R80,000.00Original price was: R80,000.00.R32,000.00Current price is: R32,000.00.
The ElectroMotion ESL (EM-ESL) represents a brave new direction for electrostatic loudspeaker design. Featuring a full-sized 34-inch tall curvilinear XStat™ electrostatic transducer the new ESL performs more like a mini-flagship than an entry level audiophile speaker. Long time MartinLogan enthusiasts are sure to describe ElectroMotion ESL as the second-coming of the legendary Aerius electrostatic speaker which debuted in 1992 and went on to sell in record numbers. The new ESL, however, boasts 40 percent more radiating surface, a superbly integrated and authoritative bass performance, and a sensitivity rated at 91dB. In addition, the ESL is capable of being effortlessly powered by both receivers and high-end amplifiers alike.
ElectroMotion ESL‘s XStat electrostatic MicroPerf panel is housed within a radical aluminum and composite AirFrame™ similar to those found on MartinLogan’s flagship products. AirFrame technology rigidifies the electrostatic panel without obstructing playable surface area or interfering with ambience enriching dipole sound radiation. At the same time, an AirFrame provides electrical and acoustical isolation, minimizing intermodulated distortion caused by vibration and resonance while enhancing imaging, low-level sonic detail, accuracy, and efficiency. MicroPerf design optimizes the individual holes of The EM-ESL‘s electrostatic panel. MicroPerf design substantially increases diaphragm radiating area, compared to early generations—without compromising structural integrity. The resulting increase in output capability and efficiency allows The EM-ESL‘s panel to enjoy a substantial leap in bandwidth and dynamics without growing larger. For example, The EM-ESL‘s XStat electrostatic panel features 129 square inches of sound radiating surface on both the front and back and a sensitivity of 91dB into 6 Ohms. The Aerius, well received its day, only had 93 square inches and a sensitivity of 89dB into 4 Ohms.
A unique XStat™ transducer was developed for the ElectroMotion ESL to reduce the gauge thickness of the electrostatic panel’s steel stators. The reduced gauge does not alter the performance characteristics of the panel. However, as a natural byproduct of tighter build tolerances, it does increase the visual transparency of the panel. The EM-ESL‘s new XStat panel is so visually transparent it nearly vanishes when you’re sitting and listening.
CLS™ XStat Transducer
One of MartinLogan’s original breakthroughs, CLS™ (Curvilinear Line Source) technology, has been an essential ingredient of every electrostatic loudspeaker we’ve produced—and the ElectroMotion ESL is no exception. Proprietary manufacturing methods enable construction of electrostatic panels as cylindrical sections. Their gentle horizontal curvature solves the problem of obtaining good high-frequency dispersion from a large radiating surface without compromising overall sound quality or reliability.
Controlled Dispersion Sound Radiation
Another key attribute of the ElectroMotion ESL is its naturally dipolar radiation pattern. A true dipole, The EM-ESL radiates sound with equal intensity from the front and back of its diaphragm, but the outputs are in opposite phase. As a result, sound waves rippling out toward the sides meet at the speaker’s edge and cancel. That and the relatively large size of the ElectroMotion ESL‘s electrostatic panel cause output at the sides to be very low relative to that of a conventional loudspeaker, which in turn minimizes side-wall reflections that tend to muddle sonic detail and stereo imaging. While the reduction in output to the sides contributes to the astonishing clarity for which electrostats are revered, the energy reflected off the wall behind the speaker opens up and deepens the sound.
Superb Bass Integration
To seamlessly blend audio output from the high- and mid-frequency electrostatic panel to the low-frequency woofer the ElectroMotion ESL features a proprietary Vojtko™ topology filter utilizing custom air core coil and low DCR steel laminate inductors, polyester film capacitors in series, and low DF electrolytic capacitors in parallel.
A precise 8-inch high-excursion, perfectly balanced, audiophile grade, doped fiber cone woofer was custom designed exclusively for The EM-ESL by MartinLogan’s in-house engineering team. This woofer precisely optimizes cone suspension and magnetic flux field to produce high levels of bass output and simultaneous precise midrange. The custom woofer’s rigid light-weight diaphragm eliminates cone flexure and minimizes response time to achieve remarkably low-distortion approaching that of MartinLogan’s award-winning electrostatic panel design.
Easy Connections, Solid Adjustable Footing
Convenient push-style speaker terminals and curved inserts help guide speaker wire effortlessly into place. The rubber end caps on the terminal are also removable for the use of banana plugs instead of bare wire. The EM-ESL is supplied with sturdy, 3/8-16 ETC™ spikes, which can be used to fine tune vertical wave launch, enhance stability on thick carpets, and create tighter coupling between speaker and floor to provide a tighter and detailed bass performance. Each spike is conveniently covered by removable rubber end caps if you prefer not to use spikes.
Relative to sheer activation power of moving air, the surface area of this speaker is 832cm² in each direction. To minimize HF beaming the membranes are slightly curved. In addition the panels mount in a slight rearward lean to raise the sweet spot to standard sitting height. Below the panel sits an 8-inch textile cone which takes over below 500Hz and loads into a downfiring bass-reflex port to demand use of the included spike footers for proper spacing. On filter details, Martin Logan becomes vague and mysterious. They call their in-house solution Vojtko topology (Joe Vojtko has been ML’s chief sound engineer for 20 years). Anything more than “an ideal compromise between filter steepness and linearity” remains undisclosed. Would two disparate driver technologies blend truly seamlessly? Could the ‘slower’ heavier bass driver keep up with the faster lighter panel? Time to listen.
First a practical tip. Electrostats take some time to develop proper high-voltage tension for their diaphragms and to sound right. Thankfully Martin Logan’s current design ramps up to full charge in about one minute where older examples of the breed could take a few hours to keep their foils permanently charged and thus double as supremely effective dust magnets. With the ElectroMotion panel, a special liquid treatment has sealed the tiny micro tears within the foil structure which are caused by mechanical assembly. This treatment makes for faster charging and has led to an automated power cycle system which only applies voltage when needed. Now we’re really ready to roll.
Surprising given his nearly moth-eaten exterior, nearly all albums in which Pete Doherty participated are brilliantly recorded, mixed and produced. Take the eponymous record of the Libertines and the cut “Music when the lights go out”. At stage left is an acoustic rhythm guitar, at stage right a finger-picking melody guitar. Then follow solo vocals, backup vocals, bass and drums. I instantly noted that the shrummy guitar didn’t merely sound like a guitar but also was sized exactly like one. Such realistic scale beamed into the room was awesome.
In general the entire room seemed flooded in and by music but decidedly not in any diffuse manner but with rather nearly tactile focus. Even the secondary guitar, the voices and later drums all possessed that same exceptionally fleet-footed directness and presence. The soundstage feathered out noticeably more generously than I knew it from equivalently sized standard boxes. As long as I sat in the sweet spot, image focus in both the width and depth dimensions was exceptionally precise.
On Bill Callahan’s “Rococo Zephyr” from Sometimes I wish I were an eagle I admired how decisively the ESL nailed the lead vocals to the middle and how three-dimensionally physical all those sound makers gifted with rich harmonics manifested. The ride cymbal’s first appearance nearly spooked me like sighting a ghost. I ascribed this effect to unusually large sound transducers and their single-panel coherence.
From staging to tonality there was “She looks to me” from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Stadium Arcadium. This mid-tempo number is both relaxed and energetic. Its infectious join-in refrain has the drummer’s deliberately stoic-on-fourth ride cymbal hit the brakes.
That injects further poignancy and keenness over playing it hectic, groovy or funky. In the bass the ElectroMotion ESL was leaner but timing integration with the midband came off better than expected. The tightly in-the-pocket interplay of the RHCP didn’t fall apart even though bass and ‘rest’ relied on two diametrically opposed operational principles.
That said, I had to admit that other speakers develop more down-low body. Be it my workhorse Neat Momentum 4i or various older review acquaintances like the PSB Synchrony One or Swans M6F, all those developed more physical force by which bass moved through the room without getting vague. My personal assumption is that during R&D for the ElectroMotion ESL, bass integration that’s accurate on time and control won out over ultimate bass power. In my opinion that was the right call to make too since anything else would have corrupted overall speed and immediacy.
Despite such qualifications I found the Martin Logan quite capable of rocking out. Something like “Neighborhood #2” from Arcade Fire’s Funeral had proper ignition. The drummer kicks off with plenty of standing tom and low-tuned snare which are both captured with cubits of acoustic reverb. Add tambourine and pearly guitar flageolets for fireworks which are microdynamically and rhythmically loaded well before the song hits high gear and expands with accordeon, strings, orchestra bells and gnarly ‘song’. These speakers properly tracked the grand build-up of the song’s arc. Each additional instrument rose like a new star in the acoustic heavens—50 cents into the metaphor till—whilst the percussion set the edgy foundation. Yes bass could have had more shove to hit the gut harder but the most direct and on-the-money quality of the mid/high registers made this minor leanness more than acceptable. The ElectroMotion ESL really developed true live vibe in my crib.
