Martin Logan Aerius Owners manual

User's Manual
The Aerius Speaker System
THE ELECTROSTATIC TECHNOLOGY

Important Contents

Your Aerius Limited 90 Day Warranty coverage.
You have the option, at no additional charge, to receive Limited 3 Year Warranty coverage. To obtain Limited 3 Year Warranty coverage you need only complete and return the Certificate of Registration that was included with your speakers along with a copy of your invoice to Martin-Logan, within 30 days of purchase.
Martin-Logan may not honor warranty serviceMartin-Logan may not honor warranty service
Martin-Logan may not honor warranty service
Martin-Logan may not honor warranty serviceMartin-Logan may not honor warranty service claims unless we have a completed Warrantyclaims unless we have a completed Warranty
claims unless we have a completed Warranty
claims unless we have a completed Warrantyclaims unless we have a completed Warranty Registration card on file!Registration card on file!
Registration card on file!
Registration card on file!Registration card on file!
Should you be using your Martin-Logan product in a country other than the one in which it was originally purchased, we ask that you note the following:
1) The appointed Martin-Logan distributor for any given country is responsible for warranty servicing only on units distributed by or through it in that country in accordance with its applicable warranty.
2) Should a Martin-Logan product require servicing in a country other than the one in which it was originally purchased, the end user may seek to have repairs performed by the nearest Martin-Logan distributor, subject to that distributor's local servicing policies, but all cost of repairs (parts, labor, transportation) must be born by the owner of the Martin-Logan product.
3) If you relocate to a country, other than where you purchased your Martin-Logan's, after owning your speakers for 6 months your warranty may be transferable. Contact Martin-Logan for details.
speakers are provided with an automatic
Introduction 3
Installation in Brief 4
The Electrostatic Concept 5
History 6
Operation 10
Room Acoustics 12
Placement 16
Questions 18
Troubleshooting 19
Recommended Music 20
If you did not receive a Certificate of Registration with your Aerius received new units. If this is the case, please contact your Authorized Martin-Logan dealer.
Page 2 Aerius User's Manual
speakers you cannot be assured of having
Aerius Specifications 21
Glossary 22

Introduction

Congratulations, you have invested in one of the world’s premier loudspeaker systems!
The result of cumulative technology gleaned from twelve previous Research and Development projects, the Aerius represents the latest developments in Electrostatic and Hybrid loudspeaker technology.
Combining our proprietary curvilinear electrostatic transducer with a compact, but powerful subwoofer, we have designed a product, in one package, that repro­duces music with uncompromised electrostatic clarity and deep extended bass, yet takes up little more than one square foot of floor space.
All materials in your new Aerius speakers are of the highest quality to provide years of enduring enjoyment and deepening respect. The cabinetry is constructed from a special high-density hardwood powderboard for structural integrity and is finished with a durable and attractive matte surface finish.
Through rigorous testing, the curvilinear electrostatic panel has proven itself to be one of the most durable and reliable transducers available today. Fabricated from a specially tooled, high-grade steel, the panel is then coated with a special high dielectric compound that is applied via a proprietary electrostatic deposition process.
This panel assembly houses a membrane 0.0005 of an inch thick! Ruggedly constructed and insulated, as much as 200 watts of continuous power has driven the Aerius energized diaphragm into massive excursions with no deleterious effects.
We know you are anxious to listen to your new speakers. So, to speed you along, we have provided an
in Briefin Brief
in Brief
section ahead of the detailed descriptive informa-
in Briefin Brief
tion contained in this manual. Please read and follow these instructions as you initially
connect your Aerius instructions are important and will prevent you from experiencing any delay, frustration, or system damage which might occur in a trial-and-error procedure.
The other sections of your detail the operation of your Aerius philosophy applied to their design. A clear understanding of your speakers will insure that you obtain maximum performance and pleasure from this most exacting transducer.
Happy Listening!
speakers into your system. These
User’s Manual User’s Manual
User’s Manual will explain in
User’s Manual User’s Manual
speakers and the
InstallationInstallation
Installation
InstallationInstallation
Page 3Aerius User's Manual

