Sorry for the delay in posting my opinion of the 13a's, I've been busy listening and upgrading other aspects of my system. Of course everything said is in comparison to my previous Summit X speakers.
Good looks can go along ways towards our purchasing decisions. At first I had a few reservations with the styling of the 13a's, mostly the lack of curvature of the grill in front of the woofer. The Summit X speakers have curved woofer grills matching to the curve of the esl panel. The 13a does not have the same curve, just a flat grill in front of the woofer. I guess I have gotten over it with a little time. But the rest of the speaker is much better looking to me, just a more substantial look.
Build quality. The 13a is definitely a better built speaker, from both a physical standpoint and a ease of manufacturing standpoint. As for manufacturing I'm surprised it has taken this long to put all of the electronics of the speaker into a "bottom tray" so that it can be attached to the bottom of the speaker apposed to being inside the woofer cavity, far better system if you ask me. Also the aluminum framework of the esl panel is a much stronger assembly than before giving far greater rigidity to the speaker. Also the weight has been increased substantially making the speaker more stable.
Now for the sound!! The first quality that struck me was the bass. With the Summit X I always used a sub so for the last week of using that speaker if ran it full range so I could really compare the virtues of the new speakers vs the old without the added output of a sub. The bass response of the 13a is vastly better than the Summit X, tight clean and much deeper, enough so that I have not used my sub since and debating if it's needed anymore. The rest of the sound spectrum has that classic ML sound,.....open, big, wide and spooky real. Comparing the new vs old again, the 13a has better top end response, not as rolled off as the Summit X. The 13a also has the ability to play louder with greater clarity and ease, the Summit X can get congested at high volumes.
Am I happy with the change, yes I am. If I had a larger listening room I would have gone for the 15a but giving my room size I feel the 13a is a better fit. If you're in the market for Logans I can't recommend these enough. I have heard and owned many other speakers but few are this good.
|