Martin Logan Prodigy clicking sound

My Prodigy sometimes makes a clicking sound:

MartinLogan Prodigy clicking sound - YouTube

After consulting with ML I replaced the power supply and then the transformer with new replacements and it still didn't completely fix the issue (though it seemed to happen less frequently).

After a few months it largely went away, I may get a few clicks every month or so.

Lately it's starting to happen more frequently again (maybe once a week, and when it happens it does that on and off for minutes).

Any idea what causes that? It's not the panels, those were replaced and I also swapped them between the two speakers and it stayed with the same speaker. Vacuuming didn't help.
 
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Hi...i have working on ML panels for about 20 years..I have seen this before,
It could be one of the 3 wires that runs from the bias boards an step up transfourms, right were these wire connect....
An the 3 wire connectors ends that go to the panels.
I have put tape on each of these connectors.

It seen to do this when there more humidity around.

all just mans findings......good luck
 
Hi tyu,

It makes sense that it's a connection issue, because all the possible part have been replaced with new ones. And I live in Singapore which is VERY humid all year round.

Would it help if I just put some desiccant inside the speaker to reduce internal humidity? If not can you point me which wires to look?

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I know this is an old thread but i have picked up a pair of Prodigys and 1 side has this issue. I noticed when i slid the panel up while still mounted, i could get it to stop or at least changed it according to my moving it. I slso noticed that unplughing it while playing music, the clicks stopped and the panrl sounds fine as it continues playing for s frw minutes during discharging the caps.

So thats a conflict of causes. I removed the panel and inspected the upper right side where the clicking is loudest and found nothing unusual. I washed the panel and by just spraying wster from a shower head did nothing to remove debris so i sprayed some tough stuff cleaner on it and gave it 15 seconds or so and rinsed it. There was a steady stream of gray brown water running off the panel.

I thought the culprit may be the glue on the foam rubber (used to hold the panel in place) since it turned into a slimy mess. Thats why the oaneld slide down so easy. Cleaned it off and used some rubber trim stuff i had on hand and used no glue. The panel is fitnly hrld in place and the clicking returnrd within a minute.

I found 2 of the big caps in the crossover were out of spec, im not sure if they could even cause that issue. I figured the frequency will change but not make noise.

The power supply had no obvious issues but thete are 2 IC chips on the board, the small one is removable while the large 1 is soldered.. i have a feeling they could be the issue since they will be switching between leads and might be getting caught in weird switching.

Im going to find out exactly what frequency the clicks are and thejr waveform, that might shed some light on what it coumd be.

Id like to bypass the crossover entirely as i did on the Aerius, the Aerius have no issues and i have to say that they sound very similar to the Prodigy but without over the top flabby bass the Prodigy brings.

Of course neither ML sounds as good as a DIY i put together using 28 JansZen panels made from 1959 to 1972. The perforated metal stators just dont have the same speed and accuracy as the wire stators, but they wont go as low, i found 660Hz was their roll off. The Aerious will go to 400Hz as tested after crossover bypass and i haven't tested the Prodigy since i havent bypassed the crossover yet.

Prodigy crossovers are huge, im thinking that's where they must have spent their money, since i cant find anything that justifies the original $10k price!

If anyone has since solved this please post what you did.

Im planning on removing the panel again to test it without the frame. I can't help but think problem is with the stacking of the plates which creates the noise on 1 side, mine mostly eminates from the 3rd or 4th segment from the top and on the right side (where the plug is soldered on the plates.)

When i fix this ill post it.
 
I have more to report, I have narrowed it down to the cable that comes from the transformer up to the twist connector.

I swapped the entire tray and saw no change. The only thing in the path I haven't swapped was that 3 wire cable. I'll be yanking it out after I type this.

I'll report back if it's fixed. This went from $1650 to repair (first thought and MLs predicted fix for a new panel) to possibly costing nothing but a little bit of time troubleshooting.

I have to comment on the front woofer. I found the previous owner must have yanked the front tray out hard and ripped the entire wire post block off ripping the tinsel leads off the cone and coil wires. It's held in place by the tiniest and thinest piece of cast aluminum I've ever seen. It's thick as a guitar pick and about ⅜"x⅜", it snapped off cleanly with no resistance. I was able to solder the leads and crazy glued the post block on the frame, without a doubt it's stronger than it is when new. A gob of glue with baking soda sprinkled on to make it harden instantly. Then another layer of glue and it's solid.

I haven't checked the rear driver yet but expect the same.
 
Ah. After the clicking sound went away the speaker developed another problem whereby the panel volume was much softer. That turned out to be the cable to the panel:

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ML did inform me that that was a known failure point, and unfortunately replacement part is no longer available. I ended up getting 3 wires and connecting them directly to the panel. The cable was made by a company called Pulse Lok but this specific model is no longer available.
 
I just ran 3 new wires as well. The noise was gone and then while I was past it, it let out 1 click and that was it. It also let one out after a song ended (a few times).

I turned it up all day since it's my first day with them working and the noise never came back.

I washed the panels last night so it may have had some moisture near the wires and I shrink wrapped it before washing.

Sounds nearly a good as my old JansZen project where I used 20x 5"x5" and 8x 5"x2.5" panels placed them around a 10" monitor audio sub and a 12" infinity Kappa 7 woofer was in a seperate cabinet that the cluster sat on.

The bass could be tighter and more defined, I turned it up and the bass sounds off. No actual wall shaking deep bass but lots of weird bass tones that sound out of place, not so much distorted but parts of it sound distorted while other bass notes are well defined. I think it's in their weird concept where the woofers have different crossover points and are made of different materials.
The bass on my aerious sounds more accurate but only hits in the high 40s. I haven't tested the prodigys yet but will later today.

They are easier to set up than aerious and have a better way of building a stage and project the sound across the room which offers the ability to have the sound center inside your head. I was used to that with my JansZens but couldn't make it happen with the Aerious until I added the 2nd woofer. It did wonders for that system.

I didn't like how the bolts were slightly cross threaded and partially stripped due to the previous owner. I pretty much tossed all original hardware so I wasn't constantly looking for a hex, Philips and a square slot, when I could just use philips for all. I had the entire cabinet emptied out to find and fix the wires.
 
Hmmmm. So the answer is "no".

Knowing how electrostatic speakers work and how they fail, I would never consider washing them with water, especially not right out of the shower. Mineral deposits left behind are more likely to cause problems than whatever you're trying to wash out of the driver. I wouldn't use distilled water or other solvents either. I think it's more likely to cause more problems than it can fix.

Who comes up with this stuff?