Problem with my Vantage

[Ronn]

I Live in Australia, I visited California in October and while visiting I bought a second hand ML Vantage. Back in Australia I used a step Down transformer and hooked it up to my system. Unfortunately it sounds muffled and breathless like an old old radio, really awful.
My system is a Marantz preamp and Rotel Amplifire (350 W per channel).

Could the problem be that Australia is 240v into 50 Hz as oppose to 110 v into 60 Hz.
even though I am using a 500W step down transformer it is still a 50 Hz frequency.

any Ideas?

 

[amey01]

I Live in Australia, I visited California in October and while visiting I bought a second hand ML Vantage. Back in Australia I used a step Down transformer and hooked it up to my system. Unfortunately it sounds muffled and breathless like an old old radio, really awful.
My system is a Marantz preamp and Rotel Amplifire (350 W per channel).

Could the problem be that Australia is 240v into 50 Hz as oppose to 110 v into 60 Hz.
even though I am using a 500W step down transformer it is still a 50 Hz frequency.

any Ideas?

Hi from the Gold Coast. Yep, absolutely to do with frequency.

You're not getting any panel bias because the power supplies are designed to cut power when they sense a different frequency - even though you are using a step-down transformer. ML do this to preclude you from doing exactly what you have done - they want to protect their ripoff distributors, don't they?

So, you have one of two choices - use a full power regenerator (like PS Audio and the like and enable you to specify frequency), or buy new power supplies for your Vantages.

Hope it all doesn't cost about as much as buying them here would have cost........and that's exactly what they all want you to do!

 

[Ronn]

Thank you amey01


I have taken my Vantages to my repair shop. He contacted the Australian Distributor for a Circuit Diagram. Distributor refused to supply the any circuit diagram and suggested that it cost over a $1000 per speaker to replace all circuit boards in the speakers. Martin Logan has been very unhelpful, In the whole affair.
I will pass on your response to my service man it should help him with his diagnosis.

Ronn from Brisbane

Hi from the Gold Coast. Yep, absolutely to do with frequency.

You're not getting any panel bias because the power supplies are designed to cut power when they sense a different frequency - even though you are using a step-down transformer. ML do this to preclude you from doing exactly what you have done - they want to protect their ripoff distributors, don't they?

So, you have one of two choices - use a full power regenerator (like PS Audio and the like and enable you to specify frequency), or buy new power supplies for your Vantages.

Hope it all doesn't cost about as much as buying them here would have cost........and that's exactly what they all want you to do!

 

[amey01]

Thank you amey01


I have taken my Vantages to my repair shop. He contacted the Australian Distributor for a Circuit Diagram. Distributor refused to supply the any circuit diagram and suggested that it cost over a $1000 per speaker to replace all circuit boards in the speakers. Martin Logan has been very unhelpful, In the whole affair.
I will pass on your response to my service man it should help him with his diagnosis.

Ronn from Brisbane

I do wish ML (and other manufacturers for that matter) would stop protecting their distributors and keep them in check.

We're not stupid. We see what the speakers sell for in the US. We see what they sell for in Australia. There is no justification, other than greed as a result of exploiting "price conditioning" (for some reason, we're already conditioned to believe it is absolutely normal to pay $17,000 for a pair of $US4,000 speakers).

Instead, ML go out of their way to specifically design technology that serves no purpose in their speakers other than to protect distributors and ensure their unjustified greed can continue.

 

[Ronn]

Well this is not just in Speakers, or Audio equipment. As an example we pay 3 times the price of any German car in USA, for high end cameras we pay about double. It seems to me it is the culture here to rub people to the last possible dollar. I visited a high end Audio shop in California and priced B&W 802 and Dali Helicon 800. Price retail was $15000 and $8000. The shop Keeper was ready to negotiate a better price. I priced the same here they were $25000 and $18000, and they didn't even have them on the floor for audition. However they were happy to order them on the condition I pay deposit.
I don't know what the solution is but I whenever I can I buy overseas and save some dollar.

I do wish ML (and other manufacturers for that matter) would stop protecting their distributors and keep them in check.

We're not stupid. We see what the speakers sell for in the US. We see what they sell for in Australia. There is no justification, other than greed as a result of exploiting "price conditioning" (for some reason, we're already conditioned to believe it is absolutely normal to pay $17,000 for a pair of $US4,000 speakers).

Instead, ML go out of their way to specifically design technology that serves no purpose in their speakers other than to protect distributors and ensure their unjustified greed can continue.

 

[Ronn]

I found a Frequency converter on Aliexpress for $900 it converts Voltage and frequency from 220v 50hz to 100 v 60hz. Hope fully that fixes the problem.
even after I pay for this the total price is less than 40% of the price here.

http://www.aliexpress.com/product-g...KVA-800W-Frequency-Converter-wholesalers.html

 

[User211]

I tried surfing for an Aussie ML. retail price list but found nothing. All I found was http://www.mirandahifi.com/.

Not quite $4000->$17000. Exchange rate is basically 1:1 at the moment.

 

[edwinr]

Ronn, you obviously bought the Vantages very cheaply. Even if you installed the new power supply boards, you would still be on a winner. Buying the frequency converter for $900 is an option, but for double that, you could have an Australian spec pair of Vantages...:think:

 

[Ronn]

Ronn, you obviously bought the Vantages very cheaply. Even if you installed the new power supply boards, you would still be on a winner. Buying the frequency converter for $900 is an option, but for double that, you could have an Australian spec pair of Vantages...:think:

I bought the Vantage for $2000, and the frequency converter for $900.00 and now the vantage works well. Thank you guys for the advice. The sound is good as expected.

I do have however a question, when I play Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 when it gets busy and high pitch both vantages generate a very rapid clicking along the fast high pitch piano which muddles the tone. Is this a speaker problem or something else like the amplifier?
I am using a high end Marants receiver as a pre amp and Rotel 200 w as power amplifier.

 

[edwinr]

Strange. Maybe the 'clicking' is a frequency converter power supply problem. I wouldn't imagine the Rotel wouldn't be at fault(?)

Are you sure it's not in the recording?

 

[Ronn]

Strange. Maybe the 'clicking' is a frequency converter power supply problem. I wouldn't imagine the Rotel wouldn't be at fault(?)

Are you sure it's not in the recording?

The Recording is high quality SACD, I don't think it is the problem. It has me baffled. Can you explain why or how you think the frequency converter can cause this problem?

 

[Ronn]

The Recording is high quality SACD, I don't think it is the problem. It has me baffled. Can you explain why or how you think the frequency converter can cause this problem?

Problem solved. Have you ever been to technical for your own good? well my wife came over and looked at the back of the speakers after I had opened them twice and said your speaker cable shields are loose and vibrating. 10 seconds later it was fixed! I kicked myself.