MartinLogan CLS IIz manual

CLS TM IIz 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[...]

The lightning bolt flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “ dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert t[...]

3 Installation in Brief 3 I NST ALLA TION IN B RIEF W e know you are eager to hear your new CLS IIz 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. It will give you perspective on how to attain the greatest po[...]

AC Power Connection Introduction 4 Introduction & Operation I NTRODUCTION & O PERA TION Congratulations! Y ou have invested in one of the world’s premier loudspeak er systems. The MartinLogan CLS IIz represents the culmination of an intensive, dedicated group research program directed toward establishing a world class reference monitor ut[...]

O PERA TION Operation 5 A variety of speaker cables are now available whose manufacturers claim better performance over standard heavy gauge wire. W e have verified this in many cases, and the improvements available are often more noticeable than the differences between wires of different gauge. The effects of cables may be masked if the equipment [...]

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 o[...]

Placement 7 Imaging In their final location, your CLS IIz’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 attain 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 [...]

Room Acoustics 9 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. (See Solid F ooting , [...]

10 Dispersion Interactions Y our CLS IIz’s 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 2). Make sure both speakers stand exactly at the same vertical angle, otherwise the image can be skewe[...]

Dispersion Interactions 11 Figure 4– 5. 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 6– 7. Even though they suffer from “venetian blind” effect, angled multiple panel speakers ca[...]

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, diaphragms and ribbons that are moved with magnetism, the world of electrostatic loudspeakers deals with charged electrons attracting and repelling each o[...]

Since the diaphragm of an electrostatic speaker is uniformly driven over its entire area, it can be extremely light and flexible. This allows it to be very responsive to transients, thus perfectly tracing the music signal. As a result, great delicacy , nuance and clarity are possible. When you look at the problems of traditional electromagnetic dri[...]

Critical Zone: 200Hz–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 CLS IIz uses no crossover networks because they are not needed. The CLS IIz consists of a single, seamless elec- trostatic membrane reproduci[...]

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 problematic transducers because they attain t[...]

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 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. The test instrument needed an extremely accurate speaker , but Janszen found that the cone speakers of the period were too nonl[...]

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 through the Xtatic shop at www .martinlogan.com) that cleans your speakers better than anything else we have ever tried. Do not spray a[...]

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, Loss of Highs • Check the power cord. Is it properly connected to the speaker? Exaggerated Highs, Brightness • Check the toe-in of the speakers. Rea[...]

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

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[...]

23 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. Sometimes called a choke or coil. Linearity[...]

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 ©2002 MartinLogan, All rights reserved Rev. #052902[...]