A core tenet of stellar home theater reproduction calls for a system's ability to re-create infrasonic bassóthe kind that drops so low that you no longer hear it, but you can feel it throughout the length of your alimentary canal. The kind of bass that threatens to shatter your gallstones. Of course, getting this kind of gut-whomping bass is relatively easy today, depending on your room's resonance nodes and the amount of greenbacks you can muster for the purchase of a foundation-rattling subwoofer.

Without question, LFE is crucial to home theater, but truly first-rate home theater reproduction has equally to do with the clarity, immediacy, air, and palpability of everything stretching from the upper-bass frequencies through the highest octaves. When I hear glass shattering, for example, I want it to sound like glass, not Alka-Seltzer fizz. As crucial as special-effects displays are to home theater, if you can't catch the emotion of the music, the nuances of vocal timbre between characters, and the subtle interplay of microsounds and macrosounds that involve you in a film's essence, well, you may be watching a movie but may not entirely be getting its soul...which brings us to the unique home theater speaker system under review: the Prodigy left and right, Theater center, and Scenario surroundsóall from MartinLogan, arguably one of the world's foremost leaders in electrostatic speakers, especially hybrids (more on that later).

Among those who can afford them and the powerful amplifiers necessary to drive them optimally (in excess of 200 watts per channel), electrostatic speakers have traditionally had a cult following (at least among the two-channel crowd). The hallmarks of 'stats include stunning transparency, gobs of air, lightning transient response, and phenomenal staging (both left to right and front to back)óall coupled with nearly nonexistent listener fatigue. Most multidriver speakers of the cone variety rely on allocating portions of the audio band to various drivers (generally low, mid, and high) via a crossover network employing, at its most basic, assorted capacitors and chokes.

One of the concerns among designers of full-range multiple-driver systems has been to create a seamless transition of frequencies between the various drivers. This is no easy task, requiring significant technical expertise, a near-perfect ear, and the patience of Job (you can bet DiGels are part of the serious designer's tool kit). To this end, a number of cone-type speaker systems exist that do the job exquisitely. In effect, the efforts of top-notch designers have largely smoothed over, quite artfully, the inherent phase anomalies of such cone designs, although whether or not these have been eliminated altogether is another matter.

Electrostatic speakers, on the other hand, resolve crossover concernsóparticularly in what MartinLogan calls the "critical zone," the area spanning from 500 hertz to 20 kilohertz where the very soul of sound resides. Because pure electrostatics are crossoverless designs, relying on large, high-voltage/low-current charged flatpanels to create dipole sound, they generate all frequencies in the critical zone in ideal phase relationships to one another.

Basically, a large diaphragm is stretched sandwich-style between two large, thin steel plates called stators. Between each diaphragm and stator, you'll find narrow spacers that damp the stators while providing an air gap in which the diaphragm can move. Because the diaphram has been metallized with a microscopically thin and transparent coating, it becomes a partially conductive surface. (Since electrostatic speakers need to carry a constant charge, they must be plugged into an outlet. In ML's case, the diaphragm carries a constant charge of between 3,000 and 5,000 volts, depending on the model.) When the amp's signals are stepped up to high voltages through a transformer and applied to the stators, the transducer develops an electrostatic field of opposing voltages—think push-pull—resulting in a forward and rearward movement of the diaphragm. This motion creates sound.

According to "statophiles," the sound of music is spectacularly in-phase and lifelike because there is no driver interaction to contend with. On the downside (nothing's perfect, eh?), electrostats have traditionally had problems with dispersion and production of low frequencies. Because of the large size of the diaphragm relative to the small wavelength of high frequencies, dispersion of sound—especially in the high-frequency range—can be quite directional or narrow (think dinky sweet spot). On the low-bass side, simply put, little if any existed.

Clearly, both characteristics limit the use of 'stats for home theater applications. That is, until now, according to MartinLogan. Over the last decade, ML has gone where few others have tread, throwing great resources into building hybrid electrostatic speakers. A unique marriage of both diaphragm and bass-cone technologies, the MartinLogan hybrid setup under review is said to eliminate the shortcomings of classic electrostatics, creating what ML calls a "new world of home theater."

Fairly large (16.5 inches wide by 28 deep by 67 high), each Prodigy comes in two sections: the bass module and the electrostatic panel, which couple readily into a 133-pound back-wrenching unit. To minimize dispersion problems common to most 'stats, ML has come up with an ingenious solution. Instead of a standard rectangular configuration, the entire electrostatic panel is curved, creating what ML calls the Curvilinear Line Source (CLS). Incidentally, ML's diaphragm, made of ultrathin polyester, is sandwiched between perforated, thin steel stators. Additionally, between each diaphragm and stator, you'll find narrow spacers that damp the stators while providing an air gap in which the diaphragm can move. CLS is said to generate a controlled 30-degree cylindrical wave front from each channel, leading to a broad listening area with precise image capabilities.

