Quote Originally Posted by areniers View Post
Hi,

I'm new here. So here comes my first question. I have a pair of Martin Logan Sequel II electrostatic loudspeakers. In a few weeks I'll also have two tube monoblocks with 4 Watts output power. The tubes used are 1x300B, 1x6SL7 and 1x5U4 (rectifier).

Would it be possible to pair these directly (without preamp) with the Martin Logans, which have a sensitivity of 89dB?

Would adding a preamp (solid state or tube) actually alter the situation in any way, given the monoblocks still only posses 4 watts to hand out? If a preamp is desirable what should I look out for?

So in all, what would be the best solution to pair up these monoblocks with the Martin Logans?

Looking forward to reading your replies!

Alvin from Belgium
I'll comment and I hope others will too. First, let me say that the Martin Logan Sequel II look like interesting speakers though they might pose issues for some amps.

See the Stereophile review HERE.

With out a preamp, how will you control the volume for the ML's? This is a prominent reason for preamp. In any case a preamp won't "alter the situation" vis-a-vis the low-power monoblocks and the ML's. The fact is that 4 wpc amps very unlikely to be workable with the ML's or any speaker of 89dB sensitivity.

Beyond simply not having enough power, you amps might struggle with the complex load posed by the ML electrostatics (or other electrostatics). The reactive load of the ML's might damage the amps and/or cause the amps to damage the speakers, but there are people here at AR who will be better informed -- hopefully they will comment further.