MartinLogan EFX Owner's manual

Category
Supplementary music equipment
Type
Owner's manual

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2
1 Readtheseinstructions.
2 Keeptheseinstructions.
3 Heedallwarnings.
4 Followallinstructions.
5 Donotusethisapparatusnearwater.
6 Cleanonlywithdrycloth.
7 Donotblockanyventilationopenings.Installinaccor-
dancewiththemanufacturer’sinstructions.
8 Donotinstallnearanyheatsourcessuchasradiators,heat
registers,stoves,orotherapparatus(includingamplifiers)
thatproduceheat.
9 Donotdefeatthesafetypurposeofthe polarized or
grounding-typeplug.Apolarizedplughastwobladeswith
onewiderthantheother.Agroundingtypeplughastwo
bladesandathirdgroundingprong.Thewidebladeorthe
thirdprongareprovidedforyoursafety.Iftheprovided
plugdoesnotfitintoyouroutlet,consultanelectricianfor
replacementoftheobsoleteoutlet.
10 Protectthepowercordfrombeingwalkedonorpinched
particularlyatplugs,conveniencereceptacles,andthe
pointwheretheyexittheapparatus.
11 Onlyuseattachments/accessoriesspecifiedbythemanu-
facturer.
12 Useonlywiththestand,tripod,bracket,or
tablespecifiedbythemanufacturer,orsold
withtheapparatus.
13 Unplugthisapparatusduringlightningstorms
orwhenunusedforlongperiodsoftime.
14 Referallservicingtoqualifiedservicepersonnel.Servicing
isrequiredwhentheapparatushasbeendamagedinany
way,suchaspower-cordorplugisdamaged,liquidhas
beenspilledorobjectshavefallenintotheapparatus,the
apparatushasbeenexposedtorainormoisture,doesnot
operatenormally,orhasbeendropped.
15 Themainsplugofthepowersupplycordshallremain
readilyoperable.
16 Tocompletelydisconnectthisequipmentfromthemains,
disconnectthepowersupplycordplugfromthereceptacle.
17 WARNING! Toreducetheriskoffireorelectricshock,this
apparatusshouldnotbeexposedtorainormoistureand
objectsfiledwithliquids,suchasvases,shouldnotbeplaced
onthisapparatus.
18 Topreventinjury,thisapparatusmustbesecurelyattached
tothewallinaccordancewiththeinstallationinstructions.
19 Thisunitisnotintendedtobefreestandingandistobefas-
tenedtothewallbeforeoperation.
CAUTION!
Toreduceriskofelectricshock,donoremovecover(orback).
• Nouserserviceablepartsinside.
• Referservicingtoqualifiedservicepersonnel.
Service Information
For service this product should be returned to your authorized
distributor. In the US, please visit www.martinlogan.com for
contact information. Outside the US, please use the distributor
locator at www.martinlogan.com.
InaccordancewiththeEuropeanUnionWEEE(Waste
ElectricalandElectronicEquipment)directiveeffective
August13,2005,wewouldliketonotifyyouthatthis
productmaycontainregulatedmaterialswhichupon
disposal,accordingtotheWEEEdirective,requirespecialreuseand
recyclingprocessing.
ForthisreasonMartinLoganhasarrangedwithourdistributorsin
EuropeanUnionmembernationstocollectandrecyclethisproductat
nocosttoyou.Tofindyourlocaldistributorpleasecontactthedealer
fromwhomyoupurchasedthisproduct,emailinfo@martinlogan.com
orvisitthedistributorlocatoratwww.martinlogan.com.
Pleasenote,onlythisproductitselffallsundertheWEEEdirective.
Whendisposingofpackagingandotherrelatedshippingmaterialswe
encourageyoutorecycletheseitemsthroughthenormalchannels.
EnvertudeladirectiveWEEEdel’Unioneuropéenne
(directivesurlesdéchetsélectriquesetélectroniques)
entréeenvigueurle13at2005,nousvousavi-
sonsqueceproduitpourraitcontenirdesmariaux
réglementésdontl’éliminationdoitfairel’objetdeprocéduresderéu-
tilisationetderecyclageparticulières.
Àcettefin,MartinLoganademandéàsesdistributeursdanslespays
membresdel’Unioneuropéennedereprendreetderecyclerceproduit
gratuitement.Pourtrouverledistributeurleplusprès,communiquez
aveclerevendeurduproduit,envoyezuncourrielàinfo@martinlogan.
comouconsultezlesiteWebmartinlogan.com.
NotezqueseulleproduitestgiparladirectiveWEEE.Nousvous
encourageonsàrecyclerlesmatériauxd’emballageetautresmatériaux
d’expéditionselonlesprocéduresnormales.
SerialNumbers: ________________/________________
Record your serial numbers here for easy reference. You will need this in-
formation when filling out your warranty registration. EFX’s serial number
is located near the bottom of the backplate and on the shipping container.
Each individual unit has a unique serial number.
BassSetting: ________________/________________
left channel right channel
Numérosdesérie:_______________/_______________
Veuillez noter les numéros de série afin de pouvoir les consulter facile-
ment. Vous aurez besoin de ces renseignements lorsque vous remplirez
l’inscription à la garantie. Le numéro de série EFX est situé près du bas de
la plaque arrière et sur le carton d’emballage. Chaque appareil possède un
numéro de série unique.
Paramètresdesgraves: ____________/____________
Canal de gauche Canal de droite
Thank you—to you the MartinLogan owner,
for loving what we do,
and for making it possible for us to do what we love.
Merci à vous, propriétaire d’un produit MartinLogan,
d’aimer ce que nous faisons,
et de faire en sorte que nous puissions faire ce que nous aimons.
3
Thisdevicecomplieswithpart15oftheFCCRules.Operationissubject
tothefollowingtwoconditions:(1)Thisdevicemaynotcauseharmful
interference,and(2)thisdevicemustacceptanyinterferencereceived,
includinginterferencethatmaycauseundesiredoperation.
EFX
TestedtoComplywithFCCStandards
FORHOMEOROFFICEUSE
Cetappareilestconformeàlapartie15desrèglesduFCC.L’utilisationest
assujettieauxdeuxconditionssuivantes:(1)cetappareilnedoitpascauser
d’interrencenuisible,et(2)cetappareildoitaccepterl’interférencereçue,
notammentl’interférencequipeutcauserunmauvaisfonctionnement.
Theexclamationpointwithinanequilateraltriangleis
intendedtoalerttheusertothepresenceofimportant
operatingandmaintenance(servicing)instructionsinthe
literatureaccompanyingtheappliance.
Lepointd’exclamationdansuntriangleéquilatéralaver-
titl’utilisateurdelaprésencededirectivesimportantesen
matièredefonctionnementetd’entretien(service)dansles
documentsquiaccompagnentl’appareil.
Thelightningboltflashwitharrowheadsymbol,within
anequilateraltriangle,isintendedtoalerttheusertothe
presenceofuninsulated“dangerousvoltage”withinthe
product’senclosurethatmaybeofsufficientmagnitudeto
constituteariskofelectricshock.
Lesymboledel’éclairavecunepointeenformedeflèche,
dansuntriangleéquilatéral,avertitlutilisateur dela
présenced’une«tensiondangereuse»potentielleprèsdu
produitquipeutêtresuffisantepourconstituerunrisque
dedéchargeélectrique.
WARNING!DonotuseyourEFXloudspeakersoutsideofthecountryoforiginalsale—voltagerequirementsvarybycoun-
try.Impropervoltagecancausedamagethatwillbepotentiallyexpensivetorepair.TheEFXisshippedtoauthorized
MartinLogandistributorswiththecorrectpowersupplyforuseinthecountryofintendedsale.Alistofauthorizeddistributors
canbeaccessedatwww.martinlogan.comorbyemailinginfo@martinlogan.com.
MISE EN GARDE! N’utilisezpasleshaut-parleursEFXàl’extérieurdupaysilsontétéachetéslesexigencesen
matièredetensionvarientselonlespays.Unetensioninappropriéepeutcauserdesdommagespotentiellementdispend-
ieuxàréparer.LeproduitEFXestenvoyéauxdistributeursMartinLoganautorisésavecleboncordond’alimentationpour
l’utilisationdanslepaysoùilestvendu.UnelistedesdistributeursautorisésestdisponiblesurlesiteWebwww.martinlogan.
comouenécrivantàl’adresse[email protected].
EFX
TestépourêtreconformeauxnormesduFCC
POURUNEUTILISATIONÀLAMAISONOUAUBUREAU
4
NOTE:Thisequipmenthasbeentestedandfoundtocomplywiththe
limitsforaClassBdigitaldevice,pursuanttopart15oftheFCCRules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmfulinterferenceinaresidentialinstallation.Thisequipmentgener-
atesusesandcanradiateradiofrequencyenergyand,ifnotinstalled
andusedinaccordancewiththeinstructions,maycauseharmfulinter-
ferencetoradiocommunications.However,thereisnoguaranteethat
interferencewillnotoccurinaparticularinstallation.Ifthisequipment
doescauseharmfulinterferencetoradioortelevisionreception,which
canbedeterminedbyturningtheequipmentoffandon,theuseris
encouragedtotrytocorrecttheinterferencebyoneormoreofthe
followingmeasures:
— Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna.
— Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentandreceiver.
— Connecttheequipmentintoanoutletonacircuitdifferentfromthat
towhichthereceiverisconnected.
— Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TVtechnicianforhelp.
REMARQUE:cetéquipementaététestéetjugéconformeauxlimites
d’unappareilnuriquedeClasseB,envertudelaSection15durègle-
mentdelaFCC.Ceslimitessontcouespouroffriruneprotectionjue
raisonnablecontrel’interférencenuisibledansuneinstallationrésidentielle.
Cetéquipementgénèredesutilisationsetpeutémettreuneénergieradio-
fréquenceet,s’iln’estpasinstalléetutiliséconformémentauxinstructions,
peutcauseruneinterférencenuisibleauxradiocommunications.Toutefois,
iln‘existeaucunegarantiequ’uneinterférenceneseproduirapasdansune
installationparticulre.Sicetéquipementcauseuneinterférencenuisible
àlaréceptionradiophoniqueoutélévisuelle,qu’onpeutdétermineren
ouvrantetenfermantl’équipement,lutilisateurestinvitéàessayerdecor-
rigerl’interférenceàl’aided’unedesmesuressuivantes:
— Réorienterl’antennederéceptionoulachangerdeplace.
— Augmenterladistanceentrel’équipementetlerécepteur.
— Raccorderl’équipementàuneprisesituéesurunautrecircuitque
celuisurlequellerécepteurestraccordé.
— Consulterlerevendeurouuntechnicienradio/TVcompétentpour
obtenirdel’aide.
5
Safety Warnings and Installation in Brief (English)
WARNING/CAUTION!
• Hazardousvoltagesexistinside—donotremove
cover.
• Referservicingtoaqualifiedtechnician.
• Topreventfireorshockhazard,donotexpose
thismoduletomoisture.
• Turnamplifieroffandunplugspeakershouldany
abnormalconditionsoccur.
• Turnamplifieroffbeforemakingorbreakingany
signalconnections!
• Donotoperateifthereisanyvisualdamageto
theelectrostaticpanelelement.
• Donotdrivespeakerbeyonditsratedpower.
• Thepowercordshouldnotbeinstalled,
removed,orleftdetachedfromthespeaker
whiletheotherendisconnectedtoanACpower
source.
• Nocandlesorothersourcesofopenflameshould
beplacedonthespeaker.
• Noliquidseitheringlassesorvasesshouldbe
placedonspeaker.
• Speakershouldnotbeexposedtodrippingor
splashingliquids.
• Theterminalsmarkedwiththelightningboltsym-
bolshouldbeconnectedbyaninstructedperson
orbywayofreadymadeterminals.
• Thepowercordshouldremainreadilyoperable
shouldanyabnormalconditionsoccur.
WeknowyouareeagertohearyournewMartinLoganloud-
speakers,sothissectionisprovidedtoallowfastandeasysetup.
Onceyouhavethemoperational,pleasetakethetimetoread,
indepth,therestoftheinformationintheenclosedmanual.It
willgiveyouperspectiveonhowtoattainthegreatestpossible
performancefromthismostexactingtransducer.
If you should experience any difficulties in the setup or
operationofyourMartinLoganspeakers,pleaserefertothe
RoomAcoustics,Placement or Operation sectionsof the
enclosedownersmanual.Shouldyouencounterapersis-
tentproblemthatcannotberesolved,pleasecontactyour
authorizedMartinLogandealer.Theywillprovideyouwith
theappropriatetechnicalanalysistoalleviatethesituation.
Step 1: Unpacking
RemoveyournewMartinLoganspeakersfromtheirpacking.
Step 2: Placement
Placespeakersatthedesiredlocationandanglethemslightly
towardyourprimarylisteningarea.Thisisagoodplacetostart.
PleaseseethePlacementsectionoftheenclosedmanualfor
moredetails.
Step 3: Power Connection (AC) (see warning)
MartinLoganspeakersrequireACpowertoenergizetheir
electrostaticcells.UsingtheACpowercordsprovided,plug
theminfirsttotheACpowerreceptacleontherearpanel
of the speaker, making sure that you have made a firm
connection, and then to the wall outlet. Please see the
Operationssectionoftheenclosedmanualformoredetails.
Step 4: Signal Connection
Usethebestspeakercablesyoucan.Higherqualitycable,avail-
ablefromyourspecialtydealer,isrecommendedandwillgive
yousuperiorperformance.Spadeconnectorsaresuggestedfor
optimumcontactandeaseofinstallation.
AttachyourspeakercablestotheSignalInputsectiononthe
rearpanel.Beconsistentwhenconnectingspeakerleadstothe
terminalsonthebackofthespeaker:takegreatcaretoassign
thesamecolortothe(+)terminalonboththeleftandright
channels.Ifbassisnonexistentandyoucannotdiscernatight,
coherentimage,youmayneedtoreversethe(+)and(–)leads
ononesidetobringthesystemintoproperpolarity.
IfyourspeakerisequippedforBi-wiring/PassiveBi-amping,turn
totheOperationssectionoftheenclosedmanualforproper
setupofyourMartinLoganspeakers.
Step 5: Listen and Enjoy
Sikkerhedsanvisninger og gode råd om instal-
lationen (Dansk)
ADVARSEL!
• Undgåatfjernecoveret.
• Overladalleformerforserviceogreparationtil
enkvalificerettekniker.
• Foratundgåelektriskestødogrisikoforildeb-
randbørdetteproduktikkeudsættesforfugt.
• Afbrydforstærkerennåranlæggetikkeeribrugi
længereperioder.
• Afbrydaltidforstærkerenførdutilsluttereller
afbryderforbindelsentildinehøjttalere!
• Undgåatbelastehøjttalerenmedhøjereeffekter
endangivet.
• Undgåatanvendehøjttalerenhvisderersynlige
skaderpådetelektrostatiskepanel.
• Lysnetkabletbørikketilsluttes,fjernesellerefter-
ladespågulvet,hvisstikketidenandenendeer
tilsluttetenlysnetkontakt.
• Undgåbrugenafåbenildogstearinlyspåelleri
nærhedenafhøjttalerne.
• Undgåkonsekventatstillevæskefyldtevaserog
glaspåhøjttalerne.
ContentsandIntroduction19
Contents and IntroduCtIon
Contents and Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
LowVoltage(DC)PowerConnection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
SpeakerLevelConnection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Mounting the EFX On A Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
ChangingtheDirectionofRotation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Room Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
YourRoom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
RulesofThumb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
DipolarSpeakersandYourRoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Dispersion Interactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
ControlledHorizontalDispersion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
ControlledVerticalDispersion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
ThreeMajorTypesofDispersion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Home Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Electrostatic Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
FullRangeOperation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
MartinLogan Exclusives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
XStat™Transducer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
CLS™(CurvilinearLineSource). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Generation2Diaphragm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
MicroPerfStator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
VacuumBonding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
AirFrame™Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Electrostatic Loudspeaker History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Frequently Asked Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
WarrantyandRegistration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
SerialNumber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Glossary of Audio Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Dimensional Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Congratulations! You have invested in one of the world’s
premier loudspeaker systems.
TheMartinLoganEFXrepresentsanadvancedcombination
ofsonictechnologiesestablishinganunprecedenteddirection
foraudiophiledesign.Theresultofyearsofresearch,thenew
EFX™hybridelectrostaticloudspeakerfeaturesXStat™tech-
nology,dramaticallyreducingcabinetsize,yetestablishing
newstandardsforefficiency,dynamicsandprecision.
Housedwithinaradical,ultra-rigidextrudedaluminum
AirFrame™,theEFX’snewCLSXStat™transducerbuildsupon
thelegacyofMartinLogan’selectrostaticheritagewiththe
incorporationofadvancedvacuumbondingandMicroPerf
statpanels,providingevengreaterefficiencyandprecision.
Theintegrationelectricalinterfacetechnologydeveloped
byMartinLogan’sCLX™engineeringteamextendseffortless
dynamicsandpurity,resultinginevenhighersonicstandards
ofefficiencyandprecision.
Featuringanadvancedcrossovertopologyderivedfromthe
CLX™loudspeaker,eachEFX™crossoverutilizesprecision
audiophile-gradepolypropylenecapacitorsandhigh-purity
air-corecoils.Thisadvancedcrossovertopologyflawlesslypre-
servesmicroscopicsubtletieswhileeffortlesslyhandlingthe
broadestrangeofdynamicscontainedwithineventhemost
demandingsonicsource.
