and consequently, the sound can be compromised. If your speaker is sitting on the carpet and only foot gliders are used, the bass can be ill defined and even boomy. The use of spikes is recommended to ensure secured footing for your speakers. (See ‘Solid Footing’ for spike information and installation instructions).
Dipolar Speakers and Your Room
MartinLogan electrostatic loudspeakers are dipolar radia- tors. This means that they produce sound from both their fronts and their backs. Musical information is reflected by the wall behind them and may arrive, either in or out of step, with the information produced by the front of the speaker.
The low frequencies can either be enhanced or nulled by the position from the front wall. Your CLX’s have been
designed to be placed four or more feet from the front wall (the wall in front of the listening position) to obtain the best results; however, your room may have differ- ent requirements. Listening to the difference of the bass response as a result of the changes in distance from the front wall can allow you to get the best combination of depth of bass and tonal balance.
Now that you know about reflective surfaces and reso- nant objects, you can see how the midrange and high frequencies can be affected. The timing of the initial wave as it radiates to your ears, and then the reflected informa- tion as it arrives at your ears later in time, can result in confusion of the precious timing information that carries the clues to imaging. The effect is blurred imaging and excessive brightness. Soft walls, curtains, wall hangings, or sound dampeners (your dealer can give you good infor- mation here) can be effective if these negative conditions occur.