MartinLogan Aerius Manual · Aerius Specifications 21 Glossary 22 ... inch thick! Ruggedly constructed ... Attach your speaker cables to the Signal Input Signal Input section on the

The Aerius Speaker System

User's Manual

T H E E L E C T R O S T A T I C T E C H N O L O G Y

Page 2 Aerius User's Manual

Introduction 3

Installation in Brief 4

The Electrostatic Concept 5

History 6

Martin-Logan Exclusives 8

Operation 10

Room Acoustics 12

Placement 16

Questions 18

Troubleshooting 19

Recommended Music 20

Aerius Specifications 21

Glossary 22

Important Contents

Your Aerius speakers are provided with an automaticLimited 90 Day Warranty coverage.

You have the option, at no additional charge, to receiveLimited 3 Year Warranty coverage. To obtain Limited 3Year Warranty coverage you need only complete andreturn the Certificate of Registration that was includedwith your speakers along with a copy of your invoice toMartin-Logan, within 30 days of purchase.

Martin-Logan may not honor warranty serviceMartin-Logan may not honor warranty serviceMartin-Logan may not honor warranty serviceMartin-Logan may not honor warranty serviceMartin-Logan may not honor warranty serviceclaims unless we have a completed Warrantyclaims unless we have a completed Warrantyclaims unless we have a completed Warrantyclaims unless we have a completed Warrantyclaims unless we have a completed WarrantyRegistration card on file!Registration card on file!Registration card on file!Registration card on file!Registration card on file!

Should you be using your Martin-Logan product in acountry other than the one in which it was originallypurchased, we ask that you note the following:

1) The appointed Martin-Logan distributor for any givencountry is responsible for warranty servicing only onunits distributed by or through it in that country inaccordance with its applicable warranty.

2) Should a Martin-Logan product require servicing in acountry other than the one in which it was originallypurchased, the end user may seek to have repairsperformed by the nearest Martin-Logan distributor,subject to that distributor's local servicing policies,but all cost of repairs (parts, labor, transportation)must be born by the owner of the Martin-Loganproduct.

3) If you relocate to a country, other than where youpurchased your Martin-Logan's, after owning yourspeakers for 6 months your warranty may betransferable. Contact Martin-Logan for details.

If you did not receive a Certificate of Registration withyour Aerius speakers you cannot be assured of havingreceived new units. If this is the case, please contactyour Authorized Martin-Logan dealer.

Page 3Aerius User's Manual

Introduction

Congratulations, you have invested in one of the world’spremier loudspeaker systems!

The result of cumulative technology gleaned from twelveprevious Research and Development projects, the Aeriusrepresents the latest developments in Electrostatic andHybrid loudspeaker technology.

Combining our proprietary curvilinear electrostatictransducer with a compact, but powerful subwoofer, wehave designed a product, in one package, that repro-duces music with uncompromised electrostatic clarity anddeep extended bass, yet takes up little more than onesquare foot of floor space.

All materials in your new Aerius speakers are of thehighest quality to provide years of enduring enjoymentand deepening respect. The cabinetry is constructed froma special high-density hardwood powderboard forstructural integrity and is finished with a durable andattractive matte surface finish.

Through rigorous testing, the curvilinear electrostaticpanel has proven itself to be one of the most durable andreliable transducers available today. Fabricated from aspecially tooled, high-grade steel, the panel is thencoated with a special high dielectric compound that isapplied via a proprietary electrostatic deposition process.

This panel assembly houses a membrane 0.0005 of aninch thick! Ruggedly constructed and insulated, as muchas 200 watts of continuous power has driven the Aeriusenergized diaphragm into massive excursions with nodeleterious effects.

We know you are anxious to listen to your new speakers.So, to speed you along, we have provided an InstallationInstallationInstallationInstallationInstallationin Briefin Briefin Briefin Briefin Brief section ahead of the detailed descriptive informa-tion contained in this manual.

Please read and follow these instructions as you initiallyconnect your Aerius speakers into your system. Theseinstructions are important and will prevent you fromexperiencing any delay, frustration, or system damagewhich might occur in a trial-and-error procedure.

The other sections of your User’s Manual User’s Manual User’s Manual User’s Manual User’s Manual will explain indetail the operation of your Aerius speakers and thephilosophy applied to their design. A clear understandingof your speakers will insure that you obtain maximumperformance and pleasure from this most exactingtransducer.

Happy Listening!


Installation in Brief

We know you are eager to hearyour new Aerius loudspeakers,so this section is provided toallow fast and easy set up. Onceyou have them operational,please take the time to read, indepth, the rest of the informationin this manual. It will give youperspective on how to obtain thebest possible performance fromyour system.

If you should experience anydifficulties in the set-up oroperation of your Aerius speak-ers please refer to the RoomRoomRoomRoomRoomAcoustics, PlacementAcoustics, PlacementAcoustics, PlacementAcoustics, PlacementAcoustics, Placement orOperationOperationOperationOperationOperation section of thismanual.

Should you encounter a persis-tent problem that cannot beresolved, please contact yourAuthorized Martin-Logan dealer.He will provide you with theappropriate technical analysis toalleviate the situation.

Step 1: UnpackingStep 1: UnpackingStep 1: UnpackingStep 1: UnpackingStep 1: Unpacking

Remove your new Aerius speakers from their packing.

Step 2: PlacementStep 2: PlacementStep 2: PlacementStep 2: PlacementStep 2: Placement

Place the front of each Aerius two feet from the wall behind the speakers andangle them slightly toward your listening area. This is a good place to start. Pleasesee the PlacementPlacementPlacementPlacementPlacement section of this manual for more details.

Step 3: Power Connection (AC)Step 3: Power Connection (AC)Step 3: Power Connection (AC)Step 3: Power Connection (AC)Step 3: Power Connection (AC)

Martin-Logan speakers require AC power to energize their electrostatic cells.Using the AC power cords provided, plug them in, making sure that you havemade a firm connection to the wall outlet. Extension cords may be used, ifnecessary, since the power requirement of the Aerius is extremely small.

WARNING !WARNING !WARNING !WARNING !WARNING !Turn your amplifier off before making or breaking any signal connections!

Step 4: Signal ConnectionStep 4: Signal ConnectionStep 4: Signal ConnectionStep 4: Signal ConnectionStep 4: Signal Connection

Use the best speaker cables you can! Higher quality cables, available from yourspecialty dealer, are recommended and will give you superior performance! Spadeconnectors are suggested for optimum contact and ease of installation.

Attach your speaker cables to the Signal Input Signal Input Signal Input Signal Input Signal Input section on the rear panel of eachAerius. Be consistent when connecting speaker leads to the terminals on the backof the Aerius: take great care to assign the same color to the (+) terminal on boththe left and right channels. If bass is nonexistent and you cannot discern a tight,coherent image, you may need to reverse the (+) and (-) leads on one side tobring the system into proper polarity. For optional Bi-Wiring instructions, turn to theOperationsOperationsOperationsOperationsOperations section of this manual for proper set-up of the Aerius system.

Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!Step 5: Listen and Enjoy!


The Electrostatic Concept

How can sound be reproduced by something that you areable to see through? Electrostatic energy makes thispossible.

Where the world of traditional loudspeaker technologydeals with cones, domes, diaphragms and ribbons thatare moved with magnetism, the world of electrostaticloudspeakers deals with charged electrons attracting andrepelling each other.

To fully understand the electrostatic concept, somebackground information will be helpful. Remember whenyou learned, in a science or physics class, that likecharges repel each other andopposite charges attract eachother? Well, this principle is thefoundation of the electrostaticconcept.

An electrostatic transducerconsists of three pieces: thestators, the diaphragm and thespacers. See Figure 1. Thediaphragm is what actuallymoves to excite the air andcreate music. The stator's job isto remain stationary, hence theword stator, to provide areference point for the movingdiaphragm. The spacersprovide the diaphragm with afixed distance in which to movebetween the stators.

As your amplifier sends musicsignals to an electrostaticspeaker, these signals arechanged into two high-voltagesignals that are equal in strengthbut opposite in polarity. Thesehigh voltage signals are thenapplied to the stators. Theresulting electrostatic field,created by the opposing highvoltage on the stators, workssimultaneously with and againstthe diaphragm, consequentlymoving it back and forth,producing music. This technique

Magnet

An Electromagnetic TransducerAn Electromagnetic TransducerAn Electromagnetic TransducerAn Electromagnetic TransducerAn Electromagnetic Transducer

Surround ConeDust Cap

Voice Coil Former

Magnet Assembly

Magnetic GapVoice Coil

Basket Assembly

Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2. Cut away view of a typical moving coil driver.Notice the complexity due to the high number of parts.