ThematerialsinyournewEFXspeakersareofthehighest
qualityandwillprovideyearsofenduringenjoymentand
deepeningrespect.Thecabinetryisconstructedfromthehigh-
estqualitycompositematerialforacousticalintegrityand
featuresrealwoodveneers.
Throughrigoroustesting,thecurvilinearelectrostaticpanel
hasprovenitselftobeoneofthemostdurableandreliable
transducersavailabletoday.Fabricatedfromacustomtool
punchedhigh-gradesteel,thepatentedpanelisthencoated
withaspecialpolymerthatisappliedviaaproprietaryelec-
trostaticbondingprocess. Thispanelassemblyhouses a
membranejust0.0005ofaninchthick.Ruggedlyconstructed
andinsulated,thepanelisratedtoeasilyhandle20–300watts
ofpowerwithnodeleteriouseffects.
TheothersectionsofyourUser’sManualexplainindetailthe
operationofyourEFXspeakersandthephilosophyappliedto
theirdesign.Aclearunderstandingofyourspeakerswillinsure
thatyouobtainmaximumperformanceandpleasurefromthis
mostexactingtransducer.Ithasbeendesignedandconstructed
togiveyouyearsoftrouble-freelisteningenjoyment.
English
20Connections
ConneCtIons
Low-Voltage (DC) Power Connection
YourEFXspeakersuseexternallow-voltagepowersuppliesto
energizetheirelectrostaticpanels.Forthisreasontheproper
low-voltagepowersuppliesareprovided.Apowersupply
shouldbefirmlyinsertedintothe‘DCPowerIn’receptacleon
therearconnectionpanelofeachspeaker,thentoanyconve-
nientACwalloutlet.YourEFXspeakersintegrateasignalsensing
circuitwhichwillswitchtheEFXoffafterafewminutesofno
musicsignal,andrequireslessthantwosecondstorechargethe
panelswhenamusicsignalispresent.
YourEFXspeakersareprovidedwithapowersupplyforthe
powerservicesuppliedinthecountryoforiginalconsumersale.
TheACpowerrequirementsapplicabletoaparticularunitis
specifiedbothonthepackingcartonandontheDCpowersup-
ply.
IfyouremoveyourEFXspeakersfromthecountryoforiginal
sale,becertainthattheACpowersuppliedinanysubsequent
locationissuitablebeforeconnectingthelow-voltagepower
supply.Substantiallyimpairedperformanceorseveredamage
mayoccurtoaEFXspeakerifoperationisattemptedfroman
incorrectACpowersource.
WARNING! TheDCpower supplyshouldnot
beinstalled,removed,orleftdetachedfromthe
speakerwhileconnectedtoanACpowersource.
Speaker Level Connection
Usethebestspeakercablesyoucan.Thelengthandtypeof
speakercableusedinyoursystemwillhaveanaudibleeffect.
Undernocircumstanceshouldawireofgaugehigher(thinner)
than#16beused.Ingeneral,thelongerthelengthused,the
greaterthenecessityofalowergauge,andthelowerthegauge,
thebetterthesound,withdiminishingreturnssettinginaround
#8to#12.
Avarietyofcablesareavailablewhose
manufacturersclaim
betterperformancethanstandardheavygaugewire.Wehave
verifiedthisinmanycases,andtheimprovementsavailableare
oftenmorenoticeablethanthedifferencesbetweenwiresofdif-
ferentgauge.Theeffectsofcablesmaybemaskedifequipment
isnotofthehighestquality.
Connectionsaredoneatthesignalinputsectionontherear
electronicspaneloftheEFX.Usespadeconnectorsforoptimum
contactandeaseofinstallation.Handtightenthebindingposts,
butdonotovertighten—donotuseatooltotightenthebinding
posts.
Beconsistentwhenconnectingthespeakercablestothesignal
inputterminals.Takecaretoassignthesamecolorcablelead
tothe(+)terminalonboththeleftandrightchannelspeakers.
Ifbassisnonexistentandyoucannotdiscernatight,coherent
image,youmayneedtoreversethe(+)and(–)leadsonone
speakertobringthesystemintoproperpolarity.
WARNING! Turnyouramplifieroffbeforemaking
orbreakinganysignalconnections!
Break-In
WhenyoufirstbegintoplayyourEFXspeakers,theywillsound
abitbassshy.Thisisduetothehighquality,long-lifecompo-
nentsusedinourwoofer.Ourcustommade,butylsurround
wooferrequiresapproximately72hoursofbreak-inat90dB
(moderatelisteninglevels)beforeanycriticallistening.The
break-inrequirementsofthecrossovercomponents(and,toa
lesserdegree,thestator)areequivalent.WARNING!Installing
theEFXonawallrequiresonly1person,butanassistantwill
behelpful.
English
Figure 1.Single-wireconnection.Onechannelshown.
MountingtheEFXOnAWall21
ThebracketshippedwiththeMartinLoganEFXloud-
speakerisdesignedforuseonlywiththeEFX.Use
withotherappliancesmayresultininstabilitycaus-
ingpossibleinjury.
Topreventinjury,thisapparatusmustbesecurely
attachedtothewallinaccordancewiththeinstalla-
tioninstructions.
Thisunitisnotintendedtobefreestandingandisto
befastenedtothewallbeforeoperation.
NOTE:TheseinstructionsdescribehowtomounttheEFXtoa
wall.MartinLoganrecommendsusing4wallanchorstosecure
eachEFXtothewall.Ifanyofthescrewshitastud,itisrecom-
mendedtoscrewdirectlyintothestud.
NOTE:ToassurethatyourEFXsaresafelywallmounted,these
instructionsmustbecarefullyfollowed.Studythemthoroughly
beforebeginningtoinstallyourEFX’s.
NOTE:Thefollowinginstructionsassumethemountingsurface
isofstandardwoodframeandstandardsheetrockconstruction.
IfyouwishtomounttheEFXtoanothertypeofmaterial,you
shouldconsultabondedcontractor.
Required hardware (included):
(4)wallanchors
(4)1.5”Allenscrews
(4)flatwashers
2mmAllentool
3mmAllentool
6.5mmAllentool
Required hardware (not included):
(4)1.5”woodscrews
Required tools (not supplied):
Alevel
Anelectricdrilland
1
/4”and
1
/8”drillbits
1 YourEFXloudspeakersshipfromthefactorywiththewall
mountingbracketsinthesameorientation.Youmayneedto
adjustthebracketssothatonespeakerpivotsclockwiseand
theothercounterclockwise.Beforebeginningyourinstal-
lation,placeaEFXnearthedesiredinstallationlocationand
checkthatthedirectionofrotationwillallowyoutopivotthe
EFXtowardsyourlisteninglocation.Ifthedirectionofrota-
tioncausesyourEFXtopivotawayfromthelisteninglocation,
pleaserefertothefollowingsection“ChangingtheDirection
ofRotation”.
2 Usinga6mmAllentoolremovethe2capnutsandwashers
locatedontopofthecylindricalhingesandplacethemaside
(donotreinstallthecapnuts).
3 Atthedesiredinstallationlocation,markapointonyourwall
16inches(40.6cm)abovethefloor(seefigure3).
4 Usingalevel,squarethewallbracketandholditflushagainst
thewallwiththewallbracket’scenterholeoverthecenter
pointyoujustmarked.Thecylindricalhingesonthewall
bracketshouldpointawayfromthewallandthehingepins
shouldpointupwardstowardstheceiling.Markfourpoints
(twoeachatthetopandbottomofthebracket)insideofthe
wallbracket’sarcshapedcutouts(seefigure4).
English
Figure 2. Steps1–2
Figure 3.Step3
MountIng the eFX on a Wall
Figure 4.Step4
22MountingtheEFXOnAWall
5 Setthewallbracketaside.Usinga
1
/8”bit,drillapilothole
atallfourpoints.Ifanyofthepilotholeshitastudduringthis
step,DONOTwidenthepilotholeandinstallawallanchorat
thatlocation.Ifapilotholedoesnothitastud,usea
1
/2bitto
widenthepilothole.
InstallTOGGLER®SNAPTOGGLE®toggleboltsatallloca-
tionswitha1/2-inchhole(seefigure5).Todothis:
A) Holdthetoggleboltmetalchannelflatalongsidetheplastic
straps.Slidethemetalchannelthroughthe1/2-inchhole.
B) Holdtheendsofthestrapsbetweenthumbandforefinger
andeventhemout.Pulltheentiretogglebolttowardyou
untilthechannelrestsflushbehindthewall.Slidetheplastic
capalongthestrapswiththeotherhanduntiltheflangeof
thecapisflushwiththewall.
C) Placeathumbbetweenthestrapsatthewall.Pushthethumb
sidetoside,snappingoffthestrapslevelwiththeflange.
6 Usingalevelanda3mmAllentool,squarethebracketanddrive
thefour1.5”Allenheadscrewsandflatwashersintotheupper
andlowerwallanchors.Usearegularwoodscrewinanylocation
thathitsastud.Donotfullytightenthescrews(seefigure6).
