Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA GREAT bookshelf speaker, but it needs a Sub with it
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2014
UPDATED JUNE 2015 –
March 2015 : I couldn't believe there were NO reviews on these fantastic Martin Logan 35XT speakers "anywhere" online. After spending $$$$$ of dollars searching for the ultimate (mid-priced) speaker, these Martin Logan 35XT's WITH a SVS subwoofer are Great. I have had PSB Image B6's, Monitor Audio RX6 towers, Epos Elan 10's, SVS Ultras and a few more.
I was very happy with my Epos Elan 10's until I heard these. The 35XT's are very similar, but are a little cleaner in the midrange, with vocals sounding Live and clear. Almost all speakers smear the vocals "IN an Action movie" - NOT these! (I was told that’s because the midrange / bass driver cannot recover fast enough, to get out of the way of new sounds coming in. The faster the drivers, the better the Sound). Don't be fooled by their small size (7.5" wide x 13.5" high x 10" deep). These ML 35XT's provide an excellent detailed LIVE Image!
The Sound is HUGE! It really opens up. Nice vocal detail and clear instruments. It was finally getting vocal clarity in Action Movies that sold me. While listening to Nora Jones, Bruce Hornsby, Diana Krall, America, Peter, Paul and Mary, John Klemmer or Fleetwood Mac - you feel like you are There. (an Audiophile’s Dream). The Highs are nice and clean, not edgy or piercing. You can even hear the room acoustics, the hidden nuances from the piano and guitars, etc.
NOTE: By the time you burn these ML's in, the lower bass will "relax" a bit, while the image and depth get bigger. I was also told part of the problem was “standing waves” in my small (11’ x 13’ TV room). So I added a tall cylindrical SVS subwoofer, then set the ML 35XT crossover (in my pre-amp) at 80hz, and the SVS crossover at 60hz. IMO, SVS has the best affordable subs for fast quick bass response. Now, both sound spectrums sound top-notch.
FYI – I use a Sherbourn PA7-150 amp and Sherbourn PT-7030 preamp, and a Oppo 103 blu-ray player.
I later noticed in our living room (15’ x 20’ with 11’ ceiling), that the Sound was much better. More open, bigger image, more LIVE. SO, these might sound Best in a mid-size living room.
Like my Elan 10’s, these ML 35XT's speaker boxes totally “vanish”. You just hear One big Image. If you want more bass depth with movies, without compromising the vocals just turn up the Sub volume. These SVS subs are awesome! If you have the money, get the PC12-Plus , you will be Amazed how real a Blu-ray Movie can be.
I never thought ANY bookshelf "under $1500" could beat my Elan 10's, but the ML 35's remove another "t h i n" veil in the mid-range and highs. However, you NEED a decent sub with these ML-35XT’s (after burn-in, the bass is tooooo soft). I later, found another satellite that I liked better. See final notes.
Sitting close to your speakers in a small TV room makes choosing the right speaker very difficult. In my case, we sit only 6-1/2 feet from these speakers. (and neither of us sit "in the middle" of the couch, making matters worse). When using the PSB Image and Monitor Audio speakers, you “had to” sit in the middle, or else we'd hear mostly one speaker over the other. With these ML 35XT's and the Elan 10's we got ONE nice image. And don’t forget, these speakers have "rear ports", SO you will have to bring them out from the rear wall about 10-12". (maybe 14-16” if you want more mid-range). All depends on YOUR “room acoustics” and what YOU want your music to sound like.
The CENTER SPEAKER in my photo is a Martin Logan Motion 30. In a "small room", the Motion 30 is fantastic with these ML 35XT's. The stage is very rich with incredible Detail! I then wanted to try the ML 50XT with my ML 35XT's. However, in this small TV room, it was toooo much. So returned that big ML 50XT. In our big living room, it would have been fine, but we decided to keep our entertainment center in the small TV room. After lots more listening, we liked the STEREO Image better than using a center channel, in this small TV room.
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MARCH 2106 - Although these Martin Logan 35XT's were great , I have now fell in love with Definitive Technology SM65 Studio Monitors. Its all a matter of WHAT you want, and the ROOM you are putting these speakers in. For info on the SM65's check out my review there.
