Help for a newbie

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Aug 10, 2019
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Hi All,

Figured this was the place to come to for advice :). I have just inherited an amplifier and speakers and would like some help with what to put with them to create a decent system. The amplifier is a plinius 8150 and the speakers are martin logan aerius i floorstanding electrostatic combo. We have just rigged this up to my friends marantz cd player to test it's working and all seems to be good. The main issue I could immediately hear was the lack of bass. The treble is like nothing i've ever heard - vocals sound 'in the room next to you' amazing and any music mostly in this register was great. However there is little depth and punch to the bass and therefore the whole effect lacked balance.

I'm a more or less complete beginner with this stuff so go easy with me! I'd prefer not to spend the earth on this but would like to do justice to this kit which seems to be pretty good stuff. So I know i'll need a cd player and cabling (which didn't come with it) but possibly something else as well for the bass problem?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.
 
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Anonymous

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As easy as that huh? :)

Having let it settle in a bit I think the bass response is actually improving. I will certainly think about adding a sub at a later stage to fatten it out though. First things first I need to get a cd player and cables to get this up and running. Any tips about what I should look out for or try in particular bearing in mind the rest of the kit?
 
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Anonymous

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Sorry to bump my own thread which is a hanging offence on some forums but I'd really appreciate some help with this.

Having looked around a bit I now have a better idea of what sort of standard this kit is - pretty good but at least 10 years old. I'm at a bit of a loss as to what I should be looking at in terms of a cd player to go with it. I think my budget limit will have to be around the £500 mark, will I be able to do justice to what I have for that? Is there a cd player that may compliment the range of the speakers better than others (in terms of promoting the low end)? Any advice would be gratefully received.
 

ID.

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Feb 22, 2010
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From what I've heard (not actually experienced myself) electrostatic speakers are known for having the qualities you describe. i.e. the bass doesn't match up to the openness, detail and realism of the upper registers.

As a source I suppose you'd want a CD player and/or files playing from a computer, etc. through a DAC) and spend some time getting to know the sound and seeing whether I enjoyed it before starting to think about whether to add a sub or changing the speakers completely. As it is a fairly rare combination it might be hard to get specific advice, but if you can audition cd players or dacs at home it might start to give you an idea of what you can achieve. I suspect (once again, strictly based on hearsay and not my own experience) that no matter how warm or bassy your source is, there may be no overcoming the nature of the electrostatics.
 
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Anonymous

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I had martin logan sl3s for years, fantasic speaker vocals to die for. I thought the same when I first got them, bass light. So i auditioned 3 subs and picked one. After a few months I started to switch the sub off and prefered the sound and the bass from the actual speakers, more controled and less in your face and natral. I also found it difficult intergrate a subwoofer with the electrostatics. I'm not sure if it's something to do with the characteristicsof the panel.

I would sit and hold tight until you get used to the sound, as they are very different, then your not wasting a lot of money - like I did!!!!
 
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Anonymous

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The more I listen to this kit the more I'm realising that a lot of this is down to perception. I'm just so used to hearing music through inferior equipment with the bass cranked up or loudness added and this sound is a completely different kettle of fish. Also the equipment really seems to benefit from a decent warm up - after a while the sound comes together and seems far more balanced. The detail it brings out in the music is staggering.

So I think I will take your advice and hold off on the sub for a while and concentrate on getting a decent cd player.
 

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