7 Usingalevel,makesurethebracketislevelandtightenall
fourscrews(seefigure6).
English
Figure 7.Steps8–10
Figure 8.Step12
®
Figure 5.Step5.
Figure 6.Steps6–7
MountingtheEFXOnAWall23
English
8 InstallthecabinetbrackethingesontheEFXcabinet.See
“ChangingtheDirectionofRotation”below.
9 PlacetheEFXontothewallbracketaligningthecylindrical
partsofthecabinetbrackethingeswiththeupwardpointing
pinsonthewallbracket.CarefullylowertheEFXintoplace
(seefigure7).
10Usinga6mmAllentool,attachacapnutandwasherontopof
eachpin,butdonotfullytightenthecapnuts(seefigure7).
11MakesignalconnectionsfromtheamplifierandtheAC
powerconnection(seeConnectionssection,page20).
12RotatetheEFXtopointatthelisteningpositionandtighten
thecapnuts(seefigure8).
Changing the Direction of Rotation
NOTE: YourEFXloudspeakersshipfromthefactorywiththewall
mountingbracketsinstalledonthesamesideofeachspeaker.
Youmayneedtoadjustthebracketssothatonespeakerpivots
clockwiseandtheothercounterclockwise.
NOTE:TheseinstructionsdescribehowtochangetheEFX’swall
andcabinetbracketssothatthespeakerwillrotateintheoppo-
sitedirection.
Required tools (included): 2.5mm,3mm,&6mmAllentools
1 Prepareaflatsurfacewithpaddingandsheetstoprotect
thespeakerasyouworkonit.CarefullyplacetheEFXface
downontheworksurface,usingbooksorpiecesofcard-
boardtokeepthespeakerfromrocking.Usinga6mmAllen
toolremovethetwocapnutslocatedontopofthecylindri-
calhingesandplacethemaside.Carefullyremovethewall
bracketfromthecabinetbyslidingittowardsthebottomof
thespeaker(seefigure2).
2 Usinga2.5mmAllentoolcarefullyloosenthetwosetscrews
thatholdthetwohingepinsinplace(seefigure9,stepA).
3 Removethe2hingepins(seefigure9,stepB).
4 Rotatethewallbracket180degrees(seefigure9,stepC).
5 Reinstallthetwohingepins(seefigure9,stepD).
6 Usinga2.5mmAllentool,reinstallthetwosetscrewstolock
thehingepinsinplace.Makesurethesetscrewtightens
againsttheflatsurfaceofthepin(seefigure9,stepE).
7 Usinga3mmAllentool,removefourscrews(twoeach)from
thecabinetbrackets(seefigure10).
8 Rotatethecabinetbrackets180degreesandinstallthemon
theoppositesideofthecabinet(seefigure11).
Figure 9. ChangingthepivotdirectionoftheEFXwallbracket.
Figure 10. RemovingtheEFXcabinetbrackets.
Figure 11. ReinstallingtheEFXcabinetbrackets.
24RoomAcoustics
English
Your Room
Thisisoneofthoseareasthatrequiresbothalittlebackground
tounderstandandsometimeandexperimentationtoobtain
thebestperformancefromyoursystem.Yourroomisactually
acomponentandanimportantpartofyoursystem.Thiscom-
ponentisaverylargevariableandcandramaticallyaddto,or
subtractfrom,agreatmusicalexperience.
Allsoundiscomposedofwaves.Eachnotehasitsownwave
size,withthelowerbassnotesliterallyencompassingfrom10’
feettoasmuchas40’feet.Yourroomparticipatesinthiswave
experiencelikeathreedimensionalpoolwithwavesreflecting
andbecomingenhanceddependingonthesizeoftheroom
andthetypesofsurfacesintheroom.
Remember,yoursystemcanliterallygeneratealloftheinfor-
mationrequiredtorecreateamusicaleventintime,space,and
tonalbalance.Ideally,yourroomshouldnotcontributetothat
information.However,everyroomcontributestothesoundto
somedegree.FortunatelyMartinLoganhaddesignedtheEFXto
minimizetheseanomalies
Terminology
Standing Waves
Theparallelwallsinyourroomwillreinforcecertainnotesto
thepointthattheywillsoundlouderthantherestoftheaudio
spectrumandcause“onenotebass”,“boomybass”or“bloated
bass”.Forinstance,100Hzrepresentsa10feetwavelength.Your
roomwillreinforcethatspecificfrequencyifoneofthedominant
dimensionsis10feet.Largeobjectsintheroomsuchascabinetry
orfurniturecanhelptominimizethispotentialproblem.Some
serious“audiophiles”willliterallybuildaspecialroomwithno
parallelwallsjusttohelpeliminatethisphenomenon.
Reflective Surfaces (near-field reflections)
Thehardsurfacesofyourroom,particularlyifclosetoyour
speakersystem,willreflectsomewavesbackintotheroomover
andoveragain,confusingtheclarityandimagingofyoursystem.
Thesmallersoundwavesaremostlyaffectedhere,andoccurin
themidandhighfrequencies.Thisiswherevoiceandfrequen-
ciesashighasthecymbalsoccur.
Resonant Surfaces and Objects
Allofthesurfacesandobjectsinyourroomaresubjectto
thefrequencies generatedby your system.Much like an
instrument, they will vibrate and carry on in syncopa-
tionwiththemusic,andcontributeinanegativewaytothe
music.Ringing,boominess,andevenbrightnesscanoccur
simplybecausetheyaresingingalong”withyourmusic.
Resonant Cavities
Smallalcovesorclosettypeareasinyourroomcanbechambers
thatcreatetheirown“standingwaves”andcandrumtheirown
“onenote”sounds.
Clapyourhands.Canyouhearaninstantechorespondback?
Youhavenear-fieldreflections.Stompyourfootonthefloor.
Canyouheara“boom”?Youhavestandingwavesorlargepanel
resonancessuchasapoorlysupportedwall.Putyourheadin
asmallcavityareaandtalkloudly.Canyouhearabooming?
You’vejustexperiencedacavityresonance.
Rules of Thumb
Hard vs. Soft Surfaces
Ifthefrontorbackwallofyourlisteningroomissoft,itmight
benefityoutohaveahardorreflectivewallinopposition.The
ceilingandfloorshouldfollowthesamebasicguidelineaswell.
However,thesidewallsshouldberoughlythesameinorderto
deliverafocusedimage.
Thisrulesuggeststhatalittlereflectionisgood.Asamatteroffact,
someroomscanbeso“overdamped”withcarpeting,drapesand
soundabsorbersthatthemusicsystemcansounddullandlife-
less.Ontheotherhand,roomscanbesohardthatthesystemcan
soundlikeagymnasiumwithtoomuchreflectionandbrightness.
Thepointisthatbalanceistheoptimumenvironment.
Breakup Objects
Objectswithcomplexshapes,suchasbookshelves,cabinetry
andmultipleshapedwallscanhelpbreakupthosesonicgrem-
linsanddiffuseanydominantfrequencies.
Dipolar Speakers and Your Room
MartinLoganelectrostaticloudspeakersareknownasdipolarradi-
ators.Thismeansthattheyproducesoundfromboththeirfronts
andtheirbacks.Consequently,musicalinformationisreflectedby
thewallbehindthemandmayarrive,eitherinoroutofstep,with
theinformationproducedbythefrontofthespeaker.
Nowthatyouknowaboutreflectivesurfacesandresonant
objects,youcanseehowthemidrangeandhighfrequencies
canbeaffected.Thetimingoftheinitialwaveasitradiatesto
yourears,andthenthereflectedinformationasitarrivesatyour
earslaterintime,canresultinconfusionoftheprecioustim-
inginformationthatcarriesthecluestoimaging.Consequently
theresultisblurredimagingandexcessivebrightness.Softwalls,
curtains,wallhangings,orsounddampeners(yourdealercan
giveyougoodinformationhere)canbeeffectiveifthesenega-
tiveconditionsoccur.
rooM aCoustICs
DispersionInteractions25
dIspersIon InteraCtIons
Controlled Horizontal Dispersion
YourEFX’slauncha30degreehorizontaldispersionpattern.This
horizontaldispersionfieldgivesachoiceofgoodseatsfortheper-
formancewhileminimizinginteractionswithsidewalls(seefigure
16).Makesurebothspeakersstandexactlyatthesamevertical
angle,otherwisetheimagecanbeskewedorpoorlydefined.The
wavelaunchofbothspeakersisextremelyaccurateinboththe
timeandspectraldomain.Consequently,smallrefinedadjust-
mentscanresultinnoticeablesonicimprovements.
Controlled Vertical Dispersion
Asyoucanseefromtheillustrations,yourEFXspeakersproject
acontrolleddispersionpattern(seefigure17).EachEFXisa28
inchlinesource.Thisverticaldispersionprofileminimizesinter-
actionswiththefloorandtheceiling.
