masterpiece series - martinlogan€¦ · amplifier woofer: 2 x 500 watts / channel (4 ohms), 2 x...

M a s t e r p i e c e S e r i e s

Truth in Sound

We consider something a masterpiece when skill and artistry shape the familiar in unexpected ways, revealing an essential truth.

For MartinLogan, the essential truth is astonishing and unprecedented audio realism.

This new generation of hybrid electrostatic loudspeakers artfully blends over 30 years of audio design and engineering innovation, refining it into a startling fresh loudspeaker ideal.

Each model features a family of exclusive, interlinked MartinLogan technologies that achieve a level of performance beyond that of traditional speakers, or even that of typical electrostatic speakers.

And each selection in the Masterpiece Series has been carefully crafted to elevate the art of audio in any setting, most obviously by being a handcrafted work of art itself.

MartinLogan presents a rare opportunity for you to own your own Masterpiece.

Let us show you.

The Masterpiece Series by MartinLogan

Welcome to an exclusive MartinLogan exhibit celebrating the art of sound: the Masterpiece Series of superior performance electrostatic loudspeakers.

Renaissance ESL 15A

A Masterpiece of Design & EngineeringBefitting a loudspeaker of this name, the flagship Renaissance ESL 15A is MartinLogan’s startling reinterpretation of the electrostatic loudspeaker for the 21st Century. The pièce de résistance is the revolutionary integration of our award-winning 15-inch-wide Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) XStat electrostatic (ESL) transducer with a newly designed woofer section. It’s a radical melding of design and engineering that achieves the apex of audio realism in electrostatic loudspeakers.

Advanced MicroPerf stator technology nearly doubles exposed electrostatic diaphragm surface, for bigger, bolder performance.

Rigid ClearSpar spacers reinforce the panel and maintain tension on the vacuum-bonded diaphragm, eliminating performance-robbing resonances.

Slender AirFrame Blade design creates a rigid connection between the panel and its woofer cabinet, embodying dramatic design in the service of high performance audio.

Tremendous subterranean bass is delivered by a completely reinvented woofer section: two 12-inch laser-engineered aluminum cone woofers in independently enclosed chambers.

Powerful dual 500-watt Class-D amplifiers controlled by a 24-Bit Vojtko DSP Engine with Anthem Room Correction (ARC™) Technology optimizes bass performance in any space.

Exclusive PoweredForce Forward bass alignment technology, with smart phase-shifting logic, smooths near-wall interaction for more authentic bass response.

“Study the science of art and the art of science.”– Leonardo da Vinci

Renaissance ESL 15A

Expression ESL 13A

The Expression of Audio Perfection Like the Expressionist masterpieces for which it’s named, the Expression ESL 13A is focused solely on intensifying your emotional experience. Here, a dual 10-inch woofer system, with ARC-honed performance, is uniquely integrated with MartinLogan’s 13-inch-wide XStat CLS Transducer, driven by a powerful dual amplifier section. It delivers a virtually transparent audio performance, with a wide dynamic range that transports you to a vivid landscape of the senses.

PoweredForce Forward™ Bass TechnologyPoweredForce Forward Bass Technology combines two MartinLogan audio innovations: PoweredForce, which allows small enclosures to accurately produce massive amounts of bass, and ForceForward, which reduces performance-robbing near-wall bass reflections. PoweredForce Forward Bass Technology enhances placement flexibility, eliminates low-frequency reflections, and enhances the ambient realism of your sources.

“Art is the form of the image formed upon the nerves, heart, brain and eye of man.”

– Edvard Munch

Expression ESL 13A

Impression ESL 11A

The Impression of Audio Immediacy The Impressionist masterpieces removed the barrier between art and emotion; their works inspired potent feelings. The Impression ESL 11A achieves this effect with an unprecedented level of audio transparency and realism. It features a dual 8-inch woofer system, with ARC-optimized performance. The groundbreaking integration of this woofer array with MartinLogan’s signature 11-inch-wide XStat CLS transducer, coupled with a powerful dual amplifier section, is at the heart of a surprisingly expressive audio experience.

