Audioscore for Martin Logan Renaissance ESL 15a Review

Audio Score – Martin Logan Renaissance ESL 15a – Audio Components Review

Introduction

audioscaleurs – Martin Logan Renaissance ESL 15a

Throughout my endeavors towards finding the best speakers for my ears and my taste in musicality, I have never really considered Martin Logan speakers. There has always been something strange about the looks of the Electrostatic loudspeakers that made me lean towards other solutions.

The speakers not only sound amazing, but they are also smarter than almost all of the competition. Why did it take so long to come up with this? I don’t know, but I hope this is the beginning of a great high-end Renaissance

I must say, it has not only been a visual thing. The electrostatic designs of the past have mostly been very three-dimensional, but I missed the musicality of horns or other designs. Today I would like to share my review of the current top-of-the line Martin Logan Hybrid speaker – The Renaissance ESL 15a. It was a groundbreaking experience, where the pros massively outnumber the cons.

This $30.000 speaker was connected to a fully-fledged Mcintosh system, consisting of the Mcintosh C53 preamplifier, two MC611 Mono-blocks and a Linn Streamer. All of the components were connected to a ISOTEK Aquarius EVO 3 filter. In general terms, with the ML’s we are listening to a hybrid design, with the bass drivers of every loudspeaker being powered by a 500-watt class D power amp and the panel powered by whatever power amp is connected.

I didn’t do much research on the speakers before listening to them and just let my ears and heart define my feelings towards these pieces of art. Let me give you an in-depth review of the speakers, my impressions and let me give them an AudioScore.

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This review is also recorded in their main studio. I have listened to many systems here and can perfectly place my listening experience and compare it to reviews of the past

This review is quite simple, with 3 main chapters:

The Audio Scaleurs Sight & Sound Score, or The A3S-Score

Download the A3S-Score

This A3S – score review is quite simple, with 3 main chapters:

The first part SIGHT focusses on the score of the device. Based on my personal experience, I will rate the speakers in various categories, give a score for the current value and the give it an audio-score. The total score is 40 points maximum.
The second part focusses on the SOUND aspects of the device, with a maximum of 50 points.
Last, we have the VALUE part, that accounts for 10 points.

If you would like me to feature your device, please feel free to contact me or visit my website audioscaleurs.com

Time for the Audio Components Review!

01 SIGHT.

CONVENIENCE.
I will now explain to you, how two 140 pound, 70 inches high and 30 inches deep speakers are one of the most convenient options in their price range. First of all, the weight. 140 pounds per speaker is a lot, but in comparison to other speakers in that price range, the weight is moderate. That comes from the nature of the electrostatic design. Since the 15a’s consist of two 12-inch woofers per loudspeaker and a flat panel, there are significantly less magnets than in other speakers. Another factor of convenience is placement. I have never heard any speaker that is as adaptable to the sonics of a room as the Martin Logans. The Anthem room correction system is superb. Once set up by your dealer, you can perfectly adapt the sound of the speakers to different listening positions. This makes them very versatile in placement and much more so than most of their competitors. You can damage the panels same as you could damage any other cone. Still, those are big and heavy speakers that won’t physically fit in every room, but ML has eliminated many of the inconvenience with clever technology. I am giving the 15a’s a 7 out of 10 for convenience.

LOOKS & STYLING.
In my personal opinion the 15a’s can blend in very well. The design is somewhat see-through, the bass module is beautifully made and can be ordered in different finishes. The overall design does not make them look like speakers, but they are not beautiful art sculptures either. The opinion about the looks and styling is divided, you either love or hate them. I start to like the design but there are other speakers which I find more visually appealing. Therefore, I am giving the ML’s a 6 out of 10 for looks and styling.

QUALITY.
The build quality of ML’s is good. The connectors and binding posts at the back of the speakers are of very high quality. The finish is good, however, not great. The fit and finish of the 15a’s are much better than of any ML speakers I have seen over the last decades. There is still some room for improvement to make them look even more impressive and sturdy, but ML has improved the quality and design philosophy significantly. The LED’s at the front of the Bass unit give a little bit of an extra touch and make the speakers somewhat float when it is dark. Overall I give the Martin Logans a 7 out of 10 for Quality.

FEATURES.
This is another big one. With the 15a’s you are not buying a passive speaker that needs significant external amplification. For the price you are buying a hybrid system that comes with a passive panel, an active subwoofer unit and a state-of-the-art room correction system. If you would compensate for that in a system with different speakers, you would have to invest heavily in an external room correction device and 500 extra watts per channel for the bass drivers. On top of that you can manually change the bass and midrange with adjustment wheels at the back of every speaker. Those are some amazing features and the ML outclass many of the rivals. For the features, I am giving the ML’s a 9 out of 10. How about a fully active unit based on the 15a’s for the future? That would be mighty impressive.