Three Major Types of Dispersion
Itisaknownfactthatasthesoundwavebecomesprogres-
sivelysmallerthanthetransducerproducingit,thedispersion
ofthatwavebecomesmoreandmorenarrow,ordirectional.
Thisfactoccursaslongasthetransducerisaflatsurface.Large
flatpanelspeakersexhibitvenetianblindeffectsduetothis
phenomenon.Thisisonereasonwhymanymanufacturersopt
forsmalldrivers(i.e.tweetersandmidrange)toapproximate
whatisknownasapointsourcewavelaunch.
Historically,mostattemptstoachievesmoothdispersionfrom
largeflatpaneltransducersresultedintrade-offs.Afterexhaus-
tivetestingof manydifferentmethods,weconceivedan
elegantlysimple,yetintenselyhandcraftedprocess.Bycurving
theradiatingsurface,wecreatetheeffectofahorizontalarc.
ThisallowstheengineersatMartinLogantocontrolthehighfre-
quencydispersionpatternofourtransducers.
Figure 12– 13. As canbeseenhere,point
sourceconceptsinviteagreatdealofroom
interaction.Whiledeliveringgoodfrequency
responsetoalargelisteningaudience,imaging
isconsequentlyconfusedandblurred.
Figure 14–15. Eventhoughtheysufferfrom
“venetianblind”effect,angledmultiplepanel
speakerscandelivergoodimaging,butonly
tospecificspotsinthelisteningarea.
Figure 16–17. Acontrolled30degreecylindri-
calwave-front,aMartinLoganexclusive,offers
optimalsounddistributionwithminimalroom
interaction.Theresultissolidimagingwitha
widelisteningarea.
English
26HomeTheater
Ithadlongbeenthepracticeofstereobuffstoconnecttheirtele-
visiontoastereosystem.Theadvantagewastheuseofthelarger
speakersandmorepowerfulamplifierofthestereosystem.Even
thoughthesoundwasgreatlyimproved,itwasstillmonoandlim-
itedbythebroadcastsignal.
Inthelate1970’sandearly1980’stwonewhomemoviefor-
matsbecamewidelyavailabletothepublic:VCRandlaserdisc.
By1985,bothformatshaddevelopedintoveryhighqual-
ityaudio/videosources.Infact,thesonicperformanceofsome
videoformatsexceededaudio-onlyformats.Now,withtheater-
qualitysoundavailableathome,theonlyelementmissingwas
the"surroundsound"presentationfoundinmoviehouses.
Fortunately,DolbyandDTSencodedmovies(includingalmost
allfilms)havethesamesurroundsoundinformationencoded
onhomereleasesasthetheatricalrelease.Allthatisrequired
toretrievethisinformationisadecoderandadditionalspeakers
andampstoreproduceit.
Hometheaterisacomplexpurchaseandwerecommendthat
youconsultyourlocalMartinLogandealer,astheyarewell
versedinthissubject.
Eachpieceofasurroundsystemcanbepurchasedseparately.
Takeyourtimeandbuyquality.Noonehasevercomplained
thatthemoviewastooreal.Thefollowinglistanddescrip-
tionswillgiveyouonlyabriefoutlineoftheresponsibilitiesand
demandsplacedoneachspeaker.
Front Left and Front Right
Ifthesespeakerswillbethesametwousedforyourstereoplay-
back,theyshouldbeofveryhighqualityandabletoplayloudly
(over102dB)andreproducebassbelow80Hz.
Center Channel
This is the most important speaker in a home theater
system,asalmostallofthedialogueandalargeportionofthe
frontspeakerinformationisreproducedbythecenterchannel.
Itisimportantthatthecenterspeakerbeextremelyaccurateand
matewellthefrontspeakers,andthatitisrecommendedforuse
asacenterspeaker.Thisisnottheplacetocutcorners.
Surround Speakers
Werecommend(alongwiththefilmindustry)thatthesur-
roundspeakersplaydowntoatleast80Hz.Surroundspeakers
containtheinformationthatmakesitappearthatplanesarefly-
ingoveryourhead.Somemaysuggestthatthisistheplaceto
savemoneyandpurchaseasmall,inexpensivespeaker.Ifyou
choosetodoso,bepreparedtoupgradeinthefutureasdis-
cretemulti-channeldigitalencodingisproliferatingrapidlyand
thedemandsonsurroundspeakershaveincreased.
Subwoofer
Withanygoodsurroundsystemyouwillneedoneormorehigh-
qualitysubwoofers(the.1ina5.1channelsurroundsystem).
Mostmoviesoundtrackscontainlargeamountsofbassinforma-
tionaspartofthespecialeffects.Goodsubwooferswillprovide
afoundationfortherestofthesystem.
hoMe theater
Figure 18.MartinLoganelectrostaticspeakersasfrontandcenterchannels,
EFXspeakersassurround(effects)channels,andMartinLogansubwoofersas
0.1(effects)channel.
English
ElectrostaticAdvantages27
eleCtrostatIC advantages
Howcansoundbereproducedbysomethingthatyouare
abletoseethrough?Electrostaticenergymakesthispossible.
Wheretheworldoftraditionalloudspeakertechnologydeals
withcones,domes,diaphragmsandribbonsthataremoved
withmagnetism,theworldofelectrostaticloudspeakersdeals
withchargedelectronsattractingandrepellingeachother.
Tofullyunderstandtheelectrostaticconcept,someback-
groundinformationwillbehelpful.Rememberwhenyou
learnedinascienceorphysicsclassthatlikechargesrepel
eachotherandoppositechargesattracteachother?Well,
thisprincipleisthefoundationoftheelectrostaticconcept.
Anelectrostatictransducerconsistsofthreepieces:stators,the
diaphragmandspacers(seefigure19).Thediaphragmiswhat
actuallymovestoexcitetheairandcreatemusic.Thestator’s
jobistoremainstationary,hencethewordstator,andtopro-
videareferencepointforthemovingdiaphragm.Thespacers
providethediaphragmwithafixeddistanceinwhichtomove
betweenthestators.
Asyouramplifiersendsmusicsignalstoanelectrostaticspeaker,
thesesignalsarechangedintotwohigh-voltagesignalsthatare
equalinstrengthbutoppositeinpolarity.Thesehighvoltagesig-
nalsarethenappliedtothestators.Theresultingelectrostaticfield,
createdbytheopposinghighvoltageonthestators,workssimul-
taneouslywithandagainstthediaphragm,consequentlymoving
itbackandforth,producingmusic.Thistechniqueisknownas
push-pulloperationandisamajorcontributortothesonicpurity
oftheelectrostaticconceptduetoitsexceptionallinearityand
lowdistortion.
Sincethediaphragmofanelectrostaticspeakerisuniformly
drivenoveritsentirearea,itcanbeextremelylightandflexible.
Thisallowsittobeveryresponsivetotransients,thusperfectly
tracingthemusicsignal.Asaresult,greatdelicacy,nuanceand
clarityispossible.Whenyoulookattheproblemsoftraditional
electromagneticdrivers,youcaneasilyseewhythisissoben-
eficial.Theconesanddomeswhichareusedintraditional
electromagneticdriverscannotbedrivenuniformlybecauseof
theirdesign.Conesaredrivenonlyattheapex.Domesaredriv-
enattheirperimeter.Asaresult,therestoftheconeordome
is just along for the ride. The very concept of these
driversrequiresthatthecone ordomebeperfectlyrigid,
dampedandmassless.Unfortunately,theseconditionsarenot
availableinourworldtoday.
Tomaketheseconesanddomesmove,allelectromagneticdriv-
ersmustusevoicecoilswoundonformers,spiderassemblies,
andsurroundstokeeptheconeordomeinposition(seefig-
ure20).Thesepieces,whencombinedwiththehighmassof
theconeordomematerialsused,makeitanextremelycom-
plexunitwithmanyweaknessesandpotentialforfailure.These
faultscontributetothehighdistortionproductsfoundinthese
driversandisatremendousdisadvantagewhenyouaretrying
tochangemotionasquicklyandasaccuratelyasaloudspeaker
must(40,000timespersecond!).
Figure 19.CutawayviewofanXStat™electrostatictransducer.Notice
thesimplicityduetominimalpartsusage.
Figure 20.Cutawayviewofatypicalmovingcoildriver.Noticethecom-
plexityduetothehighnumberofparts.
English
28ElectrostaticAdvantages
Full Range Operation
Anothersignificant advantageofMartinLogansexclusive
transducertechnologyrevealsitselfwhenyoulookatexamples
ofotherloudspeakerproductsonthemarkettoday.TheEFX
usesnocrossovernetworksabove530Hzbecausetheyare
notneeded.TheEFXconsistsofasingle,seamlesselectrostatic
membranereproducingallfrequenciesabove530Hzsimulta-
neously.Howisthispossible?
