Martin Logan Aerius

[SteveG]

Local to me there is a very cheap set of Martin Logan Aerius i speakers for sale - with the reason they're cheap being that the stator panel has failed on one of the speakers. They are very cheap though - possibly as low as £250.

I've demo'd those in the past and liked them a lot (and think they'd be nice with my Krell amp) so am tempted to take a punt and then try and get them repaired. I've heard that replacement panels from ML can be very expensive, but with the speakers that cheap I'm thinking it still might be worth it. I've also heard about potential DIY fixes (showering the panels!).

Any advice?

 

[DimitryZ]

I only have experience with Magnepan and Quad repairs. I could repair Maggies, could not repair Quads - others here feel it's an easy job. Are you pretty handy and are you looking for a project?

 

[SteveG]

I only have experience with Magnepan and Quad repairs. I could repair Maggies, could not repair Quads - others here feel it's an easy job. Are you pretty handy and are you looking for a project?

I've done some electronics stuff in the past but it's been a while. Not averse to a project but I might need to check with SWMBO first - she liked the ML's when we demo'd them, but might not sign off on having them in the current living room. They're definitely too big for my study system.

 

[Rodrat]

Worth a punt you could turn them on EBay without losing any money.

 

[miles_b]

If you can get the parts. Isn't that model about 20 years old?

 

[SteveH]

I heard a pair of these at a Heathrow show years ago with a Krell integrated and CDP: It was the Absolute Sounds "budget" system and we listened while waiting to get into their "definitely not budget" timed demo.

I can still remember that I thought it sounded absolutely incredible. Sure, they were using material that played to electrostatic strengths, but nevertheless it was great.

 

[Paul R]

'stator panel failed' doesn't seem very likely. Would be worth fully understanding the nature of the fault.

I've found the auction. It seems possible that the panel itself is fine and the PSU has failed or similar. The photos don't appear to show diaphragm damage.

 

[Jodet]

Aerius I's suffered from panel degradation over time. They probably both need to be replaced.

I owned a pair of these 25, 30 years ago.

 

[SteveG]

Thanks for the info. If they're that old I think I'll give it a miss.

I'd also heard a set of these at a dealer demo years back - initially with Krell amplification and CD, which sounded great. Then with Audio Research amplification would sounded even better.

Would have been too big a jump costwise from the Arcam/Mission stuff I had back then so I entered the world of Naim instead, however I have been thinking about getting Martin Logans one day - especially since recently getting a Krell amp.

 

[mattgbell]

Martin Logans are a good deal second hand. The panels are actually very durable, but people get scared off them, so the second-hand prices are quite low.

Two things I would say though. First, the earlier hybrid models suffered from poor integration between the panel and woofer, and it was only with the larger mid-2000s hybrid models that the integration became seamless. (I would start with the Montis.)

Second, if you do go for one of the larger (and better) models, they only really work in a large room, with plenty of space behind them, so that cancellation of the reflected rear wave doesn’t mess up the mid-range.