Martin Logan Classic ESL 9 Electrostatic Speakers (pair)

A masterpiece doesn’t just inspire emotions. It changes the way you feel, and it sticks with you long after you’ve left the art gallery or the concert hall. It’s considered a masterpiece precisely because of its ability to alter something inside you. Once you experience it, you’ll never be the same. Enjoying a masterpiece in your own home is something to aspire to.

Consider the Classic ESL 9 your ticket to a life-changing experience with a masterpiece of audio performance. You will never be the same.

A Classic Masterpiece of Sound Reproduction
Martin Logan unveils the Classic ESL 9, its newest modern Masterpiece. All the familiar elements of Martin Logan’s flagship ESL series are here, with some revolutionary refinements. The heart of this exceptional loudspeaker is its 9.2-inch-wide Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) XStat vacuum-bonded electrostatic transducer. Advanced MicroPerf stator technology reveals more of the diaphragm surface area than any other electrostatic panel in this size class, efficiently increasing the narrow panel’s output. Ultra-rigid AirFrame Blade construction reduces performance-robbing vibrations, its shape creating an expressive alignment with the woofer cabinet. Deep bass is rendered with unflinching accuracy and authority by dual 8-inch low-distortion, high-excursion aluminum cone woofers in a beautifully sculpted enclosure.

Classic Elements, Experienced In a New Way: Advanced MicroPerf stator technology, which allows for almost twice the exposed electrostatic diaphragm surface as a traditional electrostatic panel of the same size. A reinforced electrostatic panel with rigid ClearSpar™ spacers, keeping an exact level of tension on the vacuum-bonded diaphragm without obscuring the beautiful see-through design. Add to these the slender, pointed-arrow design of the new AirFrame™ Blade construction and the result is a powerfully evocative composition creating a harmonious connection between the panel and its woofer cabinet.

Now notice some refinements: Martin Logan has reinvented the Classic ESL 9 woofer section. They use two 8-inch laser-engineered low-distortion aluminum cone woofers, balanced in an opposing array, one forward- and one rear-firing. This design greatly reduces cabinet vibrations inherent in same-direction woofer positioning, specifically in the 34Hz to 100Hz range for uniform frequency response resulting in realistic bass effects you can feel.

Ultra-Rigid AirFrame Blade Design
Classic ESL 9 XStat panels are joined to their speaker cabinets using Martin Logan’s redesigned AirFrame Blade construction, precision manufactured from an aerospace-grade extruded aluminum alloy. This material, and this exclusive manufacturing process, makes the panels extremely rigid.

The bold, forward-moving styling of this AirFrame Blade rail system, narrow and strong in front, broad and forceful from the side, is a modern design statement. It never obstructs playable surface area or interferes with the panel’s dipole sound radiation pattern. It also provides electrical and acoustical isolation, minimizing intermodulation distortion caused by vibration and resonance. The flowing lines emphasize the groundbreaking integration of the panel itself with the compact woofer and amplifier section. The breathtaking AirFrame Blade design enhances imaging, low-level sonic detail, accuracy, and speaker efficiency.

Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) Electrostatic Panel
CLS technology is an essential ingredient of every electrostatic loudspeaker Martin Logan produces. Through their proprietary manufacturing method, they have built-in the panel’s gentle horizontal curvature. This unique design enhances the high frequency detail produced by the large radiating surface, without compromising overall sound quality. Notice how the gentle modern curve and perforation pattern gives way to the flat grille of the woofer section.

Controlled Dispersion Sound Radiation
The sound we hear from a loudspeaker is a combination of direct radiation from it to our ears, and reflections off of room surfaces—walls, floor, and ceiling. How our brains integrate this information is far from simple. Depending on the angle of incidence to the ears and the arrival-time difference between direct and reflected sound, reflections can either blur detail and stereo imaging, or enhance the natural impression of depth and openness.

Electrostatic panels, which are true dipole speakers, produce a nearly-ideal controlled dispersion radiation pattern. They send very little sound to the sides, thereby minimizing side-wall reflections, whose short arrival times tend to interfere with the perception of the direct sound. Their strong rear radiation, however, produces a generous amount of natural, ambiance-enriching later-arriving mid- and upper register information.