MartinLogan Odyssey - Manuals

O PERATION Operation 5 Because your MartinLogan Odysseys use an internal power supply to energize their electrostatic cells with high-voltage DC, they must be connected to an AC power source. For this reason they are provided with the proper IEC standard power cords. These cords should be firmly ins...

O DY S S E Y TM Please take note of the jumper clips installed under the binding posts. These clips attach the high and low frequency sections of the crossover together. Leaving these in place, connect the (+) wire from your amplifier to either red bind- ing post and the (-) wire from your amplifier...

amplifiers of choice do not have the same gain charac- teristics, then a sonic imbalance will occur. With horizontal bi-amping, one amplifier drives the high pass (ESL) section while the second amplifier drives the low pass (WOOFER) section. To horizontally bi-amp your Odysseys you must loosen the b...

8 Placement P LACEMENT By now your speakers should be placed approximately two to three feet from the front wall, the wall in front of the listening position, and at least one to two feet from the side walls. Your sitting distance should be further than the distance between the speakers themselves. ...

Placement 9 Imaging In their final location, your Odysseys should have a stage width somewhat wider than the speakers themselves. On well recorded music, the instruments should extend beyond the edges of each speaker to the left and to the right, yet a vocalist should appear directly in the middle. ...

10 Room Acoustics This is one of those areas that requires both a little back- ground to understand and some time and experimentation to attain the best performance from your system. Your room is actually a component and an important part of your system. This component is a very large variable and c...

on the floor or solid surface, it can shake as it produces sound and, consequently, the sound can be compro- mised. If your speaker is sitting on the carpet and only foot gliders are used, the bass can be ill defined and even boomy. The use of spikes is recommended to insure secured footing for your...

Your Odysseys launch a 30 degree dispersion pattern when viewed from above. This horizontal dispersion field gives a choice of good seats for the performance while minimizing interactions with side walls (See Figure 7). Make sure both speakers stand exactly at the same vertical angle, otherwise the ...

Dispersion Interactions 13 Figure 9 – 10. As can be seen here, point source concepts invite a great deal of room interaction.While delivering good frequency response to alarge listening audience, imaging is consequentlyconfused and blurred. Figure 11–12. Even though they suffer from “venetian blind”...

It had long been the practice of stereo buffs to connect their television to the stereo system. The advantage was the use of the larger speakers and more powerful amplifier of the stereo system. Even though the sound was greatly improved, it was still mono and limited by the broadcast signal. In the...

How can sound be reproduced by something that you are able to see through? Electrostatic energy makes this possible. Where the world of traditional loudspeaker technology deals with cones, domes, diaphragms and ribbons that are moved with magnetism, the world of electrostatic loudspeakers deals with...

ESL Panel Critical Zone: 250Hz–20kHz The most significant advantage of MartinLogan’s exclusive transducer technology reveals itself when you look at examples of other loudspeaker products on the market today. The Odyssey uses no crossover networks above 250 Hz because they are not needed. The Odysse...

Since the beginning of audio, achieving smooth dispersion has been a problem for all loudspeaker designers. Large panel transducers present even more of a challenge because the larger the panel, the more directional the dispersion pattern becomes. Full range electrostats have long been one of the mo...

18 Electrostatic Loudspeaker History In the late 1800s, any loudspeaker was considered exotic. Today, most of us take the wonders of sound reproduction for granted. It was 1880 before Thomas Edison had invented the first phonograph. This was a horn-loaded diaphragm that was excited by a playback sty...

Electrostatic Loudspeaker History 19 In 1947, Arthur Janszen, a young Naval engineer, took part in a research project for the Navy. The Navy was interested in developing a better instrument for testing microphone arrays. The test instrument needed an extremely accurate speaker, but Janszen found tha...

20 Frequently Asked Questions F REQUENTLY A SKED Q UESTIONS How do I clean my speakers? Just use a dust free cloth or a soft brush to remove the dust from your speakers. We recommend a specialty cloth (available through the XStatic shop at www.martinlogan.com) that cleans your speakers better than a...

Frequently Asked Questions 21 Will excessive smoke or dust cause any problems with my electrostatic speakers? Exposure to excessive contaminants such as smoke or dust may potentially affect the performance of the electrostatic membrane, and may cause discoloration of the diaphragm membrane. When not...

22 Troubleshooting T ROUBLESHOOTING No Output •Check that all your system components are turned on. •Check your speaker wires and connections. •Check all interconnecting cables. Weak Output, Loss of Highs •Check the power cord. Is it properly connected to the speaker? Exaggerated Highs, Brightness •...

The Odyssey hybrid speaker system consists of a broad- range single element electrostatic transducer integrated with a quick-response woofer. This approach takes advan- tage of the benefits that both technologies have to offer. Dispersion is a controlled 30 degrees. This was achieved by curving the ...

AC. Abbreviation for alternating current. Active crossover. Uses active devices (transistors, ICs, tubes) and some form of power supply to operate. Amplitude. The extreme range of a signal. Usually measured from the average to the extreme. Arc. The visible sparks generated by an electrical discharge...

Inductance. The property of an electrical circuit by which a varying current in it produces a varying magnetic field that introduces voltages in the same circuit or in a nearby circuit. It is measured in henrys. Inductor. A device designed primarily to introduce inductance into an electrical circuit...