CLX Art

The World's Finest Full-Range Electrostatic Line Source Loudspeaker.

Experience Truth in Sound Reproduction

The CLX delivers the truth - the culmination of everything we have learned about electrostatic technology since we brought our first product to market in 1983. Purity of sound permeates your entire room and satisfies even the most critical ear. The new industry benchmark for resolving detail, CLX utilizes dual electrostatic transducers to render the most complex musical passages as faithfully as a crystal prism disperses the full color spectrum. This is the limitless spectrum of the CLX, the absolute truth in musical reproduction.


Launched in 2010

Price when discontinued:
$29,999.98 pair

CLX art

MartinLogan is proud to announce a new edition of the world's finest full-range electrostatic line source loudspeaker. The CLX artincorporates our most popular upgrades including Art Frame styling (with an additional piece of hardwood), stainless steel binding posts, and premium power cords. Visit a MartinLogan Masterpiece Dealer and build yours today.

CLX  Art

57-Inch CLS™ XStat™ Electrostatic Transducer

MartinLogan's award winning Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) XStat electrostatic (ESL) technology allows smooth unencumbered dispersion of sound throughout the listening area. The result? Perfectly etched imaging and focus achieved through minimal room interaction; optimum natural reproduction of sound with full level response from ultra-linear transducers; reliable operation in open air; compatibility with all electronics; and seamless dispersion of precise sound throughout your listening environment.

Advanced MicroPerf stator technology gives MartinLogan's latest-generation CLS electrostatic transducer almost twice as much exposed diaphragm surface as a traditional electrostatic panel of the same size. This dramatic increase in effective radiating area translates to higher efficiency and an even more effortless, unlimited dynamic presentation. The XStat pulls no punches!

But there's more to it than just putting more holes in the stators. ClearSpar™ spacers stiffen the assembly further across its width. ClearSpars enable precise, consistent tensioning of the Vacuum Bonded diaphragm without obstructing the floating, see-through look that is the visual hallmark of MartinLogan electrostats.

In the end, a speaker cannot outperform the signal feeding it. MartinLogan's state-of-the-art toroidal transformer and electrical interface engineering ensure an absolutely transparent link from amplifier to electrostatic panel. The result is sound of unparalleled purity, precision, clarity, and openness — the next best thing to no speaker at all.

Curvilinear Line Source Electrostatic Panel

One of MartinLogan's original breakthroughs, CLS technology has been an essential ingredient of every electrostatic loudspeaker we've produced. Proprietary manufacturing methods enable construction of electrostatic panels as cylindrical sections. Their gentle horizontal curvature solves the problem of obtaining good high-frequency dispersion from a large radiating surface without compromising overall sound quality or reliability.

57-Inch DualForce™ Double Diaphragm, Triple Stator Low-Frequency Electrostatic Transducer With Dipole Phase Stabilization

CLX's unique DualForce double diaphragm, triple stator dipole low-frequency electrostatic transducer delivers deep, dynamic bass with twice as much force as a standard ESL. Additionally, CLX's low-frequency dipole stabilization technology reduces low frequency rear wave cancellation inherent to dipole transducers. This is accomplished by increasing the air path length behind the CLX and delaying the out-of-phase back wave. The resulting decrease in low-frequency front-wave cancellation increases overall output while minimizing total harmonic distortion at low frequencies.

Vacuum Bonding

The components of each XStat panel — two insulated, high-purity carbon steel stators, plasma-deposited PET diaphragm, and ClearSpar spacers — are fused into a cylindrical-section geometry with an aerospace adhesive whose hold strength exceeds that of welding. Our proprietary Vacuum Bonding process ensures uniform diaphragm tensioning and facilitates the extremely tight tolerances necessary for construction of such a precision transducer.

Parts of a MartinLogan Electrostatic Transducer

High/Mid Frequency Range


MartinLogan Electrostatic Transducer.
  • A) Plasma Bonded Diaphragm
  • B) ClearSpar Spacers
  • C) MicroPerf Stators
Parts of a MartinLogan DualForce™ Transducer

Low Frequency Range


MartinLogan Electrostatic Transducer.
  • A) Plasma Bonded Diaphragm
  • B) ClearSpar Spacers
  • C) MicroPerf Stators

MicroPerf Stators

Although stators are the elements of an electrostatic driver that are supposed to stand still, they carry the audio signals that do the work of propelling the diaphragm back and forth to move air and produce sound. Because the stators sandwich the diaphragm between them, they must be perforated to allow sound to pass through. Yet they must also be rigid enough to remain absolutely stationary despite the strong electrostatic forces pushing and pulling at them during operation.