The bass module—a sealed-box, dual-woofer design—consists of two 10-inch drivers, with an aluminum cone and a high-rigidity fiber cone in a configuration ML calls ForceForward technology. Essentially, the forward driver loads the room, while proprietary phase-alignment techniques eliminate the rear-firing low-frequency sound energy. ForceForward is said to allow easier placement of the speakers, delivering clean bass down to 28 Hz without excessive worry about the reflected bass wave arriving after the initial transient has been launched toward the listening position(s). Additionally, a switch on the rear of the bass module allows a choice between flat response (0 decibels) or a boost (+3 dB) in the 50-Hz region to compensate for weak in-room response. The crossover frequency into the diaphragm is shown as 250 Hz, well below the start of the "critical zone." Also, MartinLogan points out that amps in the 80- to 100-watt range have successfully driven the Prodigies; however, to obtain the best possible performance, workhorse amplifiers pushing in excess of 250 wpc, like ATI's AT2505, made the MLs sing. Additionally, these speakers play best when biwired.

Did I mention that this is one beautiful-looking speaker? The see-through diaphragm and wood-panel siding (assorted options are available) make an impressively modern statement. Despite the ForceForward technology, the Prodigies require some experimentation before optimal position can be obtained, although there is greater latitude with these than most other 'stats.

Another unique hybrid design, the Theater is a three-way configuration, employing a convex electrostatic panel like the Prodigy for the midrange, plus three 1-inch soft-dome tweeters for frequencies above 3.5 kHz and two 6.5-inch cone woofers. The centered tweeters, arranged in a controlled-dispersion array, flawlessly localize onscreen dialogue and control the dispersion to more closely match the dispersion of the ESL element. This allows the all-important midrange to be handled strictly by the diaphragm, while the two asymmetrically arranged larger drivers (they are symmetrically arranged relative to each other but are asymmetrical in relation to the cabinet) on the edges of the Theater cover 70 Hz to 300 Hz. All three drivers are voiced to match the diaphragm.

The speaker, as modern-looking as possible, has a certain amount of placement flexibility via the self-centering adjustable stand: It can be placed atop your monitor, below it on a stand, or mounted to a wall above the monitor. (At 43 inches wide by 11.5 deep by 13 high and 57 pounds, stud anchoring is essential.) Finally, the 90-dB-sensitive Theater center handles 250 watts of power and carries a nominal impedance of 4 ohms (again, a larger amp will optimize this speaker's performance).

With a CLS electrostatic element, the Scenario is similar to the Prodigy, with several exceptions. At a height of 47.33 inches, it is shorter, and it houses an 8-inch high-excursion, high-rigidity driver in an asymmetrical chamber. Its bass module does not utilize the ForceForward technology. As a reminder, in order to energize an electrostatic's diaphragm with high-voltage DC, its internal power supplies must be connected to the AC mains, which means that this ML array requires five suitable outlet locations.

A number of avenues can be taken to assess a speaker system's ability to create both impact and sensuality, by which I mean the ability to wrap your ears in a luscious ambience that engrosses you fully in the film rather than bringing attention to the effects in a kind of third-person perspective. Take, for instance, the wild cab ride in The Fifth Element. Just before the ride begins, the Fifth Element pounds the plastic partition separating her from the driver. Not only can you hear flesh hitting plastic, but the sound of plastic chattering in its retaining barrier sounds like every plastic divider I've ever heard in a Yellow cab in New York City. The Theater center captures these distinct sounds realistically, melding them into two continuous but subtle sonic events that help create the illusion of reality. This ability to shift so smoothly between initial transient and decay of different sounds coming in rapid succession works equally throughout the entire speaker system, not merely in the sophisticated center channel.

On a more-complex level, consider how the MartinLogan arrangement handles simultaneous dialogue and echo. As two cops talk within the confines of their cruiser, each cop's voice is distinct. Yet, while the conversation clearly takes places within an enclosed environment, outside that environment, the echo of commands coming from the megaphones of other cruisers can be heard reverberating against and ricocheting from the monumental glass and steel structures of the city. Neither dialogue nor echoes intrude into each other's sonic space; they exist separately, simultaneously.

The Fifth Element's Diva scene, chapter 26, is a standard in the reviewer's toolbox. The clarity of the Diva's voice when she performs an aria is used to note tonal purity, amount of sibilance, echoes at the rear of the performance hall, and so on. Needless to say, the MartinLogans fully realize the performance. It was one of the best, in fact, I'd ever heard: crystal clear, with only an occasional (minor) hint of sibilance, although this may be attributed to factors other than compression on the part of the speakers themselvesófrom cabling to power-cord choices to wires possibly crossing at non-right-degree angles.

