Acoustat Answer Man is here

thanks for the reply....I was aware of the prescribed popping procedures and had done all of them over the weekend BUT the wash......I managed to rustle up another grid, replaced the offender.....results , perfect silence, no more pop, no more rumbling right side bass and there is no noticeable balance issue.. staging is as expected...all is right in the world.....late 80s traded sprinkler system for pair servo Xs, later 2+2s that were stolen along with TNT 200 and velodyne uld15, now, 1 pair medallion 2+2s, 2 TNT 200s, 1 TNP preamp, 1 pair of medallion 1+1s and this "new" pair of mk121-2A 2+2s..........thanks to all who enjoy these sounds and especially to those who share information to keep them running. Dan
 
" I set them up in a 3600 sq ft room with 12 ft ceilings..........."

8ea 9" Acoustat panels.... ran fullrang in a All open 3600 sq ft space...O dount for get the 12' ft ceilings....... A room that can give Real Low Fr........Wow
You need the latest thing.... I got one...A 60 year old hhscott Tube preamp.... an use the (tone controls)....you can just tone that bass down....hehe
Ah........ESLs... seems there always doing to much, or to littel... of one thing are the other...good luck
 
All Same 9" panels..........same wire
Spectra uses diff res to segment planels as seen in spectra 11 crossover panel setup pic....that's just one 9"panel.....
 

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Hmmm, looking at that any pre spectra could be segmented. kinda odd how much sound can come of such a small surface area of coating and stator.and 70 per cent open. I took an in depth look at my 2+2's, they are simplicity, nothing seems exact. Wonder what kind of HV wire they used, stuff can be expensive.
 
The Bias wire is the same as panels wire...
.I had bad panel so I have lots 46" Bias feed wire...
So you say bad panel???....well I had to try the HEAT GUN ...Don't do it!
like the tube soake....that dark water is coting comeing off these old panels....not Good...
Less you have panel can lose ....I know I have had my hand on over 20-30.Panels.....all I have ever seen is littel lose in corner mylar.....so good luck
 
In all my yrs of playing with Acoustats I have never removed a panel, In Surrey BC I had a 16 foot wall of panels of 2+2 and 3+3, only problems I had had were interfaces. I did however replace the stock sock for white spandex, so thin you can see right through the speaker where there's no coating, Only thing I wish the real low vocals were crystal clear.
 
Well...........................................I wish we could have it ALL...but for me....it never happened.....I am done with Esls.. .....30+ trying to have it all....NOT
So good luck with that..................
Really? That's too bad. Of course it would be more convenient with magnetic planars but I've never heard anything quite as good as ESLs. Magnepan come pretty close though, but they are at least as big and ugly as my rebuilt Spectras so I don't see why I should spend my money on those :) For the price I don't think you beat the sound quality of a used pair of Acoustats.
 
look I got a pr of Spectras 3 now .........I never said that maggys are Apogee full rang ribbons sounded as good...as ESL.....
the Quad 57 sound wise is better than any ESL speaker I ever had are heard.....an I cant live with them...I got off that ride in the 90s.....
for me my ear like the low THD ..so louder is better but.... ESL can play loud up to a point then things start to fall apart...
I have ML two ways but it not the same.....
for me....the old Acoustat fullrang sound way better than the Spectras...why....same resion the segmented ESLs don't work for me....when you start adding res.....you get even Less output...ESL have.to miny trade off....that s For me...
good luck on your quest...hehe these old Apogee at 80% Sound great an I love it..an well play Loud....as I get older my ears don't wont less output...hehe
who the hell came up with that....I need more...but this is just ones man opine..
 
Hi All:

Questions from a recent newbie to Acoustats. For those who have replaced the monster cable from the terminal strip to the HF pot and binding posts in the interfaces, what did you use? Does it matter what gauge wire and did switching the wires make any difference in sound quality? (I have Acoustat 3s, I'm not the first owner.) Also any worthwhile replacement parts/mods readily avaiable that will keep them running smooth for more years to come? Thank you all for input. :)

Sincerely,
Kingsley.
 
