Ethos Overview

MartinLogan is proud to announce an advanced combination of sonic technologies establishing an unprecedented new direction for audiophile design. Descended from MartinLogan's renowned CLX™ loudspeaker, the new Ethos features advanced XStat™ electrostatic technology and a proprietary Vojtko™ crossover topology delivering the highest sonic standards of efficiency and precision. An immensely dynamic 8-inch PoweredForce™ woofer and 8-inch passive radiator duo utilize an innovative 24-bit Vojtko DSP (digital signal processing) Engine and powerful 200-watt class-D amplifier to generate effortlessly detailed bass down to 34Hz—from an extremely compact design!

XStat™ Transducer

A unique XStat™ transducer was developed to exclusively address the specific mechanical requirements of the Ethos. Vertically identical in size and dispersion to the flagship Summit™ X (and taller than the Vantage), Ethos' 9.2-inch (23cm) horizontal panel dimension required a tighter curve to achieve MartinLogan's distinct 30-degree dispersion pattern. To accomplish this MartinLogan engineers reduced the gauge thickness of the steel stators. The reduced gauge does not alter the performance characteristics of the Ethos' electrostatic panel. However, as a natural byproduct of tighter build tolerances, it does increase the visual transparency of the panel. Ethos' new XStat panel is so visually transparent that it nearly vanishes when you're sitting and listening.

Hand-Rubbed Wood Finishes

Initial shipments of the Ethos will be available in 3 hand-rubbed, real-wood finishes; black ash, dark cherry, and new for 2010, flamed teak. Watch for the full gamut of custom shop finishes to follow soon. In late 2010 flamed teak will be offered as a standard finish on a wider variety of MartinLogan's top-of-the-line models.

24-Bit Vojtko™ Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Engine

MartinLogan's dedicated in-house design & engineering team wanted to pack as much bass performance as possible into a sleek, compact design without compromising the detail, speed, and transparency required to keep up with our agile electrostatic panels. To accomplish this MartinLogan designed an extremely precise 24-Bit Vojtko DSP Engine in conjunction with a powerful 200-watt class-D amplifier to harness a stunning low-level performance—uncommon in cabinets this compact.

Advanced Vojtko Filtering

Proprietary Vojtko filtering technology is utilized for Ethos' electrostatic transducer. This audiophile quality network, derived from the CLX, is carefully hand-built using precision point-to-point wiring, polypropylene capacitors, massive air-core coils, and a custom wound toroidal audio transformer—flawlessly preserving micro-acoustic subtleties while effortlessly handling the broadest range of dynamics contained within even the most demanding sonic source.

PoweredForce™ Woofer & Passive Radiator Dynamic Duo

Ethos' 24-Bit Vojtko DSP Engine and 200-watt digital amplifier create powerfully detailed bass from a custom designed front-firing 8-inch aluminum-cone PoweredForce woofer and precisely matched down-firing 8-inch passive radiator. This unique radiator enhances bass output, much like a port, but without port induced noise and midrange resonance. Ethos' passive radiator utilizes a full woofer suspension design to achieve maximize linearity during massive excursion. Additionally, Ethos' proprietary intelligent DSP engine allowed our engineers to utilize a smaller-than-average passive radiator to obtain the appropriate level of bass performance required to flawlessly blend with the electrostatic panel while still maintaining a minimal footprint for the cabinet.