What's the cost of a new power board?

[Pener]

Hi there,

I just plowed through the many (angry) posts regarding MLs' support for legacy products and the resulting new pricing scheme...

Does anybody know what is the current going rate for a single power board fitted in Ascent or Odyssey speakers?

If it wasn't for the fact that I'm overseas at the moment, I'd give them (ML) a call myself. I'd appreciate the info guys

Cheers
Greg

 

[JonFo]

by 'power board' are you meaning the HV step-up and audio-transformer board?

 

[sleepysurf]

... If it wasn't for the fact that I'm overseas at the moment, I'd give them (ML) a call myself...

You can always email them... https://www.martinlogan.com/support/contact.php

 

[Pener]

by 'power board' are you meaning the HV step-up and audio-transformer board?

I guess it could be called that way, but let clarify what I meant. As far as electronics inside those models there are:
1. various elements making the passive X-over
2. the transformer (stepping up the voltage)
3. the power board (the one and only circuit board installed inside)

It's the last part what's on my mind. Isn't that the part that fails every now and then? The transformer rarely goes bad, let alone the x-over parts.

 

[Pener]

You can always email them... https://www.martinlogan.com/support/contact.php

very good point sleepy surf, but then I wouldn't get a chance to chat with fellow ML fans...

the last time I dealt with Headquarters was back when Jim Powers was on the other side of the (phone) line and later Melody Brouhard. I recon things have changed since then, big time!

 

[Pener]

Ok, I email'ed MLs' service dept and Dana Brown promptly provided me with the new pricing for Ascent and Odyssey. I thought I'd share that info with others:

New power boards are $380/each
New stat panels run $1705/pair (Ascent) + $75 shipping and $1639/pair (Odyssey) +$100 shipping.

While I don't mean to start a new price discussion thread, I'd like to voice my opinion here, which is in sharp contrast to other members. In my personal opinion, this is a very reasonable pricing. Granted it's much more than when Melody was back there, let alone when Jim Powers run the show... As a consumer and long time ML fan, I'd love to have a cheap (or better yet: free) lifetime service on my beloved speakers, but after running several small business' I always wondered how they (ML) could get away with charging $600-900 for a pair of panels. While I think that the cost of parts&labor for a pair of new panels is in $500 range (ust a guess, already adjusted for low volume/special order on legacy panels), it looked to me as a wasting of company resources. But I digress

 

[JonFo]

The price for the HV board is not bad, one could pay as much or more to a service tech to repair an old one and update the caps.

Panel costs, well ~$1,500 is on the steep side, but at least one can still get them. I'm weighing an order of panels for my 20 year-old Sequel II vs just getting used Spire or something like that.

 

[Pener]

I think you meant about the caps on the x-overs, that's different.

funny, but I think that it's the cost of the power board that's slightly on the steep side. After all it's just a circuit board. Although low volume production, still many more of them are used since it's a shared designed across some line ups (with minor tweaks)

panels on the other hand, are one of a kind (industry wise) product, they came with the design, implementation, etc. Most panels, at least older ones, are different size even across the line up. All I know, is that even though I take care of my customers, that's how much I'd be charging if it was me building them.

What is interesting to me, is that if the spare parts are way too expensive and parts&labor so cheap, as some argued here, why can't we see small shops/companies popping up offering panel refurb/reskin service?

 

[Pener]

BTW I emailed Dana Brown asking whether the new spare legacy panels are 100% like the original ones or kind of upgraded to today's standards (different mesh etc) but haven't got any reply yet