Firstwemustunderstandthatmusicisnotcomposedofseparate
high,midandlowfrequencies.Infact,musiciscomprisedofa
singlewaveformwithallfrequenciesinteractingsimultaneously.
TheelectrostatictransduceroftheEFXessentiallyactsasan
exactoppositeofthemicrophonesusedtorecordtheorigi-
nalevent.Amicrophone,whichisasingleworkingelement,
transformsacousticenergyintoanelectricalsignalthatcanbe
amplifiedorpreservedbysometypeofstoragemedia.The
EFX’selectrostatictransducertransformselectricalenergyfrom
youramplifierbackintoacousticalenergy.
Duetothelimitationsofelectromagneticdrivers,nosingle
unitcanreproducethefullrangeoffrequencies.Instead,these
driversmustbedesignedtooperatewithinanarrow,fixed
bandwidthofthefrequencyrange,andthencombinedelectri-
callysothatthesumofthepartsequalsthetotalsignal.While
niceintheory,wemustdealwithreal-worldconditions.
Inordertousemultipledrivers,acrossovernetworkisenlisted
toattemptadivisionofthecomplexmusicalsignalintothesep-
aratepieces(usuallyhighs,mids,andlows)thateachspecific
driverwasdesignedtohandle.Unfortunately,duetothephase
relationshipsthatoccurwithinallcrossovernetworksandduring
theacousticalrecombinationprocess,nonlinearitiesandsevere
degradationofthemusicsignaltakeplaceintheear’smostcriti-
calzone(seefigure21).
TheEFX’selectrostatictransducercansingle-handedlyrepro-
duceallfrequenciesabove530Hzsimultaneously.Youhave
inonetransducertheabilitytohandleinelegantsimplicitythe
criticalfrequenciesabove5305Hz.
Thecrossoverphaseaberrationsthatareassociatedwithtradi-
tionaltweeter,midrange,andwoofersystemsareeliminated.
Theresultisadramaticimprovementinimagingandstaging
performanceduetotheminutelyaccuratephaserelationshipof
thefull-rangepanelwavelaunch.
Figure 21.Thisdiagramillustrateshowaconventional
speakersystemmustusemultiplecrossovernetworks
thathavenegativeeffectsonthemusicalperformance.
English
MartinLoganExclusives29
MartInlogan eXClusIves
XStat™ Transducer
XStat™transducersincorporateamyriadoftechnologyand
designinnovationsincludingCLS™,MicroPerf,Generation2
Diaphragms,ClearSpars™,andVacuumBonding.
CLS™ (Curvilinear Line Source)
Sincethebeginningofaudio,achievingsmoothdispersionhas
beenaproblemforalldesigners.Largepaneltransducerspres-
entuniquechallengebecausethelargerthepanel,themore
directionalthedispersionpatternbecomes.
Widerange electrostats havelong been one of the most
problematictransducersbecausetheyattaintheirfullrange
capabilitiesviaalargesurfacearea.Itlookedasiftheywerein
directconflicttosmoothdispersionandalmosteveryattemptto
correctthisresultedineitherpoordispersionoraseriouscom-
promiseinsoundquality.
Afterextensiveresearch,MartinLoganengineersdiscoveredan
elegantlysimplesolutiontoachieveasmoothpatternofdisper-
sionwithoutdegradingsoundquality.Bycurvingthehorizontal
planeoftheelectrostatictransducer,acontrolledhorizontaldis-
persionpatterncouldbeachieved,yetthepurityofthealmost
masslesselectrostaticdiaphragmremaineduncompromised.
Aftercreatingthistechnology,MartinLogandevelopedthepro-
ductioncapabilitytobringitoutofthelaboratoryandintothe
marketplace.YouwillfindthisproprietaryMartinLogantech-
nologyusedinallofourelectrostaticproducts.Itisoneofthe
manyreasonsbehindourreputationforhighqualitysound
withpracticalusability.Thisisalsowhyyouseetheunique“see
through”cylindricalshapeofMartinLoganproducts.
Generation 2 Diaphragm
EFXsdiaphragmemploysanextremelysophisticatedcon-
ductive coating applied to the polymer surface at an
atomiclevelusingaplasmabondingprocess.Aproprietary
compoundisdrivenintothesurfaceofthepolymerfilminan
oxygenfreeargonchamber.Thisprocessallowsextremelyuni-
formsurfaceresistivitycharacteristics,anopticallytransparent
surface,andanearlymasslessdiaphragm.Thisuniformsurface
resistivitycontrolstheelectrostaticchargeonthediaphragmsur-
faceandregulatesitsmigration.Asaresult,nodischargingor
“arcing”canoccur.
MicroPerf Stator
Sleek.Compact.MicroPerfstatortechnology,featuredinall
XStat™transducers,revealsmoreopenplayableareaineach
panel,offeringincreasedperformancefromevenmorecompact
statpanels.ItissignificanttonotethattheXStat™transducerin
theradicalnewEFXloudspeakersupportsthebandwidthand
dynamicsassociatedwithtraditionalelectrostaticpanelsnearly
twiceitssize.
Vacuum Bonding
Toachievethepower,precision,andstrengthoftheXStat™
transducer,twoinsulatedhigh-puritycarbonsteelstatorsalong
withaproprietaryplasmabondeddiaphragmandClearSpar™
spacersarefusedintoacurvedgeometrywithanaerospace
adhesivewhosestrengthexceedsthatofwelding.Ourpropri-
etaryVacuumBondingprocessguaranteesuniformdiaphragm
tensioningandextremelypreciseconstructiontolerances,result-
inginunequivocalprecision,linearityandefficiency.
AirFrame™ Technology
Ultra-rigid extruded aerospace grade aluminum alloy
AirFrame™technologyrigidifiesandsecurestheXStat™elec-
trostaticpaneltothewoofercabinetwhileatthesametime
providingsonicandelectricalisolation.AdvancedAirFrame™
technologymaximizestheelectrostaticpanelsplayablesurface
areaanddipoledispersionpatternwhileminimizingpotentially
acousticallydestructiveintermodulateddistortioncausedby
spuriousvibrationsandresonance.Theresult?Ultimateimaging
capability,low-leveldetailresolution,improvedefficiencyand
overallaccuracy.
English
30ElectrostaticHistory
Inthelate1800’s,anyloudspeakerwasconsideredexotic.Today,
mostofustakethewondersofsoundreproductionforgranted.
It was 1880 before Thomas Edison had invented the
first phonograph. This was a horn-loaded diaphragm
thatwasexcitedbyaplaybackstylus.In1898,SirOliver
Lodgeinventedaconeloudspeaker,whichhereferredto
asa“bellowingtelephone”,thatwasverysimilartothecon-
ventionalcone loudspeaker drivers that weknow today.
However,Lodgehadnointentionforhisdevicetoreproduce
musicbecausein1898therewasnowaytoamplifyanelec-
tricalsignal!Asaresult,hisspeakerhad
nothingtoofferovertheacousticalgram-
ophonesoftheperiod.Itwasnotuntil
1906thatDr.LeeDeForrestinvented
thetriodevacuumtube.Beforethis,an
electricalsignalcouldnotbeamplified.
Theloudspeaker,asweknowittoday,
shouldhaveensuedthen,butitdidnot.
Amazingly,itwasalmosttwentyyears
beforethiswouldoccur.
In 1921, theelectrically cut phonograph record became
areality.Thismethodofrecordingwasfarsuperiortothe
mechanicallycutrecordandpossessedalmost30dBofdynamic
range.Theacousticalgramophonecouldn’tbegintoreproduce
alloftheinformationonthisnewdisc.Asaresult,further
developmentsinloudspeakerswereneededtocopewiththis
amazingnewrecordingmedium.
By1923,thedecisionwasmadetodevelopacompletemusical
playbacksystemconsistingofanelectronicphonographandaloud-
speakertotake
advantageofthenewrecordingmedium.T
he
projecttotwoyoungengineers,C.W.RiceandE.W.Kellogg.
RiceandKellogghadawellequippedlaboratoryattheirdispos-
al.Thislabpossessedavacuumtubeamplifierwith
anunheard
of200watts,alargeselectionofthenew
electricallycutpho-
nographrecordsandavarietyofloudspeakerprototypesthat
hadbeencollectingover
thepastdecade.Amongthesewere
Lodge’scone,aspeaker
thatusedcompressedair,acoronadis-
charge(plasma)speaker,andanelectrostaticspeaker.
Afterashorttime,RiceandKellogghadnarrowedthefieldof
“contestants”downtotheconeandtheelectrostat.Theout-
comewoulddictatethewaythatfuturegenerationswouldrefer
toloudspeakersasbeingeither“conventional”or“exotic”.
Theirelectrostatwassomethingtobehold.Thisenormousbipo-
larspeakerwasasbigasadoor.Thediaphragm,whichwas
beginningtorot,wasmadeofapigintestinethatwascovered
withfinegoldleaftoconducttheaudiosignal.
