Xstat Ethos User Manual Download Page 20

20     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 

that was excited by a playback stylus. In 1898, Sir Oliver 

Lodge invented a cone loudspeaker, which he referred to  

as a “bellowing telephone”, that was very similar to the 

conventional cone loudspeaker drivers that we know today. 

However, Lodge had no intention for his device to repro-

duce music because in 1898 there was no way to amplify 

an electrical signal! As a result, his speaker had nothing to 

offer over the acoustical gramophones 

of the period. It was not until 1906 

that Dr. Lee DeForrest invented the 

triode vacuum tube. Before this, an 

electrical signal could not be ampli-

fied. The loudspeaker, as we know it 

today, should have ensued then, but 

it did not. Amazingly, it was almost 

twenty years before this would occur.

In 1921, the electrically cut phonograph record became 

a reality. This method of recording was far superior to the 

mechanically cut record and possessed almost 30 dB of 

dynamic range. The acoustical gramophone couldn’t begin 

to reproduce all of the information on this new disc. As a 

result, further developments in loudspeakers were needed 

to cope with this amazing new recording medium.

By 1923, Bell Telephone Laboratories made the decision 

to develop a complete musical playback system consisting 

of an electronic phonograph and a loudspeaker to take 

advantage of the new recording medium. Bell Labs 

assigned the project to two young engineers, C. W. Rice 

and E. W. Kellogg. 

Rice and Kellogg had a well equipped laboratory at their 

disposal. This lab possessed a vacuum tube amplifier 

with an unheard of 200 watts, a large selection of the 

new electrically cut phonograph records and a variety of

loudspeaker prototypes that Bell Labs had been collecting 

over the past decade. Among these were Lodge’s cone, a 

speaker that used compressed air, a corona discharge (plas-

ma) speaker, and an electrostatic speaker.

After a short time, Rice and Kellogg had narrowed the field 

of “contestants” down to the cone and the electrostat. The 

outcome would dictate the way that future generations 

would refer to loudspeakers as being either “conventional” 

or “exotic”.

Bell Laboratory’s electrostat was something to behold. This 

enormous bipolar speaker was as big as a door. The dia-

phragm, which was beginning to rot, was made of  a pig 

intestine that was covered with fine gold leaf to conduct 

the audio signal.

When Rice and Kellogg began playing the new electrically 

cut  records  through  the  electrostat, 

they were stunned and impressed. The 

electrostat performed splendidly. They 

had never heard instrumental timbres 

reproduced with such realism. This sys-

tem sounded like real music rather than 

the honking, squawking rendition of the 

acoustic gramophone. Immediately, they 

knew they were on to something big. 

The acoustic gramophone was destined to become obsolete. 

Due to Rice and Kellogg’s enthusiasm, they devoted a 

considerable amount of time researching the electrostatic 

design. However, they soon encountered the same dif-

ficulties that even present designers face; planar speakers 

require a very large surface area to reproduce the lower fre-

quencies of the audio spectrum. Because the management 

at Bell Labs considered large speakers unacceptable, Rice 

and Kellogg’s work on electrostatics would never be put to 

use for a commercial product. Reluctantly, they advised the 

Bell management to go with the cone. For the next 30 years, 

the electrostatic design lay dormant.

During the Great Depression of the 1930’s, consumer audio 

almost died. The new electrically amplified loudspeaker 

never gained acceptance, as most people continued to 

use their old Victrola-style acoustic gramophones. Prior to 

the end of World War II, consumer audio saw little, if any, 

 progress. However, during the late 1940’s, audio expe-

rienced 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.

e

leCtrostatIC

 

HIstory

Rice and Kellogg had 

narrowed the field of 

“contestants down” to the 

cone and the electrostat.

Summary of Contents for Ethos

Page 1: ...E T H O S u s e r s m a n u a l tm...

Page 2: ...on tainer Each individual unit has a unique serial number Bass Setting ________________ ________________ left channel right channel This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subj...

Page 3: ...Thank you to you the MartinLogan owner for loving what we do and for making it possible for us to do what we love...

