MartinLogan Monolith III User Manual Download Page 19

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Page19

Monolith III User's Manual

Rules of Thumb

Hard vs. Soft Surfaces

Hard vs. Soft Surfaces. If one surface of your

room (wall, floor, ceiling) is hard, a good
rule of thumb suggests to try to have the
opposing surface soft. So, if you have a
hard wall of glass or paneling on one side
of the room, it is best to have drapery or wall
hangings on the opposing wall. If you have
a hard ceiling, it generally is a good idea to
have a soft floor of carpeting or area rugs.
Large, soft furniture also counts to help
damp a highly reflective room.

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 lifeless. 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.

Break-up Objects

Break-up Objects. Objects with complex

shapes, such as bookshelves, cabinetry,
and multiple shaped walls can help to
break up those sonic gremlins and diffuse
any dominant frequencies.

Solid Coupling

Solid Coupling. Your loudspeaker system

generates frequency vibrations or waves
into the room. This is how it creates sound.
Those vibrations will vary from 20 per
second to 20,000 per second. If your
speaker system is not securely planted on
the floor or solid surface, it can shake as it
produces sound, and consequently the
sound can be compromised. If your
speaker is setting on the carpet and only
foot gliders are used, the bass can be ill
defined and even boomy. Additionally, the
imaging can be poorly located and diffuse if
the system is not on solid footing.

Bipolar Speakers and Your Room

Martin-Logan electrostatic loudspeakers are known as bipolar radiators.
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.

The low frequencies can either be enhanced or nulled by the position from
the back wall. Your Monoliths have been designed to be placed 2 to 3 feet
from the back wall to obtain the best results, however your room may see
things differently. So, listening to the difference of the bass response as a
result of the changes in distance from the back wall can allow you to get
the best combination of depth of bass and tonal balance.

The mid-range and high frequencies can also be affected, but in a
different way. The timing of the first wave as it is first radiated to your ears
and then the reflected information as it arrives at your ears later in time,
can result in confusion of the precious timing information that carries the
clues to imaging and, consequently result in blurred imaging and exces-
sive brightness. Soft walls, curtains, wall hangings, or sound dampeners
(your dealer can give you good information here) can be effective if these
negative conditions occur.

Vertical Dispersion

As you can see from the illustrations, your Monolith III speakers project a
controlled dipersion pattern. Each Monolith is a four foot line source
beginning two feet above floor level. This vertical dispersion profile
minimizes interactions with the floor and the ceiling.

Horizontal Dispersion

Your Monoliths launch a 30 degree dispersion pattern when viewed from
above. This horizontal dispersion field gives you a choice of good seats for
the performance while minimizing interactions with side walls.

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 time and spectral domain
and, consequently small refined adjustments can result in noticeable
sonic improvements.