Archives for 2003

MartinLogan has announced the introduction of new, advanced Generation 2 ESL transducers and MicroPerf stator technology, the first major improvements to the company’s core technology in more than 15 years.

Generation 2 ESL transducers and MircoPerf stators will first appear with the imminent introduction of the new Clarity™ loudspeaker. MartinLogan’s current product line will be modified to include the new technology, where appropriate, beginning in the 1st half of 2003.

MartinLogan’s speaker systems, which incorporate patented CLS (curvilinear line source) high-resolution electrostatic technology, range in price from $1,395 to $90,000 (US). The new Clarity hybrid electrostatic speaker is available this month with a suggested retail price of $2,695 per pair (US), aimed at the upscale family home theater buyer.

More on the MartinLogan Clarity Loudspeaker System

The New Generation 2 ESL Transducer

Generation 2 ESL transducers feature an extremely low-mass Polyethylene Terathylate (PET) diaphragm ideally suited for bonding with MartinLogan’s recently reformulated conductive alloy coating. Manufactured using a unique process involving a twenty million-dollar, oxygen-free, argon environment chamber these plasma-bonded diaphragms achieve upwards of 500% increased uniformity of the conductive coating, offering unparalleled impedance tolerance and maximum adhesion and abrasion resistance.

All Generation 2 ESL transducers will also feature MartinLogan’s proprietary ClearSpar™ technology. Originally developed for the cost-no-object Statement e2 loudspeaker, ClearSpars were previously available only on MartinLogan’s most prestigious products. The rigidity of ClearSpars allows Generation 2 ESL transducers to maintain an extremely uniform tension of the diaphragm during the hand building process and permit critical stator spacing within an exact tolerance. This increases both efficiency and dynamic range. ClearSpars, as the name suggests, also enhance a Generation 2 ESL transducers exclusive transparent look.

The New MicroPerf Stator

To further enhance the unparalleled performance of small ESL transducers, MartinLogan went back to the drawing board and redesigned the stator (the black grill on the front and back of an ESL transducer). MartinLogan’s new MicroPerf design reduces the size of individual holes in the stator, allowing more openings per square inch when compared to a traditional stator. This maximizes efficiency and dispersion of sound and also increases the optical clarity of a small ESL transducer. In addition, the tighter grid of holes allows a high level of control over the moving diaphragm, which increases the sonic accuracy of small ESL transducers.

Large ESL transducers (Aeon i size and up) will continue to feature the MartinLogan’s traditional stator perforation pattern. The new MicroPerf design was engineered for small ESL transducers – no benefits are achieved by using the MicroPerf design on large panels.

MartinLogan Web Site

More on the MartinLogan Clarity

Studer Vista 7 digital audio consoles will play key roles in two major TV production facilities in France. A Vista 7 has recently been installed by TDF Video Services in Studio 102 in the Paris Maison de la Radio. And VCF, one of the largest TV facilities companies in France, will equip its newest and most sophisticated OB vehicle, Truck 21, with the first Vista 7 of its type ever installed in a mobile.

The Vista 7 at Studio 102 is fitted with 50 faders and 5.1 multichannel monitoring. It can control up to 300 audio sources, and has 44 mic inputs, 84 line inputs, 48 analogue outputs and 34 AES/EBU ins and outs, the configuration of which may be changed as required. Each mic input has a splitter output from the integral Studer mic pre-amp to feed the hall PA console, and the 5 mic/line stage boxes, all with stage talkback, are fed via fibre optic MADI links.

Studio 102’s Vista uses Studer’s unique Vistonics control system, which incorporates knobs and switches within a colour LCD panel, providing a highly-ergonomic and totally-intuitive control surface – a major factor in TDF’s choice of console.

Studio 102 is France’s most legendary television studio. With its large stage and audience areas, it is famous for having been the home of the broadcasts of Guy Lux in the 80s. Today, the studio hosts many of France’s most popular shows, including Reservoir Prod and “Ca se discute.”

The Vista 7 commissioned for VCF’s new outside broadcast vehicle also features the Vistonics control surface. This one is fitted with 50 faders and can control up to 300 audio sources. There are 64 mic preamps, 48 of which are fitted in 2 remote stageboxes connected to the console via dual redundant fibre optic cables. The monitoring system is 5.1 multichannel, enhanced by the truck’s extremely sophisticated acoustics.

Jean-Louis Nathan, VCF’s director of audio, explains the choice of the Vista 7: “We chose Studer because it satisfies our three main criteria – reliability, flexibility and good ergonomics. Reliability is vital because we have many live broadcasts and nowadays TV stations do not accept any failures whatsoever. We know that the Vista 7, although it’s a new concept, is based on D950 technology which has largely proved its reliability.”

“We work with a key group of audio engineers and the intuitive Vistonics control surface enables them to become fully operational very quickly,” continues M. Nathan. “Also, the very open architecture of the Vista 7 allows easy transitions between very different types of programmes such as sports broadcasts, live concerts and multitrack recordings.”

Truck 21, one of the largest TV mobiles in Europe, will accommodate 30 cameras, 11 VTRs and 11 video servers. It is digital throughout. With sides fully extended, it provides 78 sq.m. of working area, with seating for 34 operators, and is expected to provide facilities for much of Canal Plus’s sports broadcasting and other major broadcast events such as the NRJ Music Awards.

Studer Web Site