Rumble, pop and crack

Hello forum

I just bought a pair of ML puritys. One speaker, independent of connections, has developed a bad case of static, hiss and rumble. Is this a bad amp, or do I need to clean the panels? I immediately vacuumed after powering down... no luck. Should I wait overnight before vacuuming? Hopefully this is the issue...

it just started all at once. Was listening, all sounded great. Left the room, came back, and this started. I will note I had laid them down in the floor not an hour or so previous to the problem to adjust spikes...

Thanks

Andrew

Why don't you plug them out, let the speakers rest for a day and then use a vacuum cleaner to clean the the panels? Probably dirt or dust particles cause this.

Instructions on vacuum cleaning the panels are plenty on this site.

Good luck.

Let sit overnight, vacuumed thoroughly, still same issue. I think it may be something internal.

Assuming you bought them from an authorized dealer, I would call them first and describe your problem. You may be able to bring them in and swap them out for another pair. Or you could call or email Jim Power at ML and he could help you troubleshoot the problem. Sounds like a bad connection somewhere internally.

Rich said:

Assuming you bought them from an authorized dealer, I would call them first and describe your problem. You may be able to bring them in and swap them out for another pair. Or you could call or email Jim Power at ML and he could help you troubleshoot the problem. Sounds like a bad connection somewhere internally.

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yeah, they were purchased at an authorized dealer, but the dealer is 250 miles away, so I am trying to find the closest authorized service center.

Thanks

Andrew

conradjohnsonfan said:

yeah, they were purchased at an authorized dealer, but the dealer is 250 miles away, so I am trying to find the closest authorized service center.

Thanks

Andrew

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Hola Andrew...all electroctastic speakers could produce odd noises, ticks or funny noises once and then. This noise is harmless, and it is due to a debris. You can locate the exact place from the noise it is coming from. With the aid of a brush also, vacuum there at the exact place. Read your owners manual..."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..." this is what your manual says regarding odd noises...hope this might help, happy listening,
Roberto.

conradjohnsonfan said:

yeah, they were purchased at an authorized dealer, but the dealer is 250 miles away

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An all-too-common scenario these days. On their website, ML warns against purchasing from non-authorized dealers. But what they don't warn you about is the current paucity of authorized dealers. I highly recommend you contact Jim Powers at ML tech support. He can probably help you troubleshoot the problem and it may be something simple you can fix yourself.

Roberto, from his description, this doesn't sound like the standard pop and crackle from dust. Dust should never cause a "rumble." Generally only a crackling noise. Besides, he vacuumed them twice and the noise persists. Sounds more like an internal loose connection to me.

CJF, can you isolate exactly where on the speaker the noises are coming from? Is it just from the panel, or also from the woofer? If it is just from the panel, the chance of it being caused by dust is a little more likely. But your description of a "rumble" sounds like it is also coming from the woofer.

Rich said:

Roberto, from his description, this doesn't sound like the standard pop and crackle from dust. Dust should never cause a "rumble." Generally only a crackling noise. Besides, he vacuumed them twice and the noise persists. Sounds more like an internal loose connection to me.

CJF, can you isolate exactly where on the speaker the noises are coming from? Is it just from the panel, or also from the woofer? If it is just from the panel, the chance of it being caused by dust is a little more likely. But your description of a "rumble" sounds like it is also coming from the woofer.

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Yes, it is like a very, very loud turntable-ish rumble. Comes from the panels and the woofers.

I have vacuumed a couple times to no avail.

Does anyone know how close the nearest ML service center is to Knoxville, Tn? I am still waiting to hear back from MartinLogan. I used their web form, should I make a phone call to speed things up?

Rich said:

An all-too-common scenario these days. On their website, ML warns against purchasing from non-authorized dealers. But what they don't warn you about is the current paucity of authorized dealers. I highly recommend you contact Jim Powers at ML tech support. He can probably help you troubleshoot the problem and it may be something simple you can fix yourself.

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Rich, funny thing is the authorized dealer I bought from is in your area... Premiere Audio/Video in Cullman.

just a stupid ? but are you using a Turn Table when this happens as you could be getting some nasty resonant loops

FISH_MAN said:

just a stupid ? but are you using a Turn Table when this happens as you could be getting some nasty resonant loops

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No turntable. Just using that as an example sound. My setup is all digital. Only one speaker is affected, and can be removed from the system, put on a different power grid, etc. and exhibit the same problem.

conradjohnsonfan said:

I used their web form, should I make a phone call to speed things up?

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Just shoot an email to Jim Power (their lead customer service rep.) at: [email protected]

You will probably hear back from him Monday morning, if not before.

conradjohnsonfan said:

Rich, funny thing is the authorized dealer I bought from is in your area... Premiere Audio/Video in Cullman.

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They have a good reputation. Maybe you could call them and explain the problem and see if there is any way they can help you.

Rich said:

Just shoot an email to Jim Power (their lead customer service rep.) at: [email protected]

You will probably hear back from him Monday morning, if not before.



They have a good reputation. Maybe you could call them and explain the problem and see if there is any way they can help you.

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Good deal. Yes, so far Premiere has been very helpful. I also just shot an e-mail off to Jim.

Thanks for the assistance!

Andrew

noise

Have you switched channels on your amp to see if it goes to the other speaker?

khenegar said:

Have you switched channels on your amp to see if it goes to the other speaker?

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Good advice, as the problem could be upstream, even a bad interconnect might give similar symptoms.

khenegar said:

Have you switched channels on your amp to see if it goes to the other speaker?

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No the problem is not upstream. The speaker is out of the system completely and exhibits the same behavior.

You have a bad power amplifier in your PURITIES...the noise is from a semiconductor...please ask for a new power amp. and replace it. Ask ML for it and the instruction of how to proceed to do that task. Happy listening,
Roberto.

roberto said:

You have a bad power amplifier in your PURITIES...the noise is from a semiconductor...please ask for a new power amp. and replace it. Ask ML for it and the instruction of how to proceed to do that task. Happy listening,
Roberto.

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Yes, I had speculated it was the amp.

Is this a known issue that has repeated itself with other Purity owners?

Thanks

Andrew

New amp is on the way. ML support, specifically Jim Powers, is excellent. For those in the "know"... is the amp "modular", for easy removal and replacement?

Thanks!

Andrew