Yeah, the new panels use a newer coating and a few other things are different. They are supposed to be better overall. ML has some literature on it.
Martin Logan Shower Cleaning PDF
- Thread starter HK-Steve
- Start date
Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:
Thanks for sharing! it's just about spraying water or you use any kind of soap / detergent? Thanks !!!!
https://www.martinloganowners.com/threads/unbalanced-sound-output.19215/post-202633
Check this post for my latest experiance with washing.
Check this post for my latest experiance with washing.
I've never washed a panel and don't know the answer to your question, or what the recommended procedure is.
However; I will caution you that most dish detergents contain a conductive salt called sodium laurel sulfate. And in fact; liquid dish soap is often used by DIY ESL speaker builders to make the diaphragm conductive (i.e. a 50/50 mix of water/dish soap wiped on with a cotton ball works perfectly as a conductive coating).
So; if you opt to use any kind of soap, make very, very sure that you thoroughly rinse away all traces of the soap because any that's left can create a conduction path between the diaphragm and stator(s) which would drain charge off the diaphragm-- you definitely would not want that.
However; I will caution you that most dish detergents contain a conductive salt called sodium laurel sulfate. And in fact; liquid dish soap is often used by DIY ESL speaker builders to make the diaphragm conductive (i.e. a 50/50 mix of water/dish soap wiped on with a cotton ball works perfectly as a conductive coating).
So; if you opt to use any kind of soap, make very, very sure that you thoroughly rinse away all traces of the soap because any that's left can create a conduction path between the diaphragm and stator(s) which would drain charge off the diaphragm-- you definitely would not want that.
Tmort
Well-known member
I had a panel with some issues that I hoped would be solved with washing. While it’s a daunting thought it’s pretty easy and while it didn’t create the change I was looking for it didn’t degrade it either.
I did once with just water then a second time later with a 50/50 mix of simple green that I dipped a horse hair brush in and washed / soaped the panel with. In a bathtub with a handheld shower attachment made it easy work. Rinse very well then rinse with distilled water and let air dry for 24 hours.
if you think your panel is dirty / compromised I’d suggest “you have nothing to lose” if panel replacement is already your considered alternative.
I just washed the panels on my ML Clarity’s this weekend. I had never done it before. I wet the panels down in the shower front and back then I sprayed on full strength Simple Green and used a soft bristle paint brush to scrub them.
One thing that I noticed during this process is when I first soaked the panels to get them wet the water ran of pretty clear and after scrubbing with the Simple Green rinsing the back of the panel the water was still pretty clear but when I rinsed the front of the panel it looked like very dirty water running down the drain.
While I was waiting for the panels to dry i learned This was NOT dirt. From what I understand ML sprays a graphite coating on the front of the Mylar as a backup conductive coating to the vapor deposited one. That’s what was going down the drain. Hind sight being 20/20 I probably should have not used anything but water one the first attempt and seen how they turned out.
I bought a 1 gallon garden sprayer and filled it with distilled water for the final rinse. it worked very well allowing me to focus a spray close to the Mylar without too much pressure.
After they completely dried a couple days I hooked them up and was absolutely floored that they sound like new. Prior to the wash they weren’t even listenable. I’m very very happy with the results but only time will tell how they hold up. I will report back from time to time to give updates on performance.
One thing that I noticed during this process is when I first soaked the panels to get them wet the water ran of pretty clear and after scrubbing with the Simple Green rinsing the back of the panel the water was still pretty clear but when I rinsed the front of the panel it looked like very dirty water running down the drain.
While I was waiting for the panels to dry i learned This was NOT dirt. From what I understand ML sprays a graphite coating on the front of the Mylar as a backup conductive coating to the vapor deposited one. That’s what was going down the drain. Hind sight being 20/20 I probably should have not used anything but water one the first attempt and seen how they turned out.
I bought a 1 gallon garden sprayer and filled it with distilled water for the final rinse. it worked very well allowing me to focus a spray close to the Mylar without too much pressure.
After they completely dried a couple days I hooked them up and was absolutely floored that they sound like new. Prior to the wash they weren’t even listenable. I’m very very happy with the results but only time will tell how they hold up. I will report back from time to time to give updates on performance.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2022
- Messages
- 499
- Reaction score
- 392
Capt.Willard
Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2021
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 9
I just did this with a pair of Ascents (original foam type standoffs not clear spar fyi).
