Martin Logan Monolith 3 Owners manual
User's Manual
The Monolith III Speaker System
Important
Your Martin-Logan speakers are
provided with automatic Limited 90
Day Warranty coverage.
Contents
Introduction
3
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
Registration
your speakers to Martin-Logan, within
30 days of purchase.
If you did not receive a Certificate of
Registration with your speakers, you
cannot be assured of having received
new units. If this is the case, please
contact Martin-Logan.
We know you are anxious to listen to
your new speakers. So, to speed you
along, we have provided an Installation
in Brief section ahead of the detailed
descriptive information contained in
this manual.
Please read and follow these instructions for installation in brief as you
initially connect your speakers into your
system. These 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 User’s
Manual will explain in detail the
operation of your speakers and the
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.
that was included with
Certificate of
Installation in Brief
Monolith III Specifications
History
Connection
IIIp Connection
IIIx Connection
IIIx Operation
IIIx Technical Description
Room Acoustics
Placement
General Information
The Electrostatic Concept
Martin-Logan Exclusives
Questions
Troubleshooting
Glossary
4
5
6
8
9
12
14
16
18
21
23
24
26
28
29
30
Page2
Monolith III User's Manual
Introduction
Congratulations, you have invested in
one of the world’s premier loudspeaker
systems!
The Martin-Logan MONOLITH III represents the culmination of an intensive,
dedicated group research program
directed toward establishing a world
class reference monitor utilizing
leading-edge technology, without
compromising durability, reliability,
craftsmanship, or aesthetic design.
The original Monolith made its official
debut in June of 1982 at the International Consumer Electronics Show
where it was selected for the prestigous
Design and Engineering Exhibition
one of the most innovative consumer
electronics products of that year. Since
then, the Monolith has become the
speaker of choice by the most demanding musicians, electronics manufacturers, and recording studios, as well as
the most discerning critical listeners.
As a result of our continuous research
and development program here at
Martin-Logan, we decided that it was
time to incorporate some of our latest
technologies into the already outstanding Monolith. So, in January of 1990 we
introduced the MONOLITH III to the
marketplace.
With the MONOLITH III, we have ad-
vanced the current state of the art in
as
many areas of loudspeaker design.
Bass response has better extension,
superior impact and improved definition, high frequency response also has
better extension and is much more
natural in character. Much effort was
spent on minimizing all diffractive or
reflective surfaces. This has improved
overall transparency and image quality.
In addition, a great amount of energy
was spent on the interface between the
electrostatic element and the woofer,
with astonishing results. The fruit of this
labor has brought us the passive IIIp
INTERFACE and the superior electronic
IIIx CROSSOVER. With either of these two
devices, the transition from the electrostatic element to the woofer becomes
invisible and an unbelieveable continuity of sound prevails. With the IIIx
CROSSOVER
you are brought even closer to the
musical truth. Dynamic information
suddenly becomes frightening. Power
handling and system efficiency are
enhanced as well.
Like the original Monoliths, all materials
in your new MONOLITH III speakers are
of the highest quality to provide years of
enduring enjoyment and deepening
respect. All trim pieces are constructed
from selected hardwoods. They are
then grain and color matched and finally
hand finished. The cabinetry is constructed from a special high-density
another veil is lifted and
hardwood powderboard for structural
integrity and is finished with a durable
and attractive leatherette.
Through rigorous testing, the curvilinear
electrostatic panel manufactured and
used by Martin-Logan has proven itself
to be one of the most durable and
reliable transducers available today.
Fabricated from a specially tooled, highgrade steel, the panel is then coated
with a special high dielectric nylon/
Delrin based polymer 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 MONOLITH III's
energized diaphragm into massive
excursions with no deleterious effects.
We again thank you for purchasing the
MONOLITH III. By following the Installa-
tion in Brief instructions you may
connect them to your system, sit back,
relax, and enjoy this most exacting
transducer. It has been designed and
constructed to give you years of troublefree listening enjoyment.
Happy Listening!
Monolith III User's Manual
Page3
Installation in Brief
We know you are eager to hear
your new MONOLITH III 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 this most
exacting transducer.
If you should experience any
difficulties in the set-up or operation of your MONOLITH III speakers
please refer to the Room Acoustics,
Placement or Connection section
of this manual.
Should you encounter a persistent
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.
Step 1: PlacementStep 1: Placement
Step 1: Placement
Step 1: PlacementStep 1: Placement
Place each Monolith at least two feet from any wall and slightly angle them
toward your listening area. This is a good place to start. Please refer to the
Room Acoustics and Placement sections of this manual for more details.
