SL3 panel? problem

Hi everyone,
I'm having some issues with my SL3's. Specifically, the right speaker becomes muffled at random times. I can only describe the effect as feeling like you're part deaf in one ear The high frequencies become muffled, but everything else sounds the same. The effect isn't subtle, it's like an on/off switch. Now, these were made in Jan 1995 and have the original panels so it might be a panel issue. However, I've found that wiggling the cable connectors around usually fixes the problem temporarily. Ironically, the less contact the connector has, the better it works(cable barely touching the post works the best). I'm wondering if it might be an internal wiring issue with a loose contact somewhere. I opened up the back panel and probed around, but couldn't find anything that looked out of the ordinary. Some of the white cotton insulation had stuck onto some of the wires and caps, but all the wires seemed to be fully soldered. I've vacuumed the panels, but to no effect. I'm going to try washing them tonight but in the meantime, anyone have suggestions?

Thanks

What about if you "wiggle" the power connector on the speaker's side?

Wiggling the power cord doesn't do anything. I can fully unplug the cord as well, and the problem persists.

Also, this may be irrelevant, but the amount of hiss coming from the speaker in question is much lower in volume than the other speaker. I don't know why this would be the case though.

I have SL3's and have had a problem where the panel cuts out, and it seems like your problem may be similar. What I traced it to was a bad contact on the panel itself. Slide off the wood trims on either side of the panel (they may slide off up or down), disconnect the three wires from the connector block, pry off the panel and check the black wire connected to the panel. If it is loose or undone, that is your problem.

I have no idea why wiggling the wire seems to correct the problem temporarily.

If you do have a loose wire it has to be soldered back on using a solder gun that is at least 100 watts.

BTW this is a recurring problem with both my speakers; I seem to get a solid joint but it gets undone. I have done this at least twice with both speakers.

I was wondering if anyone with the newer generation of speakers has had the same problem.

Bernard said:

I have SL3's and have had a problem where the panel cuts out, and it seems like your problem may be similar. What I traced it to was a bad contact on the panel itself. Slide off the wood trims on either side of the panel (they may slide off up or down), disconnect the three wires from the connector block, pry off the panel and check the black wire connected to the panel. If it is loose or undone, that is your problem.

I have no idea why wiggling the wire seems to correct the problem temporarily.

If you do have a loose wire it has to be soldered back on using a solder gun that is at least 100 watts.

BTW this is a recurring problem with both my speakers; I seem to get a solid joint but it gets undone. I have done this at least twice with both speakers.

I was wondering if anyone with the newer generation of speakers has had the same problem.

Click to expand...

Just out of interest Bernard - do you have clearspar stats in yours?

Bernard said:

I have SL3's and have had a problem where the panel cuts out, and it seems like your problem may be similar. What I traced it to was a bad contact on the panel itself. Slide off the wood trims on either side of the panel (they may slide off up or down), disconnect the three wires from the connector block, pry off the panel and check the black wire connected to the panel. If it is loose or undone, that is your problem.

I have no idea why wiggling the wire seems to correct the problem temporarily.

If you do have a loose wire it has to be soldered back on using a solder gun that is at least 100 watts.

BTW this is a recurring problem with both my speakers; I seem to get a solid joint but it gets undone. I have done this at least twice with both speakers.

I was wondering if anyone with the newer generation of speakers has had the same problem.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice Bernard. I'll check for this when I remove the panels for washing.

amey01 said:

Just out of interest Bernard - do you have clearspar stats in yours?

Click to expand...

No, I do not.

Bernard said:

No, I do not.

Click to expand...

Then you must be a closet heavy metal fan.....no wonder you want welded racks and stands, you are playing so loud it is vibrating everything apart.

JMAUSGP said:

Then you must be a closet heavy metal fan.....no wonder you want welded racks and stands, you are playing so loud it is vibrating everything apart.

Click to expand...

As far as rack construction is concerned, I AM a heavy metal fan.

Bernard said:

I have SL3's and have had a problem where the panel cuts out, and it seems like your problem may be similar. What I traced it to was a bad contact on the panel itself. Slide off the wood trims on either side of the panel (they may slide off up or down), disconnect the three wires from the connector block, pry off the panel and check the black wire connected to the panel. If it is loose or undone, that is your problem.

I have no idea why wiggling the wire seems to correct the problem temporarily.

If you do have a loose wire it has to be soldered back on using a solder gun that is at least 100 watts.

BTW this is a recurring problem with both my speakers; I seem to get a solid joint but it gets undone. I have done this at least twice with both speakers.

I was wondering if anyone with the newer generation of speakers has had the same problem.

Click to expand...

Has ML heard of this problem? Perhaps they have a fix tucked away.

robertawillisjr said:

Has ML heard of this problem? Perhaps they have a fix tucked away.

Click to expand...

I did contact ML the first time I had the problem, and they pointed me towards the possible problem. They had no solution other than to just re-solder the wire. Someone here suggested using metal epoxy after re-soldering, but I have not tried it.

Well I finally got the panels washed, but my problem is still there. It's actually got a bit worse, now the problem rarely fixes itself when I move the cables around. Washing the panels did help with reducing the amount of hiss coming from the speakers though. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary on the rear panel, or on the stators. All solder joints look completely fine. I've contacted ML, so hopefully they can give me a solution.

--Varun

It does sound like there's a bad connection somewhere. Did you try pressing down on the 14-pin IC on the pcb? Didn't someone else here have a problem with their IC?

Varun said:

Well I finally got the panels washed, but my problem is still there. It's actually got a bit worse, now the problem rarely fixes itself when I move the cables around. Washing the panels did help with reducing the amount of hiss coming from the speakers though. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary on the rear panel, or on the stators. All solder joints look completely fine. I've contacted ML, so hopefully they can give me a solution.

--Varun

Click to expand...

Hopefully you can get a solution. If not, what are your plans?

Spoke with ML yesterday. Customer support is phenomenal. He recommended swapping the back panels to see if the problem was with the stators or the electronics and sent me an email with step-by-step directions. Well guess what, swapping them seems to have solved the problem. I don't know why this would be, maybe there was a loose connection with one of the wires that was fixed when I swapped them. Anyway, problem seems to be gone for now, but I'll keep monitoring and report back if anything turns up. I'm very impressed with their service though. I believe I spoke with Dana.

--Varun