Information about Martin Logan Sequel II

There is one amp out there that will make the Alon's sing the Odyssey Stratos. The Kathargo by Odyssey Audio is basically the same amp as the Stratos an should sound the same amp with less power. It would be a much better choice over the Adcom or a B&K for sure. I have owned them all. I prefer tubes naturally over SS. But all the speakers you have the Odyssey should put a smile on your face.
You have a great line of speakers and the Martin Logans are no exception. The Adcom will have a very solid state sound vs the Tubelike sound of the Odyssey amps. That's just my experience when I had my Alon I MkII's which I wish I had never sold. I have always wanted a pair of Sequel II's but none ever come up on this side of the Mississippi. I'm in Georgia. I once saw a guy drive the Sequel II's with a 14 watt Eico monoblock amps. It didn't play loud but it didn't go up in smoke either. It was very interesting. Contact ML and they will give you the low down. I think for the price you are paying and if the condition is very good it is a very good investment if the repair price is good for your pocket. They will have a seamless quality and tranparency that is very different than the other speakers. Good luck and enjoy.

What do you mean when you write ".... or a problem in the built in amp ....."?

There is no built-in amp on the Sequel II speakers, (i.e. these are not active speakers). Do you mean the crossover?
(The fact that you plug in the speakers does not mean there is an amp, but that is merely the way electrostatic speakers work, as they need a bit of power to energize the electrostatic cells.)

And your problem is very likely a blown panel, which means at least a few hundred dollars for a replacement panel, (assuming you can install it yourself), or several hundred dollars if you want M-L to fix it. If you like the sound of the speakers, and if you're okay with listening at loud, but not very loud sound levels (see below), then perhaps you might be able to only fix the one broken panel. (Although, if one panel is new, and the other is old, there may be a difference in the sonic presentation between the two speakers.) If it were me, I'd either be prepared to replace both panels, or walk away from the deal. $250 is really cheap for these speakers, and my guess is that is the reason that they went so cheap, becasue the seller knows they are damaged, and they don't want to bother fixing them.

As far as what YOU should do, that is pretty much up to you. The Sequel IIs are decent speakers, with a nice treble and mid-range, and with good imaging and soundstaging, (albeit the sweet spot is pretty small, due to the panel design). The bass is slightly weak, but not bad considering the cost of the speaker overall.

(However, if you intend on using these for very loud music, such as rock or complex symphonic music, be aware that the sound can be somewhat brittle when played at realistic sound levels. i.e. the music starts sounding like it is breaking up a bit when played really loud.)

My two cents worth.

(FYI, I lived with a pair of these for over a decade.)

As already mentioned the Sequels have a 10 inch traditional woofer and no built in amp!! The stators are $549 plus shipping from Martin Logan. They come with instructions and are easy to replace. There may also be electronic problems. Contact the service dept. They are helpful. The Sequels used go from $750-1200 used depending on condition.The electronics are on the backside of the speaker held in place with multiple screws. Again if it is a power supply problem/crosover etc this can be readily fixed. Most likely it is the stators. Life expectancy is 10-15 years. There are no drivers in this speaker!! It is a Mylar covering with grids/spars that give it the sound when plugged it in. You can also try vacuuming the panels as recommended by Martin Logan. Contact Jim Powers or Melanie Brouhard in the service dept for further assistance. When working properly, these speakers are superior and for under $1000 are difficult to beat.

Thanks all for the info! Makes sense now about the ES speakers requiring the power. I just saw plugs and assumed active subwoofer! Anyway, I have a call into Jim at ML as recommended to get an idea of cost for fixing - but I fear the worst (paned replacement - and I agree two makes more sense than one) and costs associated with this will probably lead me to return or resell for small profit to someone local that is willing to absorb the cost to get these back in shape. Anyway - thanks again for all the good advise. J.

There is one thing you might try if there is no sound at all coming from the panel take off the cover to the power supply and see if one of the leads to the panel may have come loose fom the screw on clamp on the power supply. You have to make sure you have them unplugged from the AC for at least 8 hrs before you do this because that is how long the transformers can hold there charge. The panels when bad don't just go dead they gradually lose their volume.