In another segment of the same chapter, the Fifth Element herself has just crawled into an air duct to escape Gary Oldman. When he begins firing his weapon at her into the duct, the sound designer's magic comes through perfectly. The bullets encircling her and the sound of metal being punctured lend to an altogether-enveloping claustrophobia. Again, the speaker array helps create the sense of helpless inescapability and imminent threat, the kind of reality that causes piloerection on the nape of the neck.

DVD after DVD, the same subtle stuffóthe marriage of micro- and macrosoundsóis captured by the electrostatic speakers. Take chapter 11 of Braveheart. When the British army's archers are commanded to fire the first salvo against the Scots, every subtlety of the act is conveyed vividly. The sound of increasing tension being applied to bow strings as they are pulled back is married simultaneously to the groaning from the bow shafts under growing pressure, giving the brief sequence a palpable reality. Then, as the arrows fly through the air, you can often hear one shaft overtake another, a sonic feat of reproduction that many other speaker arrays would find difficult to accomplish with such clear-cut adeptness.

Shortly thereafter, the British and Scottish forces run toward each other for the first military clash. The British footfalls sound ever-so-slightly heavier than those of the Scots, and for a moment I wondered whether some sort of discontinuity of sound was transpiringóuntil I realized that this was instead an important but subtle rendering of the two military forces rushing toward each other. The British army was outfitted with heavier gear, armor, and so on, and the sound designer's attempt to delineate the difference became magically transparent through the Prodigies. Brilliant stuff, in both execution and reproduction.

I can hear you now: But what about the big noise, the Sturm und Drang of dynamic power? Trust me, it's there, and I'll get to that shortly. The point of attending to the minutiae has something to do with the devil living in all the details. The most subtle transient response existing equally alongside the big sounds, not obscured by them, spells the difference between observing a film and giving yourself up to it completely, and it's this immersion in a movie's essence that the MartinLogan system deliversóscene after scene, moment after moment. It's a willing suspension of disbelief.

Optimized Performance
To squeeze the ultimate performance out of the MartinLogan home theater setup, I utilized several products that are designed to transfer maximum information from source to speaker. On the front end, between the NAD T550 DVD player and Lexicon MC-1 processor, I dropped in the Nordost Silver Shadow, a reference-grade digital interconnect. Since the first interface is crucial in any sound system, whether two- or 5.1-channel, you can't afford to send compromised information to your DSP engines via a cable that limits performance parameters right out of the box. Based on its patented micromonofilament technology, the Silver Shadow is a flawless conduit for transferring broadband information without harshness or rolloff at frequency extremes. I couldn't live without the Silver Shadow, nor could I do accurate, fair reviews.

To maintain signal integrity between the ATI AT2505 and MartinLogan hybrid electrostatic array, I relied on Kimber Kable BiFocal-XL cable. A unique cable as thick as Polish sausage, the BiFocal-XL separates low-frequency and mid/treble frequencies through both proprietary wire-braiding techniques and damping protocols. The BiFocal-XLs were utilized throughout the three front channels, while Kimber Kable's 8TC cable delivered information to the surrounds.

Without getting into questionable issues like laser scatter, there's little doubt in my ears and eyes that a DVD or CD treated by Optrix (made by the Compact Dynamics Corporation) resolves information in a cleaner manner, from picture to sound. This combination of alcohol, water, and "optically active nonionic surfactants" (whatever that is) certainly works better than most cleaning solutions I've tried. All DVDs for this review were treated with Optrix.

Highlights
• Relative ease of setup because of the Prodigy's ForceForward bass alignment
• Custom-designed CE-certified binding posts for easy torquing
• Expansive, deep, transparent soundstage

HT Labs Measures: MartinLogan Prodigy Speaker System

This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of the Prodigy L/R (purple trace), Theater center (green trace), and Scenario surround (red trace). All passive loudspeakers were measured at a distance of 1 meter with a 2.83-volt input and scaled for display purposes.

On-axis response of the Prodigy L/R measures +1.73/-2.78 decibels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The -3dB point is at 37 Hz, and the -6dB point is at 33 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 1.12 ohms at 20 kHz and a phase angle of -90.65 degrees at 14.2 kHz. Sensitivity averages 87 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.

On-axis response of the Theater center measures +1.76/-2.49 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The -3dB point is at 76 Hz, and the -6dB point is at 66 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 3.24 ohms at 132 Hz and a phase angle of -62.1 degrees at 93 Hz. Sensitivity averages 87.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.

On-axis response of the Scenario surround measures +3.87/-9.35 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The -3dB point is at 322 Hz, and the -6dB point is at 52 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 1.84 ohms at 20 kHz and a phase angle of -100.9 degrees at 16 kHz. Sensitivity averages 88 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.