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In Reply to: Re: ML-CLS operating voltage?? posted by steve_se8@hotmail.com on April 08, 2001 at 11:02:28:
Thanks Steve
Has anyone tested is it 3500v or is it higher? From my gap calculations it should be higher??
When I use 3000v they play but very quiet and need VOLUME!!
Could it be the panel membranes?? when they go do they go quiet??
ie need more voltage/volume to get them playing?
Thanks
David
Follow Ups:
Hi David - Greetings from Deptford !
Mailed you direct before I saw this reply.
Figure not measured - just something I picked up somewhere.
Attach a mail from Martin Logan from a few months back when I asked about knowing when to replace the panels."If the CLSs were having trouble, I would expect to hear an imbalance between
the two panel. You would also hear a drop in maximum peak volume of 92 db
easily measured by a sound pressure level meter. Sometimes you may even
hear center cells that appear to make little or no sound. Note that there
will not be any sound from the location of the ribs or spars since the
membrane is captured at these areas. That is normal. There may also be
some strange rattle sounds that may be the beginning of damping elements
coming loose. Usually when this happens, it will rattle at virtually all
frequencies and worse at higher volumes.
No real helpful comments about various cables available. Our dealers have
much more experience than we do with options that sound good. I would trust
their call.
Hope this helps.
Jim Power
service manager"Hope its helpful. You sure yer amp has enough juice (amps), cos I feel I get plenty enough volume with a heavy duty solid stater (stator :-)) ) (350 watts/swinging (allegedly) 90 amps)
Steve
G'day,I'm not sure on the ML's but I can tell you something about Acoustat and a little story regarding the High Voltage.
Basically the HT (High Tention) is 5000 volts in Acoustat and as I found out, having this fairly accurate is important to the performance of your electrostatics. One day I came home, put the system on and went to relax with a bit of music but something was wrong, just couldn't put my finger on it. As time pasted, what turned from 'not sure' to "Huston we have a problem". One channel lost its sparkle and the sound stage went from center to almost one side. I did some investigations and I discovered a small cockroach had wandered past the voltage trippling circuit, and fried itself. It did it on the last diode/capacitor pair so I figured shorted maybe half its output being 2.5KV slowly discharging the panel. Cleaned the PCB and components and bingo, soundstage back. Before it dawned on me, I drove the power up and even resorted to using the balance control.
The moral of the story is, I believe the stator voltage is important not just how high but the correct balance and if ML have made it 3.5KV, a lowering of ouput could be a sign of a high voltage problem. I assume the SPL you had before was Ok and now it's not, hence the question. I have some powerful amps that give me some nice powerful music when called for, so Steve is right with high power juice helps but if you have to drive you amp too hard, again, possible problem brewing not just for the amps but the speakers.
Anyway, just puting my 4 cents in (not 2 cents but 4 cents as the Australian Dollar is not doing so well, 50 cents to the US dollar, makes my next upgrade further away now, oh well!!)
Regards Robert Puetz.
Robert (Austria) and Steve (UK)
Thanks for the helpful info I have contacted Jim Power at ML so lets see what they say??
So far Europe 2 USA 0 - has nobody in the USofA tested the high-voltage output of a pair of CLS's - Home of ML lets see what you guys know???
Regards
David
A big thank you to ML and JP
The CLS runs at about 6000 v DC and that is measured at ML using a very sensitive and non-loading meter! and best of all its is Official!
Regards and Thanks to ML
DTH
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