Used pair of Purity

Hi everybody,

First I want to apologize for my bad written english :-/
I'm new to this excellent forum and before I can post some pics of my Martin Logan I have to bought them
In this way, I have the opportunity to buy a pair of used Martin Logan Purity.
The price is very attractive (50% off), and the seller says the Purity were just used for 3-4 demo in their showroom for a couple of hours!
Userguide + cables in unopened plastic bag, original packing boxes, original warranty.
My ask is : what do I have to verify/check before buying ? Wich steps do I have to follow to be sure to buy something very good ?
Thank you very much for your assistance :bowdown:
Olivier.

A few thoughts here:

- What is the guy's reputation? Is he a dealer selling from a home or a store, or is he selling from the back of the truck?

- Find out how many hours the speakers were used

- Get the serial numbers and call or email Martin Logan. They will tell you when the speakers were manufactured.

- Pay by credit card so if this guy is not legitimate or something does not work properly, or you were misled, you have recourse and can stop payment.


- Have you listened to them? Do you like them? Trust your ears.

I hope it works out for you. If the answers are to your satisfaction, 50% off is a great deal.

Good Luck!

I forgot one more thing:


Try to hear them in your home, if possible. Not sure if you ever heard Logans or other dipoles, but these need to be a bit away from the walls. Placement will be key, but you will be rewarded with great music for all the troubles. There are many posts on this in the Room Treatments section.

Thank you very much for your reply, David!

- The seller is a shop (official Martin Logan Dealer in Belgium),
- I'll ask for the number of hours (guy said a "couple" of hours).
- In fact I know the Purity and I like them very much; it sounds beautifull on my Primaluna Amp + Cambridge Audio player :music:

I suppose that I have also to check if there's no 'damage' on the panels ? Something special to pay attention with electrostatics ?

Thank you again,
Olivier.

If the guy is a dealer, you should be in great shape. Even the warranty should be still valid.

Sounds like this was a demo pair for the dealer. I would find out how many hours are on them. It takes 100-200 hours for them to break in.

As far as the panel goes, you can visually inspect it. But if there is something wrong, you should be able to hear the problem.

Good Luck!

PS. Are you a Henin or a Clijsters fan?

primaluna777 said:

Thank you very much for your reply, David!

- The seller is a shop (official Martin Logan Dealer in Belgium),
- I'll ask for the number of hours (guy said a "couple" of hours).
- In fact I know the Purity and I like them very much; it sounds beautifull on my Primaluna Amp + Cambridge Audio player :music:

I suppose that I have also to check if there's no 'damage' on the panels ? Something special to pay attention with electrostatics ?

Thank you again,
Olivier.

Click to expand...

Hola Olivier...you do not need a power amplifier to drive the Purity, just your preamplifier or your CD, if it has volume control. Now days some CD player or DVD players offers this feature. You are allow to use an amplifier, but the truth is that the amplifier that is driven your Purities is the amp that it is build in them. The Purities are the first full range self power electrostatic speaker. If you do not have volume control at your cd player, then you can use your Primaluna amp...which it is a very nice sounding amplifier, but you are not using the amp to drive the Purities...Happy listening,
Roberto.

David Matz said:

If the guy is a dealer, you should be in great shape. Even the warranty should be still valid.

Sounds like this was a demo pair for the dealer. I would find out how many hours are on them. It takes 100-200 hours for them to break in.

As far as the panel goes, you can visually inspect it. But if there is something wrong, you should be able to hear the problem.

Good Luck!

PS. Are you a Henin or a Clijsters fan?

Click to expand...

Thank you again for your help !
I've heard those pair of purity yesterday...indeed it seems to be new.
The panel is absolutly perfect, the cabinet too, just some dust on it quickly removed by the guy
I can notice that they probably don't have been used for more than some hours because the sound was a bit less warmer and expanded as this I can hear on another pair.
For the rest everything seems to be ok.
I thing that I'll buy them.

PS: I'm a Henin fan

roberto said:

Hola Olivier...you do not need a power amplifier to drive the Purity, just your preamplifier or your CD, if it has volume control. Now days some CD player or DVD players offers this feature. You are allow to use an amplifier, but the truth is that the amplifier that is driven your Purities is the amp that it is build in them. The Purities are the first full range self power electrostatic speaker. If you do not have volume control at your cd player, then you can use your Primaluna amp...which it is a very nice sounding amplifier, but you are not using the amp to drive the Purities...Happy listening,
Roberto.

Click to expand...

Hola Roberto,
Thank you for your help.
But I can notice that if we use the common speaker output from the amp to the purities, we can hear some difference...
It seems to me to be logical even if the purities are self amplified.
But I take good note of information for an eventual future not-amplified source on those wonderful speakers :music:
Olivier

Ok, I bought it !
They are absolutly in perfect state !
For that price they seems to sound still better
I'm so happy and and want to thank you for your help :bowdown:

May I ask something more ?
Where can I find practical help finding the optimum place for my Purity ?
I have a very special room and I hope it won't reduce the beautiful stereo image of my Purity's

primaluna777 said:

Ok, I bought it !
They are absolutly in perfect state !
For that price they seems to sound still better
I'm so happy and and want to thank you for your help :bowdown:

May I ask something more ?
Where can I find practical help finding the optimum place for my Purity ?
I have a very special room and I hope it won't reduce the beautiful stereo image of my Purity's

Click to expand...

Hola...for start, at least 75cms or 1 m. away of their back wall. One third of the inside panels facing you, siting at the center of them, then the magic sound of ML is now reproduced. Now, adjusting is a matter of taste. Hope this can help...download the owners manual from the ML site (www.martinlogan.com) and follow their instructions. Happy listening and congratulations with your new speakers!
Roberto.

I'm currently trying to find the best place for my Purity, following the advices of the members...

A little question : something strange : when my amp + cd player are off, some small noises (bzzz...bzzz) are coming out of my purity's...not loud but I can ear them...
Normal ? Abnormal ?

Thank you again

Looks to me like a candidate for a vacuum cleaner. Have a look around on this site, plenty od advices how to do it.

Hello primaluna777;

First of all, congrats on the Puritys, I recently purchased a pair myself. ( my first Logans !! )
When you hear the noise, are the components completely powered off, or just in standby? The reason I ask is that I will try to replicate with my Puritys, and report back.
Also, just curious, what Cambridge cd player are you using? I'm in the process of upgrading my 640C player.

Terry.

primaluna777 said:

I'm currently trying to find the best place for my Purity, following the advices of the members...

A little question : something strange : when my amp + cd player are off, some small noises (bzzz...bzzz) are coming out of my purity's...not loud but I can ear them...
Normal ? Abnormal ?

Thank you again

Click to expand...

Hola...all depends of the kind of noise and from where that noise is coming. Disconnect all the connections to the speakers and plug them to the main A.C. If the noise is gone, then you have a ground loop problem. You can use a cheater plug to your amp or to the cd player. Also all electrostatic speakers make funny noises once and then. This noise is harmless and will not harm your Purities or your amplifier. Locate the spot where the noise is produced. This noise usually is due to debris that are attracted by the electrostatic charge of the stat panel. With the help of a heavy vacuum cleaner, or a paint brush, you can clean this debris causing the noise. Also, as the noise comes, it goes away too. Un-plug the Purities over night, this will make to discharge the panels. The Purity manual at the last pages talks regarding this problem. Happy listening,
Roberto.