New guy from West Bloomfield, MI

Hello,
I've had a pair of Sequel 2's since '93 which need a little work. ML suggested MLO, that there are many ideas here. First forum I ever joined.
Does anybody have experience with modifying a crossover of a Sequel 2 from passive to active? I'd like to bi-amp, out of the pre-amp. Also, the electronic module from one speaker went up in smoke. Maybe the part that burned out isn't needed for an active crossover.

Thanks for any assistance,
Mladen

Hello fellow Michigander,

I'm not familiar with the inner workings of that specific model. I plan on converting my EM ESL's to active at some point in the future. I talked to a DIY guy about it once and it was suggested to just remove the woofer from the passive Xover and leave the panel hooked up to it. You need at least that probably due to the panel needing a charge. You'll need an active crossover too.

Mladen said:

Hello,
I've had a pair of Sequel 2's since '93 which need a little work. ML suggested MLO, that there are many ideas here. First forum I ever joined.
Does anybody have experience with modifying a crossover of a Sequel 2 from passive to active? I'd like to bi-amp, out of the pre-amp. Also, the electronic module from one speaker went up in smoke. Maybe the part that burned out isn't needed for an active crossover.

Click to expand...

Small world--I'm only a few dozen miles southeast!

I picked up some Sequel IIs that needed refurbishing, and I am about to redo the panels. (New Mylar diaphragm with coating.) Mine had other issues--dead woofer on one side, and a dead panel on the other (the wire leads had been sheared off). I paid so little for these, I am not out much if they turn out to be a lost cause.

For the electronics, you would either need to find someone who could repair that for you, or watch eBay for someone parting out a Sequel II that still has functioning electronics. This not only acts as a crossover, it also applies the electrostatic charge to the stators and diaphragm so it can produce sound. As our fellow "neighbor" says above, you likely will need to leave the panel connected as is, and drive the woofer using an active crossover. If someone heavily modified the module, they could probably similarly bypass the crossover section to the panel. But I feel safer leaving that alone, personally.

1993...was Absolute Sound still around? (I think either Almas or Audio Dimensions is in their old building on Woodward now.) That is where I first heard ML speakers--the CLS-II was a new arrival in 1987 and the manager (Jerry) let me go into the demo room and just listen for a while. I was quite hooked, and it has taken me this long to get a pair. They should be going by the end of the month, I'm hoping!

Keep us posted with the outcome.

Small world indeed. All this makes sense. I plan to add a powered subwoofer, with a crossover at ~45 Hz. Then the active crossover can feed at least 250 Hz into the panels; the speaker electronics can power the panel and the passive crossover goes along for the ride. The easiest way, but if any caps degraded it might be noticed. I'll see what's involved to go fully active; I understand bypassing the passive crossover is not a difficult if you know what you're doing. My 1250 SX pioneer is currently being checked out.

From what I've read, the Sequell II doesn't have the best reputation. In my opinion, it's very good, with some not-big problems that I think can be tuned out. If you play the right music that stays away from the problem spots it sounds fantastic. Styling is subjective, but I like the Stonhenge look. Subwoofer + 45 Hz crossover should cure lower bass and should allow it to work better in upper bass. The 250 Hz area can be boosted by the DSS. The glare might be reduced by weakening the back wave or by DSS. Then bolt the speaker to a flat stone with three spiky bolts to reach the concrete floor and so stabilize it. So I hope all these changes accumulate into a solution.

Almas is still there and I stopped by twice. When I was buying mine (used) I stopped at some store in Birmnmingham and listened to Aerius, Sequell, & Quest. Each one had a progressively bigger stoundage. Now that I think of it, it may be that Sequel's characteristc was clarity, but the Quest's was lush. Don't remember which store.

Thanks for the good info.

Send a PM to JonFo. He's using active crossovers. However, he hasn't been around here much of late, so I don't know if he'll get your PM, unless of course he gets notified by email of a PM.

In any case, here's a link to his system:

http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?543-System-45-(Monolith-IIIx-SL3XC-Sequel-II)