Powerful Dual High-Watt Class-D Amplification with 24-Bit Vojtko™ DSP EngineThe new high-watt Class-D amplifiers used in the powered models of the Masterpiece Series provide clean power more efficiently than ever before. They enable the effortless delivery of exhilarating dynamic impact, with plenty of breathing space. They are controlled by a precision 24-bit Vojtko Digital Signal Processing (DSP) engine, designed in-house by MartinLogan engineers. This all-digital control of low pass filter settings, along with woofer equalization functions, optimizes the integrated performance of the loudspeaker as a whole, painting an astoundingly original audio picture.

“Many painters are afraid in front of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of

the real, passionate painter who dares...”– Vincent Van Gogh

Impression ESL 11A

Classic ESL 9

The Classic MartinLogan Sound, Refined Once you experience a classic, you’ll never be the same. The Classic ESL 9 contains all the familiar elements of the Masterpiece Series, along with some innovative refinements. The heart of this exceptional loudspeaker is its 9.2-inch-wide Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) XStat vacuum-bonded electrostatic transducer. Deep bass is rendered with unflinching accuracy and authority by dual 8-inch low-distortion, high-excursion aluminum cone woofers in a beautifully sculpted enclosure.

The specially engineered passive woofer section uses an opposing array design to reduce cabinet vibrations and minimize near-wall interactions.

Fast and efficient, it’s capable of producing truly profound bass (down to 34Hz) with vanishingly low distortion.

A flared, ultra-low turbulence rear-firing slotted bass port increases deep bass output with no added port noise.

Precision-Built Advanced-Topology Vojtko™ CrossoverAll models of the Masterpiece series benefit from the performance advances of our exclusive Advanced-Topology Vojtko Crossover. Carefully hand-built, it uses only the finest polypropylene capacitors and air-core coils. This crossover employs MartinLogan’s proprietary Vojtko topology, for vanishingly low distortion and seamless driver/ESL integration. It’s a precision-tuned network that easily handles the full dynamics of any source, while also preserving even the most microscopic sonic nuances.

“To give a body and a perfect form to one’s thoughts. This – and only this – is to be an artist. ”

– Jacques-Louis David

Illusion ESL C34A

Illusion ESL C34A

The Ultimate Center Channel Loudspeaker The ambitious Illusion ESL C34A is the ultimate floor-based electrostatic center channel loudspeaker. Its classic MartinLogan electrostatic panel and Folded Motion XT Tweeters are uniquely integrated to the powered quad-driver woofer section—new technology joined with proven innovation to produce truly awe-inspiring center channel performance. Artful audio design and peerless performance makes the Illusion ESL C34A a rare and refined centerpiece in a high performance electrostatic home theater system.

ARC Technology ensures seamless lab-standard low frequency throughout your room.

Totally redesigned woofer section features four 6.5-inch laser-engineered low-distortion aluminum cone drivers with PoweredForce bass technology.

New 250-watt Class-D amplifier controlled by a 24-Bit Vojtko DSP Engine, for articulate, well-blended bass down to 45Hz.

“Tell a story by touching upon the simplicity of everyday life and its images with

clarity, warmth and realism”– William M. Harnett

Illusion ESL C34A

Focus ESL C18

Wall-Mounted Center Channel Flexibility Focus is the key to realism in a masterpiece of art, and also in your home theater. The Focus ESL C18 is an electrostatic center channel speaker designed, like a great work of art, to be mounted on a wall.

If your goal is flexibility and performance, the Focus ESL C18 achieves both. The narrow-depth, 18-inch-wide curvilinear XStat electrostatic transducer frontispiece is uniquely beautiful when wall-mounted. It is coupled with a Folded Motion tweeter, for pinpoint imaging detail, and dual aluminum cone woofers. The Focus ESL C18 can also be used on a traditional shelf or stand. An acoustic contour switch optimizes performance for either on-shelf or on-wall applications.

By giving you more application flexibility without sacrificing astonishing ESL center channel performance, the Focus ESL C18 is a masterpiece of audio engineering.

“The art of a Vermeer... seeks not to amaze... but to invite the observer to come closer....

Such art reinforces human dignity.”– Germaine Greer on Vermeer

ARC – Achieving Lab-Standard Performance in Your Own Listening Room The unique size and shape of your listening space can cause bass waves to do unpredictable things, affecting a speaker’s overall performance. To overcome these issues, the powered models of the Masterpiece Series feature Anthem Room Correction (ARC™) Technology integrated directly into their systems.