Step 2: PStep 2: P
Step 2: P
Step 2: PStep 2: P
Martin-Logan Monoliths 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, first to the AC power receptacle on the rear panel of
the speaker and then to the wall outlet. Extension cords may be used, if
necessary, since the AC power requirement of the Monolith is extremely small.
Step 3: Signal ConnectionStep 3: Signal Connection
Step 3: Signal Connection
Step 3: Signal ConnectionStep 3: Signal Connection
Turn your amplifier off before making or breaking any signal connections!
The chassis is earth grounded and can present a short circuit to your
ower Connection (Aower Connection (A
ower Connection (A
ower Connection (Aower Connection (A
WARNING !WARNING !
WARNING !
WARNING !WARNING !
amplifier if contact is made!
C)C)
C)
C)C)
Page4
Use the best speaker cables you can! 16 gauge zip-cord is the minimum you
should use, and higher quality cables, available from your specialty dealer, are
recommended and will give you superior performance! Spade or banana
connectors are suggested for optimum contact and ease of installation.
Be consistent when connecting speaker leads to the terminals on the back of
the MONOLITH III: 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, reverse the (+) and (-) leads on one side to bring the
system into proper polarity. Attach your speaker cables to the Amplifier Signal
input section of the IIIp INTERFACE if you have the MONOLITH IIIp
appropriate Signal Input section on the back of the MONOLITH III if you are using
the MONOLITH IIIx CROSSOVER. Please refer to the appropriate Connection
section of this manual for further details and instructions.
Step 4: Listen and EnjoyStep 4: Listen and Enjoy
Step 4: Listen and Enjoy
Step 4: Listen and EnjoyStep 4: Listen and Enjoy
Now, you may turn on your system and enjoy!
or directly to the
Monolith III User's Manual
Monolith III Specifications
The MONOLITH III hybrid speaker
system consists of a broad-range
single element electrostatic transducer
integrated with a quick-response
woofer. This approach takes maximum
MONOLITH III SPEAKER
System Frequency ResponseSystem Frequency Response
System Frequency Response
System Frequency ResponseSystem Frequency Response
28-24,000 Hz +/-2dB
Electrostatic Frequency ResponseElectrostatic Frequency Response
Electrostatic Frequency Response
Electrostatic Frequency ResponseElectrostatic Frequency Response
95-24,000 Hz +/- 2dB
Woofer Frequency ResponseWoofer Frequency Response
Woofer Frequency Response
Woofer Frequency ResponseWoofer Frequency Response
28-2,000 Hz +/- 2dB
DispersionDispersion
Dispersion
DispersionDispersion
Horizontal: 30 Degrees
Vertical: 4' Line Source
SensitivitySensitivity
Sensitivity
SensitivitySensitivity
89dB/2.83 Volts/meter
advantage of the positive aspects that
both technologies have to offer.
Dispersion is a controlled 30 degrees.
This was achieved by curving the
ImpedanceImpedance
Impedance
ImpedanceImpedance
High-pass:High-pass:
High-pass:
High-pass:High-pass:
Nominal: 4 ohms, below 10kHz
Minimum: 1 ohm @ 20kHz
Low-pass:Low-pass:
Low-pass:
Low-pass:Low-pass:
Nominal: 4 ohms
Minimum: 4 ohms
Power HandlingPower Handling
Power Handling
Power HandlingPower Handling
250 watts per channel
Recommended Amplifier PowerRecommended Amplifier Power
Recommended Amplifier Power
Recommended Amplifier PowerRecommended Amplifier Power
80 - 250 watts per channel
electrostatic transducer element itself,
an elegantly simple solution.
WeightWeight
Weight
WeightWeight
120 lbs/speaker; 54.4 kg/speaker
Size Size
Size (HWD)
Size Size
73.75" x 26.75" x 11.75"
187.3cm x 67.9cm x 29.8cm
ComponentsComponents
Components
ComponentsComponents
Glass-epoxy boards,
custom-wound audio transformers,
30-amp gold plated binding posts,
regulated HV power supply
IIIp INTERFACE
Crossover FrequencyCrossover Frequency
Crossover Frequency
Crossover FrequencyCrossover Frequency
125 Hz @ 12dB/octave
ImpedanceImpedance
Impedance
ImpedanceImpedance
Nominal: 4 ohms, below 10kHz
Minimum: 1 ohms @ 20kHz
ComponentsComponents
Components
ComponentsComponents
Glass-epoxy boards,
polypropylene capacitors,
100% OFC coils,
wirewound resistors,
30-amp gold plated binding posts,
non-ferrous enclosure
Monolith III User's Manual
IIIx CROSSOVER
Crossover FrequencyCrossover Frequency
Crossover Frequency
Crossover FrequencyCrossover Frequency
125 Hz: @12dB/octave low-pass
@18dB/octave high-pass
Input ImpedanceInput Impedance
Input Impedance
Input ImpedanceInput Impedance
47,000 ohms
Output ImpedanceOutput Impedance
Output Impedance
Output ImpedanceOutput Impedance
100 ohms
DistortionDistortion
Distortion
DistortionDistortion
0.003% THD @ 1kHz @ 1Vrms
Signal to NoiseSignal to Noise
Signal to Noise
Signal to NoiseSignal to Noise
Greater than -95dB
Circuit TopologyCircuit Topology
Circuit Topology
Circuit TopologyCircuit Topology
Audio circuits are fully complimentary, class-A current-biased J-FET
buffers that isolate passive filter
networks.
