A Sincere From My Heart Question Regarding the Future of ML ESL

[Northy]

And despite being a boutique brand Porsche does commit money to advertising; “Porsche has always been known for creative advertising and pointed slogans and there are lots of pithy one-liners and hilarious sayings.”

As I expected I received a gaslighting reply from ML

Hello Mr. Frank,

Thank you for sharing your enjoyment of the 13A's as well as your passionate opinion regarding the future of MartinLogan's ESL speakers.

ESL technology is near and dear to our hearts and an important part of our brand identity. However, the addition of subwoofers, traditional (non-ESL) speakers, and Custom Installation speakers to our lineup is nothing new. We started adding these technologies to our offerings over 20 years ago, and despite this, we have expanded our ESL offerings over this same time period. There are certain applications and price points where ESL technology does not make sense (outdoor, subwoofers, in-ceiling, in-wall, bookshelf speakers, compact speakers, etc.), and for us to completely ignore that and offer no solution for these applications would be foolish on our part.

We currently have the largest product lineup in our 40 year history, including the most ESL models that we have ever had. We will absolutely continue to design and build Electrostatic speakers as they offer such a unique and incredible listening experience with a look unlike anything else. At the same time, we will also continue to design and build speakers with other technologies when the application calls for something that ESL cannot offer. These other technologies do not replace ESL, they expand the solutions we can offer.

We certainly appreciate your feedback here, but rest assured ESL is not going away. Our small team will continue to innovate, and ESL is definitely a part of the plan.

With Kind Regards,
Andrew Lindsey

Here is my reply to him:

Hello Mr. Lindsey,

Thank you for your immediate reply.

With all due respect you did not answer my question regarding why am I no longer seeing advertisements for the ESL series?

As the product manager & trainer you are most certainly aware of the need to keep a product in front of the eyes & ears of customers if you are to sustain that product including advertising and exhibiting at shows. It is marketing 101.

The fact remains, despite your words, those two all important commitments are no longer happening. The allocation of funds to do that are clearly not there.

To me those actions or rather inactions speak volumes.

As I wrote: I anticipate a reply to the effect do not worry we 100% support our ESL line. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, he put his money where his mouth is and as I pointed out the way you show support for your product is the investment of money, for advertising and supporting dealers to show the ESL series at shows (I will not name them here as you are aware of them all). Absent real resources committing dollars to keep the ESL in front of consumer eyes and ears they might as well not exist.

I don’t know how else to say it other than the way you show support of a product in the market place is with money.

Everything else is gaslighting & the saying talk is cheap is true.

There was so much hoopla when Scott & John Bagby purchased ML; better quality control; everything under one roof etc.

You simply needed to point out to me, respectfully Mr. Frank you are mistaken. Presently we are showing at this and this show and have advertisements here here and here.

But because that is not happening you cannot do so.

Am I wrong?

I used to tell my students my last name is Frank so I must be frank with you and they would say “Oh Mr. Frank that is so corny!” It’s true. I am honest and direct but never in a mean way.

Nevertheless I am open to your pointing out to me how the ESL series has a presence in print and online magazines & shows.

From my point of view they have totally disappeared.

They certainly are not in Stereophile or The Absolute Sound or on SoundStage! But wait for it, there is an ad for ML, Motion, yet again.

Do you not see actions speak louder than words?

If you do not advertise the ESL series people will not be aware, sales will fall, they will disappear; a self-created consequence.

Sincerely,
Christopher Frank

Mr. Frank, you heard it from the horse's month, what else do you what ML to say? I tend to be direct also and try to mince the words that I read but not to your degree. You certainly take it to another level - respectfully, at times, annoying. ML would be foolish to discontinue the ESL line because they make tons of money and do not have to advertise that line because as you know, word of month is the best advertising. When family and friends come over and hear my gear, they inquire what it is and they say they are going to save up and mimick my system. Please chill out and enjoy your fantastic 13As.

 

[Robert D]

Oh dear Mr. Frank, you sure have lots of time on your hand. God bless you! I do own Pass Labs gear and I do not care how long Nelson is going to live (hopfully he will blow 100 candles on his cake one day). The product is phenomenal. I also own the modest Theos and does not matter whether ESLs will go on or not. Just enjoy them while you can. Life is too short. If and when they break down, cannot be repaired and are no longer available; you go and find another outstanding brand that suites your taste. Take care for now and do not over-think it.

I agree. Just use what makes you happy now and don't worry about what might happen in the future. There's no use in worrying about what ML might be doing regarding electrostats because there's nothing you can do about it.

 

[ttocs]

I buy products for what they are able provide at the time of purchase. After purchase, the manufacturer is expected to fulfill any warranty claims. Beyond the warranty, all companies are released from any obligation to me. (There are exceptions, like automobile manufacturers being required to maintain parts availability for a certain amount of time.)

ML offering replacement parts for out of warranty speakers is a very nice thing to do, but it's not a requirement, nor should I expect them to do so.

How ML wants to market their products is up to them. They don't owe me any explanation about it.

 

[Leporello]

Not very practical though.

An understatement. I have long felt, though, that moving the air with the field(s) via a very low mass diaphragm is the next best thing to moving the air directly. And has become way more practical than with earlier ESL's, with their frequent panel failures (Quad, Infinity, etc.)

 

[Big Dog RJ]

That's a definite! Can certainly confirm the Quad and Infinity failures. Quad was an absolute disaster after the China town production... apart from that, their earlier models had a better production run.
With Infinity's, over a certain period what I experienced was multiple failures in servo-control units, not much of a problem on their panels. The servo controllers and active x-overs on the Epsilon and IRS 1B's were an absolute nightmare. I had to send them all the way to Arnie N to fix. Only he knew their inner workings, not even the overseas service techs could figure it out.
Go figure!

Apart from that drama, ML's are way more reliable. Cheers,
RJ