Repairing/replacing Sequel II panel?

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Robinf

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Hi all

Bit of a fraud here: I do not now own and never have owned MLs. But I really want to! I have a line on a pair of Sequel IIs, one of which was apparently lightly damaged in shipping. I've been told that the front baffle has come off, the panel has been detached and needs to have 'three wires' reconnected. (I've asked for pics but haven't received any yet.) If I pay the asking price of $450 the seller will throw in a brand new panel.

Three questions:

1) Based on this description, is this repair/replacement something the average shmoe like me could do? I'm reasonably handy but I'm definitely not the kind of guy who can resolder his amp's circuit board, for example. I do know which end of a soldering iron gets hot, but that's about it.

2) Is this a good price for these speakers, given their age and condition?

3) If I decide against these speakers, which MLs are the best value on the used market under $1k? (I realise this must be a select little collection.) My setup is solid-state mid-fi at best and in an L-shaped room, the ground floor of a smallish townhouse. I'm currently using some elderly Magnepan .6QRs and the Sequels seemed like an affordable upgrade, although I wouldn't say that to members of the Church of Maggie.

Many thanks in advance,

Robin
 
Hey Robin,
welcome aboard, first off...

what do you mean when you say the "front baffle"? The Sequel 2 has an electrostatic panel and then a grille covering the woofer. Not sure what you mean by "baffle".

The panel is held on the frame by two wooden rails and some double sided tape. I doubt it could completely detach in a shipping accident. The 3 wires that come up and attach to the panel is an easy fix, so I wouldn't worry about that. where is the seller getting 1 new panel from? You should NEVER just replace one panel... replace them both.

I wouldn't buy these unless you've seen them in person and listened to them. Remember, Sequel II's are OLD. SL3's would be a step up. Clarity or Source or Scenario should be able to be found on the used market for under $1K and would be a better choice, IMHO.
 
Hi,

I have kind of similar situation. Upgrade my Sequel II's or not? I am a brand-new ML owner of not so brand-new Sequel II speakers. They are gorgeous and sound great, especially with my EL84 amp (which was surprising for me, since it only puts out 20 watts, but I'm not complaining!). I have been reading how panels over time can wear out, and a tech at ML encouraged me to buy replacement Sequel II panels at $1300. I may be able to be a pair of used Ascent speakers for about that price. My Sequel IIs were built in 1989, the Ascents were built starting in 2000. I asked the tech "How do I know if my panels are good or not?", to which he replied, "That is a good question", with no real definitive answer. Of course if you like something, that's great, but if the sound could be twice as good, why not?

So, has anyone listened to and/or own both the Sequel II and the Ascent? The reason ML has so many different models is partly because they keep incrementally improving the panels, and in 11 years I can't imagine the panel technology would be the same. I can't get a straight answer from ML about how much better an Ascent is than the Sequel II.

Could someone with first hand knowledge comment on this? I like my Sequel II's but if the Ascent would be a huge improvement that would be great.

Thanks,

Gary
 
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Well, I have sequel II's still running their original panels from 1993 and they work great. However, I am the original owner, and they've been babied for 20 years.

In 2006 I bought some used and abused SL3s for my center channel project, and measured the before and after of new panels from 2006. If they've improved the manufacturing process (and I don't doubt they could), then new panels will totally transform a pair of Sequels.

As for whether an old set of Sequels will be a better investment than a newer model, hard to tell. It's all in how the panels have been treated (cleaned, lack of sun, etc.).

But old Gen 1 speakers with fresh panels are till one of my favorite MLs. I love the perfectly flat front 6' height units more than tilted and shorter units.
 
Hello, how do you exactly get the sequel 2 grills off, mine look velcro in ? they wont budge, both about an 1" low. thx
 
I replaced my Sequel II's panels summer of 2019. I did notice a great improvement. I also recapped them a few months back, some improvement as well. As for removing the panels, lay them on their back and support the back towards the top. ( a few pillows, cardboard box etc...) Tap the wood side trim pieces up towards the top of the speakers with a soft hammer about an inch, then the wood strips should lift off and expose the panels. The panels should have a thin strip of sticky rubber-type weatherstripping under the panels. Nothing should be holding them down. I did forget to mention removing the wires to the panels before laying them on their back. Sometimes the panels sag and/or drop down an inch or so. I screwed a small piece of metal on the bottom of the speakers to support the woofer grille from sagging, this also will keep the upper panels from sagging since the bottom of the panels rest on the top of the woofer grille. Sounds like the sagging is part of an issue with your speakers, it was with mine. I think Martin Logan tech support can and will send you a pic and some info on the metal support piece.
 

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