MartinLogan, the world’s leader in electrostatic speaker technology, proudly announces the slender Motion^® SLM, a wall-hanging or free standing LCR speaker that is powerful enough to stand alone and detailed enough to be used in conjunction with floor standing MartinLogan speakers. The newest from MartinLogan’s award-winning Motion Series line, the Motion SLM features dual four-inch, ultra-slim fiber cone woofers and dual four-inch high-velocity passive bass radiators, paired with a Folded Motion^™ tweeter – all in an ultra-slim profile designed expressly for super-thin TVs.

Motion SLM with TV

Slim enough to complement the thinnest wall-mounted HD displays and even projection screens, the Motion SLM steps in where underpowered, unnatural sounding TV speakers fall short. The secret to the Motion SLM’s larger-than-its-size performance is the dual ultra-slim fiber cone woofers and high-velocity passive bass radiators, which provide maximum controlled low-end bass extension from an ultra-slim profile combined with the advanced resolution Folded Motion tweeter. The high-gloss black SLM cabinet is only 1.45-inches thin, for a total wall protrusion of 1.83-inches when used with magnetic grille and included wall mount bracket.

The advanced resolution Folded Motion tweeter features lightning-fast transient response and a surface area eight-times that of a typical 1″ dome tweeter, for clear, highly dynamic and precise sound. MartinLogan’s dedicated in-house engineers carefully crafted the Motion Series as an affordable and compact product line that seamlessly blends the exquisite Folded Motion transducers with powerful, compact bass technology. The result is a smooth, refined sound with stunning dynamic range and jaw-dropping clarity.

Designed for maximum placement flexibility, the MartinLogan Motion SLM can be placed just about anywhere for your convenience. With keyhole slots on the speaker’s back panel that attach easily to the included wall bracket, you can have the SLM wall-mounted and playing in a matter of minutes. If on-wall mounting is not appealing, each speaker also comes with a curved black-glass base that allows it to sit vertically on a shelf or in an equipment cabinet.

Thinking of going horizontal? The Folded Motion tweeter has an 80° x 80° dispersion pattern, which allows the Motion SLM to sound exactly the same in a horizontal or vertical orientation, making them ideal for Left-Center-Right (LCR) applications. Each MartinLogan’s Motion SLM includes “kick-stand” brackets that attach to the back of the cabinet, allowing them to free-stand for horizontal center channel applications. Additionally, the logo on the grille is magnetic and can move and rotate to the proper atheistically pleasing location in any orientation.

The Motion SLM speaker is priced at $499.95 each and is shipping worldwide to MartinLogan dealers.

For more information on the new Motion SLM from MartinLogan, please visit their website at:www.martinlogan.com/motion.

MartinLogan, the world’s leader in electrostatic and Folded Motion™ loudspeaker technology, proudly announces two new speaker models in the award-winning Motion^® Series, the Motion 20 and Motion 40. Replacing the popular Motion 10 and Motion 12 models, both floors standing models benefit from a number of design and performance enhancements including nearly twice the internal volume over previous models (resulting in extended bass performance) and elegantly sophisticated aesthetics with rounded edges and a gently tapered top, all wrapped in a high-gloss piano-black finish.

MartinLogan’s dedicated in-house design and engineering team carefully crafted the Motion Series to create an extremely affordable and compact product line with stunning dynamic range and jaw-dropping clarity. Key to the Motion Series sonic performance is the unique Folded Motion tweeter (similar to tweeter technologies found in ultra expensive speakers), precision high-end Vojtko™ crossovers, powerful woofers, and acoustically inspired cabinet design.

Motion 20 and Motion 40

The Motion 20 and Motion 40 are bi-wire capable and feature premium five-way binding posts. A perforated metal grille accentuates the speaker’s powerful elegance while oversized 5.5-inch and 6.5-inch black aluminum cone woofers (on the 20 and 40 respectively) paired with a rear firing bass port adds extra punch in the lower frequencies. The oversized woofer design also creates increased cone area for higher output and better bass response. Reinforced solid internal bracing dramatically reduces internal resonances and standing waves.

Bass drivers in both models are located near the bottom of the speaker while mid-range drivers and Folded Motiontweeters are orientated near the top. This driver arrangement offers a strong visual statement but also provides solid low-frequency reinforcement, superb dispersion characteristics and audiophile-quality high-frequency performance.

Compatibility with other MartinLogan speakers adds versatility to listeners building their system piece by piece. Whether it’s a two-channel or home theater application, the Motion Series 20 and Motion 40 are voice-matched to the Motion FX, Motion 8 and other Motion Series speakers which can be integrated to create a richly detailed high-performance surround sound system.

Pricing for the Motion 20 and Motion 40 is yet to be determined; they are scheduled to ship in Q2 2012.

For more information on MartinLogan electrostatic speakers, please visit their website at:www.martinlogan.com.

