In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Illusion ESL C34A is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A and MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
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 )
MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 250-watt RMS Integrated Amplifier
- " AMT Tweeter
- 4 x 6.5" Aluminium Woofer
- 45-23k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:20-600watts
- Weight:40.90kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 23-3/4" x 32-3/8" x 23-1/16" ( 603.0 x 822.0 x 586.0mm )
Renaissance ESL 15A and Illusion ESL C34A 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 Renaissance ESL 15A and MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A 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 Renaissance ESL 15A and Illusion ESL C34A are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A |
MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 12-inch
|
4 x 6.5-inch
|
Renaissance ESL 15A features a " Electrostatic panel Electrostatic Tweeter and 2 x 12" Aluminium Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz. On the other hand, the Illusion ESL C34A features a " Folded Motion AMT Tweeter and 4 x 6.5" Aluminium Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 500, 2000 Hz.
Frequency Response
Renaissance ESL 15A has a frequency range of 22-21k Hz whereas Illusion ESL C34A has a frequency range of 45-23k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 22Hz, the Renaissance ESL 15A can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Illusion ESL C34A's min frequency of 45Hz.
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 Renaissance ESL 15A
MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A
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
Renaissance ESL 15A is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Illusion ESL C34A which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Renaissance ESL 15A can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Renaissance ESL 15A sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Illusion ESL C34A's is rated at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
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.
Renaissance ESL 15A can handle a max power of 700 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Illusion ESL C34A 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
Renaissance ESL 15A features Binding post type posts and Illusion ESL C34A 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 Renaissance ESL 15A's and MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A's external dimensions. 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) whereas MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A has external dimensions of 603.0 x 822.0 x 586.0mm ( 23-3/4 x 32-3/8 x 23-1/16inch) .
MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A is 1170mm shorter and 47mm less deeper than MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A but it is also 422mm wider.
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 Renaissance ESL 15A is approximately 2532.0cm2 / 392.5inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A is approximately 4816.9cm2 / 746.6inch2. The Renaissance ESL 15A requires 47% less surface area than the Illusion ESL C34A which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.