CES 2012: MartinLogan announces slimline Motion SLM speaker

New from US electrostatic speaker specialist MartinLogan is the $500 Motion SLM, a slimline design just 3.7cm thick, and described as being especially suited for use in multichannel systems using the company's floorstanding speakers.

The Motion SML can be wall-mounted as a centre speaker using brackets supplied, or stand on a shelf using either the 'kick-stand' brackets or the curved black-glass base, also included in the package.

Even when used on the wall-bracket and with its grille fitted, the speaker is just 4.65cm thick – no more than most modern slim TVs.

The speaker is designed for use in either horizontal or vertical orientation, and has the same 80° dispersion pattern in either plane, so a pair of the speakers could be used either side of a TV, with a third above or below the screen.

The logo on the grille also rotates to suit the chosen orientation.

The speaker uses a Folded Motion tweeter, having eight times the surface area of a typical 25mm dome tweeter, combined with two 10cm ultraslim fibre-cone woofers and a pair of 10cm high-velocity passive bass radiators.

The result, MartinLogan says, 'is a smooth, refined sound with stunning dynamic range and jaw-dropping clarity'.

MartinLogan is distributed in the UK by Absolute Sounds.

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Andrew has written about audio and video products for the past 20+ years, and been a consumer journalist for more than 30 years, starting his career on camera magazines. Andrew has contributed to titles including What Hi-Fi?, GramophoneJazzwise and Hi-Fi CriticHi-Fi News & Record Review and Hi-Fi Choice. I’ve also written for a number of non-specialist and overseas magazines.