Напольная акустика — Martin Logan ElectroMotion ESL X

The ElectroMotion ESL X is a MartinLogan hybrid electrostatic tower that combines a tall XStat CLS panel with two cone woofers in a ported bass chamber. It was listed at USD 4,499.98 per pair and is offered in Gloss Black or Satin Black.

Key specs that matter

The electrostatic panel measures 102 x 22 cm and has a radiating area of 2,244 cm2. Twin 8 inch woofers with high-rigidity cones of doped-fibre paper sit on high-excursion, extended-throw assemblies. MartinLogan rates the system response at 41 Hz to 22 kHz within 3 dB and the sensitivity at 91 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m. Nominal impedance is 6 ohm, falling to 1.6 ohm at 20 kHz, and the speaker is listed as compatible with 4, 6 or 8 ohm amplifiers. Each unit is 150.3 cm tall, 23.8 cm wide and 52.6 cm deep, and weighs 23.6 kg.

Engineering and use context

The panel follows MartinLogan's Curvilinear Line Source principle, curving horizontally to spread the output across 30 degrees while acting as a vertical line source. A reduced steel stator gauge makes the panel more see-through, so the room behind remains visible. The woofers work in a non-resonant asymmetrical bass reflex chamber. At 400 Hz a proprietary Vojtko filter passes the signal from the woofers to the panel, and the network uses a custom-wound transformer, air-core coils, steel laminate inductors and polyester and electrolytic capacitors. Tool-less 5-way binding posts allow bi-wiring, and 3/8-16 ETC spikes with removable rubber end caps are supplied for floor coupling. Since the room behind shows through the panel, the speaker adds less visual bulk than a box of the same height, and the slim width keeps the footprint modest despite the deep base that houses the woofers.

Pairing

The recommended amplifier power is 20 to 400 W per channel. Because the load drops so low at the top of the band, where the panel is driven through its transformer, an amplifier able to drive a very low treble impedance without strain is the safer choice, which points to a solid-state design with a sturdy output stage. Bi-wiring through the split posts lets separate cable runs feed the woofer section and the panel. The dipole panel sends output backward and forward alike, so the speakers need some free space behind them in a room of around 20 m2 or more.

Alternatives

The MartinLogan Motion 20i is a more compact MartinLogan tower that uses cone drivers and a Folded Motion tweeter instead of an electrostatic panel.