Installation in Brief

We know you are eager to hear your new Aerius 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 obtain the
best possible performance from your system.
If you should experience any difficulties in the set-up or
operation of your Aerius speak­ers please refer to the
Acoustics, PlacementAcoustics, Placement
Acoustics, Placement or
Acoustics, PlacementAcoustics, Placement OperationOperation
Operation section of this
OperationOperation
manual. Should you encounter a persis-
tent problem that cannot be resolved, please contact your Authorized Martin-Logan dealer.
He will provide you with the appropriate technical analysis to alleviate the situation.
RoomRoom
Room
RoomRoom
Step 1: UnpackingStep 1: Unpacking
Step 1: Unpacking
Step 1: UnpackingStep 1: Unpacking
Remove your new Aerius
Step 2: PlacementStep 2: Placement
Step 2: Placement
Step 2: PlacementStep 2: Placement
Place the front of each Aerius angle them slightly toward your listening area. This is a good place to start. Please
see the
Step 3: Power Connection (AC)Step 3: Power Connection (AC)
Step 3: Power Connection (AC)
Step 3: Power Connection (AC)Step 3: Power Connection (AC)
Martin-Logan speakers require AC power to energize their electrostatic cells. Using the AC power cords provided, plug them in, making sure that you have made a firm connection to the wall outlet. Extension cords may be used, if necessary, since the power requirement of the Aerius is extremely small.
PlacementPlacement
Placement
PlacementPlacement
Turn your amplifier off before making or breaking any signal connections!
speakers from their packing.
two feet from the wall behind the speakers and
section of this manual for more details.
WARNING !WARNING !
WARNING !
WARNING !WARNING !
Step 4: Signal ConnectionStep 4: Signal Connection
Step 4: Signal Connection
Step 4: Signal ConnectionStep 4: Signal Connection
Use the best speaker cables you can! Higher quality cables, available from your specialty dealer, are recommended and will give you superior performance! Spade connectors are suggested for optimum contact and ease of installation.
Attach your speaker cables to the Aerius. Be consistent when connecting speaker leads to the terminals on the back
of the Aerius: take great care to assign the same color to the (+) terminal on both the left and right channels. If bass is nonexistent and you cannot discern a tight, coherent image, you may need to reverse the (+) and (-) leads on one side to bring the system into proper polarity. For optional Bi-Wiring instructions, turn to the
OperationsOperations
Operations section of this manual for proper set-up of the Aerius
OperationsOperations
Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!
Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!
Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!
Page 4 Aerius User's Manual
Signal Input Signal Input
Signal Input section on the rear panel of each
Signal Input Signal Input
system.

The Electrostatic Concept

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 other.
To fully understand the electrostatic concept, some background information will be helpful. Remember when you learned, in a science or physics class, that like charges repel each other and opposite charges attract each other? Well, this principle is the
An Electrostatic TransducerAn Electrostatic Transducer
An Electrostatic Transducer
An Electrostatic TransducerAn Electrostatic Transducer
foundation of the electrostatic concept.
An electrostatic transducer
Diaphragm
consists of three pieces: the stators, the diaphragm and the spacers.
See Figure 1
. The
Spacer
diaphragm is what actually moves to excite the air and create music. The stator's job is to remain stationary, hence the word stator, to provide a
Figure 1Figure 1
Figure 1. Cut away view of an electrostatic transducer.
reference point for the moving diaphragm. The spacers
Figure 1Figure 1
Notice the simplicity due to minimal parts usage.
provide the diaphragm with a fixed distance in which to move between the stators.
An Electromagnetic TransducerAn Electromagnetic Transducer
An Electromagnetic Transducer
An Electromagnetic TransducerAn Electromagnetic Transducer
As your amplifier sends music signals to an electrostatic
Surround Cone
speaker, these signals are changed into two high-voltage signals that are equal in strength but opposite in polarity. These high voltage signals are then applied to the stators. The resulting electrostatic field, created by the opposing high voltage on the stators, works simultaneously with and against the diaphragm, consequently moving it back and forth,
Basket Assembly
Magnet
Figure 2.Figure 2.
Figure 2. Cut away view of a typical moving coil driver.
Figure 2.Figure 2.
Notice the complexity due to the high number of parts.
producing music. This technique
is known as push-pull operation and is a major contributor to the sonic purity of the electrostatic concept due to its exceptional linearity and low distortion.
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 is possible. When you look at the problems of traditional electromag­netic drivers, you can easily see why this is so beneficial. The cones and domes which are used in traditional electromagnetic drivers cannot be driven uniformly
because of their design. Cones are driven only at the apex. Domes are driven at their perimeter. As a result, the rest of the cone or dome is just "along for the ride". The very concept of these drivers require that the cone or dome be perfectly rigid, damped and massless. Unfortunately
Stator
these conditions are not available in our world today.
To make these cones and domes move, all electromag­netic drivers must use voice coils wound on formers, spider assemblies, and surrounds to keep the cone or dome in position.
Figure 2.
These pieces, when
See
combined with the high mass
Dust Cap
Voice Coil Former
of the cone or dome materials used, make it an extremely complex unit with many weaknesses and potential for
Spider
failure. These faults contrib­ute to the high distortion products found in these drivers and is a tremendous
Magnet Assembly
Magnetic GapVoice Coil
disadvantage when you are trying to change motion as quickly and as accurately as a loudspeaker must (40,000 times per second!).
Page 5Aerius User's Manual

