Martin Logan ElectroMotion ESL & Piega Premium 5.2

Hello guys,

As I said in one of my previous posts, I really connected with the guys from Jack-fi as they are one of the most passionate people I know in audio. Sometimes I go to their store and they are kind enough to let me in one of their audition rooms and listen to very nice speaker system.

The store is on my way to the University, so when I have some time, after I finish teaching or other stuff at the University I pay jack-fi a visit  . When I went there last week, I found another guy in the audition room and we started listening together to a pair of Piega Premium 5.2 paired with a Jadis Orchestra amplifier and a Naim cd-player I think.

The sound was absolutely amazing. We listened to some piano interpretations of Jacques Loussier. I felt like I was in a concert hall listening to a real piano. I thought to myself, I bet this would sound very nice with my LCD2 and Conductor too.

The sound was fast, energetic. The bass was tight, punchy and well extended.  Did not expect this level of details from a speaker system. The soundstage really made you feel in a concert hall leaving behind in this regard any other headphones I have listened to.

After this I have auditioned for the first time in my life a pair of electrostatic speakers, a pair of Martin Logan ElectroMotion ESL.

Take a look at this picture:

I thought that the thin part on top was just for design, but I found out that it is actually a membrane for mids and treble. The speakers are ~1.5 meters tall and the membrane is pretty big. I was standing near it looking at it like an idiot and being amazed that sound was coming from every part of it:

This created an incredible soundstage and presence. I was getting goosebumps every second I was listening.

The soundstage was wider than with the Pieaga speakers, it also had more details.

The piegas had a little more refined sound overall , as the models were from a different class than these Martin Logans.  They were the entry level from their line, while the Piegas were in the mid class of their line.

However their sound presentation was different and both had some really strong points.

The Piegas had a more meaty sound and a more present bass, the sound was a little more warmer and natural than with the martin logan esl.

The Logans had a considerably wider soundstage, more details, a very airy sound and an incredible instrument separation.

Both speaker systems were wonderful and from that level forward it really is about tastes.

I also found out that the Logans are less pretentious with the room they were put in, and you wouldn’t have to worry about what furniture or where you put it.

These speaker systems have really imprinted in my head. This is not a good sign for my wallet, but I started to understand why people love speaker systems so much.