Electronica did well too. The Pet Shop Boys’ “Love etc. (Dub)” from Yes really had me at hello. This piece sports typically puckered disco beat, nearly illegally frontal-mixed melodic lines in sawtooth synth sounds which over the duration spiral downwards into the lowest octaves. Later there’s the band’s typical powder-sugar gloss and like phase manipulations the whole is peppered with every forbidden production trick in the good book. The extent of it all had me helplessly drift into the zone. Having silently snuck into the room, I only noted my daughter’s address on her fourth attempt. I’d really and truly gone off! This was a prime example for how the ElectroMotion ESL can transport us into an acoustic universe we will feel quite reluctant to trade back for mundane reality.
These auditions all took place not in my usual seating plushy but on a 15cm taller listening stool because I was too lazy to fiddle with spike height. First it took quite a while of moving the speakers about before I found the right position where the stereo panorama locked in fully.
Then I realized that the more I departed the sweet spot toward its vertical low end, the more rear-of-stage illumination diminished. The more I got out of ideal focus toward the top of the sweet spot’s vertical window, the more diffusive things became in general yet space opened up further into the rear.
Pleasant and quite an advantage over traditional classic box systems was how well the ESL ‘watered’ the entire room. The effect of a positively engulfing sonic embrace could be had from nearly any position, perhaps not entirely surprising with all sounds being dispersed front and back. I did expect that tonality would take noticeable hits wandering about the room outside the actual sweet spot but not so.
A few words on dynamics. Rose Kemp’s “Morning Music” from A Handful of Hurricanes is a highly dynamic number which starts with clean e-guitar and vocals that shortly build into a quite convoluted climactic peak of distorted guitars, strings and bass before, bit by bit, everything deconstructs and fades again. It’s a brilliantly good show for any speaker’s tonal and dynamic expressiveness. Rose Kemp’s pipes are heavily aged which many a review speaker has translated into a lightly frizzled grainy sharpness. The Martin Logan avoided this faux-pas. Whilst maintaining sufficient detail, the upper registers remained round and warm. Toward the end of the cut where strange guitar sounds (someone seemingly meant to bend the tremolo handle) waft through eerie echo chambers, the ESL played it terrifically ethereal and subtle.
Impressive and for me one of this design’s real strengths was the extremely dynamic ultra-clean midband which could tickle, caress or respond like lightning and with substantial shove. Voices and guitars became special friends – direct, immediate, well detailed, snappy but not spiked. As said before, down below the voicing was clean but more slim than potent even though it never lagged behind the truly greased vocal range. Dynamically the ElectroMotion ESL was quite astute. The song’s build-up and later collapse were both tracked accurately and believably. Here I thought the stats had the clear edge over my Neat Momentum 4i which handles the bass with more grit and gumption but doesn’t quite keep up with the panels’ small-scale dynamics.
The Logans got on well with various amps. Aside from my usual Myryad MXA 2150, I also tried Audreal’s V30 valve amp and the dainty Yarland FV34CIII. Even the latter’s demure 10 watts managed to unearth impressive dynamics and fun from the stats’ passable efficiency if only to moderate room levels. The Audreal already sat fat inside rock levels. In short, an uncomplicated speaker.
Conclusion. Martin Logan’s ElectroMotion ESL are speakers that invite us on exciting musical travels. They generate an unusually live atmosphere and, within a decent sweet spot, very precise imaging and exacting depth layering embedded within an above-average dimensional scale. Tonally well balanced and subjectively seamless, the stats combine silky highs, a detailed dynamic midband and articulate if not ultimately voluminous bass. It’s a terrific choice for music lovers hoping to feast on an arrestingly involving presentation all for a highly competitive €3.190/pr price. The fetching industrial design with its smart semi-translucent panels also cuts a cosmetically winning profile. In short, the Martin Logan Electro-Motion ELS was my first electrostat but surely not the last.
The ElectroMotion ESL (EM-ESL) represents a brave new direction for electrostatic loudspeaker design. Featuring a full-sized 34-inch tall curvilinear XStat™ electrostatic transducer the new ESL performs more like a mini-flagship than an entry level audiophile speaker. Long time MartinLogan enthusiasts are sure to describe ElectroMotion ESL as the second-coming of the legendary Aerius electrostatic speaker which debuted in 1992 and went on to sell in record numbers. The new ESL, however, boasts 40 percent more radiating surface, a superbly integrated and authoritative bass performance, and a sensitivity rated at 91dB. In addition, the ESL is capable of being effortlessly powered by both receivers and high-end amplifiers alike.
