Xstat Ethos User Manual Download Page 23

Frequently Asked Questions     23

Will .excessive .smoke .or .dust .cause .any .problems .with .

my .electrostatic .speakers? .

Exposure to excessive contaminants such as smoke 

or dust may potentially affect the performance of the 

electrostatic membrane, and may cause discoloration 

of the diaphragm membrane. When not in use for 

extended periods, you should unplug the speakers and 

cover them with the plastic bags in which the speakers 

were originally packed. It is a good idea to vacuum the 

electrostatic portion of each speaker three or four times 

a year. See the vacuuming 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 .previously .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 

electrostatic 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 element when music plays. At other times 

they are not charged and cannot collect dust. You can 

get the same benefit by simply unplugging them when-

ever 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 voltage with low current is not dangerous. As 

a matter of fact, the voltage in our speakers is 10 times 

less 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 

substantial number of customers in tropical regions of 

the world. Our speakers have been serving them nicely 

for many years. This concern may have come from our 

earlier design of speakers, which were charged continu-

ously. 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 dif-

ference in the consistent performance of our product. 

There may be a little more maintenance involved in 

humid regions when not in an air conditioned envi-

ronment. Simply enough, the concern is to keep the 

electrostatic panels dust free. Humidity will combine 

with any dust on the panel to make it slightly conduc-

tive. This will result in a slight pathway for the charge 

to leave the 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 hours to twelve hours (or over-

night). You need not worry about the vacuum pressure 

damaging the "delicate" membrane. It is extraordi-

narily durable. Dirt and dust may be vacuumed off with 

a brush attachment connected 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 a good idea to disconnect all of your 

audio/video components during stormy weather.

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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