Blackline3 Series | Passive Point Source Loudspeakers & Subs

For over fifteen years, Martin Audio’s Blackline loudspeaker systems have gained a worldwide reputation for performance, quality and reliability, and have graced the best bars and clubs from New York to London. With its brand status so revered, it is perhaps not surprising that in China, Martin Audio’s Blackline Series is also seen as the leading loudspeaker system in the premium entertainment sector, and the guarantor of happy audiences and repeatedly busy venues.

Blackline3 Loudspeaker Systems

Martin Audio engineers have designed and developed the all-new Blackline 3 Series, combining elegant enclosures with unique Coaxial Differential Dispersion™ technology to deliver class-leading performance, fidelity and consistency.

With Blackline 3, the best just got better.

The Blackline 3 Series comprises the FX10, FX12 and FX15 two-way full range Coaxial Differential Dispersion systems, supported by the B218 subwoofer, and complemented by the FH3 high performance, all-horn, three-way system. The Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology employed in the FX10, FX12 and FX15 delivers more consistent audience coverage than systems with fixed dispersion X° x Y° horns — projecting more output to the rear of the audience to distribute sound evenly front-to-to-back, while having wide horizontal coverage close-up. Where the ultimate in performance and impact is required, the all-horn FH3 delivers very high SPLs for the most demanding venues.

Visually-appealing industrial design is a dis-tinctive feature of the Blackline 3 Series. The FX10, FX12 and FX15 full-range enclosures can be used in either horizontal (landscape) or vertical (portrait) orientation, with rotation of the coaxial driver easily accomplished by removing the screw-free, protective grille. The curved shape of each full-range enclosure allows it to be bracket-mounted closer to a wall, for more discreet positioning, and integral M8 inserts are provided for eyebolt suspension. The FH3 adopts a horizontal format to facilitate suspension above head height by means of integral M10 inserts.

Coaxial differential dispersion™: the best of both worlds

Blackline 3 combines the consistent coverage of Differential Dispersion technology with the ‘point-source’ benefits of coaxial designs. Blackline 3 FX10, FX12 and FX15 systems feature revolutionary, patent-pending Coaxial Differential Dispersion™ technology to deliver perfect sound to every member of the audience.

The Coaxial Advantage

Non-coaxial systems can suffer from uneven frequency response in the crossover region because the outputs of the LF and HF sections interfere with each other, causing variations off-axis, depending on the listening position. This is especially true close to the loudspeaker.

In contrast, coaxial systems can achieve ‘point-source’ summation of the LF and HF sections at all positions off-axis, even close-up. This is one reason that coaxial devices are often used for nearfield applications such as studio monitoring.

Significantly, until now one disadvantage of conventional coaxial devices has been high frequency beaming, where the high frequency dispersion reduces as the frequency increases. This is primarily because conventional coaxial devices channel high frequencies through a narrow tube in the pole-piece of the magnet system. CDD Series coaxial devices overcome this by incorporating an innovative static waveguide that merges seamlessly with the unique cone shape — maintaining the dispersion pattern out to very high frequencies.

The Differential Dispersion™ Advantage

A Differential Dispersion horn has a 3D trapezoid dispersion pattern which covers a room more evenly than a system with a conventional, fixed-dispersion X° x Y° type horn.

With a conventional X° x Y° horn, the speaker is usually placed above head height and aimed towards the centre of the audience. This produces an imperfect coverage pattern which misses out some areas — particularly side areas close to the loudspeaker.

In contrast, a CDD Coaxial Differential Dispersion system produces a rectangular coverage pattern to reach all corners of the audience, and wide horizontal coverage is achieved very close to the loudspeaker. Walking the room, the consistency in frequency response and SPL — both close to the loudspeaker and further back — is exceptional. The improved coverage close-up also means that CDD speakers can be spaced further apart in some instances, reducing overall speaker count.