MartinLogan CLS IIz panel upgrade


I just ordered a set of new panels for my CLS IIz's. These incorporate the latest diaphragm improvements (both the mylar and the conductive coating), high(er) current hookup wire, and "Clear-Spar" section dividers. Has anyone out there already done this upgrade?

My current panels are 17 years old. They still sound great and look perfect. Yet Dana Brown at ML told me to be prepared for a "big surprise". After a ~100 hour break-in, he says the new panels will have even better high frequency extension and more detail than the originals. Anyone already experienced this?

I wrestled with pulling the trigger at this time, but decided to do it now based on:
*my advancing age
*continuing price increases (currently $1500 + $100 shipping)
*the demand is such that I had to get in line and wait a full three months before mine were ready!
*no clear information on how long they'll continue making them -- although Dana says there are no plans currently to discontinue providing CLS IIz panels; he says they also have a large quantity of parts on hand for the CLS IIz electronics modules.
*and last, Dana was fairly convincing in his assurance that I would enjoy a noticeable improvement in performance over the original panels -- which I never found lacking. In fact even driving my CLS's with a tube amp, I still tend to use the "softening" switch most of the time in normal operation.
They'll be arriving in a few days, but of course I'll have to put a week or two of use on them, after which I plan to write a little review ;--)) Regardless, considering the cost of replacement with, for instance, a CLX @ $25,000, this has to be a no-brainer -- I hope! Stay tuned . . . .
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Showing 1 response by coltrane1

Congrats Neil on the new panel install. Xmas came early at your house.

The iiz's were more than worth the investment. That's less than $100 a year for the next 20. Nothing comes close to their presentation. Being the owner of one of the final pairs produced I'd be surprised if they're much improvement over the panels in my pair. They look very close to the clear spars. Do your panels have the modern "M" symbol at the bottom center?

As a side note, I'm fairly religious and disciplined about performing two functions to extend the life of any ML speaker. One, vacuum them regularly, and two I always cover them when not in use. A pair of old king sized sheets works wonderfully. I even went so far as to create a form fitting sock out of a pair of sheets by sewing to fitted halves together. Makes it easy to slide them on and off, and certainly cuts down on dust buildup in addition to vacuuming time.

For the poster whose waiting for a needle in the haystack to appear in his locale, I paid creightor's and freightor's to build a crate for a pair I found 3 states away. Cost me $250 for that, but it was more than worth it, for they did a professional job, and I now have actual crates for them should I ever need to ship the speaker for any reason. These speakers are easily found on craigs and I've observed numerous pairs in all parts of the country selling for a fraction of what one will find them listing for here on AG.

Viva la CLS!