ARC is a truly scientific, completely digital solution to optimizing audio in any listening environment. It measures low-frequency sound output in your room and compares it to lab-standard response curves.

By digitally minimizing room interactions, and uniquely harmonizing the performances of the ESL and low-frequency sections, ARC allows Masterpiece Series loudspeakers to deliver more natural, full-range sound at any listening level in any listening space. It’s the kind of performance that separates the merely excellent from that of a true masterpiece.

VERTICAL DESIGN HORIZONTAL DESIGN

R O O M C O R R E C T I O N

R O O M C O R R E C T I O N

Renaissance ESL 15ASystem Frequency Response 22–21,000 Hz ±3 dB

Recommended Amplifier Power 50–700 Watts per channel at 4 ohms

Dispersion Horizontal: 30 degrees Vertical: 46” (116.9 cm) line source

Sensitivity 92 dB / 2.83 volts / meter

Impedance Nominal: 4 ohms, 0.5 ohms @ 20 kHz

Crossover Frequency 300 Hz

High/Mid Frequency Driver XStat CLS Electrostatic transducer Panel dimensions: 46” x 15” (116.9 cm x 38.1 cm) Radiating area: 690 in2 (4,454 cm2)

Woofers Two 12” (30.5 cm) cast basket, high excursion, rigid aluminium cone with extended throw drive assembly, non-resonance asymmetrical chamber format

Amplifier Woofer: 2 x 500 watts / channel (4 ohms), 2 x 1,000 watts peak

Room Correction (Woofer System) Anthem Room Correction (ARC™) ready (Sold Separately)

Components Custom-wound audio transformer, air core coils, polypropylene capacitors. 24-bit DSP based preamplifier (used with woofer amplifier)

Controls Bass: ±10 dB under 75 Hz Mid-Bass: –2 dB, 0 db, +2 db Light: On, Dim, Off ARC™ Room EQ: On, Off

Signal Inputs WBT-0703Cu nextgen™ 5-way binding posts feature a filigree signal conductor made from gold plated, nickel free, non ferromagnetic, pure copper for high conductivity and fully insulated. Free from eddy current effects

Inputs AC Power, RJ45 (for ARC), mini USB (for ARC)

Power Draw Max: 900 W per channel Standby:

Expression ESL 13ASystem Frequency Response 24–23,000 Hz ±3 dB


Dispersion Horizontal: 30 degrees Vertical: 44” (112 cm) line source




High/Mid Frequency Driver XStat CLS electrostatic transducer Panel dimensions: 44” x 13” (112 cm x 33 cm) Radiating area: 572 in2 (3,696 cm2)

Woofers Two 10” (25.4 cm) cast basket, high excursion, rigid aluminum cone with extended throw drive assembly, non-resonance asymmetrical chamber format

Amplifier Woofer: 2 x 300 watts / channel (4 ohms), 2 x 600 watts peak

Room Correction (Woofer System) Anthem Room Correction (ARC™) ready (sold separately)


Controls Bass: ±10 dB under 75 Hz Mid-Bass: –2 dB, 0 db, +2 db Light: On, Dim, Off ARC™ Room EQ: On, Off



Power Draw Max: 500W per channel Standby:

Impression ESL 11ASystem Frequency Response 29–23,000 Hz ±3 dB


Dispersion Horizontal: 30 degrees Vertical: 44-inch (112 cm) line source




High/Mid Frequency Driver XStat CLS Electrostatic transducer Panel dimensions: 44” x 11” (112 cm x 28 cm) Radiating area: 484 in2 (3,136 cm2)

Woofers Two 8” (20.3 cm) cast basket, high excursion, rigid aluminum cone with extended throw drive assembly, non-resonance asymmetrical chamber format

Amplifier Woofer: 2 x 275 watts / channel (4 ohms), 2 x 550 watts peak

Room Correction (Woofer System) Anthem Room Correction (ARC™) ready (sold separately)


Controls Bass: ±10 dB under 75 Hz Mid-Bass: –2 dB, 0 db, +2 db ARC™ Room EQ: On, Off



