Martin Logan : SUMMIT X

2011 Golden Ear Award
—Summit X

2010 Best Buys - First Place Speaker of the Year: HiTech Magazine (Greece)
—Summit X

2009 Product of the Year - Innovation in Design: SoundStage! (www.soundstage.com)
—Summit X

Key Features:

• CLS™ XStat electrostatic transducer
• Ultra rigid AirFrame™
• Dual 200 watt Controlled Dispersion
• PoweredForce 10-inch aluminum
• cone woofers
• Precision built advanced topology
• Vojtko™ crossover
• 25 & 50Hz level control
• Highly adjustable ETC™ spikes

Amazing mid-range clarity and openness inspired by the CLX loudspeaker is only half of the story. Summit X is the first hybrid electrostatic speaker to bring controlled dispersion to low frequencies. Using a precision Vojtko Voiced™ crossover network to apply variable phasing near the crossover point, Summit X's Controlled Dispersion PoweredForce™ technology provides seamless blending with the XStat™ transducer. Four innovative modular feet adjust vertical dispersion over a 12 degree range, while the 25 and 50Hz level controls fine-tune woofer output to provide smooth, clean, and powerful bass throughout the listening environment.

Summit X takes everything that was great about the original Summit and makes it better. Vojtko Voiced™ with a redesigned crossover and electronics, Summit X brings the magical electrostatic mid-range clarity of the CLX to a smaller package. Controlled Dispersion PoweredForce woofers tailor output to provide a low-frequency dispersion pattern at the crossover point mimicking that of our Controlled Dispersion XStat transducers. This breakthrough design provides dynamic, room filling bass at the lowest frequencies. By subtly shifting woofer phasing as it approaches the crossover frequency we minimize side-wall reflections and reduce problematic room interactions, while achieving seamless integration between the woofer and electrostatic transducer.

A flexible foot configuration allows listeners to easily adjust the controlled vertical dispersion of Summit X from -1° to 11°. The result? A superb sounding speaker that is easier than ever to integrate into every room!

Key to the Summit X's revolutionary performance is our advanced XStat™ electrostatic panel, which covers most of the audible range, from the midrange to beyond the limit of human hearing, with unprecedented accuracy. A perfectly integrated Controlled Dispersion PoweredForce™ woofer section—the most advanced woofer technology available in a full-range speaker—supplies an authoritative bass foundation from its twin 10-inch aluminum-cone drivers, effortlessly extending the Summit X's response to frequencies below where even most subwoofers reach. Yet the Summit X never, ever sounds heavy.

Nor does it look heavy. In fact, it almost seems to float in the air. We believe you'll agree that the Summit X looks nearly as good as it sounds—maybe because, like all designs, form follows function.

MartinLogan hybrid electrostats are a special breed of speaker, and the Summit X is the most special of them all. Hearing is believing.

Controlled Dispersion PoweredForce™ Bass

MartinLogan PoweredForce woofers feature advanced driver and amplification technologies that deliver astonishingly dynamic and articulate bass to as low as 24Hz from an enclosure only about the size of a case of wine. Controlled Dispersion PoweredForce woofers tailor output to provide a dispersion pattern at the crossover point mimicking that of our controlled dispersion electrostatic transducers. This breakthrough design provides dynamic, room filling bass at the lowest frequencies. However, by smoothly shifting woofer phasing as it approaches the crossover point we create a hybrid speaker that operates much more like a full range dipole (down to 160Hz) and brings with it all the requisite advantages of a controlled dispersion radiation pattern and uniform wave launch while still retaining the efficiency and dynamics that cone woofers provide at the lowest frequencies. By operating in dipole below the crossover point, the cones match the electrostatic panel when projecting sound into the room to provide controlled dispersion that minimizes side-wall reflections and reduces problematic room interactions in the midbass and midrange frequencies.

At the lowest bass frequencies (below 100Hz), the woofers remain in phase which is ideal for eliminating low frequency cancelation inherent to full range dipoles. This provides deep, dynamic low bass superior to that of most expensive high-end loudspeakers. Summit X is truly the finest hybrid speaker in the world, bringing all the benefits of both dynamic and electrostatic transducers into one seamless, easy to set up, and conveniently sized package. Additional 25 and 50Hz low-frequency equalization level controls further enhance performance by allowing precise tailoring to accommodate individual room acoustics.

The following graphs are idealized representations of the Summit X's bass response. Note on the graph titled 'Response: Behind Speaker', that the bass response at the lowest frequencies is in phase with the front response (indicated by the grey background). Between 100Hz and 160Hz woofer output shifts to become completely 180 degrees out of phase with the front response. In reality, this phase shifting is much more gradual than shown in the graph. It is simplified here to illustrate the concept. When the front and rear bass responses (sound waves) meet in the middle (at the sides of the speaker), the opposing phases cancel each other and cause the response to drop off as shown in the graph titled 'Response: Speaker Side'. Focusing wave launch above 160Hz to the front and back of the speaker effectively mimics the controlled dispersion pattern inherent to our electrostatic transducers. This allows the output of the dynamic woofer and electrostatic transducers to operate with a cohesive, aligned wave launch creating a seamless sonic presentation across the full range of sound while minimizing side wall reflections that muddle sonic detail and stereo imaging. To learn more about the advantages of controlled dispersion.

Laser Engineered Dual 10-Inch Low-Distortion Aluminum Cone Woofers

MartinLogan's engineering team utilized a sophisticated laser measurement system to map woofer performance during the development of Summit X. This precision tool allowed the engineers to understand, with extreme precision, the performance parameters of prototype woofers during the design process. The resulting data was used to refine the woofer and crossover design to obtain a powerful low-frequency performance that is rich in detail.

By eliminating cone flexure, aluminum diaphragms help our advanced-technology woofers achieve the very low distortion necessary for proper blending with MartinLogan electrostatic panels.
CLX Inspired, Precision-Built Advanced-Topology Vojtko™ Crossover

Vojtko Voiced with an advanced crossover and electronics, Summit X brings the magical electrostatic mid-range clarity of the CLX to a smaller package. 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 integration. This precision-tuned network preserves even the most microscopic sonic nuances while handling the full dynamics of any source.

Controlled Dispersion Sound Radiation

The sound we hear from a loudspeaker is a combination of direct radiation from it to our ears and reflections off of room surfaces—walls, floor, and ceiling. How our brains integrate all this information is far from simple. Depending on the angle of incidence to the ears and the arrival-time difference between direct and reflected sound, reflections can either blur detail and stereo imaging or enhance the natural impression of depth and openness.

True dipole speakers, such as electrostatic panels, have long been noted for their near-ideal controlled dispersion radiation patterns. They send very little sound to the sides, thereby minimizing side-wall reflections with short arrival times that tend to interfere with perception of the direct sound. Their strong rear radiation, however, produces a generous amount of ambience-enriching later-arriving reflections off the wall behind them.

Control Panel and Ground Effects Lighting

The Summit X comes standard with an illuminated blue MartinLogan logo on the hood of the speaker. Additionally, a discreet light illuminates the back control panel to make easier the task of fine tuning the control settings. A unique ground effects light spills a subtle glow from beneath the speaker, creating an intriguing visual presentation in darkened listening rooms (just because it's cool)! All three lights are defeatable via a control on the back panel.
MartinLogan CLS (Curvilinear Line Source) electrostatic transducer.

Finish Options

Available in a variety of aluminum and hand-rubbed wood finishes, MartinLogan Summit X loudspeakers can be personalized to match any 
décor. Customers are invited to design their own Summit X in the MartinLogan Custom Shop