Product reviews can reveal a lot about a person. A good product reviewer weaves a finely strung web of feature sets, functionality descriptions, and critical analysis with a touch of personal experience to help the reader connect on a deeper level. Whether positive or not, if the reader walks away trusting what they read, the review is a success.

Loudspeaker reviews are especially revealing in that they expose a person’s listening habits, often leading the reader to form assumptions about one’s personality. A reviewer who rates on the merits of Brahms or Mussorgsky may be viewed differently than one who highlights Grateful Dead or De La Soul tracks.

As the lucky PR guy for two of the most customer and critically acclaimed speaker/audio brands in the industry, I get to read my fair share of reviews. The different ways people come up with to say, “It sounds good,” is nothing short of astounding, and the people who do it best deserve recognition for their pursuit of eloquently critical analysis.

One example comes from the attuned ears of Ian White, a BigPictureBigSound reviewer who took on a MartinLogan Motion 12 led 7.1 array speaker system in a post titled, The Lords of Lawrence. To set the tone and build rapport, he harkens back to college days and what almost was…

“Back in 1989, I accepted an invitation to attend the University of Kansas (will not even discuss last weekend’s debacle against VCU in the Elite 8), but fate intervened (that’s right…I had the lasagna) and I was forced to attend another institution of higher learning. Lawrence is an interesting town; aside from KU which is a wonderful school, the town was the birthplace of Hugh Beaumont, Erin Brokovich, Centron (the leading industrial and educational film company for decades), and a small but feisty high-end loudspeaker manufacturer called MartinLogan.”

By sharing a little personal history and cultural background, Dave makes readers feel as though they are sitting on the couch next to him, beer in hand, as he prepares to articulate his true feelings for the MartinLogan speakers system.  While the entire review warrants reading, one especially colorful description described the performance in a home theater setting.

“I have not watched Die Hard in many years, but it called out to me as I was unpacking the Motion 12 system. Both Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman have made some awful movies since then, but they were both at the top of their game in the action-packed drama. The surround track for this film is rather demanding and it can make a poser home theater system go crying home to Agent Johnson. The Motion 12 7.1 system ate this film for breakfast. The soundstage stretched across my entire media room (and living room) and the dialogue was strong and clear as a cold winter’s night. Hans Gruber and friends (doesn’t that sound like some creepy kid’s show in Germany?) loved to show off their Heckler and Koch MP5s and the gunfire was startlingly real sounding. My kids were so scared, they ran from the room. I am so winning “Parent of the Year” for 2011.”

Rather than generically stating that dialogue and soundtrack reproduction was up to snuff, Mr. White uses similes and the visual of running children to drive home the point, again revealing more about the man behind the review.

Our next review takes us to the hallowed threads of the HomeTheaterShack forum, where veteran speaker reviewer Dave Upton tackles a Paradigm Reference Signature S6 led 5.1 system. Retailing for about $17,000, the Signature 5.1 is one of the most expensive Paradigm systems you can own, carrying expectations with it. Leaving the creativity to the actual review, the post was titled, Paradigm Reference Signature Series 5.1 (S6,C3,ADP,SUB 1) Review, and here are some of the highlights:

“As a huge fan of organ music I have spent much of my time while in Europe hanging around in churches while an organist practices or performs. I was quite happy with the organ reproduction on my own system but was still eager to hear what sort of differences I would notice… It is very hard for most speakers that I have reviewed to reproduce spatial queues properly. From an imaging perspective organ music recorded in a cavernous cathedral is among the most difficult to faithfully recreate, and I sat there in my chair shocked at just how effortlessly the Paradigms did so.”

However, not all speaker reviews are effortless listening sessions. As anyone who’s ever tested subwoofers knows, the bass-makers are the heaviest part of any home entertainment system, and Paradigm’s 109-lb SUB 1 is no exception. Mr. Upton explains,

“A word to the wise: when Paradigm says you need two people to move the SUB 1, believe them. As a former rugby player myself, I still regretted the decision to go it alone. Two hours after the process began, with a not inconsiderable amount of perspiration on my face, I was finally able to see the entire system in all its glory.”

In conclusion, Mr. Upton references the all-important Wife-acceptance-factor (WAF) in summing up the system with a series of rhetorical questions:

“What value did I place on hearing things I had never heard before in my tired old recordings? How much was it worth to have friends come over and spend two hours with a massive grin on their faces as the Paradigm’s did their job with whatever film we had chosen? Finally, what was it worth to have my wife repeatedly ask me to turn it up instead of down? Am I willing to spend that kind of money on audio gear? After hearing these speakers, the answer is a simple and emphatic, YES!”

Product reviews can be so much more than just thumbs up or thumbs down. When personal experiences and tastes are blended with fact-driven critical analysis, the end result is much more believable and enjoyable to read.

If I had to review the reviews, I’d say Mr. White and Mr. Upton masterfully opine on speaker performance while providing just enough about their personal lives to make me want to grab a seat next to them, crack a bottle of Newport Storm, pop in some Raphael Saadiq and let the sound take over.