Controls And Connections; Ac Power Connection; Signal Connection; Break-In - MartinLogan renaissance ESL 15A User Manual

CON TR O LS A ND C O NN E C T ION S

AC Power Connection

Because your MartinLogan speakers use an internal power
supply to energize their electrostatic cells and the ampli-
fied woofer system 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
speakers integrate a signal sensing power supply which will
switch off after several minutes of no music signal, and requires
less than two seconds to recharge the panels when a music sig-
nal is present.
Higher quality power cords, available from your audio dealer,
are recommended. A variety of power cords are available
whose manufacturers claim better performance than standard
power cords. The effects of power cords may be masked if
your associated equipment is not of the highest quality.
Your 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 speakers from the country of original sale, be certain that the
AC power supplied in any subsequent location is suitable before
connecting and operating the speakers. Substantially impaired
performance or severe damage may occur to a speaker if opera-
tion 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.
AC Power
AC power connection.
Signal Input 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 (thin-
ner) 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 cables are available whose manufacturers claim
better performance than 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
equipment is not of the highest quality.
Connections are done at the signal input section on the rear
electronics panel of the speaker. Use spade connectors for opti-
mum contact and ease of installation. Hand tighten the binding
posts, but do not overtighten—do not use a tool to tighten the
binding posts.
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 may need to reverse the (+) and (–) leads on one
speaker to bring the system into proper polarity.
WARNING! Turn your amplifier off before making or
breaking any signal connections!

Break-In

When you first begin to play your speakers, they will sound
a bit bass shy. This is due to the high quality, long-life com-
ponents used in our woofer. Our custom made woofer
requires approximately 72 hours of break-in at 90 dB (moder-
ate listening levels) before any critical listening. The break-in
requirements of the crossover components (and, to a lesser
degree, the stator) are equivalent.
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