Clarity Panel AHA! moment

[wfissell]

One panel is now great the other nearly silent. The truth is out!

 

[Robert D]

Were the panels sliding down with gravity? Over the years that happens. ML makes what they call stat stop brackets. They gave me a pair for my Prodigy speakers and they work well.

 

[wfissell]

I dont think so. My spidey sense says someone else was in here before.

 

[Robert D]

I dont think so. My spidey sense says someone else was in here before.

Make sure there is a metal bracket under each panel that attaches to the speaker frame. The bracket prevents the panel from sliding down later. You want that regardless. Email ML service about that.

 

[DanR]

I dont think so. My spidey sense says someone else was in here before.

Absolutely, and they really hacked that connection up. You obviously bought these on the used market. Hopefully you didn’t pay a bunch for the speakers. It’s a shame how the used market has gotten over the last 5 years or so you really have to be careful about who you buy from. Now that being said if the seller made all this clear before the purchase and it was reflected in the price then the first part of my reply can be disregarded. Good luck with your speakers. The advice to contact ML service for guidance on this is spot on.

I dont think so. My spidey sense says someone else was in here before.

 

[Jazzman53]

One panel is now great the other nearly silent. The truth is out!

Those connections do look deteriorated. However, I suspect those may be the original ML diaphragm and wire connections. I say this because the diaphragm is wrapped over the rear stator, the amber colored tape covering the stator connection is Kapton, which ML uses and it's not sold in retail stores, and I've observed similar poor connections on a ML Theater panel that I'm certain had never been into.

On the aforementioned Theater panel, the [red] bias supply wire connection to the charge ring was a huge glob of solder that no one had bothered to flatten out, and which was compressed into the spacer tape that is the only insulation against a shorting path to the stators. Hopefully that very-poor connection was a one-off condition-- but from the looks of your panel, maybe not.

Also note the stripped back inslulation on the stator wire connections have exposed wire extending beyond the stator edge, in close proximity to the bias supply connection, and even to the opposite stator. Moreover, having all three connections spatially close together isn't so smart either.

OK; call me a prude but I would have done it differently.