History

In the late 1800’s, any loudspeaker was considered exotic. Today, 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 loudspeaker, which he referred to as a “bellowing telephone”, that was very similar to the conventional cone loudspeaker drivers that we know today. However, Lodge had no intention for his device to reproduce music, because in 1898 there was no way to amplify an electrical signal! As a result, his speaker had nothing to offer over the acoustical gramophones of the period. It was not until 1906 that Dr. Lee DeForrest invented the triode vacuum tube. Before this, an electrical signal could not be amplified. The loudspeaker, as we know it today, should have ensued then, but it did not. Amazingly, it was almost twenty years before this would occur.
In 1921, the electrically cut phonograph record became a reality. This method of recording was far superior to the mechanically cut record and possessed almost 30 dB of dynamic range. The acoustical gramophone couldn't begin to reproduce all of the information on this new disc. As a result, further developments in loudspeakers were needed to cope with this amazing new recording me­dium.
By 1923, Bell Telephone Laboratories made the decision to develop a complete musical playback system consist­ing of an electronic phonograph and loudspeaker to take advantage of the new recording medium. Bell Labs assigned the project to two young engineers, C.W. Rice and E.W. Kellogg.
Rice and Kellogg had a well equipped laboratory at their disposal. This lab possessed a vacuum tube amplifier with an unheard of 200 watts, a large selection of the new electrically cut phonograph records and a variety of loudspeaker prototypes that Bell Labs had been collect­ing over the past decade. Among these were Lodge’s cone, a speaker that used compressed air, a corona discharge (plasma) speaker, and an electrostatic speaker.
field of "contestants" down to the cone and the electrostat. The outcome would dictate the way that future genera­tions would refer to loudspeakers as being either "conventional", or "exotic".
Bell Laboratory’s electrostat was something to behold. This enormous bipolar speaker was as big as a door. The diaphragm, which was beginning to rot, was made of the membrane of a pigs intestine that was covered with fine gold leaf to conduct the audio signal.
When Rice and Kellogg began playing the new electri­cally cut records through the electrostat, they were shocked and impressed. The electrostat performed splendidly. They had never heard instrumental timbres reproduced with such realism. This system sounded like real music rather than the honking, squawking rendition of the acoustic gramophone. Immediately, they knew they were on to something big. The acoustic gramophone was destined to become obsolete.
Due to Rice and Kelloggs enthusiasm, they devoted a considerable amount of time researching the electrostatic design. However, they soon encountered the same difficulties that even present designers face; planar speakers require a very large surface area to reproduce the lower frequencies of the audio spectrum. Because the management at Bell Labs considered large speakers unacceptable, Rice and Kelloggs work on electrostatics would never be put to use for a commercial product. Reluctantly, they advised the Bell management to go with the cone. For the next thirty years the electrostatic design lay dormant.
During the Great Depression of the 1930's, consumer audio almost died. The new electrically amplified loudspeaker never gained acceptance, as most people continued to use their old Victrola-style acoustic gramo­phones. Prior to the end of World War II, consumer audio saw little, if any, progress. However, during the late 1940's, audio experienced a great rebirth. Suddenly there was tremendous interest in audio products and with that, a great demand for improved audio components. No sooner had the cone become established than it was challenged by products developed during this new rebirth.
After a short time, Rice and Kellogg had narrowed the
Page 6 Aerius User's Manual
