Electrostatic Speakers Vs. Horn/component Tweeter

I have some Martin Logan ESL’s.  I guess what I’m asking is.. if they get “damaged” from over or under powering them, should I expect catastrophic failure, or slow degradation of quality?

I had some issues early on with my receiver overheating while powering them and them clipping/sounding distorted.  It’s a surround sound receiver, and while high end, not intended for stereo.  I’ve since added a subwoofer and gotten my full surround sound setup going.  I’ve set them to small size in the receiver settings, so bass gets sent to the self powered sub, and reduces the strain on the receiver to power the speakers.  Obviously, that change means the speakers don’t sound like they used to.   Eventually, I hope to get a nice 2ch amp specifically to power this pair, but I’m just wondering if the reduced qualify is because I changed them to “small” in the receiver settings, or if I’ve already potentially damaged them.

Since I’m used to damaged speakers being blown, I’m wondering if these can be partially degraded without being destroyed, or if damaged electrostatic speakers are about as clear as regular speakers when they’ve been damaged.
 

Since I’m used to damaged speakers being blown, I’m wondering if these can be partially degraded without being destroyed, or if damaged electrostatic speakers are about as clear as regular speakers when they’ve been damaged.

Hmm, interesting questions. I think the people to ask are Martin Logan. 

My 2 cents:

Perhaps you should get an amp/receiver that can power your speakers properly.  You mention setting the receiver to 'small size'. Perhaps this be a workaround, but  a sub will only lessen an amps power demands if it is run with a high pass crossover (ala Vandersteen).-Perhaps this is what ' Small size' does, but it probably impacts sound reproduction.

B

I’m currently bi-amping it off a 4520CI Denon receiver, which meets specs per MFG standards, but realistically doesn’t meet specs for the speakers.  While ML says it will work, everything else I’ve read, states it can draw as low as 1 ohm, which is far more than the Denon receiver can put out, and I’ve heard the negative results first hand.  I’d love to get a good amp to power it, but with no current job, dumping months worth of money in bills into a single amp, so I can enjoy it before the power is shut off, doesn’t seem like an advisable solution ;)

I wasn’t asking how to fix clipping issues from the wrong equipment.  I was asking how to identify whether or not the wrong equipment has actually cause damage, since I’m used to it being crystal clear when a speaker is fine and and a speaker is destroyed.  Will she electrostatic speaker fail like a standard tweeter?  Or will it not instantaneously fail, but instead, degrade in quality after time?  I’m not asking advise on how to power it.  Only want to understand how it can/will fail/what the signs are.

The panels on ML speakers are hard to damage to the point of failure,  They do not suffer from arcing like Quads do, for example.  I know of only one instance where a friend’s ML panel failed.  The owner stored the speakers in a garage for several years in a high humidity climate.  The wire that charges the panel corroded at the point where the wire attaches to the panel. 

Ive had a pair of ML ESLs for a few years now... No problems... The panels crossover to the woofer at 500Hz... And the woofer goes down to 42Hz... I would set your AVR to a full range and cross over the subwoofer itself at around 52Hz... So if you are doing a "small speaker" crossover in your AVR your most likely doing things wrong... You can try to run the ESL at another ohm setting via your AVR 2, 4, 6 or 8 and see how that changes your thermal issues or add a 2 channel Amp... These ESLs will test your AVR or AMP diving into low ohm territory... Standard AVRs and AMPs will want to double power as ohms half and ESLs "map" opposite of standard speakers...  Are you bi-amping or bi-wiring???  Sounds odd to me if you are driving it all from an AVR...  If I were to bi-amp I would use tubes for the panel and solid state to drive the woofer...

BTY you can vacuum the dust off the panels... RTFM...