Spider

An Electrostatic TransducerAn Electrostatic TransducerAn Electrostatic TransducerAn Electrostatic TransducerAn Electrostatic Transducer

Stator

Spacer

Diaphragm

Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1 . Cut away view of an electrostatic transducer.Notice the simplicity due to minimal parts usage.

is known as push-pull operation and is a major contributorto the sonic purity of the electrostatic concept due to itsexceptional linearity and low distortion.

Since the diaphragm of an electrostatic speaker isuniformly driven over its entire area, it can be extremelylight and flexible. This allows it to be very responsive totransients, thus perfectly tracing the music signal. As aresult, great delicacy, nuance and clarity is possible.When you look at the problems of traditional electromag-netic drivers, you can easily see why this is so beneficial.The cones and domes which are used in traditionalelectromagnetic drivers cannot be driven uniformly

because of their design.Cones are driven only at theapex. Domes are driven attheir perimeter. As a result,the rest of the cone or domeis just "along for the ride". Thevery concept of these driversrequire that the cone or domebe perfectly rigid, dampedand massless. Unfortunatelythese conditions are notavailable in our world today.

To make these cones anddomes move, all electromag-netic drivers must use voicecoils wound on formers,spider assemblies, andsurrounds to keep the coneor dome in position. SeeFigure 2. These pieces, whencombined with the high massof the cone or dome materialsused, make it an extremelycomplex unit with manyweaknesses and potential forfailure. These faults contrib-ute to the high distortionproducts found in thesedrivers and is a tremendousdisadvantage when you aretrying to change motion asquickly and as accurately asa loudspeaker must (40,000times per second!).


History

In the late 1800’s, any loudspeaker was consideredexotic. Today, most of us take the wonders of soundreproduction for granted.

It was 1880 before Thomas Edison had invented the firstphonograph. This was a horn-loaded diaphragm that wasexcited by a playback stylus. In 1898, Sir Oliver Lodgeinvented a cone loudspeaker, which he referred to as a“bellowing telephone”, that was very similar to theconventional cone loudspeaker drivers that we knowtoday. However, Lodge had no intention for his device toreproduce music, because in 1898 there was no way toamplify an electrical signal! As a result, his speaker hadnothing to offer over the acoustical gramophones of theperiod. It was not until 1906 that Dr. Lee DeForrestinvented the triode vacuum tube. Before this, an electricalsignal could not be amplified. The loudspeaker, as weknow it today, should have ensued then, but it did not.Amazingly, it was almost twenty years before this wouldoccur.

In 1921, the electrically cut phonograph record became areality. This method of recording was far superior to themechanically cut record and possessed almost 30 dB ofdynamic range. The acoustical gramophone couldn'tbegin to reproduce all of the information on this new disc.As a result, further developments in loudspeakers wereneeded to cope with this amazing new recording me-dium.

By 1923, Bell Telephone Laboratories made the decisionto develop a complete musical playback system consist-ing of an electronic phonograph and loudspeaker to takeadvantage of the new recording medium. Bell Labsassigned the project to two young engineers, C.W. Riceand E.W. Kellogg.

Rice and Kellogg had a well equipped laboratory at theirdisposal. This lab possessed a vacuum tube amplifierwith an unheard of 200 watts, a large selection of the newelectrically cut phonograph records and a variety ofloudspeaker prototypes that Bell Labs had been collect-ing over the past decade. Among these were Lodge’scone, a speaker that used compressed air, a coronadischarge (plasma) speaker, and an electrostaticspeaker.

After a short time, Rice and Kellogg had narrowed the

field of "contestants" down to the cone and the electrostat.The outcome would dictate the way that future genera-tions would refer to loudspeakers as being either"conventional", or "exotic".

Bell Laboratory’s electrostat was something to behold.This enormous bipolar speaker was as big as a door. Thediaphragm, which was beginning to rot, was made of themembrane of a pigs intestine that was covered with finegold leaf to conduct the audio signal.

When Rice and Kellogg began playing the new electri-cally cut records through the electrostat, they wereshocked and impressed. The electrostat performedsplendidly. They had never heard instrumental timbresreproduced with such realism. This system sounded likereal music rather than the honking, squawking renditionof the acoustic gramophone. Immediately, they knew theywere on to something big. The acoustic gramophone wasdestined to become obsolete.

Due to Rice and Kelloggs enthusiasm, they devoted aconsiderable amount of time researching the electrostaticdesign. However, they soon encountered the samedifficulties that even present designers face; planarspeakers require a very large surface area to reproducethe lower frequencies of the audio spectrum. Because themanagement at Bell Labs considered large speakersunacceptable, Rice and Kelloggs work on electrostaticswould never be put to use for a commercial product.Reluctantly, they advised the Bell management to go withthe cone. For the next thirty years the electrostatic designlay dormant.

During the Great Depression of the 1930's, consumeraudio almost died. The new electrically amplifiedloudspeaker never gained acceptance, as most peoplecontinued to use their old Victrola-style acoustic gramo-phones. Prior to the end of World War II, consumer audiosaw little, if any, progress. However, during the late1940's, audio experienced a great rebirth. Suddenly therewas tremendous interest in audio products and with that,a great demand for improved audio components. Nosooner had the cone become established than it waschallenged by products developed during this newrebirth.

In 1947, Arthur Janszen, a young Naval engineer, took


part in a research project for the Navy. The Navy wasinterested in developing a better instrument for testingmicrophone arrays. The test instrument needed anextremely accurate speaker, but Janszen found that thecone speakers of the period were too nonlinear in phaseand amplitude response to meet his criteria. Janszenbelieved that electrostats were inherently more linearthan cones, so he built a model using a thin plasticdiaphragm treated with a conductive coating. This modelconfirmed Janszen's beliefs, for it exhibited remarkablephase and amplitude linearity.

Janszen was so excited with the results that he continuedresearch on the electrostatic speaker on his own time. Hesoon thought of insulating the stators to prevent thedestructive effects of arcing. By 1952 he had an electro-static tweeter element ready for commercial production.This new tweeter soon created a sensation amongAmerican audio hobbyists. Since Janszen's tweeterelement was limited to high frequency reproduction, itoften found itself used in conjunction with woofers, mostnotably, woofers from Acoustic Research. These systemswere highly regarded by all audio enthusiasts.

As good as these systems were, they would soon besurpassed by another electrostatic speaker.

In 1955, Peter Walker published three articles onelectrostatic loudspeaker design in Wireless World , aBritish electronics magazine. In these articles Walkerdemonstrated the benefits of the electrostatic loud-speaker. He explained that electrostatics permit the useof diaphragms that are low in mass, large in area, anduniformly driven over their surfaces by electrostaticforces. Due to these characteristics, electrostats have theinherent ability to produce a wide bandwidth, flat fre-quency response with distortion products being nogreater than the electronics driving them.

By 1956 Walker backed up his articles by introducing aconsumer product, the now famous Quad ESL. Thisspeaker immediately set a standard of performance forthe audio industry due to its incredible accuracy. How-ever, in actual use the Quad had a few problems. It couldnot play very loud, it had poor bass performance, itpresented a difficult load that some amplifiers did not like,

its dispersion was very directional, and its power han-dling was limited to around 70 watts. As a result, manypeople continued to use box speakers with cones.In the early 1960's Arthur Janszen joined forces with theKLH loudspeaker company and together they introducedthe KLH 9. Due to the large size of the KLH 9, it did nothave as many limitations as the Quad. The KLH 9 couldplay markedly louder and lower in frequency than theQuad ESL. Thus a rivalry was born.

Janszen continued to develop electrostatic designs. Hewas instrumental in the design of the Koss Model One,the Acoustech, and the Dennesen speakers. Roger West,the chief designer of the JansZen Corporation becamethe president of Sound Lab. When JansZen Corporationwas sold, the RTR loudspeaker company bought half ofthe production tooling. This tooling was used to make theelectrostatic panels for the Servostatic, a hybrid electro-static system that was Infinity's first speaker product. Othercompanies soon followed; each with their own uniqueapplications of the technology. These include Acoustat,Audiostatic, Beverage, Dayton Wright, Sound Lab, andStax to name a few.

Electrostatic speakers have progressed and prosperedbecause they actually do what Peter Walker claimed theywould. The limitations and problems experienced in thepast were not inherent to the electrostatic concept. Theywere related to the applications of these concepts.

