I have a pair of ESL989 which I just bought. Before buying them I heard them and they were playing fine, they were recently completely rebuilt by Electrostatic Solutions. I put them in my car, got them home, and plugged them in.
Now one of the speakers plays fine. The other powers on but there is no sound coming from them. The fuse is fine. I don’t see any destroyed components, wires seem in intact. The indicator light is blinking and I can hear the panels charging. It just seems like the audio signal isn’t getting through somehow.
does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks
Now one of the speakers plays fine. The other powers on but there is no sound coming from them. The fuse is fine. I don’t see any destroyed components, wires seem in intact. The indicator light is blinking and I can hear the panels charging. It just seems like the audio signal isn’t getting through somehow.
does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks
It was playing fine at his house. Since then it’s been bundled into a car and driven across an international border and then bundled back out. If I were him I wouldn‘t take them back. Between unplugging at his house and plugging in at mine something happened. I don’t recall any major trauma, they shifted a little in the car. If I somehow separated a stator I assume I would just hear the standard distortion and noises, but it’s just silence.
Unless he burned them in for a week or two, it's fair to assume it is not user error.
Surely there is some kind of warranty on his work.
Surely there is some kind of warranty on his work.
He didn’t do the work. He had the work done, and then I bought them from him. So there’s no warranty.
Then contact the company for help. They seem like good guys.
https://www.estatsolution.com/contact.html
https://www.estatsolution.com/contact.html
Service manual here for the ESL-63, which is mostly the same as the 989, I believe.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1010395/Quad-Esl-63.html#manual
There are protection circuits that crowbar the input in some fault conditions.
If you aren't familiar with high voltage, be extra careful if you decide to work on them.
@stokessd (SDS Audio Labs) is a contributor here. He may chime in to help with likely issues as well.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1010395/Quad-Esl-63.html#manual
There are protection circuits that crowbar the input in some fault conditions.
If you aren't familiar with high voltage, be extra careful if you decide to work on them.
@stokessd (SDS Audio Labs) is a contributor here. He may chime in to help with likely issues as well.
Most obvious step is to measure dc resistance over the input terminals. Should be a few ohms.
Next step is to open the base and check for loose connections.
Did you try switching amplifier channels?
Next step is to open the base and check for loose connections.
Did you try switching amplifier channels?
I can hear the panels charging ?????
What do you mean? You can hear ticking? You can hear hissing?
There is normally no way you can HEAR panels charging.
What do you mean? You can hear ticking? You can hear hissing?
There is normally no way you can HEAR panels charging.
Glad you found the problem.
"When you first turn on the power you can hear a tiny sound of the membranes charging"
Still puzzles me what you mean by that and what kind of sound that is because it shouldn't be there at all. It should be dead silent.
Is it a click/tick? Can it be the diaphragm sticking to the one of the stators that you hear when switching on the power?
Is there any sound when you switch off the power of the ESL?
Please note that the ESL still plays with the diaphragm sticking to one stator side!
"When you first turn on the power you can hear a tiny sound of the membranes charging"
Still puzzles me what you mean by that and what kind of sound that is because it shouldn't be there at all. It should be dead silent.
Is it a click/tick? Can it be the diaphragm sticking to the one of the stators that you hear when switching on the power?
Is there any sound when you switch off the power of the ESL?
Please note that the ESL still plays with the diaphragm sticking to one stator side!
I agree, powering up shouldn't produce much or any noise at all. The diaphragms will move a very small amount when charged up (from the exact midline, to one side or the other slightly), but that should be silent. In practice when you first power up a panel, I have heard crud being burnt off and also stress sounds on weak stator glue. even if you had those noises, it shouldn't persist power cycle after power cycle.
With the amplifier off or unplugged the speakers should be silent with your ear up to them.
Sheldon