MartinLogan Monolith III - Manual (Page 8)

Page8 Monolith III User's Manual
AC Power Connection AC Power Connection AC Power Connection AC Power Connection AC Power Connection
Electrostatic speakers use an internal power supply to
energize their electrostatic elements with high-voltage DC
(low current). As such, they must be connected to an AC
wall outlet. For this reason we have provided your speakers
with the proper IEC standard power cords. These cords
should be firmly inserted into the AC power receptacles on
the rear connection panel of the speakers, then to any
convenient AC wall outlet. Extension cords may be used, if
necessary, since the AC power requirement of the speaker
is extremely small (less than 2.5 watts).
We do not recommend the use of "super cords", as many
of these designs eliminate the ground prong of the male
plug and therefore do not follow IEC convention standards.
If proper plugs are fitted, then the choice is up to you.
Your Martin-Logan speakers have been designed to
remain on continuously and should remain connected to a
continuous AC power source. As mentioned earlier, power
consumption of the
MONOLITH III is very small and the life
expectancy of its components will not be reduced by
continuous operation.
The power cord should not be installed, removed, The power cord should not be installed, removed, The power cord should not be installed, removed, The power cord should not be installed, removed, The power cord should not be installed, removed,
or left detached from the speaker while the other or left detached from the speaker while the other or left detached from the speaker while the other or left detached from the speaker while the other or left detached from the speaker while the other
end is connected to an AC wall outlet. end is connected to an AC wall outlet. end is connected to an AC wall outlet. end is connected to an AC wall outlet. end is connected to an AC wall outlet.
Your Martin-Logan speakers are wired for the power
service supplied in the country of original consumer sale
unless manufactured on special order. The AC power
rating applicable to a particular unit is specified both on the
packing carton and on the serial number plate attached to
the speaker.
If you remove your Martin-Logan speakers from the country
of original sale, be certain that AC power supplied in any
subsequent location is suitable before connecting and
operating the speakers. Substantially impaired perform-
ance or severe damage may occur to a Martin-Logan
speaker if operation is attempted from an incorrect AC
power source.
If your home is not equipped with three-prong wall outlets,
you may use “cheater” plugs to connect the speakers to AC
power. However, please make certain that you connect the
grounding wire or tab of the plug to a ground. These may
be obtained at your dealer or any hardware department.
Signal Connection Signal Connection Signal Connection Signal Connection Signal Connection
Use the best speaker cables you can! The length and type
of speaker cable used in your system will have an audible
effect. Under no circumstance should a wire of gauge
higher (thinner) than #16 be used. In general, the longer
the length used, the greater the necessity of a lower gauge,
and the lower the gauge, the better the sound, with dimin-
ishing returns setting in around #8 to #12.
A variety of speaker cables are now available whose
manufacturers claim better performance than with standard
heavy gauge wire. We have verified this in some cases,
and the improvements available are often more noticeable
than the differences between wires of different gauge.
We would also recommend, if possible, that short runs of
speaker cable connect the power amplifier(s) and speak-
ers and that high quality long interconnect cables be used
to connect the preamplifier and power amplifier. This
results in the power amplifiers being close to the speakers,
which may be practically or cosmetically difficult, but if the
length of the speaker cables can be reduced to a few
meters, sonic advantages may be obtained. The effects of
cables may be masked if the equipment is not of the
highest quality.
Connections are done at the SIGNAL INPUT section on the
rear electronics panel of the MONOLITH III. Use spade or
banana connectors for optimum contact and ease of
installation. Make certain that all your connections are
clean, tight and positive.
Be consistent when connecting the speaker cables to the
SIGNAL INPUT terminals. Take care to assign the same color
cable lead to the (+) terminal on both the left and right
channel speakers. If bass is nonexistent and you cannot
discern a tight, coherent image, you probably need to
reverse the (+) and (-) leads on one speaker to bring the
system into proper polarity.
The MONOLITH IIIp INTERFACE provides you with three
different methods for connecting the MONOLITH III to your
audio system, while the superior MONOLITH IIIx CROSSOVER
uses active bi-amplification.
Connection