Today, these limitations have been addressed. Advance-ments in materials due to the U.S. space program givedesigners the ability to harness the superiority of theelectrostatic principle. Today's electrostats use advancedinsulation techniques or provide protection circuitry. Thepoor dispersion properties of early models have beenaddressed by using delay lines, acoustical lenses,multiple panel arrays or, as in our own products, bycurving the diaphragm. Power handling and sensitivityhave been increased.

These developments allow the consumer the opportunityto own the highest performance loudspeaker productsever built. It's too bad Rice and Kellogg were never ableto see just how far the technology would be taken.


Martin-Logan Exclusives

Critical ZoneCritical ZoneCritical ZoneCritical ZoneCritical Zone500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz

TweeterTweeterTweeterTweeterTweeter

MidrangeMidrangeMidrangeMidrangeMidrange

WooferWooferWooferWooferWoofer

Critical ZoneCritical ZoneCritical ZoneCritical ZoneCritical Zone500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz500 - 20kHz

WooferWooferWooferWooferWoofer

AeriusAeriusAeriusAeriusAeriusElectrostaticElectrostaticElectrostaticElectrostaticElectrostaticTransducerTransducerTransducerTransducerTransducer

Martin-Logan AeriusAeriusAeriusAeriusAerius Loudspeaker

Conventional Loudspeaker

Figure 1. Figure 1. Figure 1. Figure 1. Figure 1. Illustrates how a conventional speaker systemmust use a crossover network that has negative affects

on the musical performance, unlike the Aerius whichneeds no crossover networks in the "critical zone".

Full Range OperationFull Range OperationFull Range OperationFull Range OperationFull Range Operation

The most significant advantage of Martin-Logan'sexclusive transducer technology reveals itself when youcompare to examples of other loudspeaker products onthe market today.

The Aerius uses no crossover networks above 500 Hzbecause they are not needed. It consists of a single,seamless electrostatic membrane reproducing allfrequencies above 500 Hz simultaneously. How is thispossible?

First, it is important to understand that music is notcomposed of separate high,mid and low frequency pieces.In fact, music is comprised ofa single complex waveformwith all frequencies interactingsimultaneously.

The electrostatic transducerof the Aerius essentially actsas an exact opposite of themicrophones used to recordthe original event. A micro-phone, which is a singleworking element, transformsacoustic energy into anelectrical signal that can beamplified or preserved bysome type of storage media.The Aerius electrostatictransducer transformselectrical energy from youramplifier into acousticalenergy with a single mem-brane.

Upon looking carefully at atraditional magnetic driver(I.e. dynamic, ribbon, induc-tion), no single unit canreproduce the full range offrequencies.

Instead, these drivers must be designed to operate withinnarrow areas of music and then combined electrically sothat the sum of the parts equals the total signal. Whilethis sounds nice in theory, a different story unfolds inreal-world conditions.

In order to use multiple drivers, a crossover network isenlisted to divide the complex musical signal into theseparate parts (usually highs, mids, and lows) that eachspecific driver was designed to handle. Unfortunately, dueto the phase relationships that occur within all crossovernetworks and during the acoustical recombination

process, nonlinearities andsevere degradation of themusic signal takes place inthe ear's most "critical zone".See Figure 1.

So, music in the "critical zone"becomes delayed in time.These delays can be picked-up by your ear and result inpoor imaging and ambiencecues.

The Aerius electrostaticThe Aerius electrostaticThe Aerius electrostaticThe Aerius electrostaticThe Aerius electrostatictransducer can single-transducer can single-transducer can single-transducer can single-transducer can single-handedly reproduce allhandedly reproduce allhandedly reproduce allhandedly reproduce allhandedly reproduce allfrequencies above 500 Hzfrequencies above 500 Hzfrequencies above 500 Hzfrequencies above 500 Hzfrequencies above 500 Hzsimultaneously.simultaneously.simultaneously.simultaneously.simultaneously.

The crossover phase disconti-nuities that are associatedwith traditional tweeter,midrange, and woofersystems are eliminated in theAerius. This results in adramatic improvement indramatic improvement indramatic improvement indramatic improvement indramatic improvement inimaging and stagingimaging and stagingimaging and stagingimaging and stagingimaging and stagingperformance due to theperformance due to theperformance due to theperformance due to theperformance due to theminutely accurate phaseminutely accurate phaseminutely accurate phaseminutely accurate phaseminutely accurate phaserelationship of the full-relationship of the full-relationship of the full-relationship of the full-relationship of the full-range panel wave launch.range panel wave launch.range panel wave launch.range panel wave launch.range panel wave launch.


Vapor Deposited FilmVapor Deposited FilmVapor Deposited FilmVapor Deposited FilmVapor Deposited Film

The diaphragm material used in all Martin-Logan speak-ers employs an extremely sophisticated vapor depositedconductive polymer surface. A proprietary conductivecompound is vaporized then electrostatically driven intothe surface of the polymer film in a vacuum chamber.This process allows an optically transparent membrane,adds no mass to the diaphragm and is extremely uniformin its surface resistivity characteristics. This uniformsurface resistivity controls the electrostatic charge on thediaphragm surface and regulates its migration. As aresult, no discharging or “arcing” can occur.

Transducer IntegrityTransducer IntegrityTransducer IntegrityTransducer IntegrityTransducer Integrity

All Martin-Logan transducers begin with two pieces ofhigh grade, cold rolled steel. These steel pieces are thencustom perforated and insulated with an exotic compositecoating. This proprietary coating insulates the stator to 3times its actual needed working voltage and gives theAerius a wide margin of safe operation. In addition to theelectrical insulation properties, this coating also providesthe Aerius with a durable, attractive finish that dampensthe steel to prevent ringing. The finished metal plates arecurved into a 30 degree arc. Placed between them is ourexclusive vapor deposited diaphragm and spacers. Thisassembly is then bonded together with aerospaceadhesives whose strength exceeds that of welding.

The result of these advanced technologies is a trans-ducer that is attractive, durable, highly rigid, well damp-ened, and neutral.

Mechanical/AcousticalTone ShapingThe clear Lexan® panels on the back of the Aerius statorare the key elements of an innovative pressure compen-sation technology. Martin-Logan is able to tone-shape the

diaphragm + or - 6dB without the use of an insertion losscrossover. The advantage of this system is a highefficiency driver with wide bandwidth capabilities ofdimensions which are easily integrated into a domesticenvironment.

Curvilinear Line SourceCurvilinear Line SourceCurvilinear Line SourceCurvilinear Line SourceCurvilinear Line Source

Since the beginning of Audio, achieving smooth full rangedispersion has long been a problem for all loudspeakerdesigners. Large panel transducers present even more ofa challenge because the larger the panel, the moredirectional the dispersion pattern becomes.

Full range electrostats have always been one of the mostcomplex transducers because they attain their full rangecapabilities via a large surface area. It looked as if theywere in direct conflict to smooth dispersion and almostevery attempt to correct this resulted in either poordispersion or a serious compromise in sound quality.

After extensive research, Martin-Logan engineersdiscovered an elegantly simple solution to achieve asmooth pattern of dispersion without degrading soundquality. By curving the horizontal plane of the electrostatictransducer, a controlled horizontal dispersion patterncould be achieved, yet the purity of the almost masslesselectrostatic diaphragm remained uncompromised. Aftercreating this technology, we developed the productioncapability to bring this technology out of the laboratoryand into the market place.

You will find this proprietary Martin-Logan technologyused in all of our products. It is one of the many reasonsbehind our reputation for high quality sound with practicalusability. This is also why you see the unique "seethrough" cylindrical shape of all Martin-Logan products.


Operation

AC Power ConnectionAC Power ConnectionAC Power ConnectionAC Power ConnectionAC Power Connection

Because your Martin-Logan Aerius use an internal powersupply to energize their electrostatic cells with high-voltage DC, they must be connected to an AC powersource. For this reason they are provided with the properIEC standard power cords. These cords should be firmlyinserted into any convenient AC wall outlet. Extensioncords may be used, if necessary, since the AC powerrequirement of the speaker is extremely small (less than5 watts). The Aerius have been designed to remain oncontinuously and should remain connected to a continu-ous AC power source. As mentioned earlier, powerconsumption of the Aerius is very small and the lifeexpectancy of its components will not be reduced bycontinuous operation.

The power cord should not be installed, removed, orThe power cord should not be installed, removed, orThe power cord should not be installed, removed, orThe power cord should not be installed, removed, orThe power cord should not be installed, removed, orleft detached from the speaker while the other end isleft detached from the speaker while the other end isleft detached from the speaker while the other end isleft detached from the speaker while the other end isleft detached from the speaker while the other end isconnected to an AC power source.connected to an AC power source.connected to an AC power source.connected to an AC power source.connected to an AC power source.

Your Aerius speakers are wired for the power servicesupplied in the country of original consumer sale unlessmanufactured on special order. The AC power ratingapplicable to a particular unit is specified both on thepacking carton and on the serial number plate attached tothe speaker.

If you remove your Aerius speakers from the country oforiginal sale, be certain that AC power supplied in anysubsequent location is suitable before connecting andoperating the speakers. Substantially impaired perform-ance or severe damage may occur to a Aerius speaker ifoperation is attempted from an incorrect AC powersource.

If your home is not equipped with three-prong walloutlets, you may use “cheater” plugs to connect thespeakers to AC power. These may be obtained at yourdealer or any hardware department.

Signal ConnectionSignal ConnectionSignal ConnectionSignal ConnectionSignal Connection

Use the best speaker cables you can! The length andtype of speaker cable used in your system will have anaudible effect. Under no circumstance should a wire ofgauge higher (thinner) than #16 be used. In general, thelonger the length used, the greater the necessity of alower gauge, and the lower the gauge, the better thesound, with diminishing returns setting in around #8 to#12.

A variety of speaker cables are now available whosemanufacturers claim better performance than withstandard heavy gauge wire. We have verified this insome cases, and the improvements available are oftenmore noticeable than the differences between wires ofdifferent gauge.

We would also recommend, if possible, that short runs ofspeaker cable connect the power amplifier(s) andspeakers and that high quality long interconnect cablesbe used to connect the preamplifier and power amplifier.This results in the power amplifiers being close to thespeakers, which may be practically or cosmeticallydifficult, but if the length of the speaker cables can bereduced to a few meters, sonic advantages may beobtained. The effects of cables may be masked if theequipment is not of the highest quality.

Connections are done at the Signal InputSignal InputSignal InputSignal InputSignal Input section on therear electronics panel of the Aerius. Use spade connec-tors for optimum contact and ease of installation. Makecertain that all your connections are tight.

Be consistent when connecting the speaker cables to theSignal Input Signal Input Signal Input Signal Input Signal Input terminals. Take care to assign the samecolor cable lead to the (+) terminal on both the left andright channel speakers. If bass is nonexistent and youcannot discern a tight, coherent image, you may need toreverse the (+) and (-) leads on one speaker to bring thesystem into proper polarity.


Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1. Standard connection. One channel shown.

CAUTION!CAUTION!CAUTION!CAUTION!CAUTION!Turn your amplifier off before making or

breaking any signal connections!

Figure 2Figure 2Figure 2Figure 2Figure 2 . Standard connection. One channel shown. Remove Jumpers!Remove Jumpers!Remove Jumpers!Remove Jumpers!Remove Jumpers!

OptionalOptionalOptionalOptionalOptionalBi-Bi-Bi-Bi-Bi-WWWWWire Connectionire Connectionire Connectionire Connectionire Connection

This method of connection replaces thejumper clips installed under the 5-waybinding posts with individual runs ofspeaker wire from your amplifier. Thisdoubles the signal carrying conductorsfrom the audio amplifier to the speaker,thus direct-coupling each portion of thecrossover to the amplifier.

To bi-wire you must first loosen the 5-irst loosen the 5-irst loosen the 5-irst loosen the 5-irst loosen the 5-way binding posts and remove theway binding posts and remove theway binding posts and remove theway binding posts and remove theway binding posts and remove thejumper clipsjumper clipsjumper clipsjumper clipsjumper clips. Connect one set of wires tothe ESL +ESL +ESL +ESL +ESL + and - - - - - binding posts of theAerius. Then connect a second set ofwires to the Woofer +Woofer +Woofer +Woofer +Woofer + and ----- binding posts.Next, connect both sets of wires to theappropriate terminals on your amplifier.Please take care to connect both (+) wiresto the (+) amplifier terminals and both (-)wires to the (-) amplifier terminals. This isknown as a parallel connection. See Fig 2.

Standard ConnectionStandard ConnectionStandard ConnectionStandard ConnectionStandard Connection

Connect the speaker wire from youramplifier to the Signal Input Signal Input Signal Input Signal Input Signal Input binding post.See figure 1.


Your RoomYour RoomYour RoomYour RoomYour Room

This is one of those areas that requires both a littlebackground to understand and some time and experi-mentation to obtain the best performance from yoursystem.

Your room is actually a component and an important partof your system. This component is a very large variableand can dramatically add to, or subtract from, a greatmusical experience.

All sound is composed of waves. Each note has its ownwave size, with the lower bass notes literally encompass-ing from 10' to as much as 40'! Your room participates in

Room Acoustics

this wave experience like a 3 dimensional pool withwaves reflecting and becoming enhanced depending onthe size of the room and the types of surfaces in theroom.

Remember, your audio system can literally generate all ofthe information required to recreate a musical event intime, space, and tonal balance. The purpose of yourroom, ideally, is to not contribute to that information.However, every room does contribute to the sound andthe better speaker manufacturers have designed theirsystems to accommodate this phenomenon.

Let’s talk about a few important terms before we begin.

TerminologyTerminologyTerminologyTerminologyTerminology

Standing WavesStanding WavesStanding WavesStanding WavesStanding Waves. The parallel walls in your room willreinforce certain notes to the point that they willsound louder than the rest of the audio spectrum andcause “one note bass”, “boomy bass”, or “tubbybass”. For instance, 100Hz represents a 10' wave-length. Your room will reinforce that specific fre-quency if one of the dominant dimensions is 10'.Large objects in the room such as cabinetry orfurniture can help to minimize this potential problem.Some serious “audiophiles” will literally build a specialroom with no parallel walls just to get away from thisphenomenon.

Reflective Surfaces (near-field reflections)Reflective Surfaces (near-field reflections)Reflective Surfaces (near-field reflections)Reflective Surfaces (near-field reflections)Reflective Surfaces (near-field reflections). The hardsurfaces of your room, particularly if close to yourspeaker system, will reflect those waves back intothe room over and over again, confusing the clarityand imaging of your system. The smaller soundwaves are mostly effected here and occur in the midand high frequencies. This is where voice andfrequencies as high as the cymbals can occur.

Resonant Surfaces and ObjectsResonant Surfaces and ObjectsResonant Surfaces and ObjectsResonant Surfaces and ObjectsResonant Surfaces and Objects. All of the surfaces andobjects in your room are subject to the frequenciesgenerated by your system. Much like an instrument,they will vibrate and “carry on” in syncopation withthe music and contribute in a negative way to themusic. Ringing, boominess, and even brightness canoccur simply because they are “singing along” withyour music.

Resonant CavitiesResonant CavitiesResonant CavitiesResonant CavitiesResonant Cavities. Small alcoves or closet type areas inyour room can be chambers that create their own“standing waves” and can drum their own “one note”sounds.

Clap your hands. Can you hear an instant echo respondback? You’ve got near-field reflections. Stomp your footon the floor. Can you hear a “boom”? You’ve got standingwaves or large panel resonances such as a poorlysupported wall. Put your head in a small cavity area andtalk loudly. Can you hear a booming? You’ve just experi-enced a cavity resonance.


Rules of ThumbRules of ThumbRules of ThumbRules of ThumbRules of Thumb

Hard vs. Soft SurfacesHard vs. Soft SurfacesHard vs. Soft SurfacesHard vs. Soft SurfacesHard vs. Soft Surfaces. If the front or back wall of yourlistening room is soft, it may benefit you to have ahard or reflective wall in opposition. As well, theceiling and floor should follow the same basicguideline. However, the side walls should be roughlythe same in order to deliver a focused image.

This rule suggests that a little reflection is good. As amatter of fact, some rooms can be so “over damped”with carpeting, drapes and sound absorbers that themusic system can sound dull and lifeless. On theother hand, rooms can be so hard that the systemcan sound like a gymnasium with too much reflectionand brightness. The point is that balance is theoptimum environment.

Break-up ObjectsBreak-up ObjectsBreak-up ObjectsBreak-up ObjectsBreak-up Objects. Objects with complex shapes, suchas bookshelves, cabinetry, and multiple shaped wallscan help break up those sonic gremlins and diffuseany dominant frequencies.