Power supply employs a toroidal
transformer , discrete voltage and
self-tracking current regulation.
40-volt peak to peak swing allows
for 30dB of dynamic headroom.
ComponentsComponents
Components
ComponentsComponents
Glass-epoxy boards, metal film
resistors, polypropylene capacitors,
hand picked J-FETs,
input/output connectors
TIFFANY
Page5
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.
After a short time, Rice and Kellogg had
narrowed the 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.
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
Page6
Monolith III User's Manual
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.
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, 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.
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.
Todays 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.
Monolith III User's Manual
Page7
Connection
AC Power ConnectionAC Power Connection
AC Power Connection
AC Power ConnectionAC Power Connection
Electrostatic speakers use an internal power supply to
energize their electrostatic elements with high-voltage DC
(low current). As such, they must be connected to an AC
wall outlet. For this reason we have provided your speakers
with the proper IEC standard power cords. These cords
should be firmly inserted into the AC power receptacles on
the rear connection panel of the speakers, then to any
convenient AC wall outlet. Extension cords may be used, if
necessary, since the AC power requirement of the speaker
is extremely small (less than 2.5 watts).
We do not recommend the use of "super cords", as many
of these designs eliminate the ground prong of the male
plug and therefore do not follow IEC convention standards.
If proper plugs are fitted, then the choice is up to you.
Your Martin-Logan speakers have been designed to
remain on continuously and should remain connected to a
continuous AC power source. As mentioned earlier, power
consumption of the MONOLITH III is very small and the life
expectancy of its components will not be reduced by
continuous operation.
The power cord should not be installed, removed,The power cord should not be installed, removed,
The power cord should not be installed, removed,
The power cord should not be installed, removed,The power cord should not be installed, removed,
or left detached from the speaker while the otheror left detached from the speaker while the other
or left detached from the speaker while the other
or left detached from the speaker while the otheror left detached from the speaker while the other
end is connected to an AC wall outlet.end is connected to an AC wall outlet.
end is connected to an AC wall outlet.
end is connected to an AC wall outlet.end is connected to an AC wall outlet.
Your Martin-Logan speakers are wired for the power
service supplied in the country of original consumer sale
unless manufactured on special order. The AC power
rating applicable to a particular unit is specified both on the
packing carton and on the serial number plate attached to
the speaker.
If you remove your Martin-Logan speakers from the country
of original sale, be certain that AC power supplied in any
subsequent location is suitable before connecting and
operating the speakers. Substantially impaired performance or severe damage may occur to a Martin-Logan
speaker if operation is attempted from an incorrect AC
power source.
If your home is not equipped with three-prong wall outlets,
you may use “cheater” plugs to connect the speakers to AC
power. However, please make certain that you connect the
grounding wire or tab of the plug to a ground. These may
be obtained at your dealer or any hardware department.
Signal ConnectionSignal Connection
Signal Connection
Signal ConnectionSignal Connection
Use the best speaker cables you can! The length and type
of speaker cable used in your system will have an audible
effect. Under no circumstance should a wire of gauge
higher (thinner) than #16 be used. In general, the longer
the length used, the greater the necessity of a lower gauge,
and the lower the gauge, the better the sound, with diminishing returns setting in around #8 to #12.
A variety of speaker cables are now available whose
manufacturers claim better performance than with standard
heavy gauge wire. We have verified this in some cases,
and the improvements available are often more noticeable
than the differences between wires of different gauge.
We would also recommend, if possible, that short runs of
speaker cable connect the power amplifier(s) and speakers and that high quality long interconnect cables be used
to connect the preamplifier and power amplifier. This
results in the power amplifiers being close to the speakers,
which may be practically or cosmetically difficult, but if the
length of the speaker cables can be reduced to a few
meters, sonic advantages may be obtained. The effects of
cables may be masked if the equipment is not of the
highest quality.
Connections are done at the SIGNAL INPUT section on the
rear electronics panel of the MONOLITH III. Use spade or
banana connectors for optimum contact and ease of
installation. Make certain that all your connections are
clean, tight and positive.
