Brochure

SPOTLIGHT ON MOTION TECHNOLOGY
FOLDED MOTION DRIVERS.
How do you transform the breathtaking detail and lightning-fast
accuracy of the world’s best electrostatic transducers into more
traditional loudspeaker designs? That’s the (very) basic idea be-
hind MartinLogan’s exclusive Folded Motion tweeter design—a
uniquely engineered thin-film diaphragm that fits into a traditional
speaker cabinet. This extremely low mass diaphragm “squeezes”
air, demanding significantly less excursion than a typical dome
tweeter. Its folded design allows a much larger surface area (com-
pared to that of a regular 1-inch dome tweeter), controlled disper-
sion characteristics, and vanishingly low distortion—delivering
much of the high-frequency detail and speed of a large, dynamic
electrostatic panel in a small space.
Folded Motion XT tweeters, advanced thin-film transducer tech-
nology even further, with a 40% larger radiating surface. This
increases audible bandwidth without sacrificing details and min-
imizes distortion to an unprecedented level while increasing effi-
ciency and the tweeter’s lightning-fast response time. The result—
superior realism.
HIGH MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH FOR SUPERB CON-
TROL AND EFFICIENCY. Folded Motion tweeters incorpo-
rate neodymium iron boron (NIB) rare-earth magnets, with field
strengths almost 20 times those of conventional magnet materials.
Combining such a powerful magnetic motor system with an ex-
tremely lightweight diaphragm yields an outstanding force-to-mass
ratio. Folded Motion tweeters are very efficient and always under
perfect control. The sound that results is pure MartinLogan, with
super-low distortion, astonishing clarity, and absolute precision.
FOLDED MOTION TWEETERS AT WORK. An array of
neodymium magnets hold constant charges. A circuit trace on
the folded polyamide diaphragm, driven by the amplifier, is
given a charge that continuously reverses in reaction to the audio
signal. Opposite charges attract and like charges repel, causing
the diaphragm to “squeeze” air like an accordion and produce
sound as the charges of the magnets and diaphragm interact.
MID-RANGE AND BASS.
HYBRID DESIGNS. Although Folded Motion tweeters prove ex-
ceptional for high frequencies, they cannot recreate deep bass as
effectively as a conventional speaker of similar size. Our speak-
ers incorporate high-performance woofers, crossed over to the
Folded Motion transducers via carefully tailored, precisely calcu-
lated crossover networks made with top-quality components. Low
crossover frequencies, phase- and amplitude-optimized network
designs, and critically damped woofers ensure a seamless transi-
tion between the two types of drivers, yielding speakers that really
do offer the best of both worlds.
CASCADING BASS REFLEX PORT. [Motion 4i] MartinLogan’s
Cascading Bass Reflex Port design allows a long tuned port,
which is folded over itself, to be squeezed into the Motion 4i. The
result is a compact speaker with amazingly detailed bass that can
play at high volumes with minimum distortion.
ALUMINUM CONE MID-FREQUENCY AND BASS DRIVERS.
[Motion 15i, 20i, 30i, 35XTi, 40i, 50i, and 60XTi] The use of
aluminum for cones maximizes rigidity and strength of the drivers
without adding excessive weight. This, along with the exceptional
damping properties of aluminum, ensures the smooth, non-reso-
nant response necessary for seamless blending with high-resolu-
tion Folded Motion tweeters. An added benefit of aluminum is its
outstanding thermal conduction capability which allows cones to
serve as efficient heat sinks for voice coils. A unique concave dust
cap design reinforces the strength and rigidity of the cone while
reducing break up modes.
To deliver accuracy in the critical midrange, mid-frequency driv-
ers feature a specially engineered “stiff” suspension. Stiffening the
suspension (the spider and surround) raises the driver’s resonant
frequency and optimizes its performance to achieve a natural roll-
off and inherently operate within an ideal range for a mid-fre-
quency reproduction (as opposed to a comparably sized woofer).
LOW-MOUNTED WOOFERS MINIMIZE FLOOR BOUNCE.
[Motion 20i, 40i, and 60XTi] Floorstanding Motion tower mod-
els utilize 2.5-way designs that feature two woofers positioned
low in the cabinet and close to the floor. This deliberate design
addresses a phenomenon known as floor bounce where sound
reflected off the floor (from drivers positioned high on a cabinet),
and sound aimed directly at the listener interfere with each other.
Without addressing these issues, listeners would experience bloat-
ed bass and increases and decreases in sound levels throughout
critical midrange frequencies. Through careful crossover design
and driver positioning, floorstanding Motion speakers deliver a
flat, balanced response through the bass and midrange regions.
VOJTKO™ CROSSOVER NETWORKS.
Vojtko crossovers are named after MartinLogan’s chief audio
technologist, Joe Vojtko. His unique approach to crossover design
is as big of a part of the “MartinLogan Sound” as are electrostatic
and Folded Motion thin-film driver technologies. A Vojtko cross-
over isn’t so much a set of design requirements as it is a philoso-
phy. Vojtko crossovers are designed in such a way that all drivers
are kept within their optimal frequency range and balanced with
one another. The drivers themselves are as much a part of a Vojt-
ko crossover as are capacitors and resistors. Before the design of
any crossover begins, drivers are carefully selected or designed
to operate within a very intentional frequency range and with
precise and predictable performance parameters. Vojtko cross-
overs are always built from high-quality parts, and care is taken
to avoid overly complex topologies—a straightforward objective
due to the careful selection of woofers and tweeters. The final
(and most critical) aspect of a Vojtko Crossover is that final voic-
ing is conducted in a space that is indicative of a real-world envi-
ronment. This pragmatic approach allows MartinLogan speakers
to sound their best in real-world rooms.
Cascading Bass Reflex Port
Aluminum Cone Drivers
with Concave Dust Caps
100 Hz10 Hz
1,000 Hz
90 dB
100 dB
80 dB
70 dB
100 Hz10 Hz
1,000 Hz
90 dB
100 dB
80 dB
70 dB
Single Driver, With
Effects of Floor Bounce
High-Mounted Driver, With
Effects of Floor Bounce
Response of High-Mounted Driver With Effects of Floor BounceResponse of High-Mounted Driver With Effects of Floor Bounce
100 Hz10 Hz
1,000 Hz
90 dB
100 dB
80 dB
70 dB
100 Hz10 Hz
1,000 Hz
90 dB
100 dB
80 dB
70 dB
Sum of the Output from
Two Low-Mounted Drivers
Low-Mounted Bottom Driver
With Effects of Floor Bounce
High-Mounted Top Driver
With Effects of Floor Bounce
Low-Mounted Bottom Driver
With Effects of Floor Bounce
Low-Mounted Top Driver
With Effects of Floor Bounce
Sum of the Output from
Two Low-Mounted Drivers
Response of Two Driver System With Low-Mounted Woofers
Response of Two Driver System With Low-Mounted Woofers
Folded Motion Tweeter
Rigid Steel
Housing
Aluminum Etched
Folded Polyamid
Diaphragm
Neodymium
Super Magnets