TOTAL.
Summing up the Sight Score, the Martin Logans are very convenient because of the room correction system, they are massively equipped with tons of features, somewhat good to look at and well build. Therefore, we end up with a Sight Score of 29 out of 40. Mighty impressive for a speaker of this size and power.

02 SOUND.

AUDIO EXCELLENCE & TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS.
With a system frequency response of 22HZ-21kHZ at +-3DB, the 15a’s go almost flat for the entire human hearing spectrum. This is excellent and in combination with a sensitivity of 92dB, the speakers are much better suited for lower power amplification than most of its rivals. Each speaker can draw up to 900 watts from the power line. Consider this when you also have strong external amplification. Make sure you have the right circuit setup with a dedicated line to those monsters. Audio excellence is another factor here. Coming from what Martin Logan has learned in their subwoofer designs, they have opened a new chapter of speaker design. For me, this speaker design is a leap into the near future of high-end audio. This hybrid design is executed so well, that I give it a 9 out of 10 for technical specifications and audio excellence.

DETAIL.
Before I go into the details of this, I can tell you that I was so surprised. When you sit in a calibrated sweet spot of the ML’s you will hear things in the music that you have never heard before. Take Adele’s “I miss you” and listen to the bass guitar wiggle away. Listen to Billie Eilish’s “I love you” and be amazed on how well the voices of Billie and her brother are mixed together but also separate. The 15a’s expose you to the music in an incredible detailed way. Much more so than many speakers I have heard. Don’t get me wrong though, the detail does not lead to harsh sounds and it never started to bother me at higher volumes. Where the 15a’s outperform all speakers that I have heard, is when you listen to music at moderate volumes. Everything is there with so much accuracy and detail. This must be another benefit of the room correction system. Overall, this is amazing: 9 out of 10 for me.

IMAGING.
This is another big one: The imaging capabilities of the speakers are extraordinary. When you sit in the sweet spot, the soundstage is extremely focused. It is also extremely three-dimensional. On top of that, the speakers create a sort of intimacy, which stops you from leaving that sweet spot. However, when you leave the sweet spot and walk around the room, the entire soundstage falls apart. It sounds wrong. The music has a completely different tonality to it. One might say that this is completely normal, and this is why you have measured the speaker into the sweet spot. In my opinion this shows the power of the technology and what great engineering can do, but it also shows its limits. Ask yourself how often you can sit in one, two or three sweet spots and how often you jump around your listening space. I do both. Sometimes I even dance around in front of my music system. Therefore, the imaging capability is really 9 out of 10 in the sweet-spot and 3 out of 10 everywhere else. Your score now varies from 3 to 9, depending on your listening habits. I am amazed and I think the 15a’s would have me sit down more, therefore I give them a 7 out of 10 for imaging.

BASS PERFORMANCE.

Two 12-inch woofers per speaker, 500 watts of power and a punch that hits you right in your face and the stomach at the same time. For 9 out of 10 listening spaces this speaker will blow your mind in bass performance. It is accurate, textured, powerful and dry. This is a strong bass performance and if you want more, you simply give it a decibel or two more at the back of the speaker. I can imagine situations where other speakers in that price-range deliver more at super high volumes, but only there and not in combination with the overall superb performance. Bass performance is impactful and correct. It is fun and it is not annoying. Therefore, it gets a 9 out of 10 for bass.

SYNERGY.
I don’t want to repeat myself, but synergy is another strong one for the ML’s. The way these speakers can be paired with electronics is vastly superior to most of the competition. Hook them up to a 5k Integrated and you will get 90% out of them. An MA9000 from Mcintosh will deliver 99% of the performance of a twice as expensive pre-power combo. This makes the hybrid design so attractive. Combine this with the versatility and adaptability because of the room correction system, which can be shut off too, and you receive synergy-bliss. I am doing it. This speaker receives a 10 out of 10 for synergy.

TOTAL.
The Sound Score of the Martin Logan 15a’s is 44 out of 50. What a statement and one of the best, if not the best performing speaker I have heard- As long as you sit in the sweet spots.

03 VALUE.

At $30.000, the ESL 15a deliver exceptional value for money. History has proven that ML speakers tend to depreciate more than competitors in that class. However, you don’t have to invest as heavily in electronics, and you get a design that is somewhat timeless. Therefore, the 15a’s are a very good deal new and once they hit the used market, they simply become a bargain. Therefore, I give them a 6 out of 10 for value.

04 A3S - SCORE.

Add it all up and the scores are 29+44+6= 79 out of 100.

If you are in the market for the best speaker systems money can buy, please consider the Martin Logan 15a’s. They have completely blown my mind due to their overall performance. The speakers not only sound amazing, but they are also smarter than almost all of the competition. Why did it take so long to come up with this? I don’t know, but I hope this is the beginning of a great high-end Renaissance.

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