Power Draw Max: 500 W per channel Standby:

Classic ESL 9System Frequency Response 34–23,000 Hz ± 3db

Recommended Amplifier Power 50–400 watts per channel at 4 Ohms

Dispersion Horizontal: 30 degrees Vertical: 44” (112 cm) line source




High/Mid Frequency Driver XStat CLS Electrostatic transducer Panel dimensions: 44” x 9.2” (112 cm x 23.4 cm) Radiating area: 405 in2 (2,611 cm2)

Woofers Two 8” (20.3 cm) cast basket, high excursion, rigid aluminum cone with extended throw drive assembly, non-resonance asymmetrical chamber format.

Components Custom-wound audio transformer, air core coils, low DCR steel laminate coils, polyester capacitors

Signal Inputs Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts


Illusion ESL C34ASystem Frequency Response 45–23,000 Hz ±3db

Recommended Amplifier Power 50–600 watts per channel

Dispersion Horizontal: 30 degrees

Sensitivity 90 dB/2.83 volts/meter

Impedance Nominal 6 ohms

Crossover Frequency 500, 2,000 Hz

High Frequency Driver Two 1.25” x 2.4” (3.2cm x 6.1cm) Folded Motion XT Transducers with 4.5” x 2.75” (11.4cm x 7cm) diaphragm.

Mid Frequency Driver

8” x 34.5” (20.3 cm x 87.6 cm) CLS XStat electrostatic with two 16” x 8” (40.6 cm x 20.3 cm) playable areas (256 in2/1,652 cm2)

Woofers Four 6.5” (16.5cm) cast basket, high excursion, rigid aluminum cone with extended throw driver assembly, non-resonance asymmetrical chamber format.

Amplifier

1 x 250 watts/channel (4 ohms), 500 watts peak

Room Correction (Woofer System) Anthem Room Correction™ (ARC™) Ready (sold separately)

Components Custom-wound audio transformer, air core coils, polypropylene capacitors. 24bit DSP based preamplifier (used with woofer amplifier).

Controls Bass: ±10dB under 75Hz Mid-Bass: –2dB, 0dB, +2dB ARC Room EQ: On, Off

Signal Inputs WBT-0703Cu nextgen™ 5-way binding posts feature a filigree signal conductor made from gold plated, nickel free, non-ferromagnetic, pure copper for high conductivity and fully insulated. Free from eddy current effects.

Inputs AC Power, RJ45 (For ARC), mini USB (For ARC™)


Focus ESL C18System Frequency Response 50–23,000 Hz ± 3db

Recommended Amplifier Power 50–300 watts

Dispersion Horizontal: 30 degrees

Sensitivity 90 dB/2.83 volts/meter

Impedance Nominal 4 ohms

Crossover Frequency 470, 3,000 Hz

High Frequency Driver 1” x 1.4” (2.6 cm x 3.6 cm) Folded Motion Transducer with 5.25” x 1.75” (13.3 cm x 4.4 cm) diaphragm.

Mid Frequency Driver

7.5” x 18” (19.1cm x 45.7cm) CLS™ XStat™ electrostatic transducer with total playable area 135 in2 (873cm2).

Woofers Two 6.5” (16.5 cm) cast basket, high excursion, rigid aluminum cone with extended throw drive assembly, non-resonance symmetrical chamber format.

Components Custom-wound audio transformer, air core coils, low DCR steel laminate coils, polyester capacitors.

Controls Position: On-Wall / Off-Wall

Signal Inputs WBT-0703Cu nextgen™ 5-way binding posts feature a filigree signal conductor made from gold plated, nickel free, nonferromagnetic, pure copper for high conductivity and fully insulated. Free from eddy current effects.

Weight 50 lbs. each (22.7 kg)

Size (H x W x D, Table Mount) 9.6” x 43.2” x 9.2” (24.4 cm x 109.7 cm x 23.4 cm)

Size (H x W x D, Installed On Wall, Flat Mount) 9.4” x 43.2” x 9.6” (23.9 cm x 109.7 cm x 24.5 cm)

Size (H x W x D, Installed On Wall, Angled Up) 11” x 43.2” x 11.2” (27.9 cm x 109.7 cm x 28.3 cm)

Size (H x W x D, Installed On Wall, Angled Down) 11.3” x 43.2” x 11.5” (28.8 cm x 109.7 cm x 29.1 cm)

Specifications are subject to change without notice.

