"Best I have Ever Heard, On-Wall or Otherwise"
MartinLogan presents a new Masterpiece of home theater realism: the Focus ESL C18 Center Channel Loudspeaker, an electrostatic center channel speaker designed for wall-mounted flexibility. It brings realism into focus with an 18-inch wide XStat CLS electrostatic transducer with the detailed imaging capability of a Folded Motion tweeter, along with twin 6.5-inch woofers, capable of deep bass reproduction down to 50Hz.
The painters of the Dutch Golden Age produced photo-realistic masterpieces 300 years before cameras were invented. They focused your attention using a bright, otherworldly light. Even in their most intimate portraits, the riveting light draws your eye.
This kind of sensory focus is the key to realism in your home theater, as well. It’s the job of your center channel loudspeaker to anchor action and dialogue to your screen. It must reproduce detailed high frequency information to reinforce imaging, and also blend seamlessly with the other speakers in your surround-sound system to envelope you in a realistic soundstage.
"Do I like it?" asks adrummingdude at avsforum.com. "Absolutely! Is it a good center channel? Yes, the best I have ever heard, on-wall or otherwise. Is it perfect? No, but darn near. Will I keep it? You bet, and I'd buy it again in a New York minute!"
At Home on the Wall or on a Shelf
What makes the Focus ESL C18 a masterpiece of center channel design and engineering is its surprising ability to be wall-mounted. And while the Focus ESL C18 boasts a depth of just 9.6-inches when mounted flat on a wall, it is packed with technology that delivers the detailed audio you demand from a superior center channel loudspeaker.
The 7.5 x 18-inch Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) electrostatic panel, with its gentle horizontal curve, enhances output and extends the enveloping mid-range dispersion pattern. The design of the exterior grille matches the look of the MicroPerf Stators and bold AirFrame Blade seen on other models in the Masterpiece ESL Series, for a sophisticated and coordinated home theater system aesthetic.
The goal is flexibility and performance, and the Focus ESL C18 achieves both. The sleek, sculpted enclosure is solidly braced, resonance-free and well-balanced. It is designed to be mounted above or below your screen. Heavy-duty wall-mounting bracket hardware is included, and the innovative brackets accommodate multiple mounting angles, so you can aim the Focus ESL C18 directly at your listening position for a perfectly aligned center channel presentation.
The Focus ESL C18 is also at home on a shelf or floor stand. Toggle the convenient “On-Wall/Off-Wall” acoustic contour switch to instantly optimize performance for any mounting position. This feature automatically modifies response to compensate for wall boundaries that may reinforce or inhibit bass output. The result is room-filling center channel reproduction with lifelike full-range verve.
Precision-Built Advanced-Topology Vojtko Crossover
Vojtko Voiced, the advanced crossover in Focus ESL C18 add enhanced mid-range clarity to this artful composition. Carefully hand-built using only the finest polypropylene capacitors and air-core coils, the crossover employs MartinLogan’s proprietary Vojtko topology for vanishingly low distortion and seamless driver/ESL integration. This precision-tuned network preserves even the most microscopic sonic nuances while handling the full dynamics of any source.
Premium WBT Binding Posts
Connect your electronics safely and securely using 5-Way audiophile WBT Binding Posts. Their pure copper connection plate is highly conductive and free from eddy current effects. These posts are insulated for shock protection, and fully damped against vibrations. They give you plenty of room for large-gauge professional speaker connections.
Exclusive Folded Motion Tweeter
Situated just behind the electrostatic panel, fixed in a uniquely designed housing, sits a MartinLogan exclusive Folded Motion Tweeter. The low-mass diaphragm of the Folded Motion Tweeter minimizes distortion, while its short excursion length expedites lightning fast high frequency response. The 1 x 1.4-inch Folded Motion Tweeter in the Focus ESL C18 center channel speaker has a diaphragm area of 5.25 x 1.75-inches. The combined performance characteristics of the electrostatic panel and the Folded Motion Tweeter ensure precision and hyper-realistic front-stage blending.
This kind of mid- and high-frequency performance can only be supported by a foundation of tremendous low-end. So the Focus ESL C18 also features a passive array of twin 6.5-inch woofers, capable of deep bass reproduction down to 50Hz. Bass output can be tuned for any installation option with the acoustic contour switch.
