These better be those plasma speakers for that much money!

They're sound holes.

They make the sound sound soundier.

Psh... everyone knows rotary cut bubinga is out this season, it's all about the heptagonal cut.

Oh, also, you can get equally flawless precision from conventional gimick-less speakers for much less.

i agree with kaneshadow. i've listened to electrostatic speakers and they have no warmth, and are too crisp for my taste.

Don't knock the MLs 'til you've spent some time with 'em.
I'd have electrostatics if I didn't have 2 and 3 year olds a-putterin' about.

LOL - the best part about the flawless music reproduction is hooking your ipod up to it. That'll really show you what high end speakers can do.

/me throws up.

What? This might as well be a chatroom.

All you have to do to appreciate a pair of these, is to watch a movie with a scene where it is raining. You'll swear its raining in your living room.

@poppageorgio: Indeed. If half the people posting comments here would just STFU and listen to a pair of Quad Electrostatics with a quality source like a Rega Saturn and basically any Rega Amp, with some Pure Silver Sounds interconnects (RCA or XLR) and quality speaker cord...

Brass and other high frequency sounds really shine, and can be quite warm.

The biggest downside to most electrostatic speakers is size (they can get outrageously big), and limited listening angle (you really have to have them positioned just right - very much unlike the B&O "adaptive" top-line speakers).

Try for yourself before knocking. And BTW, compared to Quads *IF* these speakers sound good they are a bargain!!!

Good electrostatic vs. not-so-good is like the difference between decent mid-range Sony Headphones vs. something like a Sennheiser 600 series or an Ultrasone PRO 750 Headphone...

I've been amazed by MLs/electrostatics since I was a kid. I still promise to get a pair if I ever have a house with a music-only room separate from the theater.

The have much more affordable models, I think down to about $1500 a pair.

I don't get it. Automatically, the haters come out when audio equipment shows up. These speakers aren't expensive enough to be called extravagent. I've listened to MLs before and they're just good speakers as a reasonable price. If you want to automatically criticize based on price, pick something that costs at least $50K, all right?

@ jwardell - Agree... it's a funny thing but the difference between a $1500 pair and an $8,500 pair is nowhere near ~5x better sound, probably not even 2x...

When you start dealing with hand turned woods and other less common elements in construction, the price can go up very fast - as can the profit for the speaker maker!!! Being in a family that makes electrostatic speakers I can personally attest to this...

These speakers have always been on a short list for me. ML's are some of the best bang for your bunk when you want to get a taste of the high end. If you have never heard their high end hooked up to a tube amp you would never know what your missing. They are amazing.

"Wenge?" "Bubinga?"

It's bad enough that they're talking about high-end audio stuff that I can't afford, now they are making up words.

Actually I thought Bubinga was a term of endearment that one's grandmother might use: "Come here and give Grandma a big kiss, my little Bubinga."

And I remember getting a wenge once. Hurt like heck, and I've not been able to wear conventional underwear since.

@poppageorgio: For $8500 I will personally come to your house and simulate rain in your living room.

For $10,000, I'll use water.

@benenglish
@macmovieman
Agreed, I don't consider these speakers in the "Pear Cable" realm of superfluous. In fact, these speakers are quite amazing and if I had just a bit more cash, would strongly consider them myself.

If you want to hear ML speakers, just stop into a "Tweeters" store and check them out. And no, that brick sitting on top of my amplifier did NOT improve my "sound stage" or make audio appear more "airy."

@kaneshadow: Electro Static is not a gimmick, and has does have phenominal sound. I have had a pair of Martin Logans for many years, and can attest that, for those who love their music, they are worth the money.

Yes, you can get a great set of speakers from Best Buy for $1500 to $2000 that will make most people happy. But, if music is a passion, Martin Logans are worth it. I have the same feelings for Bang & Olufsen.

Comment on MartinLogan Spire Speakers I had MLs years ago and loved their sound. But even with the curved panels, the sound changes if you move your head just slightly. It was something you had to get used to. BTW, what is the deal with "rotary cut" bubinga? Rotary cut is the most efficient and the cheapest method of cutting veneer, but I've never heard anybody brag about it. Quarter- sawn or flat cut are usually used if you're trying to make the wood look its best. TrailerMan

Most things in China are "hand made" as well, as it's cheaper labor.....

@ps61318: Wenge and Bubinga are 2 types of exotic wood. Google them to see pics.

@zenpoet: I am sure the people over at Martin Logan really appreciate my heartfelt support of their product with my halting and tortured syntax. Sorry guys!

Honestly, Martin-Logans sound like ass. I've listened to a bunch and they're just... so... bleh. Give me a pair of Magneplanars any day. Or Quads, if you must have electrostats.

i own a pair of ml vistas. they are very accurate, and sounded better than most speakers twice the price in the listening room. nice to see ml keeping up the good work - i'll have to get back to the shop to hear these if they come into stock!

