User's Manual The Sequel II Speaker System
Important Contents Your Sequel II speakers are provided with an automatic Limited 90 Day Warranty coverage. Introduction 3 Installation in Brief 4 The Electrostatic Concept 5 History 6 Martin-Logan Exclusives 8 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 to Martin-Logan, within 30 days of purchase.
Introduction Congratulations, you have invested in one of the world’s premier loudspeaker systems! The Martin-Logan Sequel II 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 Sequel II begins where the original Sequel was and carries that level of performance several steps beyond.
Installation in Brief We know you are eager to hear your new Sequel II 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 best possible performance from this most exacting transducer.
The Electrostatic Concept How can sound be reproduced by something that you are able to see through? Electrostatic energy makes this possible. major contributor to the sonic purity of the electrostatic concept due to its exceptional linearity and low distortion. Where the world of traditional loudspeaker technology deals with cones, domes, diaphrams and ribbons that are moved with magnetism, the world of electrostatic loudspeakers deals with charged electrons attracting and repelling each other.
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.
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.
Martin-Logan Exclusives Full Range Operation The most significant advantage of Martin-Logan's exclusive transducer technology reveals itself when you look at examples of other loudspeaker products on the market today. Instead, these drivers must be designed to operate within narrow, fixed bandwidths of the frequency range and then combined electrically so that the sum of the parts equals the total signal. While nice in theory, we must deal with real-world conditions.
Vapor Deposited Film Curvilinear Line Source The diaphragm material used in all Martin-Logan speakers employs an extremely sophisticated conductive surface that has been vapor deposited on the polymer surface at an atomic level. A proprietary compound is vaporized then electrostatically driven into the surface of the polymer film in a vacuum chamber. This process allows an optically transparent surface adding no mass to the diaphragm that is extremely uniform in its surface resistivity characteristics.
Operation AC Power Connection Signal Connection Because your Martin-Logan Sequel II's use an internal power supply to energize their electrostatic cells with high-voltage DC, they must be connected to an AC power source. For this reason they are provided 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.
Warning! Turn your amplifier off before making or breaking any signal connections! The chassis is earth grounded and can present a short circuit to your amplifier if contact is made! Standard Connection Please take note of the jumper clips installed under the 5-way binding posts. These clips attach the high and low frequency sections of the crossover together.
Operation Passive Bi-Amplification For those of you that desire ultimate performance, the Sequel II may be passively biamplified using the existing internal passive crossover elements. WARNING! Only after the jumper clips are removed may you connect individual runs of speaker cable from your amplifiers to the High-pass and Low-pass Signal Input binding posts. Damage will occur to your amplifiers if the jumper clips are not removed! This method takes the bi-wiring concept one step further.
Bass Control Switch On the rear panel of the Sequel II electronics module, below the Signal Input Input, is a two position Bass Control switch that allows you to select the type of low frequency response you desire. The 0 dB position is considered the normal setting for most rooms. However, if you feel that the bass in your system is too light relative to the mid and high frequencies, simply select the +2dB position. This switch position will increase the output of the woofer by 2dB.
Room Acoustics Your R oom Room This is one of those areas that requires both a little background to understand and some time and experimentation to attain the best performance from your system. this wave experience like a 3 dimensional pool with waves reflecting and becoming enhanced depending on the size of the room and the types of surfaces in the room. Your room is actually a component and an important part of your system.
Rules of Thumb Hard vs. Soft Surfaces Surfaces. If the front or back wall of your listening room is soft, it may benefit you to have a hard or reflective wall in opposition. As well, the ceiling and floor should follow the same basic guideline. However, the side walls should be roughly the same in order to deliver a focused image. This rule suggests that a little reflection is good.
Room Acoustics and Dispersion Interactions Controlled Horizontal Dispersion Controlled Vertical Dispersion Your Sequel II'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 Figure 1). As you can see from the illustrations, your Sequel II speakers project a controlled dispersion pattern.
Three Major TTypes ypes of Dispersion In the field of loudspeaker design, it is a known fact that as the sound wave becomes progressively smaller than the transducer producing it, the dispersion of that wave becomes more and more narrow, or directional. This fact occurs as long as the transducer is a flat surface. Large flat panel speakers exhibit venetian blind effects due to this phenomenon. This is why most manufacturers opt for small drivers (i.e.
Placement Listening PPosition osition The W all Behind the Speak ers Wall Speakers By now your speakers should be placed approximately 2 to 3 feet from the front wall (wall in front of the listening position) and at least 1 to 2 feet from the side walls. Your sitting distance should be further than the distance between the speakers themselves. What you are trying to attain is the impression of good center imaging and stage width.
Experimentation Toe-in Toe-in. Now you can begin to experiment. First begin by toeing your speakers in towards the listening area and then toeing them straight into the room. You will notice that the tonal balance changes ever so slightly. You will also notice the imaging changing. Generally it is found that the ideal listening position is with the speakers slightly toed-in so that you are listening to the inner third of the curved transducer section.
Placement The X -tra ““TTweek” X-tra Solid FFooting ooting A major cable company developed the following procedure for speaker placement. As a final test of exact placement, use these measurements for your speakers placement, and see what can happen to the ultimate enhancement of your system’s performance. After living and experimenting with your Sequel II's, you will then want to use the spikes included in your owners kit.
Questions What size amplifier should I use with the Sequel II's? We recommend an amplifier with 100 to 200 watts per channel for most applications. The Sequel II will perform well with either a tube or transistor amplifier, and will reveal the sonic character of either type. Do I need an amplifier with high current capability? No. The Sequel II's impedance characteristics do not require that a high current amplifier be used.
Troubleshooting No Output Check that all your system components are turned on. Check your speaker wires and connections. Poor Imaging Check placement. Are both speakers the same distance from the walls? Do they have the same amount of toe-in? Try moving the speakers away from the back and side walls. Check all interconnecting cables. Check the polarity of the speaker wires. Are they connected properly? Weak Output, Loss of Highs Check the power cord.
Recommended Music Analog Discs: Compact Discs: Astounding Sound Show ........... Reference Recordings RR-7 Pachelbel Canon: Chet Atkins in Hollywood ................................ RCA LSP-1993 The Acadamy of Ancient Music, L'Oiseau-Lyre 410 553-2 Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique .......... Chesky Records CR1 Count Basie & His Orchestra: 88 Basie Street, Pablo 3112-42 Big Band Jazz ........................................ Umbrella UMB-DD4 David Benoit: The Chicago Symphony Winds .................
Glossary AC AC. Abbreviation for alternating current. Active crossover crossover. Uses active devices (transistors, IC’s, tubes) and some form of power supply to operate. Amplitude Amplitude. The extreme range of a signal. Usually measured from the average to the extreme. Arc Arc. The visible sparks generated by an electrical discharge. Bass Bass. The lowest frequencies of sound. Bi-Amplification .
Inductance Inductance. The property of an electric 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 is measured in henrys. Inductor Inductor. A device designed primarily to introduce inductance into an electric circuit. Sometimes called a choke or coil. Linearity Linearity. The extent to which any signal handling process is accomplished without amplitude distortion. Midrange Midrange.
Sequel II Specifications The Sequel II hybrid speaker system consists of a broad-range single element electrostatic transducer integrated with a quick-response woofer. This approach takes advantage 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 elegantly simple solution.
Notes Sequel II User's Manual Page 27
$ 3.00 T H E E L E C T R O S TAT IC T E C H N O L O G Y 2001 delaware street p.o. box 707 lawrence, kansas 66044 ph: 913.749.0133 © 1989 martin-logan ltd.
