A strong case could be made that no company has done more to bring electrostatic loudspeaker technologies into the living rooms of audiophiles than MartinLogan.
Delivering its latest updates to its electrostatic designs, which include its Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) XStat with MicroPerf stator transducer panels, as well as its redesigned AirFrame construction technologies, the company has introduced its new ESL 15A floorstanding loudspeaker at CES 2016.
Applying its three decades of hybrid speaker/electrostatic design experience to the development of the ESL 15A, the company started by employing a new woofer section that employs two independently enclosed drivers that include MartinLogan's PoweredForce Forward bass alignment technologies. MartinLogan says these technologies control the interaction between the rear-firing woofer and the wall behind that woofer.
Taking a closer look at the cone drivers, the ESL 15A features a pair of 12-inch, laser-engineered low distortion aluminum-cone woofers that sit in sealed enclosures and feature cast baskets and stiff cones that eliminate distortion. The woofers also employ long-throw motor assemblies that in total allow the speaker to produce low-end that is tight, fast and cohesive.
Handling the rest of the frequency spectrum is a 15-inch wide CLS electrostatic panel that is said to enhance high-frequency detail to help the speaker produce a wide, dynamic sonic image.
Making sure the cone drivers and CLS panel works in harmony, MartinLogan incorporates its Vojtko crossover network that is handbuilt using polypylene capacitors and air coils to “preserve even the most microscopic sonic nuances while handling the full dynamics of any source.” Other features the speaker offers range from its WBT binding posts that include silver filigree that is highly conductive and “free from eddy current effects,” to a Class D 500-watt amplifier that's controlled by a 24-bit Vojtko DSP engine to power the cone drivers.
In addition, MartinLogan is bundling the ESL 15A with Anthem Room Correction (ARC) equalization suite to enable custom electronics professionals to install the speaker in a variety of room environments without compromising the speaker's performance potential.
