£8,495

Classic ESL 9

Classic ESL 9 is your ticket to a life-changing experience with a masterpiece of audio performance. This completely passive design features a 9.2-inch (CLS™) XStat™ electrostatic transducer, dual 8-inch aluminum-Cone woofers, and custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts.

Classic ESL 9

A masterpiece doesn’t just inspire emotions. It changes the way you feel, and it sticks with you long after you’ve left the art gallery or the concert hall. It’s considered a masterpiece precisely because of its ability to alter something inside you. Once you experience it, you’ll never be the same. Enjoying a masterpiece in your own home is something to aspire to.

Consider the Classic ESL 9 your ticket to a life-changing experience with a masterpiece of audio performance. You will never be the same.

A Classic Masterpiece of Sound Reproduction

MartinLogan unveils the Classic ESL 9, its newest modern Masterpiece. All the familiar elements of MartinLogan’s flagship ESL series are here, with some revolutionary refinements.

The heart of this exceptional loudspeaker is its 9.2-inch-wide Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) XStat vacuum-bonded electrostatic transducer. Advanced MicroPerf stator technology reveals more of the diaphragm surface area than any other electrostatic panel in this size class, efficiently increasing the narrow panel’s output. Ultra-rigid AirFrame Blade construction reduces performance-robbing vibrations, its shape creating an expressive alignment with the woofer cabinet. Deep bass is rendered with unflinching accuracy and authority by dual 8-inch low-distortion, high-excursion aluminum cone woofers in a beautifully sculpted enclosure.

Look at the familiar elements of the classic MartinLogan electrostatic loudspeaker:Advanced MicroPerf stator technology, which allows for almost twice the exposed electrostatic diaphragm surface as a traditional electrostatic panel of the same size. A reinforced electrostatic panel with rigid ClearSpar™ spacers, keeping an exact level of tension on the vacuum-bonded diaphragm without obscuring the beautiful see-through design. Add to these the slender, pointed-arrow design of the new AirFrame™ Blade construction and the result is a powerfully evocative composition creating a harmonious connection between the panel and its woofer cabinet.

Now notice some refinements: We have reinvented the Classic ESL 9 woofer section. We use two 8-inch laser-engineered low-distortion aluminum cone woofers, balanced in an opposing array, one forward- and one rear-firing. This design greatly reduces cabinet vibrations inherent in same-direction woofer positioning, specifically in the 34Hz to 100Hz range for uniform frequency response resulting in realistic bass effects you can feel.

Specifications

Frequency Response34–23,000 Hz ±3dB
Recommended Amplifier Power20—400 watts per channel
Horizontal Dispersion30°
Vertical Dispersion44" (112cm) line source
Sensitivity90 dB/2.83 volts/meter
Impedance4 Ohms, 0.8 at 20kHz Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.
Crossover Frequency380Hz
High Frequency TransducerXStat™ CLS™ electrostatic transducer » Panel Dimensions: 44" x 9.2" (112 x 23cm) » Radiating Area: 405 in² (2,576 cm² )
Low Frequency TransducerTwo 8” (20.3 cm) cast basket, high excursion, rigid aluminium cone woofers with extended throw drive assembly, non-resonance asymmetrical chamber format
ComponentsCustom-wound audio transformer, air core coils, low DCR steel laminate coils, polyester capacitors
Signal InputsCustom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts
Power DrawMax: 2W per channel Standby: <1W per channel
Weight78 lbs. (35.4 kg)
Dimensions59.8" x 10.4" x 25.4 " (152cm x 26.4cm x 64.6cm)