Do Martin Logan ESP sound deteriorate?

[Liquid Air]

I have a question if there's any Martin Logan experts out there. My Martin Logan ESP don't seem to sound nearly as good as they used to. Do the electrostatic panels deteriorate over time? I dust them fequently, non smoking home but when I just play them in stereo 2 channel they don't sound anywhere near what they used to

 

[TLS Guy]

I have a question if there's any Martin Logan experts out there. My Martin Logan ESP don't seem to sound nearly as good as they used to. Do the electrostatic panels deteriorate over time? I dust them fequently, non smoking home but when I just play them in stereo 2 channel they don't sound anywhere near what they used to

Electrostatic panels certainly can and do deteriorate over time, especially if driven hard, the panels loose their correct tension.

Electrostatic speakers are much more problematic over time than moving coil ones. That is a major reason they have never become mainstream. They can even become punctured by a spark, but when that occurs the audible results afterwards make the speakers unlistenable.

 

[Liquid Air]

Thank you for the quick reply. So I don't drive them hard per se only to demo them when people come over. When I first got them they were the best sounding speakers I ever heard. Literally sounded like performance in my living room, now drastically sound different. I'm was assuming it's age, I believe they're from 2008. But for such expensive speaker I figured they would last longer than 20 years. I still have a pair of Klipsch and a pair of Advents that were made in the 70s.. Do you know if there's anything that can be done besides buying new panels? I vacuum them on a regular basis and don’t smoke. By the way absolutely love all the custom work in that studio was that your home it's beautiful absolutely envy the fact you have a place to walk behind your system I spent countless hours using a mirror and a flashlight to plug it unplug audio equipment lol.

 

[TLS Guy]

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Thank you for the quick reply. So I don't drive them hard per se only to demo them when people come over. When I first got them they were the best sounding speakers I ever heard. Literally sounded like performance in my living room, now drastically sound different. I'm was assuming it's age, I believe they're from 2008. But for such expensive speaker I figured they would last longer than 20 years. I still have a pair of Klipsch and a pair of Advents that were made in the 70s.. Do you know if there's anything that can be done besides buying new panels? I vacuum them on a regular basis and don’t smoke. By the way absolutely love all the custom work in that studio was that your home it's beautiful absolutely envy the fact you have a place to walk behind your system I spent countless hours using a mirror and a flashlight to plug it unplug audio equipment lol.

Martin Logan panels have a life of 10 to 15 years. Martin Logan have a repair service, but it is long slow and expensive apparently, So you will have to consider whether is is worth it, Some owners have done the repair themselves, but that takes a certain skill set. If you really like electrostatics, consider Quad. They are a big step up from ML.

Yes, I am an inveterate DIYer, and designed, built that room and speaker system.