Xstat Ethos User Manual Download Page 21

Electrostatic History     21

In 1947, Arthur Janszen, a young Naval engineer, took part 

in a research project for the Navy. The Navy was interested 

in developing 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 too nonlinear in phase and amplitude response 

to meet his 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.

Janszen was so excited with the results that he continued 

research on the electrostatic speaker on his own time. He 

soon thought of insulating the stators to 

prevent the destructive effects of arcing. 

By  1952,  he  had  an  electrostatic 

tweeter element ready for commercial 

production. This new tweeter soon 

created 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 notably, 

those from Acoustic Research. These systems were highly 

regarded by all audio enthusiasts.

As good as these systems were, they would soon be surpassed 

by another electrostatic speaker. 

In 1955, Peter Walker published three articles regarding 

electrostatic loudspeaker design in Wireless World, a British 

magazine. In these articles, Walker demonstrated the benefits 

of the electrostatic loudspeaker. He explained that electro-

statics permit the use of diaphragms that are low in mass, 

large in area and uniformly driven over their surfaces by 

electrostatic forces. Due to these characteristics, electrostats 

have the inherent ability to produce a wide bandwidth, 

flat frequency response with distortion products being no 

greater than the electronics driving them.

By 1956, Walker backed up his articles by introducing a 

consumer product, the now famous Quad ESL. This speaker 

immediately set a standard of performance for the audio 

industry due to its incredible accuracy. However, in actual 

use, the Quad had a few problems. It 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 

around 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 loudspeaker company, and together they introduced 

the KLH 9. Due to the large size of the KLH 9, it did not 

have as many sonic limitations as the Quad. The KLH 9 

could play markedly louder and lower in frequency than 

the Quad ESL. Thus a rivalry was born.

Janszen continued to develop electrostatic designs. He 

was instrumental in the design of the Koss Model One, 

the Acoustech and the Dennesen speakers. Roger West, 

the  chief  designer  of  the  Janszen 

Corporation,  became  the  presi-

dent of Sound Lab. When Janszen 

Corporation  was  sold,  the  RTR

loudspeaker  company  bought 

half of the production tooling. This 

tooling was used to make the elec-

trostatic panels for the Servostatic, a 

hybrid electrostatic system that was 

Infinity’s first speaker product. Other companies soon 

followed; each with 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 they actually do what Peter Walker claimed they 

would. The limitations and problems experienced in the 

past were not inherent to the electrostatic concept. They 

were related to the applications of these concepts. 

Today, these limitations have been resolved. Advancements 

in materials due to the U.S. space program give designers 

the ability to harness the superiority of the electrostatic 

principle. Today’s electrostats use advanced insulation 

techniques or provide protection circuitry. The poor dis-

persion properties of early models have been addressed 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.

These developments allow the consumer the opportunity 

to 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.

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...

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