MartinLogan pmn manual

C L ARITY TM user ’s manual c l s e l e c t r o s t a t i c M ART I N L OGA N[...]

2 Contents and Introduction C ONTENTS A ND I NTRODUCTION Contents and Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Installation in Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Low- V oltage (DC) P ower Connection Signal Connection[...]

Installation in Brief 3 I NST ALLA TION IN B RIEF W e know you are eager to hear your new Clarity loud- speakers, so this section is provided to allow fast and easy set up. Once you have them operational, please take the time to read, in depth, the rest of the information in this manual. It will give you perspective on how to attain the greatest po[...]

Y our Clarity speakers use external low-voltage power sup- plies to energize their electrostatic panels. F or this reason the proper low-voltage power supplies are provided. A power supply should be firmly inserted into the ‘DC P ower In ’ receptacle on the rear connection panel of each speaker , then to any convenient AC wall outlet. Y our Cla[...]

Operation 5 Y our Clarity loudspeakers are equipped with a NAC (natural ambience compensation) driver located on top of Clarity ’s cabinet. T o turn the NAC on or off gently insert a narrow object such as a pen or pencil into the small hole located above the NAC’s perforated screen (see figure 2). F or more information on the NAC see the ‘Mar[...]

6 Placement P LACEMENT By now your speakers should be placed approximately two to three feet from the front wall (the wall in front of the listening position), and at least one to two feet from the side walls. Y our sitting distance should be farther than the distance between the speakers themselves. What you are trying to attain is the impression [...]

Placement 7 Imaging In their final location, the Clarity ’s should have a stage width somewhat wider than the speakers themselves. On well- recorded music, the instruments should extend beyond the edges of each speaker to the left and to the right, yet a vocalist should appear directly in the middle. The size of the instruments should be neither [...]

8 Room Acoustics This is one of those areas that requires both a little back- ground to understand and some time and experimentation to obtain the best performance from your system. Y our room is actually a component and an important part of your system. This component is a very large variable and can dramatically add to, or subtract from, a great [...]

If your speaker system is not securely planted on the floor or solid surface, it can shake as it produces sound and, consequently , the sound can be compromised. If your speaker is sitting on the carpet and only foot gliders are used, the bass can be ill defined and even boomy . The u se of spikes is recommended to insure secured footing for your s[...]

Y our Clarity launches a 30 degree dispersion pattern when viewed from above. This horizontal dispersion field gives a choice of good seats for the performance while minimizing interactions with side walls (see figure 5). Make sure both speakers stand exactly at the same vertical angle, otherwise the image can be skewed or poorly defined. The wave [...]

In the field of loudspeaker design, it is a known fact that as the sound wave becomes progressively smaller than the transducer producing it, the dispersion of that wave becomes more and more narrow , or directional. This fact occurs as long as the transducer is a flat surface. Large flat- panel speakers exhibit venetian blind effects due to this p[...]

It had long been the practice of stereo buffs to connect their television to the stereo system. The advantage was the use of the larger speakers and more powerful amplifier of the stereo system. Even though the sound was greatly improved, i t was still mono and limited by the broadcast signal. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s two new home mo[...]

How can sound be reproduced by something that you are able to see through? Electrostatic energy makes this possible. The world of traditional loudspeaker technology deals with cones, domes, diaphragms and ribbons that are moved with magnetism. The world of electrostatic loudspeakers deals with charged electrons attracting and repelling each other .[...]

ESL P anel Critical Zone: 500Hz–20kHz The most significant advantage of MartinLogan ’s exclusive transducer technology reveals itself when you look at exam- ples of other loudspeaker products on the market today . The Clarity uses no crossover networks above 450 Hz because they are not needed. The Clarity consists of a single, seamless electros[...]

Since the beginning of audio, achieving smooth dispersion has been a problem for all loudspeaker designers. Large panel transducers present even more of a challenge because the larger the panel, the more directional the dispersion pattern becomes. F ull range electrostats have long been one of the most prob- lematic transducers because they attain [...]

16 Electrostatic Loudspeaker History In the late 1800s, any loudspeaker was considered exotic. T oday , 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 l[...]

Electrostatic Loudspeaker History 17 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 t[...]

18 Frequently Asked Questions F REQUENTL Y A SKED Q UESTIONS How do I clean my speak ers? Just use a dust free cloth or a soft brush to remove the dust from your speakers. W e recommend a specialty cloth (available at the XStatic shop at www .martinlogan.com) that cleans your speakers better than anything else we have tried. Do not spray any kind o[...]

Frequently Asked Questions 19 Will excessive smok e or dust cause any problems with my electrostatic speak ers? 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 [...]

20 Troubleshooting T ROUBLESHOOTING No Output • Check that all your system components are turned on. • Check your speaker wires and connections. • Check all interconnecting cables. W eak Output from Electrostatic P anel, Loss of Highs • Check the power cord. Is it properly connected to the speaker and to the wall? • Is the power cord conn[...]

The Clarity hybrid speaker system consists of a broad-range single element electrostatic transducer integrated with a quick- response woofer . This approach takes advantage of the benefits that both technologies have to offer . Dispersion is a controlled 30 degrees. This was achieved by curving the elec- trostatic transducer element itself , an ele[...]

AC. Abbreviation for alternating current. Active crossover . Uses active devices (transistors, ICs, tubes) and some form of power supply to operate. Amplitude. The extreme range of a signal. Usually measured from the average to the extreme. Arc. The visible sparks generated by an electrical discharge. Bass. The lowest frequencies of sound. Bi-Ampli[...]

Inductance. The property of an electrical circuit by which a varying current in it produces a varying magnetic field that introduces voltages in the same circuit or in a nearby circuit. It is measured in henrys. Inductor . A device designed primarily to introduce inductance into an electrical circuit. Sometimes called a choke or coil. Linearity . T[...]

2101 Delaware Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66046, USA tel 785.749.0133 fax 785.749.5320 www.martinlogan.com c l s e l e c t r o s t a t i c M ART I N L OGA N ©2003 MartinLogan, All rights reserved Rev. #121102[...]