SL3 Panels replaced

I'm listening to my SL3's with replaced panels and am just amazed. I had purchased them as demo's in 1998. Over the past year or so I felt something was missing but couldn't quite put my finger on it. You all know the feeling..do I need a new CD player or maybe amps?? I attributed it to just me getting older. Some members here said that even if nothing had outright failed, the panels could just be old. I heartily agree!! The magic is back in spades. I compare it to putting new strings on a guitar. 3D imaging,palpability,chills all there again.
Seriously consider the age of the panels before buying used.
Thanks to everybody here. Great site!

Great to hear it made a big difference for you.

It is night and day.

They do take a few weeks to break in. The midrange will get better over time.

Thanks. I can't imagine they will sound better. I am definitely enjoying the break in period! The panels on your Monoliths look huge. They must sound sweet.

How much were the panels?

Lightloopy said:

I'm listening to my SL3's with replaced panels and am just amazed. I had purchased them as demo's in 1998. Over the past year or so I felt something was missing but couldn't quite put my finger on it. You all know the feeling..do I need a new CD player or maybe amps?? I attributed it to just me getting older. Some members here said that even if nothing had outright failed, the panels could just be old. I heartily agree!! The magic is back in spades. I compare it to putting new strings on a guitar. 3D imaging,palpability,chills all there again.
Seriously consider the age of the panels before buying used.
Thanks to everybody here. Great site!

Click to expand...

You best take good care of those new panels they may be the last you'll be able to buy if ML decides to quit making them.

Lightloopy: What is the year of manf (or serial number) on your SL3's? Were they played often/every day? Were they in a high humidity or smoky environment? Normal care and vacuuming? (And yes, how much did you pay?)

I wonder if the panels last longer if they sit uncharged and if one can predict their lifetime based on total hours spent charged up.

edit: Did you try showering the old panels to see if there was any difference?

They were manufactured 1998. They were $700 plus $ 170 for my dealer to install. They've been vacuumed and kept in a dedicated listening room,climate controlled, non smoking. I never showered them(I'm not that bold). They are used 3-4 days a week 3-4 hours/day longer on weekends. It seems that this deterioration is a very gradual process, probably over a year or two. I found myself repositioning speakers, moving closer trying to figure out what was going on. I really did not go to the dealer to listen to anything to compare since I was not ready to spend that kind of cash. Thanks to the comments here I considered replacing them and the results really suprised me.

I can appreciate the concern regarding the panels being discontinued. I don't know if there is anyway to know what the shelf life of an unused panel is. Is it possible that an aftermarket business reconditioning panels will spring up like the Quads?

Lightloopy said:

I can appreciate the concern regarding the panels being discontinued. I don't know if there is anyway to know what the shelf life of an unused panel is. Is it possible that an aftermarket business reconditioning panels will spring up like the Quads?

Click to expand...

The question is can they be reconditioned?

Thanks or the info, Lightloopy. And just to clarify, as I had read here that the price for SL3 panels direct from ML was under $600 a year ago, did you also get them direct from ML or from your dealer?

Lightloopy said:

Is it possible that an aftermarket business reconditioning panels will spring up like the Quads?

Click to expand...

I read on another forum years ago about a guy in Sweden who put new film in his ML's, but since he made and rubbed on the coating himself, they didn't come out as transparent as new.

That was the price at the dealer. They ordered the panels and installed them. It was the most cost effective upgrade I have done with big results.

Too bad that you paid your dealer to install them as it is very easy to do it yourself.

Agreed. It looks easy to do. There are several reasons I had it done at the dealer. First, if something doesn't work or goes wrong, they will take responsibility and work with ML to sort out. Second, I don't plan to do this very often. Third and most important, I support the dealer(albeit in a small way as I'm sure he would prefer I buy Spires). He has always been kind to contribute items to auctions ,fundraisers,etc and I appreciate that.

Another thought. Is it possible to measure the gradual decay in sound quality?

Also just wanted to point out that member Leethomas successfully reconditioned the original film on his Sequel 2's (in the DIY section).

Lightloopy said:

...

Another thought. Is it possible to measure the gradual decay in sound quality?

Click to expand...

Yes, one can easily measure this with a good quality audio measurement setup.

I've been measuring my system for over a decade, and have seen my rear-channel Sequel II's decrease in the mid's and highs by about 2 or 3dB over that period.

Still not enough to get me off my butt and order new panels yet, but I'm getting close to doing it.

While I don't have direct measured comparisons, the new SL3 panel used in my center channel project measured quite a bit better than the tired panels on it's unused mate that I used to do some acoustic absorption tests with.

BTW- My unused SL3 stands guard at the entrance to my Home theater. People know this is a ML-focused theater before they even enter, and have no doubts once they are in it

Next time I do measurements I'll drag it in and do some comparisons to the center, as this question keeps coming up.

That's very interesting. Well, I hope to get another 5 yrs on these panels. Who knows what ML will have out then. Maybe the new panels will have wear indicators!?