WhenRiceandKelloggbeganplayingthenewelectrically
cutrecordsthroughtheelectrostat,theywerestunnedand
impressed.Theelectrostatperformedsplendidly.Theyhad
neverheardinstrumentaltimbresreproducedwithsuchrealism.
Thissystemsoundedlikerealmusicratherthanthehonking,
squawkingrenditionoftheacousticgramophone.Immediately,
theyknewtheywereontosomethingbig.Theacousticgramo-
phonewasdestinedtobecomeobsolete.
DuetoRiceandKelloggsenthusiasm,
theydevotedaconsiderableamountof
timeresearchingtheelectrostaticdesign.
However,theysoonencounteredthesame
difficultiesthatevenpresentdesignersface;
planarspeakersrequireaverylargesurface
areatoreproducethelowerfrequencies
oftheaudiospectrum.Becausetheman-
agementconsideredlargespeakers
unacceptable,Riceand
Kellogg’s
workonelectrostaticswouldneverbeputtousefora
commercialproduct.Reluctantly,theyadvised
managementto
gowiththecone.Forthenext30years,
theelectrostaticdesign
laydormant.
DuringtheGreatDepressionofthe1930’s,consumeraudio
almostdied.Thenewelectricallyamplifiedloudspeakernever
gainedacceptance,asmostpeoplecontinuedtousetheirold
Victrola-styleacousticgramophones.PriortotheendofWorld
WarII,consumeraudiosawlittle,ifany,progress.However,dur-
ingthelate1940’s,audioexperiencedagreatrebirth.Suddenly
therewastremendousinterestinaudioproducts,andwiththat,
agreatdemandforimprovedaudiocomponents.Nosoonerhad
theconebecomeestablishedthanitwaschallengedbyproducts
developedduringthisnewrebirth.
In1947,ArthurJanszen,ayoungNavalengineer,tookpart
ina
researchprojectfortheNavy.TheNavywasinterested
indevel-
opingabetterinstrumentfortestingmicrophonearrays.Thetest
instrumentneededanextremelyaccuratespeaker,butJanszen
foundthattheconespeakersofthe
periodweretoononlinear
inphaseandamplituderesponse
tomeethiscriteria.Janszen
believedthatelectrostatswereinherentlymorelinearthancones,
sohebuilta
model
usingathinplasticdiaphragmtreatedwitha
conductivecoating.ThismodelconfirmedJanszen’sbeliefs,forit
exhibitedremarkablephaseandamplitudelinearity.
Janszenwassoexcitedwith the resultsthathecontinued
researchontheelectrostaticspeakeronhisowntime.Hesoon
eleCtrostatIC hIstory
Rice and Kellogg had
narrowed the field of
“contestants down” to the
cone and the electrostat.
English
ElectrostaticHistory31
thoughtofinsulatingthestatorstopreventthedestructiveeffects
ofarcing.By1952,hehadanelectrostatictweeterelement
readyforcommercialproduction.Thisnewtweetersooncreat-
edasensationamongAmericanaudiohobbyists.SinceJanszen’s
tweeterelementwaslimitedtohighfrequencyreproduction,it
oftenfounditselfusedinconjunctionwithwoofers—mostnota-
bly,thosefromAcousticResearch.Thesesystemswerehighly
regardedbyallaudioenthusiasts.
Asgoodasthesesystemswere,theywouldsoonbesurpassedby
anotherelectrostaticspeaker.
In1955,PeterWalkerpublishedthree
articlesregardingelectrostaticloudspeak-
erdesigninWireless World,aBritish
magazine.Inthesearticles,Walkerdem-
onstratedthebenefitsoftheelectrostatic
loudspeaker.Heexplainedthatelectro-
staticspermittheuseofdiaphragmsthat
arelowinmass,largeinareaanduni-
formlydrivenovertheirsurfacesbyelectrostaticforces.Due
tothesecharacteristics,electrostatshavetheinherentabilityto
produceawidebandwidth,flatfrequencyresponsewithdistor-
tionproductsbeingnogreaterthantheelectronicsdrivingthem.
By1956,Walkerbackeduphisarticlesbyintroducingacon-
sumerproduct, thenow famousQuad ESL. Thisspeaker
immediatelysetastandardofperformancefortheaudioindus-
tryduetoitsincredibleaccuracy.However,inactualuse,the
Quadhadafewproblems.Itcouldnotbeplayedveryloud,
ithadpoorbassperformance,itpresentedadifficultloadthat
someamplifiersdidnotlike,itsdispersionwasverydirectional
anditspowerhandlingwaslimitedtoaround70watts.Asa
result,manypeoplecontinuedtouseboxspeakerswithcones.
Intheearly1960’sArthurJanszenjoinedforceswiththeKLHloud-
speakercompany,andtogethertheyintroducedtheKLH9.Dueto
thelargesizeoftheKLH9,itdidnothaveasmanysoniclimitations
astheQuad.TheKLH9couldplaymarkedlylouderandlowerin
frequencythantheQuadESL.Thusarivalrywasborn.
Janszen continued to develop electrostatic designs. He
wasinstrumentalinthedesignoftheKossModelOne,the
AcoustechandtheDennesenspeakers.RogerWest,thechief
designeroftheJanszenCorporation,becamethepresidentof
SoundLab.
WhenJanszenCorporationwas
sold,theRTR
loudspeakercompanyboughthalfoftheproductiontooling.
Thistoolingwasusedtomakethe
electrostaticpanelsforthe
Servostatic,ahybridelectrostatic
systemthatwasInfinity’sfirst
speakerproduct.Othercompaniessoonfollowed;eachwith
theirownuniqueapplicationsofthetechnology.Theseinclude
Acoustat,Audiostatic,Beverage,DaytonWright,SoundLaband
Stax,tonameafew.
Electrostaticspeakershaveprogressedandprospered
because
theyactuallydowhatPeterWalkerclaimedtheywould.The
limitationsandproblemsexperiencedinthepastwerenot
inherenttotheelectrostaticconcept.Theywererelatedtothe
applicationsoftheseconcepts.
Today, these limitations have been
resolved. Advancements in materi-
alsduetotheU.S.spaceprogramgive
designerstheabilitytoharnessthesuperi-
orityoftheelectrostaticprinciple.Today’s
electrostatsuseadvancedinsulationtech-
niquesorprovideprotectioncircuitry.
Thepoordispersionpropertiesofearly
modelshavebeenaddressedbyusing
delaylines,acousticallenses,multiplepanelarraysor,asinour
ownproducts,bycurvingthediaphragm.Powerhandlingand
sensitivityhavealsobeenincreased.
Thesedevelopmentsallowtheconsumertheopportunityto
ownthehighestperformanceloudspeakerproductseverbuilt.
It’stoobadRiceandKelloggwereneverabletoseejusthowfar
thetechnologywouldbetaken.
These developments allow
the consumer to own the
highest performance loud-
speaker products ever built.
English
32FrequentlyAskedQuestions
How do I clean my speakers?
Useadustfreeclothorasoftbrushtoremovethedustfrom
yourspeakers.Wealsorecommendaspecialtycloth(avail-
ableattheXtaticshopatwww.martinlogan.com)thatcleans
yourspeakersbetterthananythingelsewehavetried.For
thewoodsurfacesitisacceptabletoslightlydampenthe
cloth.Do not spray any kind of cleaning agent on or in
close proximity to the electrostatic element. Avoid the
use of ammonia based products or silicone oil on the
wood parts.
What is the advantage of ESL?
Sincethediaphragmisuniformlydrivenoveritsentiresur-
faceunlikeatweeterthatisonlydrivenatitsedgesitis
theonlytechnologythatcanbemadelargeenoughtoplay
bass,yetisstilllightenoughforhighfrequencies.Thisunique
propertyallowsfortheeliminationofhighfrequencycross-
overpointsandtheirassociateddistortions.
What size amplifier should I use?
Werecommendanamplifierwith20to400wattsperchan-
nelformostapplications.Probablylesswouldbeadequate
foroursmallerhybridsorwhenusedinhometheaterwhere
asubwooferisemployed.Ourhybriddesignswillper-
formwellwitheitheratubeortransistorizedamplifier,and
willrevealthesoniccharacterofeithertype.However,itis
importantthattheamplifierbestableoperatingintovarying
impedanceloads:anideallystableamplifierwilltypicallybe
abletodelivernearlytwiceitsratedwattageinto4Ohms
andshouldagainincreaseinto2Ohms.
Could you suggest a list of suitable electronics and cables
that would be ideal for MartinLogan speakers?
Theareaofelectronicsandcablechoiceisprobablythe
mostcommontypeofquestionthatwereceive.Itisalso
themostsubjective.Wehaverepeatedlyfoundthatbrands
thatworkwellinonesetupwilldrivesomeoneelsenutsin
another.Weusemanybrandswithgreatsuccess.Again,
wehavenofavorites;weuseelectronicsandcablesquite
interchangeably.Wewouldsuggestlisteningtoanumber
ofbrands—andaboveallelse—trustyourears.Dealersare
alwaysthebestsourceforinformationwhenpurchasing
additionalaudioequipment.
