Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/martinlogan-electromotion-esl-x-loudspeaker

This is more observation than criticism, as I’m wary of expecting too much from a loudspeaker at this price that performs so admirably in other areas. For instance, the EM-ESL X steers clear of HF nasties. Hi-hats and cymbals were always distinct and well separated, avoiding splash or brightness. Metallica’s ‘Dyer’s Eve’, which closes an album famed for a treble-heavy ‘scooped’ guitar tone […And Justice For All; Vertigo 836062-2] was perhaps more listenable than I’ve ever heard it, helped by the EM-ESL X’s speedy transducer keeping its frantic rhythms and riffs astonishing clear.

Lastly, for a simple five-minute demonstration of what this loudspeaker can do, give Elton John’s ‘Honky Cat’ [Honky Chateau; Mercury 528 162-2] a whirl. Huge piano accompaniment, dynamic trombone and saxophone hits, a drum track that sounds almost three-dimensional and Reginald Dwight throwing out rhyming couplets right into your listening room. It sounded… electrifying.

Digging down a little deeper into the cabinet design reveals another type of sandwich. The Plural Evo cabinet is made of three different types and layers of wood to reduce the material’s sound. These include high quality MDF, armored wood sandwich and vibration insulation. The woods are of different thicknesses and key positions in the cabinet are reinforced with metal plates. Internal reinforcements and bracing are asymmetrical throughout to reduce cabinet vibration to an absolute minimum. ZELLATON uses a special Laser Doppler vibrometer to measure the speaker’s vibrations down to the square centimeter.

Finally, ZELLATON eschews conventional philosophy of spiking speakers and prefers instead to use coupling in concert with energy draining. ZELLATON in the Plural Evos opted to use rounded feet on the bottom of the speaker in concert with discs reduce energy; a side benefit is this works better with carpeting.

This acoustic lends itself to capturing the direct timbre of the cello without too much of the hall’s sound influencing what is being played—thus avoiding a wetter presentation. The Tonda D was able to convey the realistic sound of the cello as heard at the microphone. The bowing motion and direction changes, fingering, and intricate sound of the action of playing were all startlingly apparent, if one chose to focus on those aspects. On the other hand, the listener could just immerse himself in the music, and enjoy the incredibly stark contrasts in Ligeti’s composition (and Rosselet’s playing) between the delicately flowing Dialogo and spritely, aggressive Capriccio, which was written several years later. The Tonda D captured it all, and delivered the goods as Frederic Rosselet poured his passion and skill into the performance.

In closing, the Tonda D has a sleek and refined appearance to match its sound. Like the lovely and refreshing feel of an early morning breeze in the heat of summer, the Tonda D reproduces music with a cooling, fresh, pure, and welcoming vibe. As a result, well-produced music sounds great, mediocre music sounds mediocre, and less than well-engineered music has no place to hide. The three different playback sources (digital, vinyl, and 15ips reel-to-reel tape) used in listening examples above show the Tonda D to be capable of revealing multiple delights and contrasts with different genres of music. While staying generally neutral in presentation, the influence of upstream components, room interaction, and the music itself are what the Tonda D most clearly presents to the listener. This level of transparency is often craved by listeners who value fidelity to sources. If that is you, the Tonda D should be on your audition list.