Second hand electrostatics - Good investment?

[Trev]

Hey, guess I fall under audiophyte because I definitely do have a lot to still learn. Been looking at a second hand setup where each of the sellers claim excellent or near mint condition.

I've got a guy wanting to sell me Martin & Logan SL3 @ $700

And a YBA 2 HCDT for $1500

My question would be - what does one need to be wary of with used electrostatics and when it comes to efficiency loss over time... how can one best carefully plan that out? Is there a typical chart of degradation of products over years of ownership or that would really come down to the specific model / manufacturer?

 

[Seth=L]

Hey, guess I fall under audiophyte because I definitely do have a lot to still learn. Been looking at a second hand setup where each of the sellers claim excellent or near mint condition.

I've got a guy wanting to sell me Martin & Logan SL3 @ $700

And a YBA 2 HCDT for $1500

My question would be - what does one need to be wary of with used electrostatics and when it comes to efficiency loss over time... how can one best carefully plan that out? Is there a typical chart of degradation of products over years of ownership or that would really come down to the specific model / manufacturer?

The one thing I know to look out for with electrostatics is damaged membranes. This isn't as much a problem with Martin Logan because of how they're made, but it can still happen. The stators, metal grids on both sides of the membrane, are charged with electricity. If dust/dirt/grime get in between the stators and membrane they can arch which burns and ultimately damages the membrane.

If they're in good shape I think $700 is a very good price, perhaps even a steal.

Not too knowledgeable on the YBA amplifier, but the price seems a tad high for such a component. If the deal on the SL3s is not contingent on you purchasing the amplifier I might pass. If buying the amplifier is contingent with the deal, I still might, I'm not sure.

 

[Trev]

Thanks Seth,

Not contingent, no. Would there happen to be a more suitable bang-for-buck power amp under $1500 for SL3s that you guys might know? Also, I guess I may need to call ML, but curious about approximate cost of replacing membrane. I'd seen another set of a 96 model at $1800 that had undergone a replacement in '08. Seems they're good with replacement parts for models that old. The SL3 I believe is from '92.

 

[Seth=L]

Thanks Seth,

Not contingent, no. Would there happen to be a more suitable bang-for-buck power amp under $1500 for SL3s that you guys might know? Also, I guess I may need to call ML, but curious about approximate cost of replacing membrane. I'd seen another set of a 96 model at $1800 that had undergone a replacement in '08. Seems they're good with replacement parts for models that old. The SL3 I believe is from '92.

Bang for buck, commercial amplifiers like Crown and QSC come to mind. The ESLs are usually difficult to drive and need lots of power and those commercial amplifiers have high current capacity. Many of the commercial amplifiers have fans, and some (myself included) find this to be unsatisfactory in an audio system. You may be able to find a few that don't have a fan which would be preferred. Another factor is how loud you listen. I can get away with using a much smaller amplifier than most because of the speakers I use, environment, and listening habits. I was using a small 25 watt per channel amplifier and found it a little lacking so I upgraded to a 75 watt per channel amplifier and want for no extra power at all.

 

[KEW]

I agree that pro audio is the place to go for strong watts (4 ohm, etc) without breaking the bank!
I use a Yamaha P7000S (over-kill) to power my Philharmonic 3's. The fans do not come on until it starts to get hot. The heat sinks are decent, so the fans rarely run. When they do, they are very quiet - as in I don't know they are on.
If you post a thread in the amp section "Looking for a quiet pro amp", you will get some other options.
I would recommend the Yamaha series my amp is from, but I also know some newer options now exist with RCA inputs (I had to get special cables to go from preamp RCA to balanced amp connection).
There are also some that include a crossover to assist in bass management if that is useful to you.
Crown is probably what I would get if doing it over, but no complaints with what I have.

Seth, I see you replaced the SI-275 you sold me? Is that recent? It is still doing a great job for me!

 

[Seth=L]

I agree that pro audio is the place to go for strong watts (4 ohm, etc) without breaking the bank!
I use a Yamaha P7000S (over-kill) to power my Philharmonic 3's. The fans do not come on until it starts to get hot. The heat sinks are decent, so the fans rarely run. When they do, they are very quiet - as in I don't know they are on.
If you post a thread in the amp section "Looking for a quiet pro amp", you will get some other options.
I would recommend the Yamaha series my amp is from, but I also know some newer options now exist with RCA inputs (I had to get special cables to go from preamp RCA to balanced amp connection).
There are also some that include a crossover to assist in bass management if that is useful to you.
Crown is probably what I would get if doing it over, but no complaints with what I have.

Seth, I see you replaced the SI-275 you sold me? Is that recent? It is still doing a great job for me!

I forgot who I sold that too. I'm glad you're still enjoying yours. I just received mine USPS yesterday. It came missing one foot so I had to replace all of them so it would be level but it works like a champ. Sound is solid and handles reactive loads with bravado, it's basically everything I need.

 

[Trev]

The fella with the MLs hasn't gotten back to me with photos. I don't see it happening, but thank you for the power amp vendor tips guys. I haven't truly ventured into separates as the only time I'd delved was a phono pre with genelecs. Powered speakers cheating the going-broke-over-a-power-amp experience that many of you guys I'm sure've had on your journeys.

Crown, QSC, and Yamaha, I'll check them out first before jumping into a new stereo setup. Realistically the Genelec 6020's I have are enough to make a room thump with quality... but I can't help but prefer them for certain genres and not others. I'd really like a quality stereo setup for classical at about 3K (amp incl) that would be mind blowing, but versatile enough to play other genres really well. Expecting mind blowing at 3K first hand, not so achievable, but I don't mind shopping second hand in that range because usually the gear's been well taken care of.

Will keep hunting on the second hand market. Not opposed to first hand if there's a really good bang for buck. I've been seeing a lot of hype lately about Legacy's Studio HD.