A Brief History of

Truth in Sound

Picasso’s youthful realistic style soon gave way to the groundbreaking cubist images that made him famous. The more traditional style of the young Van Gogh matured into the bold, colorful impressionism we recognize today.

This same artistic trajectory was traveled by Gayle Martin Sanders and Ron Logan Sutherland, as they grappled with improving the “finicky” characteristics of classic electrostatic loudspeaker designs.

Early electrostatics were prized for their purity and clarity. But they were difficult to work with, needed lots of amplification, lacked bass, and had a limited soundstage. With the artful application of innovative materials and contemporary technology, Sanders and Sutherland improved the performance, and expanded the appeal, of this exulted audio technology.

By the early 1980s, MartinLogan had gained a worldwide reputation for superior electrostatic performance and arresting product design.

Today’s flagship Masterpiece Series of high performance electrostatic loudspeakers is the culmination of nearly four decades of artistic growth and creative evolution.

It incorporates elements of traditional electrostatic technology, with classic precision and transparency.

It adds modern touches, like the uniquely designed and integrated woofer section, exploding preconceptions about the limitations of electrostatic loudspeaker performance.

And it reaches into the future with groundbreaking proprietary technology like Anthem Room Correction and handcrafted Vojtko Crossover and DSP designs.

It is, as its name implies, a masterpiece of audio realism and impact; destined to be a classic.

The Birth of a Masterpiece

Circa 1982, the original MartinLogan prototype Truth in Sound

The Masterpiece of Thin Film Audio

Electrostatic loudspeakers consist of two basic elements: A large, thin, conductive diaphragm suspended between two charged metal “stators.” The amplifier’s signal creates an electrostatic field between the stators, which moves the diaphragm and transmits sound. It’s true: conventional cone-and-box speakers are much easier to design and build. So why go to all the trouble of thin film and electric charges?

Because conventional loudspeaker designs just cannot reproduce audio with the extraordinary detail, and compellingly lifelike, three-dimensional impact of an electrostatic loudspeaker. One listen and you’ll realize that you have real audio options. Boxy, traditional sound, or the living, breathing audio realism delivered by advanced thin film technology.

MartinLogan is dedicated to the art and science of electrostatic loudspeaker technology, a four decade quest for audio perfection. And this is our Masterpiece.

A B CBC

Parts of a MartinLogan ESL Transducer

Electrostatic Forces at Work

Opposite charges attract, Like charges repel. The diaphragm holds a constant positive charge.

A) Plasma bonded diaphragmB) ClearSpar™ spacersC) MicroPerf stators

The heart of every MartinLogan electrostatic loudspeaker is our gossamer thin, ultra-low-mass transparent diaphragm. Carefully curved in a unique manufacturing process, and suspended between its stators, it can vibrate back and forth more than 40,000 times per second. MartinLogan has perfected an electrostatic design that allows this singular transducer to function effortlessly and reliably, for a lifetime of superior audio performance.

Lighter than air

Artists transfer vision and meaning into otherwise inert materials. At MartinLogan, every aspect of speaker design is overseen by the hands, eyes and ears of skilled, passionate artists and engineers. They are dedicated to crafting an authentic piece of art you will be proud to own and enjoy for years to come. Every critical part, electrostatic transducer, cabinet joint, seam and weld connection, not to mention every unique material and every proprietary manufacturing process, is meticulously designed and crafted. Only this level of complete hands-on control can produce a loudspeaker of this caliber. Each model of the Masterpiece Series is an exquisite piece of art, made by talented individuals, to reproduce every aspect of the audio art you enjoy.

What is Truth in Sound ? More than a catchy phrase, it’s our guiding philosophy: Loudspeakers capable of rendering even the most complex musical passages in an utterly convincing and lifelike fashion, revealing the true nature of sound. We invite you to experience it for yourself.

The Handcrafted Art of Audio

masterpiece series - martinlogan€¦ · amplifier woofer: 2 x 500 watts / channel (4 ohms), 2 x...

Documents