MartinLogan Ascent i [12/28] Dispersion interactions

12 Dispersion Interactions

Your Ascent i’s launch a 30 degree dispersion pattern when

viewed from above. This horizontal dispersion field gives a

choice of good seats for the performance while minimizing

interactions with side walls (see figure 7). Make sure both

speakers stand exactly at the same vertical angle, otherwise

the image can be skewed or poorly defined. The wave

launch of both speakers is extremely accurate in both the

time and spectral domain. Consequently, small refined

adjustments can result in noticeable sonic improvements.

Controlled Vertical Dispersion

As you can see from the illustrations, your Ascent i speak-

ers project a controlled dispersion pattern. Each Ascent i is a

45-inch line source beginning 18 inches above the base.

This vertical dispersion profile minimizes interactions with

the floor and the ceiling (see figure 8).

In the field of loudspeaker design, it is a known fact that as

the sound wave becomes progressively smaller than the

transducer producing it, the dispersion of that wave becomes

more and more narrow, or directional. This fact occurs as

long as the transducer is a flat surface. Large flat panel

speakers exhibit venetian blind effects due to this phe-

nomenon. This is why most manufacturers opt for small

drivers (i.e. tweeters and midrange) to approximate what

is known as a point source wave launch.

Historically, most attempts to achieve smooth dispersion

from large flat panel transducers resulted in trade-offs.

After exhaustive testing of these different solution attempts,

we found an elegantly simple, yet difficult to execute solu-

tion. By curving the radiating surface, we create the effect of

a horizontal arc. This allows the engineers at MartinLogan to

control the high frequency dispersion pattern of our transduc-

ers. That is why you see the gentle curve on our products.

DISPERSION INTERACTIONS

Controlled Horizontal Dispersion Three Major Types of Dispersion

Figure 7. MartinLogan Ascent i’s deliver a 30 degree wave launch disper-

sion pattern distributed horizontally.

Figure 8. Your Ascent i speaker system is a 45” inch line source when viewed

vertically. Actual height above the base is from 18 inches to 63 inches.