Upgrade SL3?

[orjanb]

Hi,
First I have to say thanks for an exellent forum =)
And sorry for my crappy english

My story is like this....

I´ve had an fire in my home and the house was filled with smoke 2 times.
Sad to say the ML where exposed to the smoke and now the panels is about to be changed.
Did find an guide to change the panel on SL3 and it looked quite easy but is it diffucult to change on the cinema and script?

And some other question about the SL3..
Is there any DIY to ugrade them to improve quality of the sound?
Is there any changes in the the manufacturing/ sound quality of the panels if we compare the old ones against the new ones?

Best regards
Orjan

 

[roberto]

Hi,
First I have to say thanks for an exellent forum =)
And sorry for my crappy english

My story is like this....

I´ve had an fire in my home and the house was filled with smoke 2 times.
Sad to say the ML where exposed to the smoke and now the panels is about to be changed.
Did find an guide to change the panel on SL3 and it looked quite easy but is it diffucult to change on the cinema and script?

And some other question about the SL3..
Is there any DIY to ugrade them to improve quality of the sound?
Is there any changes in the the manufacturing/ sound quality of the panels if we compare the old ones against the new ones?

Best regards
Orjan

Hola and welcome. Each new set of panels comes with a step by step, easy to follow instructions. Also, I think that the new panels are more reliable than the others. ML changed the adhesive formula used at atomic level to make a plastic to be an electric conductor and aluminum metal is now used for the coat. It is a bonding material, very very thin coated. Before, several metals were used and the adhesive was different too. The sound? We all like ML sound before and now. I think that the new tech is faster and lighter, but I think it is is my mind only, vey difficult to tell, even that my ears tell me that there are more extended highs and more open sound in now days... ...happy listening,
Pura vida,
Roberto.

 

[orjanb]

Hola and welcome. Each new set of panels comes with a step by step, easy to follow instructions. Also, I think that the new panels are more reliable than the others. ML changed the adhesive formula used at atomic level to make a plastic to be an electric conductor and aluminum metal is now used for the coat. It is a bonding material, very very thin coated. Before, several metals were used and the adhesive was different too. The sound? We all like ML sound before and now. I think that the new tech is faster and lighter, but I think it is is my mind only, vey difficult to tell, even that my ears tell me that there are more extended highs and more open sound in now days... ...happy listening,
Pura vida,
Roberto.

Tnx for the info

So one question left:
Any other upgrades that can be made to improve them ?

/ Orjan

 

[JonFo]

Tnx for the info

So one question left:
Any other upgrades that can be made to improve them ?

/ Orjan

Try Bi-amping them. That generally makes a noticeable difference.

Also, check the woofers and make sure that are working correctly. Besides visual inspection, hook up the amp just to the bass binding posts (remove the jumpers between low and highs). Play some acoustic bass (like from a Jacques Lousier trio album) and see if the 'tone' is right. Bass should be nice and tight. You’re not looking for Subwoofer performance here, but for clean sound through 250hz.

If the Woofer is shot, then we can talk about that in another thread.

 

[Gordon Gray]

Sorry for the delay on the SL3 upgrades / also applicable to other ML models

I had the SL3's for six years or so and now have the Summits. Upgrades I did, that I found significant, are as follows.

1) Install "Expert Roadkill" sound dampening material on the inside of the woofer module (bottom, top, and both sides) and on the driver cage metal ribs. Dynamat is another similar product but I was told this is a better alternative. You''ll have to "pop" the rails to get to the module but that's pretty easy. You'll also need to get some new "double sided" adhesive strips to reattach the grill frame in front of the bass driver. Roadkill available through Stinger Electronics. Google and you'll find their website along with product / dealer info.

This is a material used in car audio applications and is meant to "stiffen" sheet metal to reduce vibrations. Results are tighter, deeper bass with better sonic integration between the bass driver and the panel.

2) "Weight" the top of the base module with your choice of materials. You'll definitely hear tonal differences depending on the amount of weight placed on top. I also found the weighting to improve the "coupling" between the speaker and the floor. Experiment with different weights. Make sure weight is flat and rests securely on the top to prohibit vibrations. No wobbling please. I used river rock, granite, and other material.

3) Replace the supplied spiked cones with Mapleshade Brass cones. They manufacture 1/4 X 20 treaded cones. Sound took on a much more "analogue" type quality to it. Check out their website for various cone options. In addition, I found "tilting" the speaker forward helped quite a bit. To do this, you'll need to get longer threads from a hardware store for the rear cones. When you thread these into the speaker bottom, place 1/4" brass nuts (or larger / smaller if you like) between the top of the cone and the bottom of the speaker (total of 3 per cone) and screw cone in until tight.

4) If you are not bi-wiring, replace the ML supplied aluminum strapping plate with high quality wire. If you are using lugs to attach the main speaker wire from the amp to the speaker terminal, have spades attached and use the Monster Expandable banana plug to attach strapping wire from the upper speaker terminals to the lower. I am currently using "Analysis Plus" wire availble through Audio Advisors. Mapleshade also manufactures a "foil" type connector for this purpose. If you go with Mapleshade, order 1/2" of extra length. Results are a more, open, "quicker" sound.

I want to thank Peter Soderberg (formerly with MIT and now with ML) for 1), 2), and 4). I hope I spelled Peter's last name correctly. Sorry if i didn't Peter.

In addition, these mods will work with the older Aerius, Sequels, or other ML types that have a similar bass module / panel architecture.

The combination of all four above mods had a significant improvement to the overall, "stock" sound of the SL3's.

Have fun and happy listening.

GG