he 2018 AXPONA show marked the return of Gayle Sanders, co-founder of MartinLogan, to high-end audio with the release of the new Image1 loudspeakers and Eikontrol DAC/preamplifier, which sell together as a system for $25,000. About the new products, Sanders says, “I’m utilizing some of the new DSP technology, which has vastly improved over the last few years, and putting it together with my own engineering.” A four-driver, three-way active speaker, the Image1 is a sleek, angular 42"-high tower utilizing proprietary constrained-layer construction. Bass is handled by two 8" woofers mounted fore and aft near the bottom of the cabinet. At the top of the slender cabinet is a 5" midrange and an AMT tweeter. Each of the four drivers has its own dedicated 100-watt amp using the latest digital technology. The heart of the system is the Eikontrol preamp/DAC designed by Bernt Böhmer. It has analog as well as digital inputs for all sources and, more important to the speaker’s design, it will measure and correct the Image1's response in the owner’s listening room. Böhmer explained that the Eikontrol uses advanced wavelet analysis instead of the normal FFT analysis to reduce time-related destructive energy created by the listening room or less than ideal speaker placement. After the initial setup procedure, end users will be able to control all preamp functions from an Android or iOS phone app, which will also include six adjustable presets for user tonal preferences or correction of poor recordings. Particular attention was paid to the bass response, in order to optimize the arrival of the fore and aft woofers to achieve a uniform response in the room. The bass response during the demonstration was superbly even in a variety of listening positions. Piano gloss-black finish is standard for the Image1
speakers, but additional finishes will be available in the near future. |