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 nonlinear in phase and amplitude response to meet his criteria. Janszen believed that electrostats were inherently more linear than cones, so he built a model using a thin plastic diaphragm treated with a conductive coating. This model confirmed Janszen's beliefs, for it exhibited remarkable phase and amplitude linearity.
Janszen was so excited with the results that he continued research on the electrostatic speaker on his own time. He soon thought of insulating the stators to prevent the destructive effects of arcing. By 1952 he had an electro­static tweeter element ready for commercial production. This new tweeter soon created a sensation among American audio hobbyists. Since Janszen's tweeter element was limited to high frequency reproduction, it often found itself used in conjunction with woofers, most notably, woofers from Acoustic Research. These systems were highly regarded by all audio enthusiasts.
its dispersion was very directional, and its power han­dling was limited to around 70 watts. As a result, many people continued to use box speakers with cones. In the early 1960's Arthur Janszen joined forces with the KLH loudspeaker company and together they introduced the KLH 9. Due to the large size of the KLH 9, it did not have as many limitations as the Quad. The KLH 9 could play markedly louder and lower in frequency than the Quad ESL. Thus a rivalry was born.
Janszen continued to develop electrostatic designs. He was instrumental in the design of the Koss Model One, the Acoustech, and the Dennesen speakers. Roger West, the chief designer of the JansZen Corporation became the president of Sound Lab. When JansZen Corporation was sold, the RTR loudspeaker company bought half of the production tooling. This tooling was used to make the electrostatic panels for the Servostatic, a hybrid electro­static system that was Infinity's first speaker product. Other companies soon followed; each with their own unique applications of the technology. These include Acoustat, Audiostatic, Beverage, Dayton Wright, Sound Lab, and Stax to name a few.
As good as these systems were, they would soon be surpassed by another electrostatic speaker.
In 1955, Peter Walker published three articles on electrostatic loudspeaker design in
Wireless World
, a British electronics magazine. In these articles Walker demonstrated the benefits of the electrostatic loud­speaker. He explained that electrostatics permit the use of diaphragms that are low in mass, large in area, and uniformly driven over their surfaces by electrostatic forces. Due to these characteristics, electrostats have the inherent ability to produce a wide bandwidth, flat fre­quency response with distortion products being no greater than the electronics driving them.
By 1956 Walker backed up his articles by introducing a consumer product, the now famous Quad ESL. This speaker immediately set a standard of performance for the audio industry due to its incredible accuracy. How­ever, in actual use the Quad had a few problems. It could not play very loud, it had poor bass performance, it presented a difficult load that some amplifiers did not like,
Electrostatic speakers have progressed and prospered because they actually do what Peter Walker claimed they would. The limitations and problems experienced in the past were not inherent to the electrostatic concept. They were related to the applications of these concepts.
Today, these limitations have been addressed. Advance­ments in materials due to the U.S. space program give designers the ability to harness the superiority of the electrostatic principle. Today's electrostats use advanced insulation techniques or provide protection circuitry. The poor dispersion properties of early models have been addressed by using delay lines, acoustical lenses, multiple panel arrays or, as in our own products, by curving the diaphragm. Power handling and sensitivity have been increased.
These developments allow the consumer the opportunity to own the highest performance loudspeaker products ever built. It's too bad Rice and Kellogg were never able to see just how far the technology would be taken.
Page 7Aerius User's Manual

