Specifications

Electrostatic Advantages 17
Another significant advantage of MartinLogan’s exclusive
transducer technology reveals itself when you look at exam-
ples of other loudspeaker products on the market today.
The Vista uses no crossover networks above 450 Hz
because they are not needed. The Vista consists of a single,
seamless electrostatic membrane reproducing all frequen-
cies above 450 Hz simultaneously. How is this possible?
First we must understand that music is not composed
of separate high, mid and low frequency pieces. In fact,
music is comprised of a single complex waveform with all
frequencies interacting simultaneously.
The electrostatic transducer of the Vista essentially acts as
an exact opposite of the microphones used to record the
original event. A microphone, which is a single working
element, transforms acoustic energy into an electrical sig-
nal that can be amplified or preserved by some type of
storage media. The Vista’s electrostatic transducer trans-
forms electrical energy from your amplifier back into
acoustical energy.
Due to the limitations of electromagnetic drivers, no single
unit can reproduce the full range of frequencies. Instead,
these drivers must be designed to operate within a nar-
row, fixed bandwidth of the frequency range, and then
combined electrically so that the sum of the parts equals
the total signal. While nice in theory, we must deal with
real-world conditions.
In order to use multiple drivers, a crossover network
is enlisted to attempt a division of the complex musical
signal into the separate pieces (usually highs, mids, and
lows) that each specific driver was designed to handle.
Unfortunately, due to the phase relationships that occur
within all crossover networks and during the acoustical
recombination process, nonlinearities and severe deg-
radation of the music signal take place in the ear’s most
critical zone (see figure 17).
The Vista’s electrostatic transducer can single-handedly
reproduce all frequencies above 400 Hz simultaneously.
You have in one transducer the ability to handle in elegant
simplicity the critical frequencies above 450 Hz.
The crossover phase aberrations that are associated with
traditional tweeter, midrange, and woofer systems are
eliminated. The result is a dramatic improvement in imag-
ing and staging performance due to the minutely accurate
phase relationship of the full-range panel wave launch.
Full Range Operation
Figure 17. This diagram illustrates how a conventional
speaker system must use multiple crossover networks
that have negative effects on the musical performance.