Electrostats Shootout at 4000 Corral

ROUTLAW it was two weeks ago when i had my first electrostat experience , blown over! the MARTIN LOGANS ASSENT & AEON were driven by KRELL 300I. your comment proves my theory, you can take a ok amp (even a "JOKE" amp) but you can't take a top of line ACCUPHASE CDP + top of line MONOBLOCKS (take your pick, spend up to say ...$30000!) and get phenomonal sound. except for the fact that electrostates are addicted to the juice and you have to spend atleast $4000 (ML's AEON for $3000 sounded pretty good,even great compared to any LOUD..speaker say up to $10000! even their little SCENARIO($2000) can out perform in every aspect any LOUD...speaker up to $3000. GASMAN seems to say that this INNERSOUND (which model?)is the one. check out their KILLOWATT 1000WATTS!! into 8 2000WATTS!!!!into 4 KING KONG is alive and well! i would like to take MARTIN LOGAN's model say, the PRODIGY, and let KRELL's best to offer battle with this INNERSOUND KILL-O- MONSTER. one bloody battle indeed.

yea travis you are right maggies out perform boxes in most areas.( mistake). i agree NAD could probably make the 3 electrostates sound just ok. thats why i chose KRELL ,a basic power source , but according to ROUTLAW substandard. thats a big problem with comparing these 3. even if there were 3 dealers here that sold AsCent DynAstat EROS each would have different equipment.

i agree with sean . go see duke, he is a great guy. the labs are my choice. i heard the innersounds and liked them but i think the labs are better. i like the look of the logans but they are to lean. forget about ss with stats. run some decent tubes and the heavens will open up.

kirt what do you mean by too lean? i guess if i hear labs and innersound i'll know. you say to forget ss ,gasman says innersound's els amp($3000) is THE amp? to throw a twist in take the upgraded INNERSOUND EROS MK11($6000), both speaker and electronics reworked with a 600rms amp. kirt did you hear eros or erosmk11?

Kirk930,

I have heard the DynAstats and don't think they are in the same ballpark with the Eros Mk-II, which I own. Certainly, the InnerSounds are more efficient and robust than the Sound Labs and will play cleanly at much higher output levels.

As to your comments about pairing tubes with electrostats, this is a synergistic match in some cases because most tube amps that use an output transformer roll off the high frequencies into low impedance loads that many stats present.

I have gotten excellent results using high-powered solid state amplifiers, like the InnerSound ESL and Monarchy Audio SE-100s as well as Monarchy's hybrid SE-160 (tube input/MOSFET output) monoblocks. You can also employ a digital processor with solid-state amps, such as the Behringer 8024 or any of the current (but more expensive) models from TacT, to take full advantage of solid-state's more uniform power delivery at the frequency extremes, thus having your cake and eating it too! I have the Behringer in my system at the moment and decreasing the output slightly from the upper midrange through the lower treble works quite well.

I had two good friends over today to hear the system and I played them a few tracks off of Fleetwood Mac's "The Dance" live CD. They were just floored at the way the Eros unraveled that very complex recording, reproducing Mac along with the USC Marching Band. The immensity of the sound field, incredible dynamics, and ability to follow individual instrumental passages with the USC band's blaring accompanyment was quite a visceral, realistic, and moving experience.

My two friends, both confirmed analog & tube enthusiasts, are now contemplating a foray into digital after hearing how impressive and natural an all-digital, solid-state system can sound. To be fair, I should mention that my Eros Mk-II is the more expensive active, bi-amped model and I have not heard the passive version.