MartinLogan Preface Floor standing speakers
To see the system of this famous brand in the middle price range is unusual. Usually MartinLogan products, which for many are the standard of sound, are perceived as products of not only an exceptionally high class, but also price. Preface is an attempt of the company to enter the mass market, releasing a more accessible model with minimal compromises in terms of sound.
These speakers use both traditional drivers (three woofers of 6.5 inches in diameter each) and the patented ATF (Advanced Thin-Film Driver) tweeter. It is a membrane of micron thickness, made of Dupont Kaladex PEN material. The ultra-light driver oscillates in a powerful magnetic field created by several neodymium magnets and has no inertia inherent in traditional dome tweeters. This gives an incredibly wide bandwidth of the reproduced signal and tremendous dynamic showings. MartinLogan Preface are built on a two-way scheme with a frequency of 2200 Hz, so that the tweeter has the power over the most of the reproduced range. Acoustic design is a traditional bass reflex with a rear port. Crossover filter is made based on audiophile element base with the use of the selected components. The problem of standing waves, inevitably arising in the body of any speaker, is interestingly solved: to reduce their amplitude, the rear wall is beveled at a strictly defined angle.
The manufacturer has clearly succeeded in achieving the "elite" sound for a more affordable price. Of course, the quality of Preface's playback is objectively inferior to the top models of MartinLogan, but the characteristic generic features are clearly traced. First of all, perfect tonal balance and natural sound transfer in general are worth noting. Loudspeakers easily extract a lot of nuances from the recording, but they do it very delicately, not pushing them out at all. Despite of the two-way design, the middle is very rich, which logically fits into the overall concept of natural reproduction.
Dynamic contrasts in the work of MartinLogan Preface are slightly smoothened, but the potential of systems in this respect is quite enough for complex classical works and for modern rock. In fact, this loudspeaker has few complaints to the bass - its quality is flawless and the depth is sufficient for rooms of medium size.
To achieve the correct sound stage, the speakers must be carefully positioned relative to the listener. In this case, you will not find any significant problems with construction of the spatial picture.