MartinLogan's MicroPerf design optimizes this tradeoff by reducing the size of the individual holes and using many more of them than in a traditional electrostatic panel. MicroPerf almost doubles effective diaphragm radiating area without compromising structural integrity. The resulting increase in output capability and efficiency allows a panel to be made much smaller without sacrificing performance — or to enjoy a substantial leap in bandwidth and dynamics without growing larger.

CLX  Art

Hand-Rubbed Real-Wood

CLX art comes standard with a gently curved Art Frame and is available in 3 standard hand-rubbed, real hard-wood finishes; black ash, dark cherry, and maple. Premium high-gloss finish options* are also available.

* Premium high-gloss finishes take additional time to build and deliver, please talk to your local Reserve Dealer for more information.

CLX  Art

Vojtko™ Filter Topology

Featuring an advanced proprietary Vojtko filter topology, MartinLogan electronic specialists hand-build each CLX filter utilizing only the finest of components and construction techniques to assure the cleanest, most precise signal path possible. The resulting precision filter flawlessly preserves even the smallest subtleties in sound while effortlessly handling the broadest range of dynamics contained within even the most demanding sonic source, whether used in a 2-channel audio system or dedicated home theater.

Within the interface module, a regulated power supply creates stable bias voltages even under the most extreme conditions. Dual transformer design utilizes a toroidal audio transformer for detailed mid- and high-frequencies, and a high-quality, high-voltage E.I. transformer for dynamic, linear bass. All high-voltage leads are made of the purest copper and coated with silicone. Only superlative materials, including thick film on alumina substrate resistors and polypropylene capacitors, are used throughout.

Custom CLX / Subwoofer Filters

Seamless blending between a subwoofer and full-range loudspeaker is, at the best of times, challenging—and when you're dealing with a no-holds-barred reference level product such as the CLX there is no room for error. The addition of an optional custom 'CLX filter' to the BalancedForce 210 and 212 subwoofers takes the headache out of achieving superb low-frequency performance.

The optional filter contains an optimized low pass filter that precisely matches the 56Hz low-frequency roll off of the CLX. Once this custom filter is installed, setup is only a matter of adjusting the phase and level of your sub. This custom filter is applied only to the left and right inputs of your subwoofer. The sub's LFE input remains unfiltered, which allows surround preamp/processors to send low-frequency information for the center, surround, and LFE channels without compromising the performance of your CLX.

CLX  Art

EcoSound and Environmentally Conscious Design

Spectacular bass sound reproduction isn't the only technical breakthrough showing up in the new MartinLogan CLX. This incomparable full range electrostatic loudspeaker is also manufactured from the most beautiful, rigid and earth friendly material available — EcoSound. We chose EcoSound because the CLX design called for an extremely rigid structurally sound frame material. Also given our commitment to the use of earth-friendly manufacturing, we wanted a fully sustainable material as well.

EcoSound is the latest innovation to come from our partnership with Klip BioTechnologies, designers of sustainable manufacturing materials. It is a FSC certified 50/50 blend of renewable bamboo fiber and 100% post consumer recycled wood and/or paper fiber. These are permanently bonded together using water-based resin that is both petroleum and VOC free. Rigorous testing has found the EcoSound material used in the CLX to provide superior internal damping compared to MDF and other more traditional materials. This is a critical to maintaining the CLX's superior sonic clarity and lack of sonic cabinet contributions.

Beautiful, dense, durable, and made from 100% earth friendly materials, EcoSound has a unique natural surface texture with edges like smooth stone. EcoSound's rich black color will not fade from UV exposure over time. Additionally, the CLX's EcoSound surface provides superior scratch resistance and unlike traditional materials, it will not swell due to excessive humidity. It is simple to maintain with an occasional application of finishing oil.

CLX  Art

Caring for EcoSound

We encourage you to occasionally apply finishing oil to maintain the EcoSound's rich dark color and keep your CLX loudspeakers looking their very best. Using a soft, lint-free cloth, simply hand rub furniture grade finishing oil onto the EcoSound surface. We recommend natural orange or lemon fine furniture oil for best results. This easily repeatable process will always return your EcoSound to its original uniform luster.

