Martin Logan Motion from EnjoyTheMusic

[klipschfan]

01 / 12 / 10

MartinLogan, a Kansas based company with 80 employees handcrafting loudspeaker products, has announces their Motion Series that marks the company's first products to feature Folded Motion technologies. Inspired by MartinLogan's high-end electrostatic loudspeakers, the Motion Series provides sonic realism in small rooms. This exotic tweeter is said to produce fast transient response combined with a large surface area (8-times that of a typical 1-inch dome tweeter) creates clear, highly dynamic and precise sound. For lower frequencies a normal dynamic cone driver is used. The company says the keys to the Motion Series sonic performance is the unique Folded Motion tweeter combined with Vojtko crossovers, powerful compact woofers and acoustically inspired cabinet design. The cabinetry features high-gloss piano black finish and contoured exterior. MartinLogan Motion Series Models Include:

Motion 2 / 4 - Compact bookshelf speakers - $199.95 / $249.95 each

Motion 6 / 8 - Compact center channel speakers - $299.95 / $399.95 each
Motion 10 / 12 - Floorstanding tower speakers - $999.95 / $1499.95 pair

[Tonepub]

and if you want to read a full review on the speakers:

TONEAudio MAGAZINE | The e-journal of analog and digital sound in the spotlight section...

[nsgarch]

Dr. Oskar Heil invented this tranducer and it was first used commercially in 1970 (the incredible sounding ESS AMT-1.) More recently, Mark & Daniel Loudspeakers have gotten rave reviews for their line of solidly constructed, and great sounding loudspeakers, which use these drivers -- although much improved and updated with modern materials and computerized design technology. I just wish I found them more attractive

In any case, I thought I'd head off any implications (through ommission) by ML that they started this party. They didn't. Nevertheless, I think this is a long neglected technology which should have been ressurected ages ago (when the patents ran out?) And I wish them great success with it.

There were reasons (both fiscal and technical) why the technology never took off in it's original incarnation (similar to why they had to shelve electrostat progress until they could use mylar instead of cow gut!) and the main technical obstacle was low output -- now greatly improved. In my opinion, they will never replace the awsome performance of an electrostat, due to the size limitations of the technology, but unlike ribbons, their compact size may enable them to finally live up to their promise as a last nail in the coffin of the always inadequate dome tweeter and midrange drivers.

And for those audio newbies who imagine "the old days" are everything prior to 1980 I offer this link for your education and enjoyment: Air Motion Transformer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by nsgarch

(the incredible sounding ESS AMT-1.)

Air Motion Transformer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The only place in my area which had those speakers were situated on the floor under a shelf, elbow to elbow with a dozen other boxes.

I wanted to like them but listening though other peoples legs and three feet away (shelf behind me) was not a proper set up.

There way no way I was going to pay that kind of money without being able to really listen to them.

Life goes on.

[schaefer11]

FYI, the current ESS.

ESS Laboratories USA