Page 4: ...ordance 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 contain regulated materials which up...

Page 5: ...ith the lightning bolt symbol should be connected by an instructed person or by way of ready made terminals The power cord should remain readily oper able should any abnormal conditions occur Step 1 U...

Page 6: ...This advanced crossover topology flawlessly preserves microscopic subtleties while effortlessly handling the broadest range of dynamics con tained within even the most demanding sonic source The mater...

Page 7: ...the meaning of the different colors No color No power The Ethos is not plugged in Blue Play mode This indicates the Ethos detects an audio signal and has automatically switched into play mode Red Sta...

Page 8: ...udible effect Under no circumstance should a wire of gauge higher thinner than 16 be used In general the lon ger the length used the greater the necessity of a lower gauge and the lower the gauge the...

Page 9: ...face if the rest of the room is not too bright and hard Walls can also be too soft If the entire front wall consists of heavy drapery your system can sound dull You may hear muted music with little am...

Page 10: ...ers Move your speaker slightly forward into the room What happened to the bass response What happened to the imaging If the imaging is more open and spacious and the bass response is tightened that is...

Page 11: ...18 x 5 the distance from the side walls to the center of the curvilinear transducer The Ethos is a very refined speaker and benefits from care in setup With these tips in mind you will find over your...

Page 12: ...your system The smaller sound waves are mostly affected here and occur in the mid and high frequencies This is where voice and frequencies as high as the cymbals occur Resonant Surfaces and Objects A...

Page 13: ...s to your ears and then the reflected informa tion as it arrives at your ears later in time can result in confusion of the precious timing information that carries the clues to imaging Consequently th...

Page 14: ...Large flat panel speakers exhibit venetian blind effects due to this phenomenon This is one reason why many manufacturers opt for small drivers i e tweeters and midrange to approximate what is known a...

Page 15: ...placed on each speaker Front Left and Front Right If these speakers will be the same two used for your stereo playback they should be of very high quality and able to play loudly over 102 dB and repr...

Page 16: ...or to the sonic purity of the electrostatic concept due to its exceptional linearity and low distortion Since the diaphragm of an electrostatic speaker is uniform ly driven over its entire area it can...

Page 17: ...e designed to operate within a nar row fixed bandwidth of the frequency range and then combined electrically so that the sum of the parts equals the total signal While nice in theory we must deal with...

Page 18: ...atic transducer a controlled horizontal dispersion pattern could be achieved yet the purity of the almost massless electrostatic diaphragm remained uncompromised After creating this technology MartinL...

Page 19: ...linearity and efficiency AirFrame Technology Ultra rigid extruded aerospace grade aluminum alloy AirFrame technology rigidifies and secures the XStat electrostatic panel to the woofer cabinet while at...

Page 20: ...rostatic speaker After a short time Rice and Kellogg had narrowed the field of contestants down to the cone and the electrostat The outcome would dictate the way that future generations would refer to...

Page 21: ...t could not be played very loud it had poor bass performance it presented a dif ficult load that some amplifiers did not like its dispersion was very directional and its power handling was limited to...

Page 22: ...nuts in another We use many brands with great success Again we have no favorites we use electronics and cables quite interchangeably We would suggest listening to a number of brands and above all els...

Page 23: ...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...

Page 24: ...tably dust Vacuuming is recommended These noises may be caused by dirt and dust particles collecting on the speaker by high humidity Dirt and dust may need to be vacuumed off Please see the FAQ regard...

Page 25: ...Dimensional Drawings 25 Dimensional Drawings...

Page 26: ...ation at www martinlogan com MartinLogan may not honor warranty service claims unless we have a completed Warranty Registration card on file If you did not receive a Certificate of Registration with y...

Page 27: ...und wave caused by some type of mechanical interference such as a cabinet edge grill frame or other similar object Diaphragm A thin flexible membrane or cone that vibrates in response to electrical si...

Page 28: ...mean square The effective value of a given waveform is its RMS value Acoustic power is proportional to the square of the RMS sound pressure Resistance That property of a conductor by which it opposes...

Reviews: