MARTIN LOGAN TRIPLES THEIR PANEL REPLACEMENT

How long does a esl panel last as long as the user does not overdrive them;I have soundlab m2's and my panels operate perfectly;when a esl panel starts going bad what will occur?

Glad I sold my Aerius-i. I loved those speakers but one had a weak panel and ML forces you to buy the pair. A few years ago the pair cost me $500 so I can't imagine what they are now. I also understand they want the panels to be matched, but that should be your choice as the owner. I only needed one, so they should not force you to buy a pair.

J_stereo, do you think an owner would then disclose that he was selling an unmatched pair of speaker panels? Would it matter to the resale market? I certainly don't know if it can be heard, I'm just curious. I agree that it should be up to the owner to decide, but he may not want to disclose this fact when he gets around to selling them.

Peterayer - I agree with what you are saying and I guess I didn't think of it in terms of re-sale. When I sold the speakers I gave the old set of panels tot he new owner. My issue is (assuming the speakers are staying with the same owner) you should not be forced to buy both panels if one sounds OK yet. Especially if a set of panels is $1,000. That is $500 extra they are forcing you to spend. If I had cone speakers and a woofer/tweeter/midrange went bad, I could buy only the part I need.

I like ML's, but with this mark up I recommend Magnepan. Both are good, but Magnepan was always better for the $ IMO. Specially with ML's panel hike. Magnepan dont need to beplugged into a outlet, and the new foil wire won't come loose from the mylar like older Magnepans before current ones.

Magnepan are a bit brighter, and don't play as loud....but the do give that MLspacious sound, and IMO they are probably more refined. The MLs woofers never fit the panels IMO. It got better, but I prefer a all panel 1.7 with a sub. Nothing from ML can touch the 1.7 for 2k IMO.