MartinLogan announces the Ethos — an advanced combination of design and sonic technologies establishing an exciting new direction for audiophile design. Descended from MartinLogan’s renowned CLX™ loudspeaker, the Ethos features advanced XStat™ electrostatic technology, proprietary digital signal processing, and Vojtko™ crossover topology delivering the highest sonic standards of transparency, precision and efficiency.
A unique 9.2-inch wide by 44-inch tall XStat electrostatic transducer was developed to address specific mechanical engineering requirements necessary to achieve MartinLogan’s distinct 30-degree controlled dispersion pattern. To accomplish this MartinLogan engineers reduced the gauge thickness of Ethos’s steel stators, which not only achieves the desired arc, but also drastically increases the visual transparency of the panel. This results in such stunning visual transparency that the electrostatic panel essentially vanishes when one is listening.
Housed within an aluminum AirFrame™, the Ethos’ XStat transducer utilizes radical Vacuum Bonding and MicroPerf technology to provide the highest levels of efficiency and precision available from such a compact electrostatic panel. Like all MartinLogan’s electrostats, the Ethos’s dipole transducer radiates sound with equal intensity from the front and back to minimize acoustically destructive sonic reflections and produce incredible detail and clarity while maintaining unprecedented depth of sound.
To generate effortlessly detailed bass down to 34Hz,the Ethos boasts a dynamic duo of an 8-inch PoweredForce™ woofer and 8-inch passi ve radiator, an innovative new 24-bit Vojtko DSP (digital signal processing) engine, and a powerful 200 watt Class-D amplifier. The proprietary Vojtko network used to cross over to the electrostatic panel is painstakingly hand-built using audiophile-grade components to preserve micro-acoustic subtleties while effortlessly handling the broadest range of dynamics contained within even the most demanding sonic source.
The Ethos’s state-of-the-art features include:
- CLS™ XStat™ electrostatic transducer
- Ultra rigid AirFrame™
- 200 watt PoweredForce™ 8-inch aluminum cone woofer
- 8-inch poly cone passive radiator
- 24-Bit DSP based pre-amp (for woofer)
- Precision built Vojtko™ crossover network boasting advanced ML topology
- 34–100Hz bass control
- Custom ETC™ spikes
In the US, the Ethos will be available exclusively at MartinLogan’s elite group of Reserve dealers. Initially the speaker will be offered in 3 hand-rubbed real-wood finishes including black ash, dark cherry, and new for 2010, flamed teak. Additional finishes will be made available at a later date.
US retail price is $6,495 per pair.
