[SteveFord]

I've been poking around from my death bed (not really, it just felt like it) and have been looking at the various Martin Logans on audiogon.
I see some buzzing listed, one guy said the diaphragm slipped (?), new panels, etc.

This is not meant to be a let's beat up on a manufacturer thread, please, so let us not do that.

I just wish to know what issues, if any, might arise sometime down the road.
If you've had a set for quite some time, I'd appreciate your input.

[won ton on]

had a pair of m-l aerius for 18 years never had any issues

[SlushPuppy]

I had a pair of SL3's for almost 4 years. No issues. Most of the issues I've seen have been related to shipping. I'm willing to bet the ones with problems have had more than one owner.

[won ton on]

also i never played them really loud

[SteveFord]

UPS could break an anvil, all right.
You read about Quads arcing (and leaking oil along with the odd kick back which will ignite the grill cloth on occasion, being British and all).
Little motorcycle humor.

Anybody cranking the tunes with their MLs?

[jtwrace]

In all the models that I owned I never had an issue with them.  I wasn't kind either.   

[TONEPUB]

So far I've had excellent luck with MartinLogan.  I've had CLS for about 10 years, no prob.  Aeirus for about 5, same thing.  Had my Summits for two years before passing them on to a staff member who's had them for another two years, smooth sailing.  Three years on the CLX with no difficulty either.

I have had on Grotto i subwoofer fail that I bought after the review, it was fixed promptly.

That's my luck so far!

[SlushPuppy]

The only reason I don't own Martin Logans right now is because they've cheapened the brand by releasing entirely new lines of speakers every two years or so. As soon as they get positive reviews the speakers are discontinued and sold at clearance prices. Look on AudioGon and see how many Martin Logans are listed there. Now count the models. It seems there's a different model for every speaker sold there. Magnepan releases a new model once a decade. That's how you keep resale values and keep your customers loyal.

Why pay full price for ML's when you can wait two years and get them new for 50% off at AudioAdvisor? Martin Logan makes great stuff, but the guys running the company are a bunch of f-ing idiots.

[SteveFord]

They do introduce a lot of models for whatever reason.  I can see how that could backfire on them and sink resale value.
But that's not what this thread is about.

From what the owners are saying they're pretty hard to grenade which is what I was really wanted to know.  Nothing worse than having your gear go up like one of Spinal Tap's drummers.

[SlushPuppy]

They do introduce a lot of models for whatever reason.  I can see how that could backfire on them and sink resale value.
But that's not what this thread is about.

From what the owners are saying they're pretty hard to grenade which is what I was really wanted to know.  Nothing worse than having your gear go up like one of Spinal Tap's drummers.

Well, it's kind of related, because I would be a long-term owner were it not for the way they run the company, and that is a long-term issue to consider.

Anyway, yeah, they're pretty hard to kill. I ran mine with a Melos tube pre and a an Aragon 4004 amp. Great sound, even when played louder than necessary 

[TONEPUB]

Honestly, that's a tough one to call, from a marketing perspective.  Considering the amount of speakers that ML ships, I don't know that I'd call them idiots.

There's one school of thought that prefers models with a longer lifespan like magnepan, and there's another that finds that boring.  Personally, I'm a bit more in the camp of seeing stuff last a little while longer.

But as you said, that makes it a good day for the secondary market guy.  If you are enjoying them long term, it might not matter and you also got to enjoy the speakers two years longer than the person that buys them used.

I've also met quite a few people that would rather have something new in the box, where no one else has put any miles on them, and I can see that perspective.  I always used to buy used cars because it seemed like a better value, however, these days I kind of like buying something brand new with zero miles on the clock.

Different strokes I say

[rw@cn]

I've had four different models over 30 years and they have all been solid. There are some precautions one must take but they are not troublesome. The big problem with older units is that the panels sometimes needed replacement after five (or so) years.

[seijinaudio]

My family has been a ML family for a long time now.  My father has owned 4 different models from the Monoliths to the CLS IIZ's he has had for over 15 years now without any issues.  My brother owns the SL3's and the Prodigy's and I owned the Vantages.

Let me first address your immediate concern and say that there VERY few companies that offer better customer service.  My father's Descent-i woofers have had a buzzing noise from one of the drivers and ML sent him 3 new drivers and 3 new boards for free after his warranty had expired. Serious service there!

The only real challenge is getting them with no damage as they are fragile speakers and the panels can easily be crushed or bent from poor handling during shipment.  Better to buy local if you can.

I would carry as a dealer, but as prior posts mention the company and securing is pricing is flawed severely.

