[Stevepro83]

Hey guys! This is my first post here and I hope you can help me!

I just bought a Marrantz SR6009 and OMG, what a receiver compared to my Onkyo TX-NR709! This is a much more musical A/V and movies are more immersive than before!

I'm now looking to upgrade my Energy speakers. I have a small room so I can't fit any floorstanding speakers, I must use bookshelves to build a 7.1 system. I'm working in an audio/video store, so I can have good prices on brands we carry. I need help to choose between Martin Logan Motion 15, Paradigm Studio 10 and Monitor Audio Silver 1. I tested the ML Motion 20 (floorstanding version of the Motion 15), I really like them, but the ribbon tweeters are fussy, I mean you MUST be in the sweet spot to really enjoy them and they are not good for all music types (techno and pop don't sound as awesome as jazz and classical). I also tested the MA Silver 6 (floorstanding version of the Silver 1) and I didn't like them when they were brand new, they REALLY need to break-in to shine, and now they are much much better with time, but I still find them a bit cold/bright, the Motion 20 produce a warmer sound. So none of them convinced me at 100%. Now I did some research and heard about the Paradigm Reference Studio 10, they say they are not too cold and not too warm, more neutral and more punchy with pop music. The center that match them, the CC-490 seems awesome too, because it's a 3 ways, so I guess the dialogues will be more realistic and clean. I also like our in-store Paradigm Monitor series kit for movies and sound staging which is VERY important to me, because I use my system 75% for movies/gaming and 25% for music.

So, ML Motion 15, MA Silver 1 or Paradigm Studio 10? What are your thoughts/experiences with them? Motion 15 and Silver 1 are about the same price, but the Studio 10 are a bit more expensive.
Does the upgrade worth it over the Energy kit I'm actually using?
I'll probably keep my sub, cause it performs better than Paradigm Monitor 10 and Ultracube 10 I tested. Both were PBK calibrated.

Any other thoughts and suggestions are welcome!


Thank you so much guys!
Steve

 

[Cattledog]

Get these...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061LG5H4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AAK72K4OIWDXL

this is the same exact speaker as the Motion 15...without the slanted cabinet.

Great closeout price.

CD

 

[bthrb4u]

I vote monitor audio. I've heard the new paradigm prestige which they say is practically the same speaker with better bass. It was good but always had a cold Metallic trace trailing around even in the midrange. I've heard your energy speakers and to be honest these two sound more similar than different. I didn't like the paradigms. I've heard some of the Martin Logan motions but never in what I'd consider a valuable listening setup. I recently took the time to listen to the monitor silver 8s and was very intrigued by them. They're not that expensive of a speaker and the cabinets aren't anything special to look at (compared to some) and aren't the last word in over resolution. However, they have a mature sound to them with great body and smooth texture throughout, no fatiguing in your face dynamics and great imaging.
I would also recommend sonus Faber venere 2.5 I have the 3.0. Great organic sound with no fatigue EVER! However that doesn'tmean they ccan't keep up with the home theater aspect. These speakers throw a huge image both horizontally and vertically. They're very detailed without being over detailed. Aesthetics wise they are very awesome looking speakers. Every time i walk into my living room I get a big ol grin

 

[murphy_5]

I would agree with you about the motion series speakers being more of a classical/folk/jazz speaker. I listen to a lot of vocal acoustic type music, and think in order to get much better than the LX16's I own one would need to step up quite a bit. With lower volumes I feel like the sound is a bit dark, but really shines at mid level to high level. They almost have an airy sound with certain tracks. In a movie setup I have never been disappointed, but neither amazed. Very adequate on movies. Definitely a better music speaker in my opinion.

 

[murphy_5]

I never really noticed the sweet spot difference on the lx16's I feel like off angle they are a pretty decent speaker. That everyone can enjoy in a movie setup.

 

[Stevepro83]

I vote monitor audio. I've heard the new paradigm prestige which they say is practically the same speaker with better bass. It was good but always had a cold Metallic trace trailing around even in the midrange. I've heard your energy speakers and to be honest these two sound more similar than different. I didn't like the paradigms. I've heard some of the Martin Logan motions but never in what I'd consider a valuable listening setup. I recently took the time to listen to the monitor silver 8s and was very intrigued by them. They're not that expensive of a speaker and the cabinets aren't anything special to look at (compared to some) and aren't the last word in over resolution. However, they have a mature sound to them with great body and smooth texture throughout, no fatiguing in your face dynamics and great imaging.
I would also recommend sonus Faber venere 2.5 I have the 3.0. Great organic sound with no fatigue EVER! However that doesn'tmean they ccan't keep up with the home theater aspect. These speakers throw a huge image both horizontally and vertically. They're very detailed without being over detailed. Aesthetics wise they are very awesome looking speakers. Every time i walk into my living room I get a big ol grin

I'm not talking about the Prestige (too expensive), but the Studio 10 which are very different. Keep in mind that all brands need to break in to show their true colors, so it's normal that the Prestige sounded a bit metal like don't you think? The MA Silver 6 we have in store were very harsh and sounded very cold/metal before their break in process (C-CAM is a really stiff material). From I've heard myself and like murphy_5 said, the Motion 15 are definetly not for me as I rarely listen to jazz or vocal, I'm more a pop/rock/techno guy and I love outstanding performers in movies. I can't have Sonus Faber here in Quebec and don't forget that I can't use tower speakers in my room setup.