Solid CouplingSolid CouplingSolid CouplingSolid CouplingSolid Coupling. Your loudspeaker system generatesfrequency vibrations or waves into the room. This ishow it creates sound. Those vibrations will vary from20 per second to 20,000 per second. If your speakersystem is not securely planted on the floor or solidsurface, it can shake as it produces sound and,consequently, the sound can be compromised. Ifyour speaker is sitting on the carpet and only footgliders are used, the bass can be ill defined and evenboomy. The use of spikes is recommended to insuresecured footing for your speakers.

Dipolar Speakers and Your RoomDipolar Speakers and Your RoomDipolar Speakers and Your RoomDipolar Speakers and Your RoomDipolar Speakers and Your Room

Martin-Logan electrostatic loudspeakers are known asdipolar radiators. This means that they produce soundfrom both their fronts and their backs. Consequently,musical information is reflected by the wall behind themand may arrive either in or out of step with the informationproduced by the front of the speaker.

The low frequencies can either be enhanced or nulled bythe position from the front wall. Your Aerius have beendesigned for the front of the speaker to be placed 2 to 3feet from the front wall (the wall in front of the listeningposition) to obtain the best results, however your roommay see things differently. So, listening to the differenceof the bass response as a result of the changes indistance from the front wall can allow you to get the bestcombination of depth of bass and tonal balance.

Now that you know about Reflective SurfacesReflective SurfacesReflective SurfacesReflective SurfacesReflective Surfaces andResonant ObjectsResonant ObjectsResonant ObjectsResonant ObjectsResonant Objects, you can see how the mid-range andhigh frequencies can be effected. The timing of the firstwave as it is first radiated to your ears and then thereflected information as it arrives at your ears later intime, can result in confusion of the precious timinginformation that carries the clues to imaging and, conse-quently result in blurred imaging and excessive bright-ness. Soft walls, curtains, wall hangings, or sounddampeners (your dealer can give you good informationhere) can be effective if these negative conditions occur.


Room Acoustics and Dispersion Interactions

Figure 2Figure 2Figure 2Figure 2Figure 2. Your Aerius speaker system is a 3.75 foot line sourcewhen viewed vertically. Actual height above the floor is from one to4.75 feet.

Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1Figure 1. Martin-Logan Aerius deliver a 30 degree wave launchdispersion pattern distributed horizontally.

Controlled Horizontal DispersionControlled Horizontal DispersionControlled Horizontal DispersionControlled Horizontal DispersionControlled Horizontal Dispersion

Your Aerius launch a 30 degree dispersion pattern whenviewed from above. This horizontal dispersion field givesyou a choice of good seats for the performance whileminimizing interaction with side walls. See Figure 1.

Make sure both speakers stand exactly at the samevertical angle, otherwise the image can be skewed orpoorly defined. The wave launch of both speakers isextremely accurate in both the time and spectral domainand, consequently, small refined adjustments can resultin noticeable sonic improvements.

Controlled Vertical DispersionControlled Vertical DispersionControlled Vertical DispersionControlled Vertical DispersionControlled Vertical Dispersion

As you can see from the illustrations, your Aeriusspeakers project a controlled dispersion pattern. EachAerius is a 3.75 foot line source beginning one foot abovefloor level. See Figure 2. This vertical dispersion profileminimizes interactions with the floor and the ceiling.


Three Major Types of DispersionThree Major Types of DispersionThree Major Types of DispersionThree Major Types of DispersionThree Major Types of Dispersion

In the field of loudspeaker design, it is a known fact thatas the sound wave becomes progressively smaller thanthe transducer producing it, the dispersion of that wavebecomes more and more narrow, or directional. This factoccurs as long as the transducer is a flat surface. Largeflat panel speakers exhibit venetian blindvenetian blindvenetian blindvenetian blindvenetian blind effects due tothis phenomenon. This is why most manufacturers opt forsmall drivers (i.e. tweeters and midrange) to approximatewhat is known as a point sourcepoint sourcepoint sourcepoint sourcepoint source wave launch.

Curvilinear Line Source DispersionCurvilinear Line Source DispersionCurvilinear Line Source DispersionCurvilinear Line Source DispersionCurvilinear Line Source Dispersion

A controlled 30-degree cylindrical wave-front, which is a Martin-Logan exclu-Martin-Logan exclu-Martin-Logan exclu-Martin-Logan exclu-Martin-Logan exclu-sivesivesivesivesive, offers optimal sound distributionwith minimal room interaction. The re-sult is solid imaging with a wide listeningarea.

Multiple Large Panel DispersionMultiple Large Panel DispersionMultiple Large Panel DispersionMultiple Large Panel DispersionMultiple Large Panel Dispersion

Even though they suffer from "venetianvenetianvenetianvenetianvenetianblindblindblindblindblind" effect, angled multiple panelspeakers can deliver good imaging, butonly to specific spots in the listeningarea.

Traditional Point Source DispersionTraditional Point Source DispersionTraditional Point Source DispersionTraditional Point Source DispersionTraditional Point Source Dispersion

As can be seen, point sourcepoint sourcepoint sourcepoint sourcepoint source con-cepts invite a great deal of room interac-tion. While delivering good frequencyresponse to a large listening audience,imaging is consequently confused andblurred.

Historically, most attempts to achieve smooth dispersionfrom large flat panel transducers resulted in trade-offs.After exhaustive testing of these different solutionattempts, we found an elegantly simple, yet very difficultto execute solution. By curving the radiating surface, wecreate the effect of a horizontal arc. This allows theengineers at Martin-Logan to control the high frequencydispersion pattern of our transducers. That is why yousee the gentle curve on our products.


Listening PositionListening PositionListening PositionListening PositionListening Position

By now the front of your speakers should be placedapproximately 2 to 3 feet from the front wall (wall in frontof the listening position) and at least 1 to 2 feet from theside walls. Your sitting distance should be further than thedistance between the speakers themselves. What you aretrying to attain is the impression of good center imagingand stage width.

There is no exact distance between speakers andlistener, but there is a relationship. In long rooms,naturally, that relationship changes. The distancebetween the speakers will be far less than the distancefrom you to the speaker system. However, in a wide roomyou will still find that if the distance from the listener to thespeakers becomes smaller than the distance between thespeakers themselves, the image will no longer focus inthe center.

Now that you have positioned your speaker system,spend some time listening. Wait to make any majorchanges in your initial set-up for the next few days as thespeaker system itself will change subtly in its sound. Overthe first 20 hours of play the actual tonal quality willchange slightly with deeper bass and more spacioushighs resulting.

After a few days of listening you can begin to makerefinements and hear the differences of thoserefinements.

The Wall Behind the ListenerThe Wall Behind the ListenerThe Wall Behind the ListenerThe Wall Behind the ListenerThe Wall Behind the Listener

Near-field reflections can also occur from your back wall(the wall behind the listening position). If your listeningposition is close to the back wall, these reflections cancause problems and confuse the quality of imaging.Actually it is better for the wall behind you to be soft thanto be bright. If you have a hard back wall and yourlistening position is close to it, experiment with devicesthat will soften and absorb information (i.e. wall hangingsand possibly even sound absorbing panels).

Placement

The Wall Behind the SpeakersThe Wall Behind the SpeakersThe Wall Behind the SpeakersThe Wall Behind the SpeakersThe Wall Behind the Speakers

The front wall should not be extremely hard or soft. Forinstance, a pane of glass will cause reflections, bright-ness, and confused imaging. Curtains, drapery andobjects such as bookshelving can be placed along thewall to tame an extremely hard surface. A standard sheetrock or textured wall is generally an adequate surface ifthe rest of the room is not too bright and hard.

Sometimes walls can be too soft. If the entire front wallconsists of only heavy drapery, your system can literallysound too soft or dull. You may hear dull, muted musicwith little ambience. Harder room surfaces will actuallyhelp in this case.

The front surface should, optimally, be one long wallwithout any doors or openings. If you have openings, thereflection and bass characteristics from one channel tothe other can be different.

The Side WallsThe Side WallsThe Side WallsThe Side WallsThe Side Walls

The same requirements exist for side walls. Additionally,a good rule of thumb is to have the side walls as far awayfrom the speaker sides as possible, minimizing near fieldside wall reflections. Sometimes, if the system is bright orthe imaging is not to your liking, and the side walls arevery near, try putting curtains or softening material directlyto the edge and forward of each speaker. An ideal sidewall, however, is no side wall at all.

