martinlogan

MartinLogan Mikros 70: Affordable earphones from high-end brand

MartinLogan is known for making high-end speakers, so it came as a little bit of a surprise when I saw that the company's just-announced Mikros 70 reference in-ear headphones were priced at a fairly modest $149.95.… Read more

Can a high-end company make a great $499 speaker?

The MartinLogan Motion 4 answers the question, can a speaker be considered a high-end design if it retails for $499 a pair? Jeff Dorgay at Tone Audio magazine thinks it can!

MartinLogan made a splash with audiophiles in the early 1980s with its electrostatic panel speakers. The clear, 5-foot-tall panels were remarkable for their "see-through" transparency of sound. The company still makes big-panel speakers but has branched out into home theater, and now with the Motion 4, it's making overachieving small speakers.

The Motion 4's tweeter is pretty special; its Folded Motion transducer works by moving air, similar to the way an accordion works. Its low-mass diaphragm "squeezes" air and produces almost 90 percent less back and forth movement than a dome tweeter. The Folded Motion tweeter also has a large surface area; eight times that of a 1-inch dome tweeter. The Folded Motion technology is said to minimize distortion.

The Motion 4 is a small bookshelf design, 5 by 5 inches and just over a foot tall; it has a 4-inch woofer.

Dorgay listened to the Motion 4s with a few different amplifiers: a Naim Uniti receiver, Prima Luna Prologue 1 vacuum-tube integrated amp, and a Denon AVR 3910 receiver. In a small room placed near a corner, the Motion 4s had a surprising amount of bass. MartinLogan concentrated on making a great speaker that only goes down to 75 Hz cleanly, instead of a mediocre speaker that goes down to 50 Hz. Need more low-end oomph? Add a subwoofer to provide deep bass. … Read more

Amazon goes high-end, now sells speakers a true audiophile could love

MartinLogan, based in Lawrence, Kansas, maker of highly regarded curved panel electrostatic speakers announced yesterday that its Design Series models are now available through Amazon (Amazon is the only authorized Internet retailer of MartinLogan speakers).

MartinLogan's unique technology produces sound with far greater detail than conventional "box" speakers--it's high-definition for the ears. I think MartinLogans are also beautiful and elegant, which doesn't hurt. M-L's technology was also used to create stylish in-wall, on-wall and floor-standing speakers, and many of the speakers qualify for Amazon.com's free Super Saver Shipping or free two-day shipping (… Read more