Any other opinions on the MA Silver 1 and the Paradigm Studio 10? I already heard the Atom Monitor and was quite impressed of their sound quality for the price. Can someone tell me if there's a big difference between the Atom and the Studio 10?

What about the centers who match them, Silver Center (2 ways) vs Studio CC-490 (3 ways), is there a big difference between a 2 and a 3 ways center? Which one is the winner here?


Thanks again guys!
Steve

 

[Stevepro83]

I'm not talking about the Prestige (too expensive), but the Studio 10 which are very different. Keep in mind that all brands need to break in to show their true colors, so it's normal that the Prestige sounded a bit metal like don't you think? The MA Silver 6 we have in store were very harsh and sounded very cold/metal before their break in process (C-CAM is a really stiff material). From I've heard myself and like murphy_5 said, the Motion 15 are definetly not for me as I rarely listen to jazz or vocal, I'm more a pop/rock/techno guy and I love outstanding performers in movies. I can't have Sonus Faber here in Quebec and don't forget that I can't use tower speakers in my room setup.

Any other opinions on the MA Silver 1 and the Paradigm Studio 10? I already heard the Atom Monitor and was quite impressed of their sound quality for the price. Can someone tell me if there's a big difference between the Atom and the Studio 10?

What about the centers who match them, Silver Center (2 ways) vs Studio CC-490 (3 ways), is there a big difference between a 2 and a 3 ways center? Which one is the winner here?


Thanks again guys!
Steve

Anyone can help please?.......

 

[Stevepro83]

Really, no one else can help here?

 

[mdbrown]

Really, no one else can help here?

Go with a pair of Martin Logan Motion LX16 speakers with a Motion 8 center channel. Done and done.

 

[Stevepro83]

Go with a pair of Martin Logan Motion LX16 speakers with a Motion 8 center channel. Done and done.

I said after listening to them and after reading murphy_5 comments, Martin Logan's speakers aren't suitable for me. So I won't go with ML, done and done. I want comments about the MA Silver 1 and the Paradigm Studio 10 with their matching center Silver Center and Studio CC-490. Thanks!

 

[Stevepro83]

I'm not familiar with this forum, so how long should I wait to receive more answers, days, weeks, months? I'm not trying to be rude at all, I'm just trying to find out how long should I wait before searching help elsewhere.

Thanks again,
Steve

 

[jaygee81]

Any other opinions on the MA Silver 1 and the Paradigm Studio 10? I already heard the Atom Monitor and was quite impressed of their sound quality for the price. Can someone tell me if there's a big difference between the Atom and the Studio 10?


I can't comment on the MA Silver 1, but I can talk about the differences between the Atom and the Studio 10. Yes, there is a big difference. For my zone 2 music listening, my final speaker choices came down to Atoms v7 vs Mini Monitor v7 (same as Atoms, but a bit larger). Since then I've upgraded to Studio 10 v5s, so I can make a pretty solid comparison of the difference in sound between the Monitor line and the Studio line, and the Studio 10 in particular. I guess it's obvious I'm going to say getting the Studio 10s is worth the extra investment, since I already spent the dough. Very pleased with the results. I found marked improvements throughout the tonal range with the Studio 10s. Bass is both significantly deeper and tighter; the difference would be even greater if I had been using the Atoms. Also front porting of bass in Studio 10 vs rear porting of bass in Atom makes the Studio 10 happier if you need to place it near a wall, which the Mini Monitors didn't like (nor will the Atoms). In my case the nearby wall was a problem that was largely solved by the Studio 10. Less bloat in the upper bass/mid transition. Makes male voices more natural. Highs are more open and detailed, and as the Mini Monitors and Atoms share the same tweeter, you would enjoy this advantage completely. Also an interesting note - the room correction in my AVR has doesn't have to work as hard with the Studio 10s as it did with the Mini Monitors. With the Studio 10s, turning room correction on and off isn't that big a deal. With the Mini Monitors, there was a huge change in the sound. With the Mini Monitors, I needed room correction cleaned up low/midrange bloat - but the speakers lost impact. With the Studio 10s, I can easily live without the room correction. And if I choose to use it, the Studio 10s lose little impact. This is all in reference to music, most of which I stream through TIDAL (higher resolution than other streaming choices - you can really hear it) into an Arcam AVR360. I hope this comparison helps - maybe somebody can chime in who's got experience with the Silvers vs the 10s. But like everybody always says - if you can get a chance, go listen. Have fun!