Is there likely to be any interaction between my speakers
and the television in my Audio/Video system?
Actually,thereislessinteractionbetweenatelevisionand
anelectrostaticspeakerthanbetweenatelevisionanda
conventionalsystem.However,wedorecommendthatyou
keepyourspeakersatleastonefootawayfromthetelevision
becauseofthedynamicwoofertheyemploy.Inthecaseof
ourcenterchannelspeakers,however,theyarefullyshielded
andcangoanywhere.
Will my electric bill go ‘sky highby leaving my speakers
plugged in all the time?
No.ApairofMartinLogan’swilldrawabout8wattsmaxi-
mum(idle).Thereiscircuitrytoturnoffthestaticcharge
whennotinuse;however,actualconsumptionwillremain
closetothesame.Theprimarypurposeofthesensingcircuit-
ryistopreventdustcollectionontheelectrostaticelement.
If the diaphragm is punctured with a pencil or similar item,
how extensive would the damage to the speaker be?
Ourresearchdepartmenthasliterallypuncturedhundreds
ofholesinadiaphragm,neitheraffectingthequalityofthe
soundnorcausingthediaphragmtorip.However,youwill
beabletoseetheactualpunctureanditcanbeaphysical
nuisance.Ifthisisthecase,replacingtheelectrostatictrans-
ducerwillbetheonlysolution.
Will exposure to sunlight affect the life or performance of my
speakers?
Werecommendthatyounotplaceanyloudspeakerindirect
sunlight.Theultraviolet(UV)raysfromthesuncancause
deteriorationofgrillcloth,speakercones,etc.Smallexpo-
surestoUVwillnotcauseaproblem.Ingeneral,thefiltering
ofUVraysthroughglasswillgreatlyreducethenegative
effectsontheelectrostaticmembraneitself.
Will excessive smoke or dust cause any problems with my
electrostatic speakers?
Exposure to excessive contaminants such as smoke
or dustmay potentially affect the performanceof the
electrostatic membrane, and may cause discoloration
ofthediaphragmmembrane.Whennotinuseforextended
periods,youshouldunplugthespeakersandcoverthem
withtheplasticbagsinwhichthespeakerswereoriginally
packed.Itisagoodideatovacuumtheelectrostaticportion
ofeachspeakerthreeorfourtimesayear.Seethevacuum-
ingFAQ.
A problem has recently developed with my MartinLogan
speakers. The right speaker seems to be hissing even when
the amplifier and such are not connected. I was wondering
if this sounds like any problem you have encountered previ-
ously and have a simple solution for or might it be something
which will need to be looked into more carefully.
Yourspeakersaredusty.SeethevacuumingFAQ.Theelec-
trostaticchargeontheelementhasattractedairbornedustor
pollen.Since1993,allofourspeakershavebeenbuiltwitha
chargingcircuitboardthatonlychargestheelectrostaticele-
Frequently asked questIons
English
FrequentlyAskedQuestions33
mentwhenmusicplays.Atothertimestheyarenotcharged
andcannotcollectdust.Youcangetthesamebenefitbysim-
plyunpluggingthemwhenevertheyarenotinuse.Apower
stripisaneasywaytodothat.
Could my children, pets, or myself be shocked by the high-
voltage present in the electrostatic panel?
No.Highvoltagewithlowcurrentisnotdangerous.Asa
matteroffact,thevoltageinourspeakersis10timesless
thanthestaticelectricitythatbuildsuponthesurfaceofyour
televisionscreen.
How do MartinLogan speakers hold up over a long term in
the humidity of tropical climates?
WeshouldtellyouthatMartinLoganindeedhasaverysub-
stantialnumberofcustomersintropicalregionsoftheworld.
Ourspeakershavebeenservingthemnicelyformanyyears.
Thisconcernmayhavecomefromourearlierdesignof
speakers,whichwerechargedcontinuously.Since1993,all
ofourspeakershavebeendesignedsothattheyonlycharge
thepanelwhilemusicisbeingplayed.Thisimprovementhas
madeatremendousdifferenceintheconsistentperformance
ofourproduct.Theremaybealittlemoremaintenance
involvedinhumidregionswhennotinanairconditioned
environment.Simplyenough,theconcernistokeepthe
electrostaticpanelsdustfree.Humiditywillcombinewith
anydustonthepaneltomakeitslightlyconductive.This
willresultinaslightpathwayforthechargetoleavethe
membraneofthespeaker.Thesolutionissimple.Theyonly
requireoccasionalvacuumingwithastrongvacuumhose.
How do I vacuum my MartinLogan speakers?
Vacuumingwillbemosteffectiveifthespeakershavebeen
unpluggedforsixhourstotwelvehours(orovernight).You
neednotworryaboutthevacuumpressuredamagingthe
"delicate"membrane.Itisextraordinarilydurable.Dirtand
dustmaybevacuumedoffwithabrushattachmentconnect-
edtoyourvacuumcleaner,oryoumayblowthemoffwith
compressedair.Whenvacuumingorblowingoffyourpanels
dosotobothsides,butfocusthemajorityofyourattention
onthefrontofthepanels.
Should I unplug my speakers during a thunderstorm?
Yes,orbefore.It’sagoodideatodisconnectallofyour
audio/videocomponentsduringstormyweather.
English
34Troubleshooting
No Output
• Checkthatallyoursystemcomponentsareturnedon.
• Checkyourspeakerwiresandconnections.
• Checkallinterconnectingcables.
• Tryhookingupadifferentsetofspeakers.Thelackofoutput
couldpointtoaproblemwithotherequipmentinyoursys-
tem(amp,pre-amp,processor,etc.)
Weak or no Output from Electrostatic Panel, Loss of Highs
• Checkthepowercord.Isitproperlyconnectedtothespeak-
erandtothewall?
• Isthepowercordconnectedtoaswitchedoutlet?
• Dirtanddustmayneedtobevacuumedoff.Pleaseseethe
FAQregardingvacuuming.
• Ifusingasingle-wireconnection,checktomakesurethatthe
jumperclipsareinplaceandthatthebindingpostsarefirmly
hand-tightened.
• Checkthebindingposts.Arethedirty?Ifsocleanthemwith
rubbingalcohol.
• Checkthebindingposts.Aretheloose?Makesuretheyare
firmlyhand-tightened.
• Hasaforeignsubstance(suchasahouseholdcleaningchem-
icalorsoap)beenappliedtothepanel?Ifsothespeakerwill
requireservicing.
Popping and Ticking Sounds, Funny Noises
• Theseoccasionalnoisesareharmlessandwillnothurt
youraudiosystemoryourspeakers.Allelectrostaticspeak-
ersareguiltyofmakingoddnoisesatonetimeoranother.
Itistheresultofairbornecontaminates(mostnotablydust).
Vacuumingisrecommended.
• Thesenoisesmaybecausedbydirtanddustparticlescollect-
ingonthespeaker,byhighhumidity.
• Dirtanddustmayneedtobevacuumedoff.Pleaseseethe
FAQregardingvacuuming.
Exaggerated Highs, Brightness
• Checkthetoe-inofthespeakers.ReadthePlacementsection
ofthismanualformoreinformation.
Muddy Bass
• Checkplacement.Trymovingthespeakersclosertothefront
andsidewalls.
• Checkthetypeoffeetthatarebeingused.Tryattachingthe
couplingspikes.
• Possiblymeanslowelectrostaticpaneloutput.See'Weak
OutputfromElectrostaticPanel,LossofHighs’.
Lack of Bass, No Bass
• Checkyourspeakerwires.Isthepolaritycorrect?
• Checkyourspeakerwiresifbi-wiring.
• Ifusingasingle-wireconnection,checktomakesurethatthe
jumperclipsareinplaceandthatthebindingpostsarefirmly
hand-tightened.
• Checkthebindingposts.Arethedirty?Ifsocleanthemwith
rubbingalcohol.
• Checkthebindingposts.Aretheloose?Makesuretheyare
firmlyhand-tightened.
Poor Imaging
• Checkplacement.Arebothspeakersthesamedistancefrom
thewalls?Dotheyhavethesameamountoftoe-in?Trymov-
ingthespeakersawayfromthebackandsidewalls.
• Checkthepolarityofthespeakerwires.Aretheyconnected
properly?
• Tryswitchingtheleftspeakerwiththeright.
• AreyourspeakerssetupinanL-shapedroom?Ifso,youmay
experienceoff-centerimaging.Talktoyourdealerabout
acousticalroomtreatmentoptions.
troubleshootIng
English
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MartinLogan EFX Owner's manual

Category
Supplementary music equipment
Type
Owner's manual
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