Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product Ascent LoudSpeaker MartinLogan
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A S CENT TM user ’s manual c l s e l e c t r o s t a t i c M ART IN L OG A N.
2 Contents C ONTENTS Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Installation in Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 Installation in Brief 3 I NST ALLA TION IN B RIEF W e know you are eager to hear your Ascent loudspeakers, 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.
Assembling the Ascent Introduction I NTRODUCTION AND A S SEMBL Y Congratulations! Y ou have invested in one of the world’s premier loudspeak er systems.
O PERA TION Operation 5 Because your MartinLogan Ascents use an internal power supply to energize their electrostatic cells with high-voltage DC, they must be connected to an AC power source. F or this reason they are provided with the proper IEC standard power cords.
Figure 3. Bi- Wire Connection. One Channel shown. Amplifier speaker output Jumper clips removed Please take note of the jumper clips installed under the binding posts.
With horizontal bi-amping , one amplifier drives the high pass (ESL) section while the second amplifier drives the low pass (WOOFER) section. T o horizontally bi-amp your Ascents you must loosen the binding posts and remove the jumper clips. Connect the low frequency amplifier to the lower set of binding posts of both speakers.
8 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 further than the distance between the speakers themselves.
Placement 9 Imaging In their final location, your Ascents 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.
10 Room Acoustics This is one of those areas that requires both a little back- ground to understand and some time and experimentation to attain the best performance from your system. Y our room is actually a component and an important part of your system.
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 use of spikes is recommended to insure secured footing for your speakers.
12 Dispersion Interactions Y our Ascents launch 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 F igure 7).
Dispersion Interactions 13 Figure 9– 10. As can be seen here, point source concepts invite a great deal of room interaction. While delivering good frequency response to a large listening audience, imaging is consequently confused and blurred. Figure 11– 12.
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.
How can sound be reproduced by something that you are able to see through? Electrostatic energy makes this possible. Where the world of traditional loudspeaker technology deals with cones, domes, diap.
ESL P anel Critical Zone: 280Hz–20kHz The most significant advantage of MartinLogan ’s exclusive transducer technology reveals itself when you look at examples of other loudspeaker products on the market today . The Ascent uses no crossover networks above 280 Hz because they are not needed.
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.
18 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.
Electrostatic Loudspeaker History 19 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.
20 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 through the XStatic shop at www .martinlogan.
Frequently Asked Questions 21 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.
22 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, Loss of Highs • Check the power cord. Is it properly connected to the speaker? Exaggerated Highs, Brightness • Check the toe-in of the speakers.
The Ascent 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.
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.
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 i s measured in henrys. Inductor . A device designed primarily to introduce inductance into an electrical circuit.
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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 OG A N ©2000 MartinLogan, All rights reserved Rev.
An important point after buying a device MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device MartinLogan Ascent LoudSpeaker along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
