Stange noise in left Summit after music

Hello,

It has been a few weeks now that I hear a very stange sound in my left Summit Speaker after music has stopped playing for about 5 or 7 minutes.
The sound last about 1 to 3 seconds and is a bit different every time.

How can I describe this sound..? Well the first times I heard it I thought a little animal (bird, squirrel) was stuk in the woofer and was moving its feets or wings again the woofer or the woofer case (of course it is not possible - but it is that kind of sound. Or it is also the sound of a small shoebox that you would crumple, (...or a woofer that would fold or be torn or coming loose out of the glue... but it can also be something completely different - no idea) . It it surprising everytime since it occurs a few minutes after toatl silence (I guess it is linked to the power going down).

Has somebody had the same experience ? What is it ? Does my speaker need service ? Will it stay that way - Will it stop some day ? Will it go worse ?

Thanks a lot for your light on this - I am a bit puzzled.

David

David100 said:

Hello,

It has been a few weeks now that I hear a very stange sound in my left Summit Speaker after music has stopped playing for about 5 or 7 minutes.
The sound last about 1 to 3 seconds and is a bit different every time.

How can I describe this sound..? Well the first times I heard it I thought a little animal (bird, squirrel) was stuk in the woofer and was moving its feets or wings again the woofer or the woofer case (of course it is not possible - but it is that kind of sound. Or it is also the sound of a small shoebox that you would crumple, (...or a woofer that would fold or be torn or coming loose out of the glue... but it can also be something completely different - no idea) . It it surprising everytime since it occurs a few minutes after toatl silence (I guess it is linked to the power going down).

Has somebody had the same experience ? What is it ? Does my speaker need service ? Will it stay that way - Will it stop some day ? Will it go worse ?

Thanks a lot for your light on this - I am a bit puzzled.

David

Click to expand...

Hola David... all electrostatic speakers make this funny noises once and then... you can vacuum the exact point where the noise is, play some music and stop, and located the exact point of noise, and usually the fault is a debris. You can use a paint brush to help this cleaning. I will not harm your speaker. When you are going to proceed to do the cleaning, disconnect it from the mains A.C. and wait a least 1 hour or so. You can disconnected from the wall at night and do the cleaning at the morning, next day. At the owners manual, you can read about this too. Funny noises or odd noises is because the debris are captured due to the electrostatic charge of the panel. Sometimes too, as the noise came, it will go away. Happy listening,
Roberto.

If it is coming from the woofer, you might have a ground loop problem. Try lifting the ground for that speaker and see if it goes away. If it does, try a product as Hum X as a more permanent solution.

Thanks roberto - I hope it is as simple as that. I will do exactly what you say : Disconnect tonight - Cautiously vaccum clean tomorrow morning. I hope that's it.

But if think the noise may come from the woofer and not from the panel. It sounds indeed like sound not coming OUT OF the woofer - but FROM the woofer physical structure itself (sound is like it would be shrinking or something - i know it is weird but the sound is so strange and so 'alive').

Anyway - I hope it is just me being worried and it would be so nice if a cleaning solved the problem. So I will start with that.

I will report about the outcome.

Thanks again.

squasher100 said:

If it is coming from the woofer, you might have a ground loop problem. Try lifting the ground for that speaker and see if it goes away. If it does, try a product as Hum X as a more permanent solution.

Click to expand...

Hello Squasher - Thanks for the input but no I don't think it is loop problem. And this for two reasons:

- It comes out of ONE speaker only (and they both are in the same plug).
- It is not permanent. It happens only 2 or 3 seconds after 5 to 7 minutes silence after a listening session. So, it is very "on/off" - not something that is always there.

But anyway - thank you very much for the idea - all inputs are welcome. I just hope this problem I have is not the beginning of something worse that would force me to send the speakers back to ML. I bougth the speakers about 800 miles from here and the whole servicing thing would be a very costly nightmare (overseas shipping and blah blah blah).

David100 said:

Hello Squasher - Thanks for the input but no I don't think it is loop problem. And this for two reasons:

- It comes out of ONE speaker only (and they both are in the same plug).
- It is not permanent. It happens only 2 or 3 seconds after 5 to 7 minutes silence after a listening session. So, it is very "on/off" - not something that is always there.

But anyway - thank you very much for the idea - all inputs are welcome. I just hope this problem I have is not the beginning of something worse that would force me to send the speakers back to ML. I bougth the speakers about 800 miles from here and the whole servicing thing would be a very costly nightmare (overseas shipping and blah blah blah).

Click to expand...

Dave...this is what your manual says: A problem has recently developed with my MartinLogan
speakers. The right speaker seems to be hissing even
when the amplifier and such are not connected. I was
wondering if this sounds like any problem you have
encountered previously and have a simple solution for
or might it be something which will need to be looked
into more carefully.
Your speakers are dusty. See the vacuuming FAQ. The
electrostatic charge on the element has attracted airborne
dust or pollen. Since 1993, all of our speakers have been
built with a charging circuit board that only charges the
electrostatic element when music plays. At other times
they are not charged and cannot collect dust. You can
get the same benefit by simply unplugging them whenever
they are not in use. A power strip is an easy way to
do that.... and " How do I vacuum my MartinLogan speakers?
Vacuuming will be most effective if the speakers have
been unplugged for six hours to twelve hours (or overnight).
You need not worry about the vacuum pressure
damaging the "delicate" membrane. It is extraordinarily
durable. Dirt and dust may be vacuumed off with
a brush attachment connected to your vacuum cleaner,
or you may blow them off with compressed air. When
vacuuming or blowing off your panels do so to both
sides, but focus the majority of your attention on the
front of the panels..."...Popping and Ticking Sounds, Funny Noises
• These occasional noises are harmless and will not hurt
your audio system or your speakers. All electrostatic
speakers are guilty of making odd noises at one time or
another. It is the result of airborne contaminates (most
notably dust). Vacuuming is recommended.
• These noises may be caused by dirt and dust particles
collecting on the speaker, by high humidity.
• Dirt and dust may need to be vacuumed off. Please see
the FAQ regarding vacuuming" Hope this might help...happy listening,
Roberto.

Thanks again Roberto for the detailed explanation -
I will report about the outcome tomorrow. I hope the solution is there.

David100 said:

Thanks again Roberto for the detailed explanation -
I will report about the outcome tomorrow. I hope the solution is there.

Click to expand...

David, try to locate the right spot from where the noise is coming. This might help better to get rid off it... (please excuse my spelling)... regards form Costa Rica,
Roberto

Hi,
you could change left and right speaker or their connections behind your amp to see if the noise is coming from (now) left side speaker or left side amp channel.