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PREOWNED – FULLY TESTED – GLOSS BLACK – COMPLETE AND IN GREAT CONDITION
The powerful EM-ESL C is a high-performance electrostatic center channel loudspeaker. With the exceptional mid-range dynamics of an electrostatic panel, the remarkable details delivered by a Folded Motion Tweeter, and the addition of a newly-designed CenterForce dual woofer system, the most surprising thing about the EM-ESL C isn’t its superior performance. It’s that the EM-ESL C is compact enough to fit easily into today’s most popular A/V furniture. With the EM-ESL C electrostatic center channel loudspeaker, you can match the acoustic signature of your ElectroMotion Series speakers and build a truly astounding home theater system.
Expanding the Dynamics of Center Channel Performance
By adding a compact electrostatic panel to a center channel speaker, MartinLogan engineers have succeeded in expanding the performance dynamics of the most important speaker in your home theater system. Your center channel speaker needs to be able to reproduce the finest high frequency details. The midrange must be expansive; to reproduce every whisper of dialogue. Deep bass adds impact to the front-stage effects that anchor the action to your screen. The EM-ESL C accomplishes all this, and more.
The EM-ESL C has a shallow height CLS (Curvilinear Line Source) XStat electrostatic panel wrapped around the front of the speaker enclosure. The gentle horizontal curve of the panel enhances the output of its deceptively compact 114-square-inch radiating area, extending mid-range dispersion patterns and blending the performance seamlessly with your front-stage ElectroMotion loudspeakers.
Just behind the electrostatic panel, in a specially designed housing, sits MartinLogan’s exclusive Folded Motion Tweeter. The low-mass diaphragm of the Folded Motion Tweeter minimizes distortion, and its short excursion length reinforces its lightning fast high frequency response. The 1 x 1.4-inch Folded Motion Tweeter in the EM-ESL C has a total diaphragm area of 9.2-inches, with the ability to reproduce precise details; one of the most important jobs of a center channel speaker.
The New CenterForce™ System
Designing a high performance electrostatic center channel speaker sized to fit into A/V furniture was no easy task. Adding a dual woofer system seemed impossible! But MartinLogan’s skilled audio engineers found a novel solution, and they call it CenterForce.
Instead of taking up space by positioning the woofers on each side of the electrostatic panel, they’ve designed a central slot inside the cabinet for the woofers. Now, the dual woofers reside in a well-braced enclosure located behind the tweeter and electrostatic panel.
This new CenterForce solution allows the speaker to be more compact, and encourages the woofers to produce a generous amount of well-blended deep bass. The CenterForce system in the EM-ESL C features two custom-designed 5.25-inch aluminum cone woofers. Rigid and yet lightweight, this material reduces flexure while minimizing response time. Their efficient construction optimizes suspension and magnetic flux field, further reducing potential sources of distortion. The EM-ESL C grounds its performance in accurate, musical bass response.
This is a center channel speaker that delivers a full-range performance, by combining an electrostatic panel with a Folded Motion Tweeter, bolstered by the CenterForce bass system. The compact EM-ESL C goes where you want it, and does what you need, for your high performance ElectroMotion home theater system.
Specifications
Specifications are subject to change without notice
Frequency Response
66–23,000 Hz ±3dB
Recommended Amplifier Power
20—300 watts per channel
Horizontal Dispersion
30°
Vertical Dispersion
6.375″ (16cm) line source
Sensitivity
89 dB/2.83 volts/meter
Impedance
4 Ohms Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.
Crossover Frequency
600, 3400 Hz
High Frequency Transducer
One 1″ x 1.4″ (2.6cm x 3.6cm) Folded Motion Transducer with 5.25″ x 1.75″ (13.3cm x 4.4cm) diaphragm.
Mid Frequency Transducer
XStat™ CLS™ electrostaic transducer.
» Panel Dimensions: Two 6.375″ x 9″ (16.2 x 22.8cm)
» Radiating Area: 114 in² (740 cm²)
Low Frequency Transducer
Two 5.25″ (13.3 cm) high excursion, high-rigidity aluminum cone with extended throw driver assembly, non-resonance asymmetrical chamber format.
Components
Custom-wound audio transformer, air core coils, low dcr steel laminate coils, polyester capacitors
Inputs
Custom 5-way tool-less binding posts
Weight
32 lbs. (14.5 kg)
Dimensions
7.6″ x 22.8″ x 16.1 ” (19.3cm x 57.9cm x 40.9cm)
At USD1,400, this asking price for a used ElectroMotion ESL C feels ambitious bordering on steep. These compact hybrid electrostatic centers originally retailed around USD1,000–1,200 back in their prime, and well-kept used pairs or singles typically trade hands for USD700–1,000 on the resale market, depending on age and cosmetics—bargains dip under USD600 if you're patient.
Before biting, verify the electrostatic panel's condition; mylar degradation or arcing from dust buildup is a classic MartinLogan Achilles' heel after 5–10 years, so insist on a bias voltage test and close-up photos of the stators. Also check that the DC power supply brick and original grilles are included—replacements aren't cheap—and confirm the dual 5.25-inch CenterForce woofers move freely without rattles.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
MartinLogan emerged in the late 1970s from Lawrence, Kansas, when Gayle Martin Sanders and Ron Logan Sutherland, sharing a passion for electrostatic loudspeakers, united their engineering and design expertise. The duo, whose middle names inspired the brand, unveiled their breakthrough at the 1983 CES with the Monolith—the world's first practical hybrid electrostatic speaker, blending a curved panel for mids and highs with a dynamic woofer for bass. This American innovation addressed longstanding electrostatic limitations like fragility and poor low-end response, propelling the company from a high-end audio store collaboration to a dedicated manufacturing powerhouse.
The brand specializes in electrostatic and hybrid speakers, from flagship floorstanders like the CLX and Summit X to more accessible Motion Series designs, alongside complementary powered subwoofers and select electronics. Their proprietary thin-film transducers, advanced panel assembly, and room-optimized engineering define a lineup that prioritizes transparency and precision over conventional dynamic drivers, eschewing amplifiers, turntables, DACs, headphones, or cables.
Positioned firmly in the high-end market, MartinLogan commands respect among discerning audiophiles for its unwavering commitment to electrostatic purity, delivering ethereal soundstaging and timbral accuracy that make cabinets vanish. Now part of the PML group alongside Paradigm and Anthem, it blends Kansas heritage with rigorous innovation, appealing to buyers seeking reference-level realism in home audio and theater systems.
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