MartinLogan The Quest Speaker System User Manual Download Page 8

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Quest User's Manual

Martin-Logan Exclusives

Critical Zone

250 - 20kHz

Tweeter

M i d r a n g e

Woofer

Critical Zone

250 - 20kHz

Woofer

Quest

Electrostatic

Transducer

Martin-Logan Quest

Quest

Quest Loudspeaker

Conventional Loudspeaker

Figure 1.

Figure 1. Illustrates how a conventional speaker system

must use a crossover network that has negative affects

on the musical performance, unlike the Quest which

needs no crossover networks in the "critical zone".

Full Range Operation

The most significant advantage of Martin-Logan's
exclusive transducer technology reveals itself when you
compare to examples of other loudspeaker products on
the market today.

The Quest uses no crossover networks above 150 Hz
because they are not needed. It consists of a single,
seamless electrostatic membrane reproducing all
frequencies above 150 Hz simultaneously. How is this
possible?

First, it is important to understand that music is not

of music and then combined electrically so that the sum of
the parts equals the total signal. While this sounds nice in
theory, a different story unfolds in real-world conditions.

In order to use multiple drivers, a crossover network is
enlisted to divide the complex musical signal into the
separate parts (usually highs, mids, and lows) that each
specific driver was designed to handle. Unfortunately,
due to the phase relationships that occur within all
crossover networks and during the acoustical recombina-
tion process, nonlinearities and severe degradation of the
music signal takes place in the ear's most "critical zone".

See Figure 1.
So, music in the "critical
zone" becomes delayed in
time. These delays can be
picked-up by your ear and
result in poor imaging and
ambience cues.

The Quest's electro-

The Quest's electro-
static transducer can

static transducer can

static transducer can
single-handedly repro-

single-handedly repro-

single-handedly repro-
duce all frequencies

duce all frequencies

duce all frequencies
above 150 Hz simulta-

above 150 Hz simulta-

above 150 Hz simulta-
n e o u s l y .

n e o u s l y .

The crossover phase
discontinuities that are
associated with traditional
tweeter, midrange, and
woofer systems are elimi-
nated in the Quest. This
results in a dramatic

dramatic

improvement in imaging

improvement in imaging
and staging perform-

and staging perform-

and staging perform-
ance due to the mi-

ance due to the mi-

ance due to the mi-
nutely accurate phase

nutely accurate phase

nutely accurate phase
relationship of the full-

relationship of the full-

relationship of the full-
range panel wave

range panel wave

range panel wave
l a u n c h .

l a u n c h .

composed of separate high,
mid and low frequency
pieces. In fact, music is
comprised of a single
complex waveform with all
frequencies interacting
simultaneously.

The electrostatic transducer
of the Quest essentially acts
as an exact opposite of the
microphones used to record
the original event. A
microphone, which is a
single working element,
transforms acoustic energy
into an electrical signal that
can be amplified or pre-
served by some type of
storage media. The Quest's
electrostatic transducer
transforms electrical energy
from your amplifier into
acoustical energy with a
single membrane.

Upon looking carefully at a
traditional magnetic driver
(i.e. dynamic, ribbon,
induction), no single unit can
reproduce the full range of
frequencies. Instead, these
drivers must be designed to
operate within narrow areas