Good luck and hope the input helps.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

-Joshua

PS, make sure you have goo amplification as depending on what model you buy they can be be very difficult to drive much more so that the specs suggest.  The CLS go down to 1 ohm!!

[DTB300]

I see some buzzing listed, one guy said the diaphragm slipped (?), new panels, etc.

Buzzing is "usually" dirty panels.  First try some compressed air and see if you can get the dirt out.  If not you can try to vacuum them, and as last ditch effort you can wash them in the shower (yes, seriously) - no soap or liquids, just water (a removable shower head works great) then let them air dry.  I revived a set of Sequel panels for another year or so before I replaced them.

Diaphragm slippag4 is more than likely the whole stator may slip down due to the age of foam tape between panel and frame - rail then goes on top of the stator (if is is that type of model).  Easily fixed with either new tape, or adding a small piece of hardware at the bottom of the stator to keep it from slipping down.

I have seen people get any where from 5-20 years depending on the environment they are kept in.  Smoke, dirt are the worst enemies.  But for years now they have a signal sensing circuit which turn off the stators when no music is playing.  This helps significantly on dust, dirt attraction.  I have seen some people with speaker trojans to cover them up for better protection

New panels for speakers 20 years old is a great service they offer.  Say you own a pair of CLS - $6k brand new.  New panels $1500 (now).  So someone could upgrade their CLS to almost brand new for $1500. 

[BruceSB]

I would like to give some input regarding their customer service.
I have a pair of Dynamos.
I had a technical question regarding them and sent off an email to the factory.
I received a detailed response the next day.
There was a really caring, helpful tone in the emailed response.
I am certain that they are a really customer orientated company and I think this is an important thing to take into consideration when you are buying audio gear.

[eclein]

I've always loved the look and often times think I'd like to have a pair someday. My room is like 18 x 16, its like an efficiency inside a big 2 bedroom apt...I use the kitchen to cook and hang out in here, TV, Stereo..Etc...is my room too small and not open enough-its not open at all. If its not what model do they make that I could use effectively?? I always thought the hybrid concept they sell is a good one and I'm just curious. There are little maggies,even bookshelf versions, does ML make a similar model???

Didn't want to hijack the thread but a nice group has assembled so I thought I'd ask you guys....

[BruceSB]

Let me make three responses.
First of all I use full range electrostatics (but not MLs) in my small dedicated listening room (10.5 feet (wide) by 12.5 feet (long) by 8.5 feet (high) and they work a treat. In due course (when finances allow) I am planning to have five stats in this room!
Secondly, I have always loved MLs since I first heard the CLS very many years ago (and which was one of the two electrostats that made me the stat lover that I am today (the other was the Quad, by the way)), they are great speakers and some of the models are very affordable.
Thirdly, at the recent Melbourne HiFi show, there were, in my opinion, only two decent speakers, those were the Martin Logans and the Maggies.
Go and have a listen to both.
They are both great speakers.
They don't sound identical so it may turn out to be personal preference.
The other influencing factor may be placement. The maggies need to be out away from the walls whereas this is not the case with at least some electrostats (including my own acoustats and Soundlabs), I will say that I do have heavy curtains behind my speakers.
Hope these comments help.
Happy shopping and happy listening.

[SteveFord]

The Quad owners should know that I was just kidding and was thinking of my old BSA 500 single when I wrote the part about the kicking back and setting things on fire. 
Like the air filter...
It sure was a fun bike, though.

I do have two questions:
Bill Firebaugh mentioned that the black marks on his ceiling were from his prototypes arcing - is this from too much power being fed into them?
and
Someone mentioned Martin Logan going to the extreme in making the speakers see-through and that would somehow impact longevity.  Is that just groundless speculation?

[TONEPUB]

Too much power makes the quads arc....

I agree with Bruce, I think you will either respond more strongly to one or the other when it comes to the Magnepan vs. ML. 

[GaryArthur]

I currently own 14 Martin Logans 10 of which you can see in this picture. I bought the Prodigy's (rears) and one of the Theaters in the 4xTheater center array ten years ago. Along with sounding great the speakers are reasonably durable and repairable. Also the ML service department is very good. BTW getting the centers to blend with the CLX's and not walk all over themselves and muddy the sound was not trivial nor cheap. Yes ML sells entry level at Best Buy but so does B&W. Kef has both entry level and audiophile speakers etc. And it's hard to argue with economics. 2010 was ML's second best sales year ever and I understand 2011 is going well (even under these economic conditions). So it looks like ML will be around for a while.




regards,
Gary