The popular Science Channel program shows how electrostatic speakers are hand-built in MartinLogan's North American factory.
Lawrence, KS – January 5, 2011 – MartinLogan, the world's leader in electrostatic speaker technology, was featured in an episode of Science Channel's "How It's Made" on December 29, 2011. The episode showed the construction from start to finish of a Reserve ESL Series Ethos electrostatic speaker, highlighting many of the finishing touches and testing that go into the process of hand-crafting electrostatic speakers.
The multi-step process of hand building an electrostatic speaker starts with the woofer cabinet construction. Once the cabinet is built, sanded, painted and hand-polished, the speaker driver and electronics are installed by a technician. The next step is panel assembly and final testing in the 30,000 sq ft. anechoic chamber housed onsite.
Assembly of the electrostatic panels, or transducers, is a highlight of the episode since the specialized process differentiates MartinLogan from other speaker companies. An electrostatic transducer has three basic components - stators, a diaphragm, and spars (spacers) - assembled as acoustical sandwich. The diaphragm is an ultra light film, impregnated with an electrically conductive material and stretched taut between the two stators, which are perforated steel sheets coated with an insulator. When the speaker is operating, the diaphragm is charged to a fixed positive voltage by a high-voltage power supply, creating a strong electrostatic field around it.
"MartinLogan speakers are hand-crafted with incredible precision, a process that has continuously evolved over 30 years of audio engineering and research," said Justin Bright, Director of Digital Marketing for MartinLogan. "How It's Made does an exceptional job of showing the entire labor intensive process of electrostatic speaker construction in a way that appeals to more than just audio enthusiasts."
Consisting of four segments, the "How It's Made" episode featuring MartinLogan also shows the process of making bowler/top hats, solar water heaters and sticky buns. Mmmm, sticky buns.
While it will eventually be posted online, additional airings of the show will be on the Science Channel in January.