I removed the panels and used wooden clothes pins all along the edges of the panels to hold them tight together to prevent slipping.
I went the Simple green route, placed both panels upside down on a towel in the bathtub and used simple green sprayed full strength straight from the bottle onto the panels both sides , starting at the top and worked my way down using a firm trigger pull and a pretty focused spray setting to maximize the force.
Did that twice in a row both sides, let sit for about 10 minutes then used shower head on relatively gentle setting and cold water and rinsed top to bottom multiple times both sides to be sure no residue was left and then carefully rinsed each side top to bottom with distilled water from the gallon jug going slow enough to be thorough, section by section, then used hairdryer on cool setting top to bottom slowly enough to help the water to the bottom and let sit for 2 days before removing and then life happened and it took 2 weeks before I could mount them back up and just tried them this evening and the results were great!
The highs just sparkle!
They are noticeably more transparent and gleam like mirrors from across the room.
I didn't try scrubbing them or try using a towel to dry them as I didn't want to introduce dust from the towel etc. back into the panel etc.
I also didn't notice any color or filth to speak of in the runoff but the panels were clearly more transparent than before.
Super pleased with the result!
Hope this helps someone and good luck with your efforts.
I removed the panels and used wooden clothes pins all along the edges of the panels to hold them tight together to prevent slipping.
I went the Simple green route, placed both panels upside down on a towel in the bathtub and used simple green sprayed full strength straight from the bottle onto the panels both sides , starting at the top and worked my way down using a firm trigger pull and a pretty focused spray setting to maximize the force.
Did that twice in a row both sides, let sit for about 10 minutes then used shower head on relatively gentle setting and cold water and rinsed top to bottom multiple times both sides to be sure no residue was left and then carefully rinsed each side top to bottom with distilled water from the gallon jug going slow enough to be thorough, section by section, then used hairdryer on cool setting top to bottom slowly enough to help the water to the bottom and let sit for 2 days before removing and then life happened and it took 2 weeks before I could mount them back up and just tried them this evening and the results were great!
The highs just sparkle!
They are noticeably more transparent and gleam like mirrors from across the room.
I didn't try scrubbing them or try using a towel to dry them as I didn't want to introduce dust from the towel etc. back into the panel etc.
I also didn't notice any color or filth to speak of in the runoff but the panels were clearly more transparent than before.
Super pleased with the result!
Hope this helps someone and good luck with your efforts.
Last edited:
That's great. Congrats. Do you use any DSP with the speakers? I'm wondering how the gain is set on the speakers. When my panels were old and worn I noticed Audyssey had to set my front at +15 dB. My new panels are at only +2 dB now. Highs are much better like you have experienced, and they play much louder than before too.
Capt.Willard
Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2021
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 9
Thank You!
No dsp just straight up stereo.
Do they seem louder now at any given volume? My old panels were down about 15 db.
Capt.Willard
Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2021
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 9
I didn't measure them but could hear they were down as they sounded dull at the top.
Now they have speed and detail again and yes seem to be balanced with the bass again.
Overall volume should also be up too. Glad it worked. I still have my old Prodigy panels and wonder if washing them might produce results. I dont really need them, but have them as backups.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2022
- Messages
- 499
- Reaction score
- 392
The important thing is to at least rinse them with distilled water, otherwise I'd imagine you'd get nasty water spots.
A spray bottle with distilled water works great for a final rinse after the shower.
WOW, I have never heard of putting liquid of any kind on the mylar panel ! What I do to keep the dust in check on my Classic 9's, is to keep them covered with the BLACK cloth cover that they were shipped with when not in use, and hope they stay clean. I don't even dust them as I am afraid of depositing anything into the stat or ONto the mylar itself by introducing dust from a cloth or Swiffer.
Just me adding my thoughts.
Just me adding my thoughts.
patrice
Member
Hello Mirolab, did you replace the complete panels? How is the replacement kit composed? Does it come with the black grille? what was the cost of this replacement. Thank you very much for your answer. Patrice
This is all very interesting. How I get around all of this is...........I put the black covers on my Classic 9's when ever they are not in use, so they are not exposed to much. Only me in the house, no furry pets. I got OCD bad when it comes to dust in the listening space or anywhere in the home for that matter 
.
.Id think most of the dust ends up on there while they are running and charged up. Similar to an electrostatic air cleaner. If someone had a fan blowing on the panels it would probably greatly accelerate the dust gathering.
Similar threads