Press

MartinLogan CLX Full-Range Electrostatic Loudspeaker: A New Standard of Transparency

"Because they are so neutral in balance, so “not there” as sound sources, so low in distortion and high in transparency, they make my better and best recordings, particularly of smaller-scale music, sound more realistic than any other speaker I’ve had in my home (at low to medium-loud volumes)."

—Jonathan Valin, The Absolute Sound
Read the full review»


Acoustics Test MartinLogan CLX Art [RUSSIAN]

"[Translated] Loudspeakers of reference level, both in sound and performance, which deserve an honorable place in the audio Hall of Fame. artinLogan CLX Art, literally stuffed with advanced technological innovations, is a sample of holography and three-dimensionality: the most important parameters to which any high-end system can aspire. It is simply impossible to not fall in love with them."

—Anatoly Maksimenko, Hi-Fi.ru
Read the full review»


Girls, Shoes and Speakers

"The extra level of resolution provided by the CLX brings you so much closer to the music, providing an immersive field of sound that takes you somewhere special."

—Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio
Read the full review»


The Speaker They Said They'd Never Build

"It's this sense of completeness, the way that everything you get is presented as part of a single, coherent and contiguous whole that makes the CLXs so special; that and the fact that they do so without reducing the music, the musicians or their range of colours"

—Roy Gregory, Absolute Sound
Read the full review»


MartinLogan CLX Electrostatic Loudspeakers Reviewed

"CLX's are everything I could've hoped for and more. They exceeded my aural expectations in ways I was prepared for having owned the older CLS'. These are not an update, no sir, the CLX are a whole new animal, one that if you're lucky enough to let them out of the cage, will astound you with their sonic beauty and grace but be able to maul you with their bass. Seriously, I can think of no other speaker I'd rather own right now than the CLX's"

—Andrew Robinson, Home Theater Review
Read the full review»


Martin Logan's new CLX From Hi-Fi World

"...what Martin Logan have achieved with the CLX is impressive; they are a near perfect exponent of the art. Technically and subjectively their tonal balance is convincing, sound from the Mylar film is unobstructed by the stators for unrivalled insight, detail retrieval and clarity, bass power is plentiful and maximum volume very high..A meticulously crafted electrostatic that's free from traditional limitations, this is one of the very best loudspeakers money can buy."

—Noel Keywood, Hi-Fi World
Read the full review»


Awards

Specifications

Specifications are subject to change without notice

Frequency Response

56–23,000 Hz ±3dB

Recommended Amplifier Power

20—450 watts per channel

Horizontal Dispersion

30°

Vertical Dispersion

57" (145cm) line source

Sensitivity

90 dB/2.83 volts/meter

Impedance

6 Ohms, 0.7 at 20kHz Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.

Crossover Frequency

360Hz

High Frequency Transducer

XStat™ CLS™ electrostatic transducer. » Panel Dimensions : 57" x 8.6" (145 x 22cm) » Radiating Area : 490 in² (3,190 cm² )

Low Frequency Transducer

DualForce™ double diaphragm, triple stator dipole low-frequency electrostatic transducer » Panel Dimensions : 57" x 11.5" (144.8 x 29.2cm) » Radiating Area : 656 in² (4,228 cm²)

Components

Thick film on alumina substrate resistors, air core coils, polypropylene capacitors, and custom wound toroidal audio transformers

Inputs

Custom binding posts

Lighting

Light intensity dimmer controls

Weight

110 lbs. (50 kg)

Dimensions

70.32" x 25.75" x 14.69 " (178.6cm x 65.4cm x 37.3cm)

