Best method to ship CLS?

Hi All,

I have been a lurker on this forum for a while (and registered/posted a few times in the previous forum). I had a question for the forum-I am looking to pick up a set of CLS speakers, but haven't come across anything within a reasonable driving distance (12 hours-I live in Ohio and if anyone knows of a set in the region, please let me know).

I have seen a few sets located around the country-can anyone provide some suggestions for viable means of shipping these? I have some connections in CA where I have seen a lot of these pop-up, so I could work the crating/shipping myself. That being said, I am not sure about the best way to package these myself. Is there a safe way to ship CLS speakers?

I spoke with one seller who lives about 1200 miles from me, who thought it would take around $750 to have a custom crate built, and the panels shipped via freight. Is that in-line with what anyone in the forum has paid for similar service in the past?

Thanks!

The factory packing for the CLS is simple and effective--foam end caps that hold both screens that then slides into a cardboard box. That box then slides into a cardboard sleeve. No wood, no crates. I used motor freight to ship them ~1500 miles once and antoher time they were moved by Mayflower cross country. They made both trips easily. I think I paid about $125 for motor freight terminal to terminal service. Door to door might be quite a bit more. I shipped the interfaces in their own box via UPS. No doubt the factory packing is big and a pain to store... but it is valuable as you have found out.

I have had 3 sets of CLS shipped to me. All were packed in cardboard box with some type of foam. 2 of the 3 had cracked frames when they arrived.

I just shipped a set of frames to Colorado from Florida. I built a box from 2"x4"'s and 1/2" OSB ( you can use most any 1/2" material) with foam inside. The shipping cost was $116 as opposed to the $97 I paid to ship a set from Illinois in cardboard.

Build the wood crate and leave the panels in the frames. The cost is going to end up being based more on the over sized packing not the weight.

If you are going to where ever they are so you can listen to them box the interfaces and take them with your luggage on the plane, bus or what ever you use. I had no problem claiming them as my luggage on Southwest Air. They will more than likely be opened by the inspectors once they have been x-rayed and they see wiring, caps and power supplies.

Good luck and build a crate.

With the high cost of freight, and the low chance of getting a freight claim adequately taken care of (and you still don't have a pair of speakers), I'd suggest looking into flying to where the speakers are, and driving back. I've done this with a few fragile items and it ended up being less expensive than the freight shipment.

The piece of mind knowing the goods are safe is priceless. Most rental companies will let you rent a mini van for a couple of days and drop it off wherever you live when you get back. I suggest one of the Chrysler mini vans, as you can fold all of the seats into the floor, giving you a massive cargo area.

It will probably cost a couple hundred bucks for a plane ticket, about $750 for the mini van. Then you won't need to make a 1000 dollar crate and pay another 5-800 for freight and worry about it arriving safely.

And you might even make a friend in the process....

I wonder how ML get their speakers from Lawrence to their dealers? Cardboard boxes.

Of course they get them to their dealers in cardboard boxes, but they have been meticulously loaded at the factory and are usually sent on pallets with more than one speaker.

Also, if a pair doesn't make it to the dealer in one piece, it's ML's problem not yours. I wouldn't be surprised if ML spends 5-10% of their revenue taking care of shipping related issues, especially with the bigger speakers.

And as someone who ships about 150-200 pieces of gear worldwide every year, I'm still considered a "onsey-twosey" kind of guy to the freight companies and even FedEx. If you're just shipping one pair of speakers and something goes wrong, your chances of collecting are slim. In the meantime, you'll have to reimburse the shipper for the lost goods and now no one has a pair of speakers.

For my money, when it's something I really want, I make sure it's hand delivered. You are free to take your chances with the freight companies....

tonepub said:

Of course they get them to their dealers in cardboard boxes, but they have been meticulously loaded at the factory and are usually sent on pallets with more than one speaker.

Also, if a pair doesn't make it to the dealer in one piece, it's ML's problem not yours. I wouldn't be surprised if ML spends 5-10% of their revenue taking care of shipping related issues, especially with the bigger speakers.

And as someone who ships about 150-200 pieces of gear worldwide every year, I'm still considered a "onsey-twosey" kind of guy to the freight companies and even FedEx. If you're just shipping one pair of speakers and something goes wrong, your chances of collecting are slim. In the meantime, you'll have to reimburse the shipper for the lost goods and now no one has a pair of speakers.

For my money, when it's something I really want, I make sure it's hand delivered. You are free to take your chances with the freight companies....

Click to expand...

As someone who has shipped large/heavy items via motor freight I can say that the likelihood that an item is packed (meticulously or otherwise) once at the factory and unloaded just once when it arrives at its destination is very small indeed. In my experience freight is loaded and unloaded multiple times while en route at various shipping centers and hubs. It may be that ML has its own shipping company as does the Carvin musical instrument company. No matter. I have had good results shipping speakers using the factory packing and motor freight. I have never made a claim against a motor freight company so I have not commented on that.

If ML spends 5-10% of their corporate revenue correcting shipping problems, what percentage of their revenue do you think they spend on shipping?

I meant shipping revenue.

Well as you seem to be quite the knowledgeable person in this matter, I defer to you. I'm sure you ship a lot more expensive hifi around the world than we do.

Best of luck on shipping your CLS's...

Hope nothing bad happens.

Hi,

May I know if it's possible to purchase an empty carton box from Martin Logan and have it shipped to the place where the ML Speaker locate?

zoltm said:

Hi,

May I know if it's possible to purchase an empty carton box from Martin Logan and have it shipped to the place where the ML Speaker locate?

