Used EM ESL nightmare!

[bsmack]

I got what I thought was a great deal on a used pair of EM ESL speakers. Unfortunately for me, while the seller setup the speakers and I got to listen to them, my naked ear did not notice a problem at the time. Definitely learned a lesson here and will be more prepared in the future when buying used speakers.

After bringing them home, I noticed one was significantly louder than the other. After doing some troubleshooting with ML (who responded very quickly with detailed steps, which was great), we determined that one of them had a bad panel and I was quoted $700 plus shipping for a replacement.

One thing that I did notice is that the panel wasn't just quieter than the other one, it actually sounded very different using the test tone on my receiver, even with the +10db correction it gave over the other panel. I suspect that the panel is dead above ~800hz based on these correction results:


My plan now is to check the actual solder joints on the panel itself, but if anyone has any tips besides vacuuming/cleaning them in a shower (I have tried both!) it would be greatly appreciated. Also, if I do ultimately need to replace the panel, is there anywhere I can go besides ML that may have it cheaper?

 

[FruitloopSR]

Sorry to hear that, I would get with the seller They had to known that it was bad.

 

[bsmack]

Sorry to hear that, I would get with the seller They had to known that it was bad.

I really don't think so. The owner had them in storage and just didn't have the space for them. He had them setup in his kitchen so I could listen to them and we had a pretty lengthy discussion. He never tried to rush me out the door or anything so I just think this is an unfortunate situation. I have contacted him and hopefully will hear back.

I am overall disappointed with my first Martin Logan experience. Yes, these are second hand, yes, they are out of warranty (manufactured in 2011), but I wouldn't expect a speaker made by a high-end brand like Martin Logan to need such a major replacement part so soon. While I'm appreciative of the fast response from the ML support team I was hoping I would at least be able to catch a break on the replacement part needed. I've worked at Best Buy and still have friends that work there and while I won't share employee pricing, I can say that the cost I was quoted of just the replacement panel relative to the cost of a brand new EM ESL with employee discount is insane.

My Definitive Technology BP7004's that were made in 2008 and endured many college parties and 3 moves still sound great after all of these years. I've been wanting to get in the ML ecosystem for a long time and was actually eying the ESL Center to complete the setup but now I'm unsure of what I want to do. I'm under the impression that I'm getting fleeced by the parts department because I didn't buy new and they need to make up for that lost precious margin by inflating their parts prices. And to be clear, I never expected a free ride, just a fair price.

I hope that this can serve as a warning to whomever is looking to buy ML speakers used; do your research. These are speakers that need to be taken care of. Unless you are an astute audiophile with a golden ear, a basic demo is not enough to determine the health of used speakers. If you do buy them used and they are broken, do not expect any favors from Martin Logan on replacement parts.

 

[twich54]

sorry to hear of your troubles and yes , lesson learned ........