University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, Mav 1, 1991
3B
LOUD&Clear
Lawrence entrepreneur uses electrostatics to make speakers reproduce precise sound
By Rick C. Honish Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Imagine hearing the sounds of screaming guitars, thudding bass and thunderous drums. Or maybe the tapping of a drummer's foots in flutes and majestic trumpets.
The crystal-clear music sounds as if it is being played right there in the room.
There is no heavy metal band, no London Symphony. Only two identical objects, both about six feet high
object, our book is 15cm high. They resemble some sort of hightech sculpture, a '90s version of the Easter Island monoliths.
The base of the objects resemble everyday speakers, but the top portions look like a shimmering black honeycomb.
And you can see right through them.
Where did that crystal clear sound come from - thin air?
Well, almost.
The two sculptures are actually Martin-Logan electrostatic loudspeakers, and the majority of the sound is produced by a transparent sheet within the homecomb screen that is lighter than one cubic inch of
Martin-Logan began in 1980 in a basement in Lawrence where two tinkersers, Gayle Martin Sanders and Ronald Galogan Sutherland, wanted to use a 1928s technology, electrostrobe, for sound reproduction to make precise sound reproduction around.
"The early ones blew up." Sanders said.
They don't blow up anymore
Sanders eventually bought out Sutherland, and Martin Logan, now an award-winning Lawrence-based company, has developed a worldwide clientele that Robin Leach would be proud of.
The top-of-the-line line speaker system,
the Statement, is a made-to-order,
1,900-pound work of art that can be
yours for only $55,000.
Lower-priced models go for a thrifty $2,650, but each and every system undergoes the same treat. For example, we can stem to stem from Sanders' philosophy.
"I can appreciate anything if it is done well," he said.
With that the process begins.
The speaker cabinets are made in Fredonia and are shipped to Martin-Logan where each are hand-inspected. Every component that goes into the company's speakers is hand-inspected.
The frame boards on the front of the speakers are hand-picked so the boards' grain will match.
All the components are designed in-house, including the electronics and the user's manuals.
The electronics are built by other companies, but they are assembled at Martin-Logan.
A transparent, space-age foil is used for the sound-producing diaphragm. It is made especially for Martin-Logan by the same company that tints the windows on the space shuttles.
Dick Rawlings, who assembles speaker components for Martin-Logan, said the company used a secret process to stretch the diaphragms tightly across the honeycomb of the film and the pharm film cost $1,000 a roll.
Sanders said the metal honeycomb screens are insulated with a high-grade nylon to withstand 10,000 volts.
The different parts eventually merge to become a high-tech force, but not before every step is inspected for perfection.
The system works by alternating an electric charge between the two screens, called stators. The charge alternates positive and negative between the stators with the free electrons in music, up to 40,000 times a second.
The alternating currents act like a magnet on the transparent diaphram, which is charged with positive electrons, moving it back and forth to create the vibrations of sound.
Sound that Sanders strives to bring closer to his ideal.
"I want to make the speaker disappear," he said.
Someday the music may come from thin air.
Gayle Sanders, owner of Martin-Logan Ltd., stands with the stator panel of the Monolith speaker.
Scott Roberts uses a liquid adhesive to attach brace supports to the inside of the Quest model speaker
Jeff Williams installs a woofer in a Quest speaker.
Photos by Mike Turner
Paul Schmidt inspects Sequel II speakers in the quality-control area after they have been assembled and frequency tested.
Electronic components are hand-soldered at the plant.
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