I don't own any MLs but i've listened to a couple different pairs. The mid-upper end models sound pretty amazing. Electrostatic is no gimmick. As with anything like this, whether or not you think it's "worth" the price is somewhat subjective, and there is definitely a rapidly diminishing point of returns in speakers when you get above $1k or so. Make sure you're listening to these against other speakers before you plunk down. Don't pay for something you can't hear *cough* pear audio *cough*.

I've listened to a similar model and was quite impressed. I'm still partial to Bowers & Wilkins, though.

I've been in the factory (Lawrence, KS) and got to listen to them in their test room. Amazing stuff, the sweet spot doesn't get any more sweet. Hopefully I'll own a pair or two in another 5 or so years.

You can actually listen to/buy some of the lower end Martin Logans at Best Buy now in the Magnolia section. Then again, they also have a pair that costs $80k.

I have owned a pair of Claritys for years, and just got a pair of Vignettes for rears. My cats freaked out when I started using them in surround mode. I Just need a center now. I don't plan to even get a sub since I get plenty of bass off the fronts.

As far as what's special about Martin Logans (for the haters), they use electrostatic panels for the highs and mids (the big transparent part). The only issue is how directional they can be.

@vividaurora:

I agree - I'm buying B&W's when I win the lottery.

That said, the best A/V store demo that I've ever heard was a pair of their Purity loudspeakers (built-in full amplification) hooked up to nothing but an iPod. Sure, they were smart and had ripped their music using Apple Lossless - but it was unbelievable what they could do without any other A/V components...

@zenpoet:
I have to agree.
I had a pair of Quad electrostatics which I enjoyed for years, then traded up to a still fucking amazing pair of Dayton Wrights... simply incredible mid to high end reproduction.
I expect these speakers are worth the money if you have it, which I don't.
I also expect that this design will be a magnet for wasted party friends who use them as drink tables and, God Forbid, seating.

@zenpoet: Yes, they are a gimmick. They do not make conventional speaker cones obsolete, and therefore they are just different because a 2D speaker looks cool and interesting. Also, the fact that they encourage you to use the line-level inputs means that their built in amp is biased and filtered to sound better on their gimmicky speakers. If music is a passion, I encourage YOU to drop $8000 on a pair of real cone speakers with an enclosure. You'll be blown away by how much better they are than "curvilinear line source" speakers.

PS if you ever accuse me of buying speakers at BestBuy ever again I'll eat your dog.

@kaneshadow:
Yes, they are a gimmick. They do not make conventional speaker cones obsolete, and therefore they are just different because a 2D speaker looks cool and interesting.

Um, no.

Martin Logan has been making electrostatic speakers for what, 25 years? That's quite a gimmick! Velcro sneakers never lasted that long. Anyone with an audio background knows that the perfect speaker would have only one full range driver. Trying to blend signals between a tweeter, midrange and woofer introduces heaps of distortion and phase shifting. Since electrostatic speakers are inherently full range, no crossover is needed until you get to the bass driver, where the signal distortion would be far less noticeable. No inductors, resistors, or capacitors used means better sound, period.

Yes, they look cool, but that does not make them a gimmick, and I can think of plenty of traditional cone speakers that look cool (B&W Nautilus??) and cost waaaaay more than these (Sonus Faber Stradivari at $45,000/pr?)

When set up properly, Martin Logan speakers are truly amazing, and worth every penny.

I just peed... 2 drops...

If you want to know whether or not Martin Logan speakers are a gimmick, if you have a Best Buy with magnolia in it they carry the Design series from ML, which granted is the entry level that is not hand built, but still will outperform speakers in the same price bracket.

Now the only problem / benefit to Logans is the controlled vertical and horizontal dispersion from the panel. You have a very controlled sweet spot with any logan. That is a bad thing for your living room home theater junkie. But once placed in a "listening room" or "media room" with a controlled seating environment these speakers pwn your mom, and I mean that in the nicest sense, I really like your mom.

In all seriousness you should really give them a try, and listen to some good ole fashioned 2 channel music on them. Some Harry Connick Jr., some Bella Fleck and the Flecktones, some Buble, anything clean that you really want to experience for the first time all over again...

P.S. I do not work for logan, lol. Not lucky enough to be one of the 75 people that do.

@kaneshadow: Well, I respectfully disagree my good man. They are amazing speakers, and came after many years of having amazing cone based speakers for reference.

As for the dog, its my wife's, I don't like it, and will give you some tasty Sue Bee BBQ sauce for when you come over. So... you shop at Bestbuy, you plebian!