Accoustat trouble

I have a pair of 2 + 2's that were in storage for 10 yrs or so got them out 12 months ago and have had heaps of problems since one side produced the most awful noises at high vol and improved that by the heat gun technique (which actually works !!!! ) and vacuum cleaning (love that reaction when I told everyone I was blow drying my speakers!!! Worth owning them just for that) However it still has only half the output of the other one but the elephant trumpeting has mostly gone I have switched power amps, cables, interfaces, etc etc etc to see what might be causing the problem and alas it looks like the speaker as I have ruled out everything else now ( including checking out the interfaces by my electronics guy )
how is this possible and what can I do not sure how these wound up in New Zealand so fixing is much more of a problem than for USA owners
lastly the socks are holey sun burnt and yuk now were they something special or can I use any similar stretchy fabric to make new ones NIK NZ
 
I have a pair of 2 + 2's that were in storage for 10 yrs or so got them out 12 months ago and have had heaps of problems since one side produced the most awful noises at high vol and improved that by the heat gun technique (which actually works !!!! ) and vacuum cleaning (love that reaction when I told everyone I was blow drying my speakers!!! Worth owning them just for that) However it still has only half the output of the other one but the elephant trumpeting has mostly gone I have switched power amps, cables, interfaces, etc etc etc to see what might be causing the problem and alas it looks like the speaker as I have ruled out everything else now ( including checking out the interfaces by my electronics guy )
how is this possible and what can I do not sure how these wound up in New Zealand so fixing is much more of a problem than for USA owners
lastly the socks are holey sun burnt and yuk now were they something special or can I use any similar stretchy fabric to make new ones NIK NZ

A difference in volume between the speakers usually indicates a problem in the 5000-volt bias power supply. I would suggest first replacing all five of the capacitors in the voltage multiplier. These are 3300 pF, 3000-volt ceramic discs. A higher voltage rating is okay as long as they fit okay in the board. I also suggest replacing these parts in both interfaces. There's no point in using fancy "audiophile grade" parts in this application - plain ol' ceramic discs are fine.

If that does not solve the problem, the next step is to replace all five of the high voltage diodes (again, in both speakers). The original manufacturer no longer makes this part, but substitutes are available. The minimum rating is 10,000-volts at 25 milliamps. Higher ratings on either voltage or current are okay, as long as they fit the board. Note that these diodes cannot be tested like a regular diode with an ohmmeter, as they are a stacked multiple-junction type.

The original grille cloth is a double-knit polyester weave, chosen for reasonable sonic transparency and the ability to hide the innards of the speaker. If you don't mind seeing through the cloth a little bit, a single knit fabric is a better choice, preferably with some stretchiness so that the tube of fabric will conform to the shape of the speaker. Perhaps some other members can share their experience on replacement grille fabric.
 
wow thanks for the quick time response I just got bit confused about the interfaces boxes as I swapped them round so shouldn't the other one now be the one in trouble I couldn't really see how the panels can perform at half mast so accept your recommendations happily will get the expert on it ASAP
one thing I did the heat gun blow dryer act but nobody has ever said HOW LONG I should spend on each panel think I took about 20 min for each the washing in the bath tub intrigues me how is this done exactly I'm too scared to do that Nik NZ
 
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We are forgetting the most obvious / common fault of Acoustat unbalanced sound out of panels...

Check to see if one of the stator wires is disconnected. I have seen so many stator wires frayed and disconnected from the connection hook that connects under the threaded post on pcb. Multiple panels have all common stator wires bundled together at the post hook, and sometimes one of the wires may not be electrically connected to the connection hook. Some looked connected and were found not connected...these are very thin wires in insulation that is very easily broken.

No stator connection to the PCB post means 1/2 output from that panel....and not linear operation.

So before you spend all the time and money on fixing a problem that may not exist in the interface, this would be the first thing to check.

I actually have gotten into the habit of removing all wires from hook connections and soldering all common stator wires together directly on hook to confirm connection. Have yet to see an unbalanced panel.

And for the Love of God, does all the work removing the Monster Cable Wire really worth it? The re-soldering the Stator wires to hook seems like a much more worthwhile effort to keep these speakers working properly.
 
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