Page 2 - ONTENTS
2 Contents C ONTENTS Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Installation in Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Electrostatic Panel Front ...
Page 3 - NSTALLATION IN
Installation in Brief 3 I NSTALLATION IN B RIEF We know you are eager to hear your new Prodigy loud- speakers, so this section is provided to allow fast and easy set up. Once you have them operational, please take the time to read, in depth, the rest of the information in this manual. It will give y...
Page 4 - : Electrostatic Panel Assembly; SSEMBLY
4 Assembly NOTE: Assembly of the Prodigy requires 2 people. 1: Electrostatic Panel Assembly 1.1 Remove the top two screws and washers from the Prodigy woofer body. Back out the two screws and washers immediately beneath the two screws that were just removed until they protrude approximately 3 / 4 ” ...
Page 6 - NTRODUCTION
6 Introduction I NTRODUCTION Congratulations! You have invested in one of the world’s premier loudspeaker systems. The MartinLogan Prodigy represents the culmination of an intensive, dedicated group research program directed toward establishing a world class reference monitor utilizing leading-edge ...
Page 7 - PERATION; Signal Connection
O PERATION Operation 7 Because your MartinLogan Prodigys 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...
Page 8 - Single-Wire Connection; R O D I G Y
P R O D I G 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 binding post and the (-) wire from your amplifier ...
Page 9 - Bass Control Switch
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 Prodigys you must loosen the binding posts and remove the jumper clips. Connect the low frequency amplifier to the lower set of bin...
Page 10 - LACEMENT; The Wall Behind the Listener; Listening Position
10 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....
Page 11 - Final Placement; The Extra “Tweak”
Placement 11 Imaging In their final location, your Prodigys 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....
Page 12 - Terminology; OOM; Your Room
12 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...
Page 14 - Controlled Vertical Dispersion; ISPERSION; Controlled Horizontal Dispersion
Your Prodigys 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 6). Make sure both speakers stand exactly at the same vertical angle, otherwise the ...
Page 16 - OME
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...
Page 18 - Full Range Operation
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 Prodigy uses no crossover networks above 250 Hz because they are not needed. The Prodig...
Page 19 - ForceForward; Bass Alignment; Vapor Deposited Film; ARTIN
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...
Page 20 - LECTROSTATIC; Rice and Kellogg had
20 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...
Page 21 - These developments allow
Electrostatic Loudspeaker History 21 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...
Page 22 - REQUENTLY
22 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...
Page 24 - ROUBLESHOOTING
24 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 •...
Page 25 - Service; ENERAL; Warranty and Registration
The Prodigy hybrid speaker system consists of a broad-range single element electrostatic transducer integrated with a quick- response woofer. This approach takes advantage of the benefits that both technologies have to offer. Dispersion is a controlled 30 degrees. This was achieved by curving the el...
Page 26 - LOSSARY OF
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...