Customer Reviews For CLX Art

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GW1800

  • Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Best Sound Yet!
My initial ML system included Summit X's and two Descent i's back in 2011. I really liked that system and just fell in love with how good the sound was particularly vocals. The quickness and the detail is just remarkable. After doing some tweaking to my electronics and interconnects I was itching to further improve if it was possible. I contemplated a better SACD player, amps etc. but my dealer from DaVinci Media suggested to really make a significant move I needed to upgrade to the CLX's. He has always been honest with his suggestions but this one did make me pause as the extra investment was substantial. After thinking about it I took his advice and could not be happier(moved the Summit X's and Descent i's to start my upgrade of my Media room). Actually after purchasing the CLX's I have upgraded everything including the subs over the past couple of years. My electronics, interconnects, grounding, DAC etc. have all been replaced and these speakers make it easy to hear all the changes. Lately working on adding more acoustical tiles with great results. What I'm getting at is these speakers seem to have no limit and will reward you as you keep refining your system. Also like most of you I do not have an ideal room or distance from the front wall. Maybe someday I will and when that day does come I fully expect even better results. Specifically owning a CLX pair what can you expect? Its like the difference of hearing a recording and being there it's that dramatic. Its really hard to put into words the depth, width, height and placement of instruments and singers is just terrific. I think with the CLX being virtually a full range speaker also helps in that you get a lot of the benefits of the electrostatic design sonically over a much wider frequency compared to a hybrid. I still like the subs to help round out the very low bottom. The 212 subs with the custom crossover really integrates well with the CLX and at no time can you point them out listening to music. Go listen to a set of CLX's, trust your ears and I think you will come to the same conclusion that I have! Associated Equipment: Aurender N10 Music Server, Bricasti M1 SE DAC, Bricasti M28 Mono amps and various Nordost interconnects and power all Vahalla V2 or Odin2. Other Nosdost products include 2-QX4, 5-QV2, 5-QK1, QB8, TC Sort Kones under QK4's, QB8, Aurender N10, QKore 6 - Sort Fut under CLX, 212's, Rack, QB8 and Qkore. Also latest QKore 6 grounding.

