Martin Logan B10 Speaker Review

[LTig]

It looks like its rated sensitivity is based upon its elevated treble response rather than its mean. So the actual value is much lower and thus more akin to similar small bookshelf speakers.

Yes, but the measured sensitivity of 87 dB, although 5 dB lower than rated, is still 3 dB higher than many other speakers of similar size have (~84 dB).

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Yes, but the measured sensitivity of 87 dB, although 5 dB lower than rated, is still 3 dB higher than many other speakers of similar size have (~84 dB).

True.

 

[dogmamann]

Another small box where the port appears to spoil the upper mids. Maybe this doesn't show so much in other third party smoothed response plots, but I'm getting bored with this issue now as so many pretenders exhibit it! That tweeter has to 'sound' impressive, so spice it up a few dB so it's audible and if that means a slight dip below, well ML aren't alone in doing this in terms of domestic boxes..

Not terrible, but I'd have expected better from a high end maker with what I'd expect to be money sloshing around.

Maybe I'm being far too harsh on them and six hundred dollars each in the high end market is 'kids bedroom' stuff really....

High end manufacturers know how to make their speakers look distinctive, but mostly lack real engineering skills. Many have no background in acoustics even !!! Martin Logan is never about transparency but style and marketing.

 

[fineMen]

Not everyone wants to go the active way and when it comes to the look of the mentioned speakers, my wife wouldn't choose a Genelec or Neumann. At least two reasons why speakers like this have their customers. And they are easily serviceable for anyone with basic knowledge, a screwdriver and a solder station.

Some folks will lough at me, but I've got my 'end game' speakers for less than 600 per piece. 'Passive', in general following my rules for a successful design, top notch this and that in audio performance and construction, downsides are corrected with equalizing twice by one (!!) dB, plus the supersticion of being coaxial as an extra. 'Nough output to challenge my neigbours a few houses down the road. The visual design is 'Bauhaus' in the best sense, and they are small, tolerant with placing. What else could my audiophile self long for? Choice for the choice's sake, I know it's fun, but ...

Btw, without any intent to be rude (spoiler alert!): in case the wife doesn't know about the tech/ of a speaker, what exactly qualifies her (typically) to judge its appearence? Supposedly the existence of other, bad choices?

 

[YSC]

Not everyone wants to go the active way and when it comes to the look of the mentioned speakers, my wife wouldn't choose a Genelec or Neumann. At least two reasons why speakers like this have their customers. And they are easily serviceable for anyone with basic knowledge, a screwdriver and a solder station.

Not bad but not really great either, plus side is the good look. But even if one don't want to go active and WAF don't accept the Neumann and Genelec (Somehow my wife quite like the 8030C look), one still have likes of KEF, Arendal 1723 and Buchardt S400 for the choice

 

[Grotti]

Some folks will lough at me, but I've got my 'end game' speakers for less than 600 per piece. 'Passive', in general following my rules for a successful design, top notch this and that in audio performance and construction, downsides are corrected with equalizing twice by one (!!) dB, plus the supersticion of being coaxial as an extra. 'Nough output to challenge my neigbours a few houses down the road. The visual design is 'Bauhaus' in the best sense, and they are small, tolerant with placing. What else could my audiophile self long for? Choice for the choice's sake, I know it's fun, but ...

Btw, without any intent to be rude (spoiler alert!): in case the wife doesn't know about the tech/ of a speaker, what exactly qualifies her (typically) to judge its appearence? Supposedly the existence of other, bad choices?

What qualifies my wife to judge a speakers appearance??? My simple logic tells me, that we share the same living room and that she has every right to interfere, when she can't stand the design of something, she is forced to look at every day for years to come. She likes the looks of my Amphion speakers though, so she used to big waveguides at least

 

[GD Fan]

I wonder if that resonance could be tamed by plugging the port and crossing over to the subwoofer a little higher than normal? Perhaps at 120 or 130.

 

[Fidji]

I wonder if that resonance could be tamed by plugging the port and crossing over to the subwoofer a little higher than normal? Perhaps at 120 or 130.

That is what I am doing (ihave Motion 15 as Atmos/height speakers) - 110 4th order Linkwitz Riley.

@amirm - if you plug the port - just out of curiosity - would it improve or exacerbate enclosure resonances? (generally. not for this specific speaker)
(I am plugging mine, as it shows better phase below 120Hz and makes it easier to integrate with subs in HT, at least this is what Trinnov makes me believe)

 

[Ajax]

Because it harms the performance of your product on its own. 60% of listener preference is bass extension.

not my experience

 

[amirm]

@amirm - if you plug the port - just out of curiosity - would it improve or exacerbate enclosure resonances? (generally. not for this specific speaker)

What comes out of the port will obviously be decreased in level. I have tried this a few times and found the reduced warmth/bass was not worth it.

 

[unpluggged]

Not everyone wants to go the active way and when it comes to the look of the mentioned speakers, my wife wouldn't choose a Genelec or Neumann. At least two reasons why speakers like this have their customers. And they are easily serviceable for anyone with basic knowledge, a screwdriver and a solder station.

