30ft long

I can get 4&1/2 ft distance from front wall, listening position is exactly 8ft, and the wall behind listening position is not right behind me, rather it is way back towards the end of the room, which is nearly 22ft away...

This room has all in one: lounge area dining table kitchen area wall behind includes kitchen cupboards.
About half way from the lounge, there's a sliding doorway, which is about 4ft opened, and can be closed for privacy but is usually kept open.
That doorway leads to our room, at the back towards kitchen, there's another standard doorway that leads to another room, washrooms and back door. That's about it!
This is our humble shoe box!

When the Ethos is playing tunes with some hefty bass lines, the whole house shakes... Including the fish tank that is located opposite to the larger doorway. The fish love the bass!

Our new place that is being built, lounge kitchen area will be around 3 times larger, hence ample space for critical placing.

Re. To bass, yes I do know the CLX's can produce phenomenal bass, lightening fast, high definition, high resolution and very accurate to the affect of natural tones, not enhancements...

This leads to my next point about a review that JV made in TAS issue Feb 1st 2009; he claims the CLX's to be the best stat he's heard and made it his reference dipole but then contradicts his statements by saying it lacks bass. Goes onto compare it to the Quad ESL 2905's, claiming the 2905's bass is superior... This is total nonsense!

I owned the 2905's!
1. They are nowhere close to the CLX's
2. They roll off the highs, they cannot reproduce the top end compared to a ML stat or a ribbon transducer, such as Maggie's.
3. The Quad bass is not accurate, rather musical fuzzy and has a drumy affect.
The best attributes of the Quads are it's soundstage depth, due to its special dispersion pattern and the mid-range is nice and relaxing. The 2905's gave me immense pleasure listening to music during late night sessions and it sounds very warm, plus with CJ amplification, it's a superb match!

The CLX's or any ML stat, will sound far more dynamic, authoritative, far more transparent, ultra fast, extreme resolution and extraordinary soundstage compared to Quads. The other huge factor is Quads are now made in China (very poor quality control, for me it was a total disaster!) CLX's are made in Canada and nearly every ML speaker. Their quality control is top notch!

Anyway, sorry about the rant, I'm just very annoyed at JV's review of the CLX's, it is completely off track. Another point I would like to stress quickly, during JV's review, his amplifiers are ARC 610t monoblocks! Even at a blistering 600w, the dam things could not drive the CLX's properly to reproduce bass quantity...

My good mate Kostas is using a 30w Class A Pass Labs XA30.8, it controls and drives the CLX's bass to extraordinary levels, it is like nothing I've ever heard.

I sincerely think CJ amplification is far more superior to ARC when it comes to driving and handling stats or ribbon panels or a combination of both. CJ's power supplies and current capabilities are far greater than ARC, and they have no issues driving panel type designs. I know this for a fact, from personal experience.

Getting back to my room dimensions, as you can see space is somewhat limited but I'll have to manage somehow. Can you imagine I've had big Maggie's and Wilson's in this shoebox... Very imposing as soon as you walk in!

Cheers mate, and thanks for your great advice.
RJ

You have a wonderful room Rj,
What I do, if I were you, first is to play a heavy bass recording, and starting from left or right speaker, is to find a bass energy spot. Sometimes one foot away, there is no bass at all. This is due to room cancellations. You can not do a comparison between a dynamic cone speaker with the stat panels, you do know that. With the stat panels, your room is the one who acts as the cone box...and you must find the sweet spot. Play that heavy bass notes and walk from your seat to find the bass. Remember, you could be setting where you have a bass room cancellation. First is find that spot, and from there, moving the speakers will make to change that sweet spot, and get it where you want to seat.

You can as to me what ever you want...I love to help

[roberto]

Hi RJ,
Although the room is narrow, it is rather lengthy which is nice plus. I'm a big fan of acoustic treatments and it is a simple method of aiding sound manipulation when room characteristics are not ideal. Getting some absorption panels on the walls/ceiling can often significantly improve the overall sound and is aesthetically pleasing (which is important when the listening room is a general habit area of the house). Just one extra thing to consider if your are having acoustic issues.

Great advice too...!
Happy listening to all!