Be consistent when connecting the speaker cables to the
SIGNAL INPUT terminals. Take care to assign the same color
cable lead to the (+) terminal on both the left and right
channel speakers. If bass is nonexistent and you cannot
discern a tight, coherent image, you probably need to
reverse the (+) and (-) leads on one speaker to bring the
system into proper polarity.
The MONOLITH IIIp INTERFACE provides you with three
different methods for connecting the MONOLITH III to your
audio system, while the superior MONOLITH IIIx CROSSOVER
uses active bi-amplification.
Page8
Monolith III User's Manual
IIIp Connection
ONE: Standard Connection for ONE: Standard Connection for
ONE: Standard Connection for
ONE: Standard Connection for ONE: Standard Connection for
Please take note of the jumpers installed
across the binding posts of the IIIp INTER-
..
FACE
. These jumpers attach the high-pass
..
and the low-pass sections of the interface
together. Leaving these in place, connect
the (+) wire from your amplifier to either of
the red AMPLIFIER SIGNAL binding posts of
the Interface and the (-) wire to either of the
black posts. Next, connect the IIIp INTERFACE
to the MONOLITH III with the provided cables.
See
Figure 1.
TWO: Bi-wire Connection for the TWO: Bi-wire Connection for the
TWO: Bi-wire Connection for the
TWO: Bi-wire Connection for the TWO: Bi-wire Connection for the
MONOLITH IIIMONOLITH III
MONOLITH III
MONOLITH IIIMONOLITH III
pp
p.
pp
Figure 1Figure 1
Figure 1: Standard connection for the
Figure 1Figure 1
MONOLITH IIIMONOLITH III
MONOLITH III
MONOLITH IIIMONOLITH III
p.p.
p.
p.p.
MONOLITH IIIp
.
This method of connection replaces the
jumpers installed across the binding posts
of the IIIp INTERFACE with individual runs of
speaker wire from your amplifier. This
doubles the signal carrying conductors from
the amplifier to the speaker thus, directcoupling each portion of the crossover to the
amplifier.
To bi-wire you must first remove the
jumpers from the IIIp INTERFACE. Connect
one set of wires to the
posts of the IIIp INTERFACE. Then connect a
second set of wires to the
binding posts. Next, connect both sets of
wires to the appropriate terminals on your
amplifier. See
connect both (+) wires to the (+) amplifier
terminals and both (-) wires to the (-)
amplifier terminals. This is known as a
parallel connection.
Monolith III User's Manual
Figure 2
HI+HI+
HI+ and
HI+HI+
. Please take care to
HI-HI-
HI- binding
HI-HI-
LO+LO+
LO+ and
LO+LO+
LO-LO-
LO-
LO-LO-
Figure 2Figure 2
Figure 2: Bi-wire connection for the
Figure 2Figure 2
MONOLITH IIIp
.
Page9
IIIp Connection
THREE: Passive Bi-amplification.THREE: Passive Bi-amplification.
THREE: Passive Bi-amplification.
THREE: Passive Bi-amplification.THREE: Passive Bi-amplification.
The MONOLITH III may be passively biamplified using the IIIp INTERFACE.
You cannot use an external electronic
crossover with the
than the
places the
Passive bi-amplification takes the biwiring concept one step further. Now
you will have a dedicated channel of
amplification directly connected to the
high and low-pass sections of the
crossover.
There are two different methods to
passively bi-amplify. The first, and
most common, is referred to as
Horizontal Bi-amping. The second
method that is gaining in popularity is
referred to as Vertical Bi-amping. With
either method you may use two stereo
amplifiers, or four mono amplifiers, or
two mono amplifiers and one stereo
amplifier. Get the idea here? With
either form of passive bi-amplification,
your pre-amplifier must have dual
IIIx CROSSOVER
IIIp INTERFACE
MONOLITH III
which re-
)!
(other
outputs. If your pre-amplifier is not so
equipped then you must purchase or
construct a "Y" adapter.
Horizontal bi-amping Horizontal bi-amping
Horizontal bi-amping allows you to
Horizontal bi-amping Horizontal bi-amping
use two different types, models or
brands of amplifiers (i.e. tubes on top,
transistor on the bottom), assuming
that they have identical gain or that one
stereo pair has adjustable gain.
However, we recommend that you use
two identical amplifiers (i.e. same brand
and model). If the ampliers of choice do
not have the same gain characteristics,
then a sonic imbalance will occur
between the high-pass and low-pass
sections of the speaker and integration
between the two will suffer greatly. By
using identical amplification on the
high-pass and the low-pass you will
Page10
Figure 3aFigure 3a
Figure 3a: Horizontal passive bi-amplification connection for the
Figure 3aFigure 3a
Monolith III User's Manual
MONOLITH IIIp
.
Loading...