Martin-Logan Exclusives

Full Range OperationFull Range Operation

Full Range Operation

Full Range OperationFull Range Operation
The most significant advantage of Martin-Logan's exclusive transducer technology reveals itself when you
compare to examples of other loudspeaker products on the market today.
The Aerius uses no crossover networks above 500 Hz because they are not needed. It consists of a single,
seamless electrostatic membrane reproducing all frequencies above 500 Hz simultaneously. How is this possible?
First, it is important to understand that music is not composed of separate high,
mid and low frequency pieces. In fact, music is comprised of a single complex waveform with all frequencies interacting
simultaneously. The electrostatic transducer
of the Aerius essentially acts as an exact opposite of the
microphones used to record the original event. A micro­phone, which is a single working element, transforms acoustic energy into an
electrical signal that can be amplified or preserved by some type of storage media. The Aerius transducer transforms
electrical energy from your amplifier into acoustical energy with a single mem­brane.
Upon looking carefully at a traditional magnetic driver (I.e. dynamic, ribbon, induc­tion), no single unit can reproduce the full range of
frequencies.
electrostatic
Figure 1. Figure 1.
Figure 1. Illustrates how a conventional speaker system
Figure 1. Figure 1.
must use a crossover network that has negative affects
on the musical performance, unlike the Aerius which
needs no crossover networks in the "critical zone".
Conventional Loudspeaker
TweeterTweeter
Tweeter
TweeterTweeter
MidrangeMidrange
Midrange
MidrangeMidrange
WooferWoofer
Woofer
WooferWoofer
Martin-Logan
AeriusAerius
Aerius
AeriusAerius
ElectrostaticElectrostatic
Electrostatic
ElectrostaticElectrostatic
TransducerTransducer
Transducer
TransducerTransducer
WooferWoofer
Woofer
WooferWoofer
Instead, these drivers must be designed to operate within narrow areas of music and then combined electrically so
that the sum of the parts equals the total signal. While this sounds nice in theory, a different story unfolds in real-world conditions.
In order to use multiple drivers, a crossover network is enlisted to divide the complex musical signal into the
separate parts (usually highs, mids, and lows) that each specific driver was designed to handle. Unfortunately, due to the phase relationships that occur within all crossover networks and during the acoustical recombination
Critical ZoneCritical Zone
Critical Zone
Critical ZoneCritical Zone
500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz
500 - 20kHz
500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz
AeriusAerius
Aerius Loudspeaker
AeriusAerius
Critical ZoneCritical Zone
Critical Zone
Critical ZoneCritical Zone
500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz
500 - 20kHz
500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz
process, nonlinearities and severe degradation of the music signal takes place in the ear's most "critical zone".
See Figure 1
So, music in the "critical zone" becomes delayed in time. These delays can be picked­up by your ear and result in
poor imaging and ambience cues.
The Aerius electrostaticThe Aerius electrostatic
The Aerius electrostatic
The Aerius electrostaticThe Aerius electrostatic transducer can single-transducer can single-
transducer can single-
transducer can single-transducer can single­handedly reproduce allhandedly reproduce all
handedly reproduce all
handedly reproduce allhandedly reproduce all frequencies above 500 Hzfrequencies above 500 Hz
frequencies above 500 Hz
frequencies above 500 Hzfrequencies above 500 Hz simultaneously.simultaneously.
simultaneously.
simultaneously.simultaneously. The crossover phase disconti-
nuities that are associated with traditional tweeter, midrange, and woofer systems are eliminated in the Aerius. This results in a
dramatic improvement indramatic improvement in
dramatic improvement in
dramatic improvement indramatic improvement in imaging and stagingimaging and staging
imaging and staging
imaging and stagingimaging and staging performance due to theperformance due to the
performance due to the
performance due to theperformance due to the minutely accurate phaseminutely accurate phase
minutely accurate phase
minutely accurate phaseminutely accurate phase relationship of the full-relationship of the full-
relationship of the full-
relationship of the full-relationship of the full­range panel wave launch.range panel wave launch.
range panel wave launch.
range panel wave launch.range panel wave launch.
.
Page 8 Aerius User's Manual
Loading...
+ 16 hidden pages