ExperimentationExperimentationExperimentationExperimentationExperimentation

Toe-inToe-inToe-inToe-inToe-in. Now you can begin to experiment. First begin bytoeing your speakers in towards the listening area andthen toeing them straight into the room. You will noticethat the tonal balance changes ever so slightly. Youwill also notice the imaging changing. Generally it isfound that the ideal listening position is with thespeakers slightly toed-inslightly toed-inslightly toed-inslightly toed-inslightly toed-in so that you are listening tothe inner third of the curved transducer section.


A Final WordA Final WordA Final WordA Final WordA Final Word

Final Placement.Final Placement.Final Placement.Final Placement.Final Placement. After obtaining good wall treatmentsand attaining proper angle, begin to experiment with thedistance from the wall behind the speakers. Move yourspeaker slightly forward into the room. What happened tothe bass response? What happened to the imaging? Ifthe imaging is more open and spacious and the bassresponse tightened, that is a superior position. Move thespeakers back six inches from the initial set-up position.Again, listen to the imaging and bass response. Therewill be a position where you will have pin-point imagingand good bass response. That position becomes thepoint of the optimal placement from the front wall.

Now experiment with placing the speakers farther apart.As the speakers are positioned farther apart, listen again,not so much for bass response but for stage width andgood pin-point focusing.

Your ideal listening position and speaker position will bedetermined by: 1) tightness and extension of bass1) tightness and extension of bass1) tightness and extension of bass1) tightness and extension of bass1) tightness and extension of bassresponse, 2) the width of the stage, and 3) theresponse, 2) the width of the stage, and 3) theresponse, 2) the width of the stage, and 3) theresponse, 2) the width of the stage, and 3) theresponse, 2) the width of the stage, and 3) thepin-point focusing of imagingpin-point focusing of imagingpin-point focusing of imagingpin-point focusing of imagingpin-point focusing of imaging. Once you have foundthe best of all three of those considerations, you will haveyour best speaker location.

After living and experimenting with your Aerius, you willthen want to use the spikes included in your owners kit.The Aerius will become more firmly planted on the floorand, consequently, bass will tighten and imaging willbecome more coherent and detailed. It is best not toimplement the spikes, however, until you are secure inthe positioning as the spikes can damage the floors if thespeaker is moved.

The Aerius is a very refined speaker and, as such,benefits from care in set-up. With these tips in mind, youwill find, over your months of listening, that small changescan result in demonstrable differences. As you live withyour speakers, do not be afraid to experiment with theirpositioning until you find the optimal relationship betweenyour room and your speaker system to give you the bestresults. Your efforts will be rewarded.

You are now armed with the fundamentals of roomacoustics and the specific fundamentals of the Aeriusloudspeaker. Happy listening! Happy listening! Happy listening! Happy listening! Happy listening!

Experimenting with the toe-in will help in terms oftonal balance. You will notice that as the speakers aretoed-out, the system becomes slightly brighter thanwhen toed-in. This design gives you the flexibility tomodify a soft or bright room.

Tilting the Speakers Backwards and Forwards.Tilting the Speakers Backwards and Forwards.Tilting the Speakers Backwards and Forwards.Tilting the Speakers Backwards and Forwards.Tilting the Speakers Backwards and Forwards.As can be seen from the diagrams in the RoomRoomRoomRoomRoomAcousticsAcousticsAcousticsAcousticsAcoustics section of this manual, the verticaldispersion is directional above and below the statorpanel itself. In some instances, if you are sitting closeto the floor, slight forward tilting of the speakers canenhance clarity and precision.

Imaging. Imaging. Imaging. Imaging. Imaging. In their final location, your Aerius should havea stage width somewhat wider than the speakersthemselves. On well recorded music, the instrumentsshould extend beyond the edges of each speaker tothe left and to the right, yet a vocalist should appeardirectly in the middle. The size of the instrumentsshould be neither too large nor too small. Additionally,you should find good clues as to stage depth. Makesure, when listening, that the vertical alignment,distance from the front wall, and toe in is exactly thesame from one speaker to the other. This will greatlyenhance the quality of your imaging.

Bass Response. Bass Response. Bass Response. Bass Response. Bass Response. Your bass response should neitherbe one note nor should it be too heavy. It shouldextend fairly deep to even the deepest organ pas-sages, yet it should be tight and well defined. Kick-drums should be tight and percussive, string bassnotes should be uniform and consistent throughoutthe entirety of the run without any booming or thud-ding.

Tonal Balance.Tonal Balance.Tonal Balance.Tonal Balance.Tonal Balance. Voices should be natural and full,cymbals should be detailed and articulate yet notbright and piercing, pianos should have a nicetransient characteristic and deep tonal registers aswell. If you cannot attain these virtues, re-read thesection on Room AcousticsRoom AcousticsRoom AcousticsRoom AcousticsRoom Acoustics. This will give you clueson how to get closer to those ideal virtues.


Questions

What size of an amplifier should I use with theWhat size of an amplifier should I use with theWhat size of an amplifier should I use with theWhat size of an amplifier should I use with theWhat size of an amplifier should I use with theAerius?Aerius?Aerius?Aerius?Aerius?

We recommend an amplifier with 80 to 200 watts perchannel for most applications. The Aerius will performwell with either a tube or transistorized amplifier, and willreveal the sonic character of either type. However, it isimportant that the amplifier be stable operating intovarying impedance loads: a stable amplifier will be able todeliver twice its rated wattage into 4 Ohms and shouldmaintain or increase power into 2 Ohms.

Should I unplug my Aerius during a thunderstorm?Should I unplug my Aerius during a thunderstorm?Should I unplug my Aerius during a thunderstorm?Should I unplug my Aerius during a thunderstorm?Should I unplug my Aerius during a thunderstorm?

Yes. Or before. It’s a good idea to disconnect all of youraudio/video components during stormy weather.

Is there likely to be any interaction between theIs there likely to be any interaction between theIs there likely to be any interaction between theIs there likely to be any interaction between theIs there likely to be any interaction between theAerius and the television in my Audio/Video system?Aerius and the television in my Audio/Video system?Aerius and the television in my Audio/Video system?Aerius and the television in my Audio/Video system?Aerius and the television in my Audio/Video system?

Actually, there is less interaction between a television andan electrostatic speaker than between a television and aconventional system. The magnets in conventionalspeakers do interact with televisions tubes. However, wedo recommend that you keep your speakers at least onefoot away from the television because of the dynamicwoofer they employ.

Could my children, pets, or myself be shocked by theCould my children, pets, or myself be shocked by theCould my children, pets, or myself be shocked by theCould my children, pets, or myself be shocked by theCould my children, pets, or myself be shocked by thehigh-voltage present in the electrostatic panel?high-voltage present in the electrostatic panel?high-voltage present in the electrostatic panel?high-voltage present in the electrostatic panel?high-voltage present in the electrostatic panel?

No. High voltage with low current is not dangerous. As amatter of fact, the voltage in our speakers is 10 times10 times10 times10 times10 timeslesslesslesslessless than the static electricity that builds up on thesurface of your television screen.

If my child punctured the diaphragm with a pencil,If my child punctured the diaphragm with a pencil,If my child punctured the diaphragm with a pencil,If my child punctured the diaphragm with a pencil,If my child punctured the diaphragm with a pencil,stick, or similar item., how extensive would thestick, or similar item., how extensive would thestick, or similar item., how extensive would thestick, or similar item., how extensive would thestick, or similar item., how extensive would thedamage to the speaker be?damage to the speaker be?damage to the speaker be?damage to the speaker be?damage to the speaker be?

Our research department has literally punctured hun-dreds of holes in a diaphragm, neither affecting thequality of the sound nor causing the diaphragm to rip.However, you will be able to see the actual puncture andit can be a physical nuisance. If this is the case, replacingthe electrostatic transducer will be the only solution.

Will my electric bill go ‘sky high’ by leaving myWill my electric bill go ‘sky high’ by leaving myWill my electric bill go ‘sky high’ by leaving myWill my electric bill go ‘sky high’ by leaving myWill my electric bill go ‘sky high’ by leaving myspeakers plugged in all the time?speakers plugged in all the time?speakers plugged in all the time?speakers plugged in all the time?speakers plugged in all the time?

No. A pairpairpairpairpair of Aerius draw about 10 watts maximum,about the same as a pair of electric clocks.

