Prodigy Panels

[BobF]

Hi All,
Looking for some direction.I have been playing with speaker placement as I thought the Prodigy's were sounding like they had to much bass and not enough highs.
My friend came over and asked me what had happened as he noted the same.We ruled out the cdp and the integrated as well as the conditioner.
We plugged in regular box speakers and the mids and highs then appeared normal without the boom of the lower mids and lows.
I had a pair of Sequels which now thinking back did the same thing but were under warranty of which sent free panels.As luck would have it the Prodigy's warranty just ran out in May.Never had this problem with the Quest-Z's.
I really cant think of anything else that could cause this other than the obvious but maybe I missed something.I have vacuumed the panels per proper protocol.
Any suggestions out of what I may be missing is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Bob

 

[slowGEEZR]

Have you vacuumed the panels? If not, unplug them for a day and vacuum the panels. If they were really dirty, they may have sounded dull. It's also possible that new panels may be needed. Have they been kept in a smoke free environment? Smoke and dust are the panel's enemies.

 

[VanDaRo]

Sounds like those panels may be shot, pal. If you do get new ones, be sure to heed the advice about keeping them in a smoke-free environment and not exposing them to dust and pet dander.

~VDR

 

[BobF]

They have been in a smoke free dedicated room and we do have a dog but he has never been in there.
I will unplug them and try the vacuuming again as I did that three months ago but one never knows.
If that does not work I will call M-L on Monday and see what they say and what the replacement cost is.

Many thanks,

Bob

 

[amey01]

Cooking?

You don't fry up in the house do you? Fatty oils in the air are probably as bad as smoke. They really shouldn't be ready for replacement just yet. Try another thorough vacuum.

I always make sure mine are covered when my wife bakes so much as a cake! The Vistas have nice, fine cloth covers, but large rubbish bags do just as well...

 

[BobF]

The audio room is segregated from the rest of the rooms with only one door off of the dining room so cooking in the kitchen should not be a problem I would think?
I do have forced hot air to heat the house so I tend to vacuum more frequently than normal due to the dust factor.

Thank you
Bob

 

[robertawillisjr]

If you have any micro fiber cloths, spray a little windex on the cloth and wipe the stator. Dry quickly with a very clean and dry micro fiber clothe. This is advice I received from ML years ago. If there is a lot of residue (dirt) on the cleaning cloth, you may have fixed your problem.

If you have unplugged your speakers recently, the power cable may not be seated properly and the volume of the stators will be lower. Usually, you notice this on only one speaker. The connectors on my Quests have always be a bit loose and I usuall clean them and the PC plug. and try to ensure the most positive seating possible. I am too cowardly to try to bend the male connectors on the speaker. They are pretty stiff and would probably snap rather than bend.

 

[BobF]

Thanks for the tip as I do have some micro fiber cloths and it is worth a try as who knows what new panels cost if I don't have to go that route.

The volumn is equally lower in the upper mids and highs on both speakers but I did notice my binding posts are a bit loose so I am going to try to tighten them up.

Thank you,

Bob

 

[BobF]

Hi Robert,

I did try your cleaning method and was quite surprised as to what came off from the cleaning.
I did just vacuum and am still in the same boat so to speak so I will now call M-L,bummer.
My wife did make a good point though that we don't smoke in the stereo room but it is allowed in the dining room near the audio room so the door to my room will be closed from now on.

Regards,
Bob

 

[C.A.P]

Panel life is a crap shoot. I have seen them go bad in 2 years and some in 20 ! When they do they all exhibit the same issue. No highs and muddy bass!!

 

[amey01]

My wife did make a good point though that we don't smoke in the stereo room but it is allowed in the dining room near the audio room so the door to my room will be closed from now on.

There's your answer - and yes, your panels are probably shot beyond repair. As a non-smoker I don't get it, but I've found that for some reason a lot of smokers think their smoke just goes straight up and into the ether. It doesn't - it fills all the rooms of your house equally - especially if you've got forced air conditioning blowing it around. If you smoke in a building, it fills the building - period.

 

[BobF]

Point well made.

Thanks to all for your input and I will see how it goes with M-L.

Regards,
Bob

 

[BobF]

Hi All,
Just an update that I spoke to M-L and I will be getting new panels this Monday free even thought the warranty ran out in May,what a great company as usual !!!
My audio friend calls me and says what if it is the crossovers are bad,never thought of that but hope that is not the case :^).
Regards,
Bob

 

[VanDaRo]

Damn.... I just love a happy ending !

 

[amey01]

Hi All,
Just an update that I spoke to M-L and I will be getting new panels this Monday free even thought the warranty ran out in May,what a great company as usual !!!
My audio friend calls me and says what if it is the crossovers are bad,never thought of that but hope that is not the case :^).
Regards,
Bob

Just don't allow any smoke to come in contact with THIS set!!

 

[Duane Rogers]

Damn.... I just love a happy ending !

Van Isn't that something you can get at a massage parlor?
D.R.

 

[BobF]

Plans are in place to take care of that(smoking).

Thanks

 

[JonFo]

Bob, congrats on the hopeful solution to your issue.

I'm pretty sure its the panels as well. While there have been crossover issue in the past, they are very rare, and never evenly matched (usually affecting one speaker). When you have such a matched decay as you reported, it's generally panels (assuming one has isolated the issue to the speakers).

Let us know how the upgrade to the new ones goes.

cheers,

 

[BobF]

Hi JonFo,

UPS should be delivering on Monday per the tracking numbers.

Depending on my work schedule I will try to change them out that afternoon and if not it will be Thursday as I am taking a long weekend(getting to old for all these work hours) :^)
When I get them up and running I will let you know how they are working.

Regards,
Bob

 

[BobF]

Hi All,
Did get the panels today.Tried changing out as it appeared easy but the screw holes don't line up on over half of them.
The original panel measures 16" out to out but the new ones are 16-3/8" out to out which does not allow the panel to come all the way back.
I have thought about reaming the holes to create a slot type set up and use a lock washer but will wait for a reply from M-L before doing this.
Regards,
Bob