Skip to main content

2013 New York Audio Show: MartinLogan CLX art loudspeakers pull vanishing act

MartinLoganCLXElectrostatic loudspeakers such as the CLX art from MartinLogan always draw a big crowd. The see-through (literally) panels reproduce music with a level of transparency that really has to be heard to be believed. If you have ever closed your eyes during a really good vocal performance and just sat there as the voice penetrates you, making you feel as if you are alone with the singer – you’ve experienced what these loudspeakers are capable of. It’s almost too good to be true. 

The CLX art are full-range electrostatic transducers that cover the frequency range between 56 HZ – 23 kHz +/- 3dB. One of the drawbacks with these types of loudspeakers has been that they sound really convincing right up until the point at which you start crossing over from the lower midrange into the bass region. The bass loses its potency, and while it’s incredibly quick and detailed, it doesn’t sound totally coherent with the rest of the speaker’s output.

Recommended Videos

MartinLogan’s products are not alone with this issue, but they were the first to do something about it by integrating cone drivers into their panels. Unfortunately, the move didn’t eliminate the issue overnight. Though the last few generations have come really close to eliminating that coherency issue, bit took the advent of the CLX art to make it a moot point. Such a major step forward comes with a steep price, though: $25,500 for the pair.

The CLX art is made up of two separate panels per loudspeaker, each handling a different part of the frequency range. The larger panel is 57 x 11.5 (HxW – in inches) and bears the responsibility of covering the low frequencies. It does a good enough job, in fact, that you can use the speakers without a subwoofer. The smaller panel measures 57 x 8.6 (HxW – in inches) and handles everything above 360 Hz. Put together, each enormous loudspeaker sizes up at 70 x 25 x 14 (HxWxD – in inches) and weighs more than 110 pounds. Don’t be thrown off by that depth dimension. The panels themselves are barely a few inches deep. It’s the base and crossover unit that make up the majority of the speaker’s depth.

Electrostatic loudspeakers are powered up all the time (they are plugged into the wall), but they still need a lot of power to really function properly. The CLX art‘s high sensitivity rating is misleading because its impedance drops like a stone, so it’s not uncommon to see them driven by 200-400 watt amplifiers that can keep their cool below 4 ohms. They absolutely love being driven by big tube amps, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that doing so will surely drive up your monthly power bill. For the New York Audio Show, MartinLogan demonstrated the CLX art with a pair of Krell solid-state monoblocks, and it was hard not to be impressed.

The panels are without rival when it comes to reproducing the human voice , and their ability to make a string quartet, jazz trio, or Led Zeppelin magically appear in your listening space is most impressive. If you ask us, the MartinLogan CLX art are one of the finest loudspeakers money can buy.

Ian White
Former Contributor
Ian has been a full-time A/V journalist since 1999, covering the world of high-end audio, video, music, and film for Digital…
Our best budget headphones are even more affordable for Prime Day at 20% off
Side view of the 1More SonoFlow.

Amazon's Prime Day is finally here, bringing with it huge discounts for headphone deals. For a budget-friendly option that's even more affordable for the shopping event, check out the 1More SonoFlow. From their sticker price of $75, they're down to only $60 for $15 in savings, but there's no time to waste if you're interested because the offer may not last until the end of Prime Day. Push through with your purchase as soon as possible to get these headphones at 20% off.

Buy Now

Read more
Marshall Middleton Bluetooth speaker is 44% off for Prime Day, but not for long
The Marshall Middleton Bluetooth speaker on a bookshelf.

Bluetooth speaker deals are always popular during Amazon's Prime Day, and this year is no exception. We've found a lot of interesting offers, and this one is among our favorites -- the Marshall Middleton at 44% off, slashing its price to just $180 from $320 originally. We're not sure if this offer will stay online until the end of the shopping event, so if you want to take advantage of this $140 discount, you're going to have to complete your purchase as soon as you can.

$180 at Amazon

Read more
Your next workout earbuds are $70 off for Prime Day
The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 in orange sitting in front of their case on a stone.

There's two things going on right now. One, it's the middle of summer and you know that every time you go running you'll build up a sweat that can kill earbuds, which means you're probably after some good running headphones. Two, it's Prime Day, which means Prime Day deals are here. Combine the two together, and you'll find this deal on the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, which are currently $70 off. That drops them from $250 to $180, making them much more appealing than they normally are. Tap the button below to see them for yourself, or keep reading to see why we think they're the perfect pickup for the season, our past experiences with them, and more about this great offer.

buy now

Read more