In this review, we will be comparing Expression ESL 13A and Renaissance ESL 15A, two Powered Floor-standing speakers by MartinLogan Being Powered speakers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A and MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 300-watt RMS Integrated Amplifier
- " Electrostatic Tweeter
- 2 x 10" Aluminium Woofer
- 24-23k Hz Frequency Response
- 91 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:20-600watts
- Weight:46.80kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 61-7/16" x 13-3/8" x 27-1/2" ( 1561.0 x 339.0 x 699.0mm )
MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 500-watt RMS Integrated Amplifier
- " Electrostatic Tweeter
- 2 x 12" Aluminium Woofer
- 22-21k Hz Frequency Response
- 92 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:20-700watts
- Weight:63.50kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 69-13/16" x 15-3/4" x 24-15/16" ( 1773.0 x 400.0 x 633.0mm )
Expression ESL 13A and Renaissance ESL 15A are members of MartinLogan's Masterpiece series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
MartinLogan Masterpiece Series
History
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A and MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
Both Expression ESL 13A and Renaissance ESL 15A are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A |
MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 10-inch
|
2 x 12-inch
|
Expression ESL 13A features a " Electrostatic panel Electrostatic Tweeter and 2 x 10" Aluminium Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz. On the other hand, the Renaissance ESL 15A features a " Electrostatic panel Electrostatic Tweeter and 2 x 12" Aluminium Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz.
Frequency Response
Expression ESL 13A has a frequency range of 24-23k Hz whereas Renaissance ESL 15A has a frequency range of 22-21k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 22Hz, the Renaissance ESL 15A can go slightly deeper then the Expression ESL 13A's min frequency of 24Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A
MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Expression ESL 13A and Renaissance ESL 15A have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Expression ESL 13A sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Renaissance ESL 15A's is at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
One thing to keep in mind that the lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit comared to higher impedance speakers especially at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Expression ESL 13A and the Expression ESL 13A can provide this impedance level.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Expression ESL 13A can handle a max power of 700 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Expression ESL 13A has a max power handling value of 600 watts RMS , 100 watts less than the Renaissance ESL 15A.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Expression ESL 13A features Binding post type posts and Renaissance ESL 15A has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A's and MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A's external dimensions. MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A has external dimensions of 1561.0 x 339.0 x 699.0mm ( 61-7/16 x 13-3/8 x 27-1/2inch) whereas MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A has external dimensions of 1773.0 x 400.0 x 633.0mm ( 69-13/16 x 15-3/4 x 24-15/16inch) .
MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A is 61mm narrower and 212mm shorter than MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A but it is also 66mm deeper.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A is approximately 2369.6cm2 / 367.3inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A is approximately 2532.0cm2 / 392.5inch2. The Expression ESL 13A requires 6% less surface area than the Renaissance ESL 15A which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.