System #91 (CLS IIz, Stylos)

[lugano]

lugano,

What is the status on your new panels? They must be arriving soon. Have you heard anything from the Dealer?

Thanks for asking, Brad... they arrived in Switzerland last week and triumphally marching the 230 km distance left from the swiss importer to my local dealer at a pace hard to determine. Expect a f... big flashing banner and some pix on this thread when they hit my listening room

 

[lugano]

Incredible swiss stories

... so the panels arrive at the general importer. Who waits 10 days, then mails my local reseller that the panels arrived. We wait and wait and wait. After another week, my reseller calls them... and it turns out that they did not ship them to Lugano yet. Why ? Well it seems that my store had an open invoice with them, regarding another item, and (without warning anybody...) they were just plain waiting for that f...g invoice to get paid before shipping the panels !! Can you believe that ?? Now I have to wait some more days... grrr...

In related news, I got the new power supplies directly from the importer. In the poor sheet of paper coming with them it's written:
" carefully route the twin wire audio sampling lead over to the 5 way binding post. Connect one spade terminal under each input terminals by loosening the gold nut and inserting the spade terminal under the gold nut".

I did not receive any twin wire with spades (sensing wires). I mailed the importer, who wrote me that there is no such thing, that I must build the connection myself, with phone cable (sic) !!

The power supplies look different as of build quality... I can't claim being a happy customer. Not even close.

 

[Brad225]

I'm sorry to hear of the continued delays and problems. It is amazing what people think passes for customer service. People you hire or pay to perform a service for you seem to forget this all to often. Its as though they think they are doing you a favor by taking your money.

If you need anything from the U.S. in the future I would be happy to ship it to you and eliminate some of your pain.

 

[lugano]

Brad, thank you a lot for your kind offer... the problem is that over here we often need 220 V equipment, something that we pay 3 times the price but also stuff you can't easily get in the States. There is a planetary worsening of business practice going amok, since most of the industries started to base themselves in China et similia. Also, if you don't buy from them they won't honor any guarantee. It all sucks. I can't imagine ordering something in December and still waiting to get it in May... something related to one of the most respectable and famous loudspeaker builder on earth. But I don't need to imagine, it's really happening !!

 

[lugano]

Small update... I've spent the afternoon preparing the CLS pair for their revival. Took out the old panels (It can be done alone, just have a DVD case around - once you get a corner out, put the DVD case between the panel and the enclosing and go on pressing the panel all the way until it fully comes out), put in the new power supplies and built the autosensing cable from some old speaker cables I had around, drilled 4 holes and installed the new spikes. The enclosure's wood is so strong that after drilling the holes the whole room had a smell like burned wood, if you see what I mean.

I'm still impressed about the build quality of these speakers. I am firmly convinced that I've got a remarkable piece of audiophile history in my living room. These speakers are built for eternity... it was like putting my hands into a soviet-made reel-to-reel from the 60es. Wonderful stuff, wow.

Summits... you'll never get me

 

[Brad225]

Sounds like everything is ready to go. Hopefully panels in the next couple days.

I agree with you about the quality. My new panels sound wonderful and every tweak makes them that much better.

 

[lugano]

A huge THANK YOU...

... goes to the Swiss Martin Logan distributor, for letting me test - for 3 weeks now, after having waited 140 days since ordering new panels - the Super-Secret-Stealth-See-Through (CLS SSSST) Martin Logan model. As their model name implies (sssst...), they are deadly silent.

 

[Jeff Zaret]

Radu,
You were not supposed to tell anyone about the new super secret panels. LOL

Jeff

 

[lugano]

PANELS ARE HERE !!!!

 

[lugano]

A detail of the new spikes

 

[Brad225]

I guess I can put away the torches and farm implements I was gathering to make an assault on your dealers store.

Glad to hear they finally arrived.

Can't wait to hear how much different they sound.

Have Fun

 

[lugano]

I guess I can put away the torches and farm implements I was gathering to make an assault on your dealers store.

Glad to hear they finally arrived.

Can't wait to hear how much different they sound.

Have Fun

Thanks Brad !

Keep the torches, one never knows...I do have some complaints about the whole business, and I think I'll tell you all about it.

For now, they sound quite ****** - no mids (strange - highs and bass is present), metallic - like a Technics speaker from the 70's.

BUT... but... the soundstage depth is better, much better. I'll cook them with the worst I got - a Reggaeton compilaton

The whole rig has been turned off and silent for 2 weeks now - I can't, and don't expect miracles before 48 hours of thunz tada thunz voiced out quite loud.

 

[Jeff Zaret]

Radu,

Give them about 100 hours and then make your judgement.

Jeff

 

[Brad225]

OK lugano,

So how is the Reggea-a-thon coming. We are on day 5 now.
Any improvement yet or do they still have that memorable Technics by Panasonic sound still ?

Do you have everyone in the house wearing ear plugs in so you can keep them playing 24-7?

 

[lugano]

Finally ( :devil: ) my Philips projector decided to die.

It's being substituted by a Panasonic PT-AX100

 

[Brad225]

How are things going with the CLSs? I have been hesitant to ask as no news from you might not be a good thing.

 

[lugano]

New lighting...

.... with philips LCD bulbs.

 

[theWB]

.... with philips LCD bulbs.

Lugano,
Very Cooooool
Got a link to those bulbs?

 

[lugano]

Lugano,
Very Cooooool
Got a link to those bulbs?

The link should be www.homelighting.philips.com but I did not find them there, maybe deeper digging is needed. Anyway I took a picture of them, see below.

1 Watt, 20'000 hours life... 16.50 CHF

 

[lugano]

I found it here:

http://www.lauk.co.uk/prodDetail.as...0&offset=0&hp=0&rt=13&categoryquantity=0&gb=1

But it's rather expensive