Audio Video News

Say "MartinLogan" and most home theater fans immediately think "electrostatics." The Lawrence, Kansas-based company has built a solid reputation on its beautiful and great-sounding speaker lines. The elegant translucent panels grace the homes of thousands of movie lovers and music fans.

Never content to sit on its laurels, MartinLogan seeks to constantly improve its products. Case in point: the new "Ascent," a slim CLS (curvilinear line-source) electrostatic panel 64" tall and only 13" wide. Retailing at $3995/pair, the Ascent feature a reinforced cabinet and stator supports for maximum rigidity, CE certified binding posts, a new crossover design, and "energy transfer coupler" spike feet for better bass and dynamics.

Intended to replace the venerable SL3, the Ascent boasts a 90dB sensitivity rating, 32Hz-22kHz (+/-3dB) frequency response, 4-ohm impedance, 220-watt power handling capacity, and 30-degree horizontal dispersion. A stiff, high-excursion 10" woofer ably handles low frequency duties. A new trim fastening system is said to facilitate changing trim rails (available in a wide range of finishes) to make the Ascent work visually in almost any décor.

The Ascent is " about expressing our unique language of form and function," according to company president Gayle Sanders. MartinLogan's goal, as Sanders puts it, is always to "advance the idea of performance sculpture to the next level while maintaining the consistent performance and quality that we've always provided." Contact your MartinLogan dealer for a demonstration.