Will exposure to sunlight affect the life or perform-Will exposure to sunlight affect the life or perform-Will exposure to sunlight affect the life or perform-Will exposure to sunlight affect the life or perform-Will exposure to sunlight affect the life or perform-ance of the Aerius?ance of the Aerius?ance of the Aerius?ance of the Aerius?ance of the Aerius?

We recommend that you not place any loudspeaker indirect sunlight as the ultraviolet (UV) rays from the suncan cause deterioration of grill cloth, speaker cones, etc..Exposures through glass will not cause a problem,however the heat generated by the sun will age the finishon the speaker as it would any fine furniture. Martin-Logan speakers are not recommended for outdoor use.

Will excessive smoke or dust cause any problems?Will excessive smoke or dust cause any problems?Will excessive smoke or dust cause any problems?Will excessive smoke or dust cause any problems?Will excessive smoke or dust cause any problems?

Exposure to excessive contaminants, such as smoke ordust, may potentially effect the performance of theelectrostatic membrane and may cause discoloration ofthe diaphragm membrane. When not in use for extendedperiods, you should unplug the speaker and cover withthe plastic bags that the speakers were originally packed.


No OutputNo OutputNo OutputNo OutputNo Output

Check that all your system components are turned on.

Check your speaker wires and connections.

Check all interconnecting cables.

Weak Output, Loss of HighsWeak Output, Loss of HighsWeak Output, Loss of HighsWeak Output, Loss of HighsWeak Output, Loss of Highs

Check the power cord. Is it properly connected to thespeaker?

Exaggerated Highs, BrightnessExaggerated Highs, BrightnessExaggerated Highs, BrightnessExaggerated Highs, BrightnessExaggerated Highs, Brightness

Check the toe-in of the speakers. Read Room Place-Room Place-Room Place-Room Place-Room Place-mentmentmentmentment for more information.

Muddy BassMuddy BassMuddy BassMuddy BassMuddy Bass

Check placement. Try moving the speakers closer tothe front and side walls.

Check the type of feet being used. Try attaching thecoupling spikes.

Lack of BassLack of BassLack of BassLack of BassLack of Bass

Check your speaker wires. Is the polarity correct?

Troubleshooting

Poor ImagingPoor ImagingPoor ImagingPoor ImagingPoor Imaging

Check placement. Are both speakers the same dis-tance from the walls? Do they have the same amountof toe-in? Try moving the speakers away from the frontand side walls.

Check the polarity of the speaker wires. Are theyconnected properly?

Popping and Ticking Sounds, Funny NoisesPopping and Ticking Sounds, Funny NoisesPopping and Ticking Sounds, Funny NoisesPopping and Ticking Sounds, Funny NoisesPopping and Ticking Sounds, Funny Noises

These occasional noises are harmless and will not hurtyour audio system or your speakers. All electrostaticspeakers are guilty of making odd noises at one time oranother.

These noises may be caused by dirt and dust particlescollecting on the speaker, by high humidity or by AC linefluctuations that may occur in your area.

Dirt and dust may be vacuumed off with a brushattachment connected to your vacuum cleaner or youmay blow them off with compressed air.

DO NOT SPRAY ANY KIND OF CLEANING AGENTDO NOT SPRAY ANY KIND OF CLEANING AGENTDO NOT SPRAY ANY KIND OF CLEANING AGENTDO NOT SPRAY ANY KIND OF CLEANING AGENTDO NOT SPRAY ANY KIND OF CLEANING AGENTON OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ELECTRO-ON OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ELECTRO-ON OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ELECTRO-ON OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ELECTRO-ON OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ELECTRO-STATIC ELEMENT.STATIC ELEMENT.STATIC ELEMENT.STATIC ELEMENT.STATIC ELEMENT.


Recommended Music

Analog DiscsAnalog DiscsAnalog DiscsAnalog DiscsAnalog Discs

Astounding Sound Show .......... Reference Recordings RR-7Chet Atkins in Hollywood ...............................RCA LSP-1993Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique ......... Chesky Records CR1Big Band Jazz ........................................ Umbrella UMB-DD4The Chicago Symphony Wind ..................... Sheffield Lab 22Judy Collins: Judith ........................................ Elektra 6E-111Phil Collins: Face Value................................... Virgin V-2185Dafos.......................................Reference Recordings RR-12Miles Davis: You're Under Arrest .......... Columbia FC 40023Arturo Delmoni:

Songs My Mother Taught Me.......... North Star DS0004Dire Straits: Dire Straits .................. Warner Bros. BSK 3266Dire Straits: Love Over Gold ............. Warner Bros. 23728-1Fresh Aire II .............................. American Gramophone 359Fresh Aire III ............................. American Gramophone 365Gershwin: An American in Paris ......... Chesky Records RC8Earl Klugh: Crazy for You ........................... Liberty LT 51113Mahler: Symphony No. 1 .............................Telarc DG10066Joni Mitchell: For the Roses ....................... Asylum SD 5057Moroder: Cat People .......................... Backstreet BSR-6107The Moscow Sessions..................... Sheffield Lab TLP-1000Ohio Players: Gold ............................. Mercury SRM-1-1122Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon.. EMI Harvest SHVL-804Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 . Chesky Records CR2The Reiner Sound......................................... RCA LSC-2183Rickie Lee Jones: Rickie Lee Jones Warner Bros. BSK 3296Shalamar: The Look ....................................... Solar 9-60239The Sheffield Track Record......................... Sheffield Lab-20Strauss: Til Eulenspiegel ........ Reference Recordings RR-16Stanley Turrentine: Cherry ................ CTI Records CTI 6017McCoy Tyner & Jackie McLean:

It's About Time................................Blue Note BT 85102Dionne Warwick: Soulful ............................ Scepter SPS-573

Compact DiscsCompact DiscsCompact DiscsCompact DiscsCompact Discs

Pachelbel Canon:The Acadamy of Ancient Music, L'Oiseau-Lyre 410 553-2

Count Basie & His Orchestra: 88 Basie Street, Pablo 3112-42David Benoit:

Every Step of the Way .......... GRP Records GRD-9558This Side Up .................................. En Pointe ENP 0001

Cantate Domino................................... Proprius PRCD 7762Copland:

Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Fanfare .. Telarc CD-80078Country .............................. Windham Hill Records WD-1039Dafos................................ Reference Recordings RR-12 CDDire Straits: Brothers in Arms ......... Warner Bros. 9 25264-2Dorian Sampler Vol. 1 ............................ Dorian DOR-90001Freddie Hubbard: Ride Like the Wind .. En Pointe ENP 0002Huey Lewis and the News: Sports ........ Chrysalis VK 41412Bob James & Earl Klugh: One On One.........CBS CK 36241Albert King: Live Wire ...................Mobile Fidelity MFCD 838Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass:

Present Perfect ...................................... MPS 823 543-2Nojima Plays Liszt ............ Reference Recordings RR-25CDLinda Ronstadt: Round Midnight .............. Asylum 9 60489-2Round-Up.................................................... Telarc CD-80141Sainte-Saens: Symphony No. 3 ................ Philips 412 619-2Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra,

GRP Records GRD-9550Paul Simon: Graceland................... Warner Bros. 9 25447-2Ein Straussfest ............................................ Telarc CD-80098Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 Chesky Records CD-13Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto .......... Chesky Records CD-12Vollenweider: Caverna Magica ..................... CBS MK 37827Steve Winwood: Back in the High Life ....... Island 9 25548-2Yellowjackets: Shades................ MCA Records MCAD-5752


Aerius Specifications

The Aerius hybrid speakersystem consists of a broad-rangesingle element electrostatictransducer integrated with aquick-response woofer. Thisapproach takes advantage of thebenefits that both technologieshave to offer.

Dispersion is a controlled 30degrees. This was achieved bycurving the electrostatic trans-ducer element itself, an elegantlysimple solution.