rower30

  • Tuesday, December 31, 2013

CLX art exceed expectations.
How did I end up with CLX art speakers? Well, I am a cable development engineer for Belden, and in the process of working with cable designs I used a Martin Logan SUMMIT-X in those trials, as well as my own speakers. The SUMMIT-X speakers were a friends, who just happens to work for Martin Logan. So that sets the stage for hearing Martin Logan products for the first time. The problem was the extended development cycle of the cables, and with the changes in sound so readily apparent on his summit-X speakers. So much so, that his system "broke" mine! I had to leave my system alone for a few days till my brain forgot the fantastic detail and realism of those SUMMIT-X transducers. I never really though I was an electrostatic guy, and all the rumors about issues with these exotic bread of speakers. I eventually said, if you EVER sell those speakers, call me! He didn't, but said to buy the even better CLX-art versions. I did, and now there is no going back to dynamic drivers anywhere in the near future. For a dynamic driver person (or I thought I was) the first electrostatic experience is almost a "confrontation" of your expectations of what a stereo sounds like. It should sound like expertly REPRODUCED sound. The SUMMIT-X and CLX-art DO NOT sound like that as they are much closer to REAL MUSIC! This can REALLY, REALLY mess with your head as you need to change what the musical expectations are. The CLX art are moving things to a totally different presentation. OK, first things first for the dynamic driver crowd. No, the CLX art won't give the DYNAMIC POP in the bass, but it is far from bad. And with subs, it is almost a non-issue. But yes, dynamic drivers can do the "hit" better if that's your thing. They also industrialize the sound and erase all the micro-dynamic detail up and down the frequency spectrum. Of course YOUR dynamic driver speakers don't...until you listen to a CLX art, anyway. Happened to me, that's for sure. Dynamic drivers are getting better, but DO NOT listen to a CLX art until you want to know what they leave on the table. These CLX art speakers take some serious break-in time. Mine have maybe 50 hours on them, and have improved markedly in richness. So be patient with a set that's new. Every hi-end speaker I've owned, Vandersteen Quatro's, Dynaudio C4's ETC has been like this, they are STILL dampened mechanical devices. After many hours I finally REALLY listened to them. I stuck a Hans Thesessink and best of Peter Paul and Mary CD in and melted into my seat. This can't really be a review because I can't seriously explain how RIGHT these speakers "get it" through their frequency range. The fluid, visceral, liquid nature of voices is almost unsettlingly real. Higher frequencies are also so right. The energy in a cymbal isn't stuffed into a single hissing band I'm used to hearing, but extends up and down the frequency range in a fantastic balance that makes cymbals finally sound like cymbals. Expansive vocal chorus presentations are immense in size, to the nature of the musical event, and specific detail right down to every individual head in the choir. I've heard expansiveness before, but NOT the incredible detail and resolution. CLX art speakers simply seem to make music "appear" and not be "produced". Their micro dynamics are so incredibly delicate a butterfly can be hard flitting about. Yes, you don't think of dynamic as delicate, but they can be both delicate and hugely rash (saxophone) as needed. There is absolutely NO harmonic overruns that aren't in the music. Those dynamic driver resonance sounds you used to think is music are GONE. I had to get over that. I do indeed like deep bass, and I used a pair of 10" Velodyne DD10+ subs, and moved them to the CLX arts. They seem to work better than expected...and their smaller stereo pair size helps them be acceptably quick to better match the panels. What I wasn't expecting is the "sound" of the bass being so much more complex and resolving. If there are 100 words for snow, my old dynamic driver speakers got maybe 25% of the words across, the CLX arts? I'd say about 95% (they are still not fully broken in). I listen to little rock, but Supertramp, NICKEL BACK and the like still puts it out on the CLX-art with subs. The myths of electrostatic speakers have been busted in my mind. Imaging? I feared I'd get this detailed euphoric expanse of sound everyone references. Nope, the imaging is real life sized and precise in a HUGE box between and behind the speakers. There is so little mechanical resonance on the CLX art that the blackness and openness rides to infinity. The space around everything, not just the bass, midrange or treble, is utterly amazing. Box, what box? I detect ZERO electrostatic "halo" people also reference. You can make them brighter with position, but that's NOT a membrane resonance, it is energy distribution in the room. Hard to drive? My MOON W-8 barely gets warm runningvthem at 85dB average. My dynamic driver speakers got the W-8 HOT to the touch. The ideal seating position isn't as bad as many claim in my room, which is a screwy room, a 40' long room with a "L" shaped end. One speaker is against the wall, the other in the open end of the "L". So each speaker is really in a different "room". Some toe-in and out of each speaker got the image placement correct and excellent sounding. Truth be told, NO speaker I've owned and used in this room has sounded good in all but one single spot. The CLX arts sound SO GOOD in THAT ideal spot you never want to leave it anyway! They are so good you don't want to accept less. My dynamic driver speakers never reach the perfection of the CLX art, so moving about doesn't really make them much worse. I'm not sure if that's a compliment to dynamic driver speakers, really. It takes a few days to get used to dipole radiators, as everything seems backwards. They get louder as you move AWAY from the speaker. Speaker placement and toe in or out is also more room dependant to center the image. Throw away the 1/3 of the panel thing and LISTEN to the music! Get the speakers placed right so the midrange is centered, full, liquid and resolving. WHO CARES where the speakers are pointed. In my two different rooms "L" shaped mess mine are in, the speakers are a parallelogram. The right speaker by the wall is toed in. The left speaker in the open end of the "L" is toed in on the BASS panel side. So the hi-frequency panels are BOTH 62" from a front wall, with the BASS panels toed IN (right) and OUT (left) 3 inches. This places the imaging in a more center position with a full resolving sound. Yes, the room loads the speakers differently so be open minded to placement. Try stuff that's "wrong" in an ideal room. I'll keep tuning the placement but this odd ball looking set-up gets the job done. The image placement is in the upper third of the panels in my room, and wonderfully expansive to the left and right and even beyond the speakers. Voices and images are "big" but to a life-size rendition. So huge they are not. Correct they are. You won't see Linda Rhonstadt's tonsils if you dig overly large imaging. And on the other hand, they aren't British in compressing the image into a tiny pinpoint of spatial precision, either. The CLX art have pushed my expectations of musical "reproduction" to simply hearing the music. You just have to audition a set to understand this speaker, as it is so unlike anything else. I started out developing cables, and ended up buying new speakers! Rating a speaker is very subjective so my criteria is it can't be 5 stars unless it does EVERYTHING, so I give 4 stars to the CLX arts by themselves. The CLX art lack that dynamic bass POP which is not the same thing as static frequency response where they do very well (I measured them), but dynamic accuracy in the bass. Yes, I have a few cuts that are nuts dynamic in the bass. They are good, but I need those two subs too open-up the low frequency dynamics. But you simply cannot get the rest of the sound without the CLX arts. They do SO much more right than wrong compared to any speaker I've listen to and yes, even the MAGICO's and FOCAL EM series. So yes, there is a spot where they will excel to amazing standards for their price and you won't mind seating yourself there, either. It's not a head in a vise seat, but a relaxed livable position that is totally rewarding. If you need crocodile tears, put one in front of a set of CLX arts and bring a bucket! Way to go Martin Logan.