This very speaker proves the case for actives. And I thought you buy speakers for their main function, sound that is, not for looks. If you want something to look at, it's much better to invest in a proper piece of art. Having said that, the Neumanns and Genelecs have much more discreet and less distracting looks than these shiny speakers overloaded with shouty trimmings and patterns.

And I also don't buy appliances relying on my DIY skills in order to make them usable. I'd rather pay a premium for quality and post-sales support, like in the case with my HEDDs that had faulty DSP boards, where the manufacturer had sent me free replacements at their own expense over a great chunk of our planet all the way from Berlin.

But in this case, these Martin Logans aren't even cheaper than the alternative. Last year I've got a pair of KH 120 for about €1100. The Genelecs were even cheaper.

 

[amirm]

Can you put a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimate on the cycle time? How much work in weeks/months do you have in the queue? Looks like you completed 24 reviews in July and 22 reviews in June (including reporting on the Expo).

Thanks for the kind words Adam. The situation was getting totally out of control at or before start of summer with gardening chores adding on to a mountain of gear here. I have cut into backlog significantly but not to the point of sleeping easy. I would say I still have between 20 and 40 items here for testing. My lab, our front entry and one of the bedrooms is full of boxes. In a way it is a "good problem" to have in that there is plenty of work to do. It does get to me at times though that there is so much to be done and just one of me to do it.

 

[mglobe]

This very speaker proves the case for actives. And I thought you buy speakers for their main function, sound that is, not for looks. If you want something to look at, it's much better to invest in a proper piece of art. Having said that, the Neumanns and Genelecs have much more discreet and less distracting looks than these shiny speakers overloaded with shouty trimmings and patterns.

And I also don't buy appliances relying on my DIY skills in order to make them usable. I'd rather pay a premium for quality and post-sales support, like in the case with my HEDDs that had faulty DSP boards, where the manufacturer had sent me free replacements at their own expense over a great chunk of our planet all the way from Berlin.

But in this case, these Martin Logans aren't even cheaper than the alternative. Last year I've got a pair of KH 120 for about €1100. The Genelecs were even cheaper.

Many of us want speakers that both sound AND look good. And I suspect our collective opinions on appearance are much more diverse than sound.

 

[DWPress]

though that there is so much to be done and just one of me to do it.

I would gladly offer you use of my cloning facility but I'm sure your wife would curse me for it.
As would many of ours if we were plural I suspect!

 

[Ajax]

not my experience

Apologies, that should have read -

I appreciate that a small cabinet such as a bookshelf speaker with a 5-6" driver will not be able to create the necessary base without a port. That to me is to be expected and is simple physics. If you want more base you need a bigger driver and you should either purchase towers or include a sub or two.

I've been enjoying listening to hifi for 40 years but since discovering ASR I realise how limited my knowledge is and my layman point of view is that there appears to be too many issues with ports such as variable frequency response and chuffing etc.

I use a bit perfect streamer into a Benchmark or SMSL - SU8 DAC feeding a Hypex amp. I play the mains (bookshelf speakers) full range from the XL out and augment them with 2 x 20 year old Velodyne subs from the RCA out crossed over around 60hz. Not very sophisticated I know but it works and it is very cost effective.

 

[fineMen]

This very speaker proves the case for actives. And I thought you buy speakers for their main function, sound that is, not for looks. If you want something to look at, it's much better to invest in a proper piece of art. Having said that, the Neumanns and Genelecs have much more discreet and less distracting looks than these shiny speakers overloaded with shouty trimmings and patterns.
... ...

This is the benefit of being used to use a certain language, exactly to the point.

Many of us want speakers that both sound AND look good. And I suspect our collective opinions on appearance are much more diverse than sound.

Look, speakers have a long history now. Before Thiele/Small revealed the relevance of the enclosure speakers where hanging from walls, the enclosure being just a fixture. And then it went on ... ... what is 'good looking' for a product of its kind? Is the functionality as such, the concept of it, to be seen? The internal volume of air is a functional part very much like with tyres. Should speakers look like tyres?

How does the visual 'talk' to you, how do you 'read' the objects message "I'm here for a reason. To do my job ... .". That's what some people don't get, when buying for instance Bose. Bose just make their systems look like being functional and people like to be talked to in this way. So that they are not frightened by mysterious but powerful technology ...

 

[HarmonicTHD]

not my experience

But scientifically proven by Harman preference studies for the average/majority of listeners. Your personal preference might differ, but is not relevant.

 

[fineMen]

Your personal preference might differ, but is not relevant.

 

[uwotm8]

Tv5 has been reviewed here, showing a similar issue

I know, but
a) its issues are different
b) what's more important - I'm talking about listening experience, not just "spinorama viewstening"
Amir did definitely like T5Vs, especially so after HF shelving correction.
MLs, as I can tell from the review - not so much.

 

[uwotm8]

scientifically proven by Harman

Makes me laugh every freaking time.
For more gags and keks I recommed to deeply read all their stuff with all that BS like "making one phones sound like another one" - equalizing Stax 909 iirc.
Ofc there is some positive things but overall typical "Harman believer" and his "you experience is irrelevant" is as smart as those on opposite side who burn-in cable stands