A while ago, my colleague Rob was surfing on the net and discovered this thread http://www.martinloganowners.com. Rob sent me the link with this very nice comment: “It is amazing indeed how the combination PrimaLuna’s and Martin Logan sounds well”. Rob knows what he talks about, he has the CLX in his store in Beek-Ubbergen

That statement was not unknown for me since I have heard it already many times in different part of the world. I started to read the different posts and Todd was so enthusiast about his system, that I decided to contact him and to ask the authorization to publish his story on our blog.

His reaction was great and I thank him for that.

So let’s discover this fantastic set-up

1. Name: Todd V

2. Location: Southern Maine (USA)

3. ML Model(s): Summit X (2 channel system), ReQuest (HT system) + Logos + Script

4. Year Purchased: Summit X purchased in 2009, ReQuest etc. purchased about 10 years ago.

5. Mods/Changes: None

6. Associated Electronics: (I’ll focus on my 2-channel setup here)

– Source: McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD (migrating to a music server soon though)

– Pre: Prima Luna Dialogue 3 (wow!)

– Amp: PrimaLuna Dialogue 7 monoblocks (wow! wow!)

– Speakers: Summit X

– Power Conditioning: PS Audio Premier Power Plant (couldn’t live without it)

– Rack: Mapleshade Samson V3 (with additional maple platforms and isofeet)

– ICs: Morrow Audio Grand Reference MA6

– SCs: Morrow Audio Grand Reference SP6

– PCs: Lessloss DFPC (all components including Summit X)

Todd strayed for a while away from stats, sampling grass that was never quite as green as it first seemed (i.e. dynamic speakers), and even though he really liked my 3.6r Maggies – he always found himself comparing their articulation to ML. So here he is back again in Stat heaven, running the Summit X daily… basking in the glow (and he means that literally as you will see).

Todd’s comments

I run Pass in my HT, but have recently made the change to tubes in my 2-channel setup, i.e. swapped out my solid state amps (Bel Canto Ref1000Mii) for the Prima Luna Dialogue 7 monos. Man, those Dialogue amps are amazing on so many levels. I could go on and on about how they reveal so much inner detail in recordings I *thought* I knew really well. That’s what makes this hobby/addition/sickness so much fun though, no? Discovering new configurations and new component match-ups that just stun you.

The Summit X are pretty amazing. The bass integration is nothing short of genius… not perfect, but waaaay better than any other hybrid I have ever heard, hands-down. And all that additional bass control with the 25 and 50Hz crossovers… makes room matching pretty easy (at least it was for me).

I’ve made up my mind that I will be migrating to CLX next, it’s just a matter of deciding which ones and where to buy. Everything I’ve read/seen/heard on the CLX leads me to believe they will elevate my dedicated 2-channel system to new all-time highs in terms of performance and realism. I can’t wait! One thing I need to investigate more though is whether or not the CLX trim boards can be easily removed and replaced with custom trim of my own. If that’s a fairly do-able process, then I’ll just pick up some used CLX for ~14K on Agon and go from there. I think I’ll need to start a forum thread here on MLC to get some expert advice before I pull any triggers though.

The PrimaLuna Dialogue 7 amps are rated at 40 wt/ch (triod mode) and 70w/ch (ultralinear mode). A really nice feature with these amps is the inclusion of a remote that allows you to instantly switch between modes real-time while listening. At first I didn’t think I would use the feature that much, but find myself using it often depending on what music I have playing. Fun!

Also, you may be wondering if 70W/ch is adequate to drive the Summits… well, the sound is nothing short of glorious from top to bottom. Plus, I tend more toward Correli than Creed, more Albinoni than AC/DC, etc etc… so the PrimaLunas are perfect (for me).

Don’t you love the PrimaLuna products?

I’m fairly new to this brand, but I am literally slackjaw over their finesse and articulation. Probably the best amp / pre-amp purchases I have ever made.

By the way we gonna hear more about Todd… yes, his new CLX speakers are on the way!!! and honestly Todd we cannot wait to hear about your experience!

Thanks so much again for sharing with us.