Frequency ResponseFrequency ResponseFrequency ResponseFrequency ResponseFrequency Response40 - 20,000 Hz +/- 3dB

Electrostatic panel dimensionsElectrostatic panel dimensionsElectrostatic panel dimensionsElectrostatic panel dimensionsElectrostatic panel dimensions38" x 9.5"

Electrostatic Frequency ResponseElectrostatic Frequency ResponseElectrostatic Frequency ResponseElectrostatic Frequency ResponseElectrostatic Frequency Response300 - 20,000 Hz +/- 2dB

Woofer sizeWoofer sizeWoofer sizeWoofer sizeWoofer size8" diameter, 1.25 ft3 sealed enclosure

Woofer Frequency ResponseWoofer Frequency ResponseWoofer Frequency ResponseWoofer Frequency ResponseWoofer Frequency Response40 - 2,000 Hz +/- 3dB

Crossover FrequencyCrossover FrequencyCrossover FrequencyCrossover FrequencyCrossover Frequency500 Hz, 12dB per Octave

DispersionDispersionDispersionDispersionDispersionHorizontal: 30 degrees; Vertical: 38" Line Source

SensitivitySensitivitySensitivitySensitivitySensitivity89 dB 2.83 volts/1 meter

Power HandlingPower HandlingPower HandlingPower HandlingPower Handling200 watts/channel

Recommend Amplifier PowerRecommend Amplifier PowerRecommend Amplifier PowerRecommend Amplifier PowerRecommend Amplifier Power60 - 200 watts/channel

ImpedanceImpedanceImpedanceImpedanceImpedance4 ohms; minimum: greater than 2 ohms at 20,000 Hz

WeightWeightWeightWeightWeight55 lbs. each

SizeSizeSizeSizeSize55.5 H x 10.5 W x 13.5 D


Glossary

ACACACACAC. Abbreviation for alternatingcurrent.

Active crossoverActive crossoverActive crossoverActive crossoverActive crossover. Uses activedevices (transistors, IC’s,tubes) and some form of powersupply to operate.

AmplitudeAmplitudeAmplitudeAmplitudeAmplitude. The extreme range of asignal. Usually measured fromthe average to the extreme.

ArcArcArcArcArc. The visible sparks generated byan electrical discharge.

BassBassBassBassBass. The lowest frequencies ofsound.

Bi-AmplificationBi-AmplificationBi-AmplificationBi-AmplificationBi-Amplification. Uses an electroniccrossover or line-level passivecrossover and separate poweramplifiers for the high and lowfrequency loudspeaker drivers.

CapacitanceCapacitanceCapacitanceCapacitanceCapacitance. That property of acapacitor which determines howmuch charge can be stored in itfor a given potential differencebetween its terminals, measuredin farads, by the ratio of thecharge stored to the potentialdifference.

CapacitorCapacitorCapacitorCapacitorCapacitor. A device consisting of twoor more conducting platesseparated from one another byan insulating material and usedfor storing an electrical charge.Sometimes called a condenser.

ClippingClippingClippingClippingClipping. Distortion of a signal by itsbeing chopped off. An overloadproblem caused by pushing anamplifier beyond its capabilities.The flat-topped signal has highlevels of harmonic distortionwhich creates heat in a loud-speaker and is the major cause ofloudspeaker component failure.

CrossoverCrossoverCrossoverCrossoverCrossover. An electrical circuit thatdivides a full bandwidth signal intothe desired frequency bands forthe loudspeaker components.

dB (decibel)dB (decibel)dB (decibel)dB (decibel)dB (decibel). A numerical expressionof the relative loudness of asound. The difference in decibelsbetween two sounds is ten timesthe common logarithm of the ratioof their power levels.

DCDCDCDCDC. Abbreviation for direct current.

DiffractionDiffractionDiffractionDiffractionDiffraction. The breaking up of asound wave caused by some typeof mechanical interference suchas a cabinet edge, grill frame, orother similar object.

DiaphragmDiaphragmDiaphragmDiaphragmDiaphragm. A thin flexible membraneor cone that vibrates in responseto electrical signals to producesound waves.

DistortionDistortionDistortionDistortionDistortion. Usually referred to interms of total harmonic distortion(THD) which is the percentage ofunwanted harmonics of the drivesignal present with the wantedsignal. Generally used to meanany unwanted change introducedby the device under question.

DriverDriverDriverDriverDriver. See transducer.

Dynamic RangeDynamic RangeDynamic RangeDynamic RangeDynamic Range. The range betweenthe quietest and the loudestsounds a device can handle(often quoted in dB).

EfficiencyEfficiencyEfficiencyEfficiencyEfficiency. The acoustic powerdelivered for a given electricalinput. Often expressed asdecibels/watt/meter (dB/w/m).

ESLESLESLESLESL. Abbreviation for electrostaticloudspeaker.

HeadroomHeadroomHeadroomHeadroomHeadroom. The difference, indecibels, between the peak andRMS levels in program material.

HybridHybridHybridHybridHybrid. A product created by themarriage of two different tech-nologies. Meant here as thecombination of a dynamic wooferwith an electrostatic transducer.

Hz (Hertz)Hz (Hertz)Hz (Hertz)Hz (Hertz)Hz (Hertz). Unit of frequency equiva-lent to the number of cycles persecond.

ImagingImagingImagingImagingImaging. To make a representation orimitation of the original sonicevent.

ImpedanceImpedanceImpedanceImpedanceImpedance. The total oppositionoffered by an electric circuit to theflow of an alternating current of asingle frequency. It is a combina-tion of resistance and reactanceand is measured in ohms.Remember that a speaker’simpedance changes with fre-quency, it is not a constant value.

InductanceInductanceInductanceInductanceInductance. The property of anelectric circuit by which a varyingcurrent in it produces a varyingmagnetic field that introducesvoltages in the same circuit or ina nearby circuit. It is measured inhenrys.

InductorInductorInductorInductorInductor. A device designed primarilyto introduce inductance into anelectric circuit. Sometimes calleda choke or coil.

LinearityLinearityLinearityLinearityLinearity. The extent to which anysignal handling process isaccomplished without amplitudedistortion.


MidrangeMidrangeMidrangeMidrangeMidrange. The middle frequencieswhere the ear is the mostsensitive.

Passive crossoverPassive crossoverPassive crossoverPassive crossoverPassive crossover. Uses no activecomponents (transistors, IC’s,tubes) and needs no powersupply (AC, DC, battery) tooperate. The crossover in atypical loudspeaker is of thepassive variety. Passive cross-overs consist of capacitors,inductors and resistors.

PhasePhasePhasePhasePhase. The amount by which one sinewave leads or lags a secondwave of the same frequency. Thedifference is described by theterm phase angle. Sine waves inphase reinforce each other; thoseout of phase cancel.

Pink noisePink noisePink noisePink noisePink noise. A random noise used inmeasurements, as it has thesame amount of energy in eachoctave.

PolarityPolarityPolarityPolarityPolarity. The condition of beingpositive or negative with respectto some reference point or object.

RMSRMSRMSRMSRMS. Abbreviation for root meansquare. The effective value of agiven waveform is its RMS value.Acoustic power is proportional tothe square of the RMS soundpressure.

ResistanceResistanceResistanceResistanceResistance. That property of aconductor by which it opposes theflow of electric current, resulting inthe generation of heat in theconducting material, usuallyexpressed in ohms.

ResistorResistorResistorResistorResistor. A device used in a circuitprimarily to provide resistance.

ResonanceResonanceResonanceResonanceResonance. The effect producedwhen the natural vibrationfrequency of a body is greatlyamplified by reinforcing vibrationsat the same or nearly the samefrequency from another body.

SensitivitySensitivitySensitivitySensitivitySensitivity . Volume of sounddelivered for a given electricalinput.

StatorStatorStatorStatorStator. The fixed part forming thereference for the moving dia-phragm in a planar speaker.

THDTHDTHDTHDTHD. Abbreviation for total harmonicdistortion. (See Distortion.)

TIMTIMTIMTIMTIM. Abbreviation for transientintermodulation distortion. (SeeDistortion.)

TransducerTransducerTransducerTransducerTransducer. Any of various devicesthat transmit energy from onesystem to another, sometimesone that converts the energy inform. Loudspeaker transducersconvert electrical energy intomechanical motion.

TransientTransientTransientTransientTransient. Applies to that which lastsor stays but a short time. Achange from one steady-statecondition to another.

TweeterTweeterTweeterTweeterTweeter. A small drive unit designedto produce only high frequencies.

WavelengthWavelengthWavelengthWavelengthWavelength. The distance mea-sured in the direction of progres-sion of a wave, from any givenpoint characterized by the samephase.

White noiseWhite noiseWhite noiseWhite noiseWhite noise. A random noise usedin measurements, as it has thesame amount of energy at eachfrequency.

WooferWooferWooferWooferWoofer. A drive unit operating in thebass frequencies only. Drive unitsin two-way systems are not truewoofers but are more accuratelydescribed as being mid/bassdrivers.

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MartinLogan Aerius Manual · Aerius Specifications 21 Glossary 22 ... inch thick! Ruggedly constructed ... Attach your speaker cables to the Signal Input Signal Input section on the