MartinLogan Loudspeaker Systems - Manual (Page 5)

O
PERATION
Operation 5
Because your MartinLogan Scenario’s use an internal power
supply to energize their electrostatic cells with high-voltage DC,
they must be connected to an AC power source.
For this reason they are provided 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. The Scenario’s integrate
a signal sensing power supply which will switch off after a few
minutes of no music signal, and requires less than two seconds
to recharge the panels when a music signal is present.
Your Scenario speakers are wired for the power service
supplied in the country of original consumer sale. 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 Scenario 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 performance
or severe damage may occur to an Scenario speaker if
operation is attempted from an incorrect AC power source.
WARNING! The power cord should not be installed,
removed, or left detached from the speaker while
the other end is connected to an AC power source.
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 diminishing
returns setting in around #8 to #12.
A variety of speaker cables are now available whose
manufacturers claim better performance over standard heavy
gauge wire. We have verified this in many cases, and the
improvements available are often more noticeable than the
differences between wires of different gauge. The effects of
cables may be masked if the equipment is not the highest quality.
We also recommend, if possible, that short runs of speaker
cable connect the power amplifier(s) and speakers 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.
Connections are done at the Signal Input section on the
rear electronics panel of the Scenario. Use spade connectors
for optimum contact and ease of installation. Make certain
that all of your connections are tight. Be consistent when
connecting the speaker cables to the Signal Input terminals.
Take care to assign the same color cable lead to the (+) ter-
minal on both the left and right channel speakers. If bass is
nonexistent and you cannot discern a tight, coherent image,
you may need to reverse the (+) and (-) leads on one speaker
to bring the system into proper polarity. (See figure 1)
WARNING! Turn your amplifier off before making
or breaking any signal connections!
Break-In
When you first begin to play your Scenario speakers, they will
sound a bit bass shy. This is due to the high-quality, long-
life components used in our woofer. Our custom made,
butyl surround woofer requires 30 hours of break-in at 90
dB (moderate listening levels) before any critical listening.
The break-in requirements of the crossover components
(and, to a lesser degree, the stator) are equivalent.
The pressure compensation panel on the back of the stator
panel is a passive tone-shaping device that improves tonal
balance and increases dispersion without sacrificing efficiency.
Please do not remove or reposition these panels in pursuit of
higher hi-fi as their size and placement are crucial to the
Scenario performance.
AC Power Connection
Figure 1. Single-Wire Connection. One Channel shown.
S
C E N A R I O TM
Loudspeaker
Amplifier speaker output
Signal
Input