Quote:
Originally Posted by frequentflyer
So will the Theos and Ethos be replaced sigh a Masterpiece product?
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Potentially. What follows is entirely speculation.
I'm not entirely sure the Theos has much of a place in their current lineup and I suspect the relatively new ElectroMotion ESL-X are meant to be their replacement.
Consider that the ESL-X are only $1k less than the Theos and have a smaller area panel. Now consider that the Ethos and Theos are literally the exact same speaker with a second 8" powered woofer included in the Ethos. The panels (and let's be clear, you buy Martin Logan speakers for the panels) are
identical. Ask any ML dealer and they would tell you: "There's absolutely no reason to spend $2,000 more on the Ethos when $2,000 would go a long way towards getting discrete subwoofers which are going to give you much better performance than the small powered 8" woofers in the Ethos."
If we assume that the Ethos will be replaced by something with tech from the new Masterpiece series and holds its pricing, the Theos likely disappears and moving from price point to price point within the Martin Logan line will make a lot more sense.
$2500 gets you the laughably small-paneled ElectroMotions. Awesome if you are in a small room with a singe listener--far too small otherwise.
$4000 gets you the ElectroMotion ESL-X with large enough panels to allow more than one person into the sweet spot at a somewhat accessible price point.
$7000 gets you a true, "full-sized" panel with great performance over a broad range.
...and it goes up from there into the territory with which we're already familiar.
Right now, I'd wager that their $5000 Theos cannibalizes a ton of business away from the $7000 Ethos and ML is optimizing their product line to prevent that from happening.