Martin Logan Vignette speakers, clearance at Frys B&M, up to 70% off

These wall-mountable speakers normally retail at $799 each, with the occassional sale putting them in the $600 to $700 range. Fry's is blowing them out at $249. If you can get a display model, they'll knock another 5% off the $249, for $236 final price. Each speaker comes with two grills (one gray, one black), and a flush/swivel wall mounting bracket. 5 year mfr. warranty.

Some will say "What? That's a lot of money for a speaker!" Yes, it is, and I normally wouldn't even consider it, but Martin Logan is a high end audiophile speaker manufacturer. Some of their speakers retail for close to $2000 (each). The quality and sound is amazing. The Vignette can be used as a front, center, or surround speaker in 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 7.2, etc., formats

I picked up three of these (sorry, GA neighors, I wiped out the Atlanta area stores with this purchase), for use as left/right/center in a home theater, replacing an older Kenwood HTIB set of speakers. The change in listening quality is unbelievable. I'm hearing nuances in my collection of CDs I've never picked up on before. The voice clarity in TV and movies is other-wordly.

Fry's link to product

Martin Logan Vignette product page

I assume that includes the Alpharetta location (your pillaging, that is)?

polkmaniac said: ^^^ huh?

rbstern said: I picked up three of these (sorry, GA neighors, I wiped out the Atlanta area stores with this purchase)

Thanks OP!

Since this is a Martin Logan post for surround sound speakers, I thought I'd ask. Does anyone here know more about the Martin Logan MLT-1 5.1 surround sound speaker set available at Frys? These sounded good in the store but there is barely any info on the internet about these speakers. Does anyone know how they compare to say the Energy Take 5s for example? FYI this has been marked down also by $200 at Frys B&M.

Obviously, know one knows about Martin Logan speakers. This deal is AMAZING!!! These speakers are incredible. At this price, there's nothing to think about. If I didn't already have my Definitive separates, I would be all over this. I'm actually still thinking about buying these for a spare room I don't have. AMAZING FIND OP!!!!!

Will these speakers sound good on a set of old Naim Amp nap-90 and Pre-amp 92??
I have this amp/preamp set from my grandfather, but the floor standing speakers that came with the set is too large for my condo....so I'm looking for affordabale smaller speakers that will work with this Naim system.

Would it be best to do a 5.1 setup or would it be ok to use just as a center or surrounds?

garycoleman said: how are these compared to B&W speakers?

Which B&W speakers are you comparing them too? B&W makes some very nice speakers as well but you can't get anything decent from them for $250 a speaker. I've never heard these Martin Logans but I can be pretty sure that for the money they'll blow everything else out of the water. Their top-end electrostatics are some of the best speakers I've ever heard but they're large and not really suited for home theater use. These should make an excellent surround system.

opathal said: Would it be best to do a 5.1 setup or would it be ok to use just as a center or surrounds?

You most certainly could use these for a 5.1 setup and get a nice sub. There is a deal on a Bic Acoustech H100 subwoofer on SD that is roughly $205 after Bing CashBack that will shake your whole house with deep tight bass. I had that subwoofer before getting the ML Dynamo's. This would be a higher end 5.1 setup for a midrange price.

FYI, these are a discontinued model, thus the huge discount. However excellent price on these high end speakers.

what's a good amp to drive these speakers to the max?

thumbs up. I consider myself a budget audiophile, and I own quite a few "higher-end consumer-grade" pieces of audio equipment (especially in regards to headphones and earbuds).

I picked up 3 of these from the San Marcos Frys, and just got them hooked up to a Denon AVR-1910.

I had previously picked up the Jamo E660s on that ongoing WWStereo deal (and paired them with a C60cen). I was pretty happy with the Jamo E660s, especially after the break-in period. Compared to those Jamos, these ML Vignettes really do bring out some of the depth and clarity to some of the pieces that I previously had heard only with good headphones. According to the manual, as well as various sources online, these should improve significantly after the break-in period. Very happy so far.

One caveat -- these speakers, although they're not true electrostatic speakers, are pretty directional.

Looks like most people using this in high-end setups actually use these as their surrounds, but keep in mind, they're pairing them with $1k+ ML electrostatic tower speakers.

rohera said: Thanks OP!

Since this is a Martin Logan post for surround sound speakers, I thought I'd ask. Does anyone here know more about the Martin Logan MLT-1 5.1 surround sound speaker set available at Frys? These sounded good in the store but there is barely any info on the internet about these speakers. Does anyone know how they compare to say the Energy Take 5s for example? FYI this has been marked down also by $200 at Frys B&M.

There's a good chance that even the cheapest Martin Logan speakers will do pretty much everything except deep bass and overall high volume better than the entire line of speakers by many manufacturers and I'd bet they would have better highs, midrange, imaging and overall musicality than the Energys. Martin Logans are not designed for playing metal, rap, etc... at high volumes and if that's what you want, other brands of speakers will suit your needs better.

As for the guy asking how they compare to B&W speakers, that's like asking "How does the Mercedes C-Class compare to cars made by Honda or Toyota?" Which B&W speakers? In what sort of system and for what type of use? Toyota and Honda each make some cars that are relatively comparable to and better than the C-Class, some that are not as comparable and may or may not be better for a particular person and a number that are inferior in most ways. B&W make very good speakers and for the four or five models I've heard that were under $1,800, I think there are speakers from other brands such as Monitor Audio and Thiel that sound better. I'd have to say that the pair of B&W Nautilus speakers I heard were better than any other speakers I've ever heard, but I honestly have never heard any other >$10,000 speakers, let alone ones that were ten times that much like the Nautilus ones.

Damn, too bad we don't have Fry's around here. I've been lusting for a set of vantage and these would be a perfect compromise. They aren't the electrostats but still are pretty amazing. Would make a kick ass 5.1 setup

if there is a closer fry's to you lemme know and I'll check tomorrow when I go to work

RainFall said: Are these really THAT good?

In a word: Yes.

Been living with these now for about six weeks. They have dramatically changed my music listening and movie watching experience. I am enjoying movies I thought I'd never watch again, because I am hearing dialogue and sound I never heard before. The clarity is unbelievable. Even if I could only have one, using it as a center channel in a 3.x, 5.x or 7.x would be well worth it just for video dialogue. With three across the front, the listening experience is exceptional for movies or music.

Someone who has already invested considerable money in high quality speakers might not see as much improvement. ML speakers hold their value pretty well, so it's low risk.

Question:

RainFall said: Are these really THAT good? I'm always looking for great deals but i'm not so sure how much my existing speakers approach diminishing return.

a) Yes, they will destroy your current speakers.

b) No, I'm sure your existing setup is far superior.

c) How should we know what you consider good or how they compare to your present speakers, since you did not identify them, nor did you identify what sort of music you listen to or what you have in the rest of your system?

Answer: C.