Martin Logan CLX

The Martin Logan electrostatic speakers, such as the Spire, are often mentioned as classic examples of area speakers, supporters praise it as their infinite-dimensional sound image resolution. In most of Logan in the bass range are conventionally equipped: omnidirectional with a cone woofer.

Not so the top model CLX: Here lay lead developer David Allen and his team over backward, to the precise midrange add magic also a fast bass. The 28000 Euro sculpture is an expensive 2-way construct: A narrow, in favor of a larger sweet spots, slightly curved membrane surface operates above 350 hertz, a larger, flat surface acts as a bass tones. This has the advantage that large deflections of a membrane not the other sweeps in bias. To prevent partial vibrations of lightweight films, they are precisely calculated, wedged irregular intervals by rubber shock absorbers. They are powered purely electrostatic, ie by an electric field, comparable to a huge capacitor. Its polarity and thus the force acting on the film follows the music signal fussy. So that it develops enough power, needs to be generated between the solid metal bars a bias of several 1000 Volt – that does the electronics hidden in the foot, therefore, needs its own power supply.

The large amount of the membranes caused a significant concentration in the vertical, the acoustician speaks of a plane wave. This has the advantage that arrives at the ceiling and floor reflections vary little noise and then correspondingly lower. The room feels the CLX therefore also for larger listening distances of four feet or more still quite good.

Despite its immense size, the CLX retained even in small manned space music with a good overview: Schoenberg’s “Transfigured Night” (chamber version, Karajan, DG) stretched deep into the beautiful room, the individual instruments were almost palpable, if not projected with infinite accuracy . The minimum slender tone turned the focus more clearly on the classical virtues Logan: The CLX audibly sounds like no other speakers before her, even a great orchestra, with most complex music such as Mahler’s 6th Symphony (Gergiev, LSO, grade 1) was sensationally clean and rich in detail in a natural way. The KEF Reference 207 / 2 could show more clearly against, they also provided more fundamental heat, with the flawless, absolutely fit for long time detailed representation of the Logan, but she could not keep up.

But these virtues, it is not entirely in vain: If it’s fond of loud crashing, is happier with other boxes, because the bass is always very discreet. The plastic-deep stage is absolutely impressive, but it takes very little dry mixed music directness. For hard rock, the CLX is just almost too sophisticated.