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Have you sent an e-mail to ML customer service? I have found them to be quite responsive to inquiries. I am sure that they have been asked this question before.

The companies that require factory packing for items sent in for update/service often sell packaging. This may not bode well for you as I believe all ML panels are replaced in the field, not at the factory. Of course the interface boxes are usually shippable as small packages via UPS/USPS/FedEx/etc. Good luck.

ML told me that there are no CLS boxes available from them.

robertawillisjr said:

ML told me that there are no CLS boxes available from them.

Click to expand...

That's bad. Quad in the other side of the world on the other hand is more flexible. They are willing to sell a pair of Quad ESL 57 for some handsome amount of money.

tonepub said:

With the high cost of freight, and the low chance of getting a freight claim adequately taken care of (and you still don't have a pair of speakers), I'd suggest looking into flying to where the speakers are, and driving back. I've done this with a few fragile items and it ended up being less expensive than the freight shipment.

The piece of mind knowing the goods are safe is priceless. Most rental companies will let you rent a mini van for a couple of days and drop it off wherever you live when you get back. I suggest one of the Chrysler mini vans, as you can fold all of the seats into the floor, giving you a massive cargo area.

It will probably cost a couple hundred bucks for a plane ticket, about $750 for the mini van. Then you won't need to make a 1000 dollar crate and pay another 5-800 for freight and worry about it arriving safely.



And you might even make a friend in the process....

Click to expand...

I 100% agree and that is exactly what I did when I bought my CLS in Lawrence. I Rented a Van and drove back to MI with no worries of damage. I did stop at the factory to have Jim Powers Upgrade the crossovers. The frames are not that strong when laid flat.

I personally would only buy them if I could go pick them up.There is too many variables other than the chance of shipping damage.You will not be able to listen to the panels or check the condition of the frames.If something is wrong they can say that they were damaged in shipping.If you are patient,a pair in great condition will show up close to you.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all of the input! I will keep any eye open for a pair within a drive, or a drive/flight.

Delta Airlines has (had?) an excellent service...

Some years ago, I sold my Quest Z's to a gentleman in Seattle area.
Pretty much the longest travle distance possible from South Florida!

I found a local place that custom made wood crates, packed the speakers, and transported them to the airport for $200.

They arrived in Seattle the next day and the buyer picked them up in perfect condition.

Worth looking into....

Cheers,
Ray

bk12 said:

Hi All,

I have been a lurker on this forum for a while (and registered/posted a few times in the previous forum). I had a question for the forum-I am looking to pick up a set of CLS speakers, but haven't come across anything within a reasonable driving distance (12 hours-I live in Ohio and if anyone knows of a set in the region, please let me know).

I have seen a few sets located around the country-can anyone provide some suggestions for viable means of shipping these? I have some connections in CA where I have seen a lot of these pop-up, so I could work the crating/shipping myself. That being said, I am not sure about the best way to package these myself. Is there a safe way to ship CLS speakers?

I spoke with one seller who lives about 1200 miles from me, who thought it would take around $750 to have a custom crate built, and the panels shipped via freight. Is that in-line with what anyone in the forum has paid for similar service in the past?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

shipping

I've had success using several shippers. I shipped a pair of Monolith III's that were box crated from NC to WA. Same for Ascents from FL to WA. I've several shippers that will secure ANY open speaker, or other product for that matter, at the location of the pickup, transport it back to their facility, build a wood box for it, strap that box to a pallet and then ship it ground freight. Check out Seko Int'l and Estes express lines. Both have prices that are very modest compared to most ground freight service carriers. I'm about to acquire a pair of CLS's in FL and shipping them to WA within the next week. Good luck!

raygunn said:

Some years ago, I sold my Quest Z's to a gentleman in Seattle area.
Pretty much the longest travle distance possible from South Florida!

I found a local place that custom made wood crates, packed the speakers, and transported them to the airport for $200.

They arrived in Seattle the next day and the buyer picked them up in perfect condition.

Worth looking into....

Cheers,
Ray

Click to expand...

Ray I'm near Seattle and looking at 3 pairs of CLS's in Florida. Do you recall the name of the outfit you used, or have any further information on them or anyone else in that area of the country?

Many thanks,
Greg

Since 9/11, you can't ship airfreight anymore as an individual. That used to be a great way to ship stuff across country for a very reasonable fee.

Get some freight quotes.

FedEx Freight is a little higher than most, but easier to deal with than a traditional freight company, plus they will pick up residential. Ask the FedEx person for a "first time discount" if they don't offer it... That will probably get the cost in the 3-500 range, plus whatever you have to pay for crates and packing.

Also, if you go with FedEx freight, make sure to hang onto their "Quote number". This links what they say they will charge you to what they actually do charge you. This is like a tracking number and will assure they stick to the fee they quote you. The guy that picks up the freight is powerless to help you if you don't have the quote number.

Best of luck, hope your speakers arrive in pristine condition!

Before you pull the trigger, you might want to contact Kurt Doslu at Echo Audio in Portland, Oregon
to see if he can rustle you up a pair locally....

http://www.echohifi.com/

Did not know about the post-9/11 thing, but there is another alternative...

My CLS's came directly from the factory via UPS ground.

The power supplies are in separate boxes and the panels are two to a box.
Therefore they meet the weight and size limitations of UPS.

This separation, of course, was not an option on the hybrid SL-2's.

I should have thought about that from the beginning.

Greg, all you need to do is ensure that they seller get a set of boxes from the factory. That is, if they still sell them. Otherwise, separate them and use commercially available cartons. probably not an easy task.

Good luck.
Cheers,
Ray