This response is coming way too late to
matter, as Escalante Design is long gone...however, I feel that it is important
to clear the air. The designer for
Escalante was Tierry Budge, who had previously worked with Talon Audio and
Wilson as well. The top design that Tierry
created for Escalante (ED), the Fremont, was far more advanced than most
speakers, and it defied conventional wisdom/beliefs.
The sound quality of the Fremont was
amazing: it had transient response that was faster than an electrostatic
speaker, yet had efficiency and dynamics that you had to hear to believe. Detail retrieval, and microdynamics well
superb. Imaging was first rate, and the
Fremonts could reproduce any type of music or scale that was given to
them. Their efficiency was rated at
around 93dB, but their drivability was such that they could work well with
small SETs of less than 5 watts. On the
other side, I’ve heard them reproduce 120dB+ SPLs with huge monoblocks, and
never break a sweat.
I personally heard them in multiple
systems, in various settings, and actually helped Matt, the company’s owner,
set up and demo them. They could be
picky, and in at least one review, they were not set up correctly, resulting in
less than ideal results. They required
the right upstream electronics; proper cabling; fastidious attention to
placement and positioning…but were worth it.
I’ve heard the Fremonts in both tube based and solid state systems, and
they were incredibly musical in both types.
The problem was, most people
(audiophiles, engineers, etc.) have their own opinions, knowledge base, and
experiences…and when something comes along that they have a hard time
accepting, they will usually turn away (or worse).
Case in point: I demoed a pair of
Fremonts for a gentleman at a show…played different types of music, at
different volume levels…and asked his opinion.
He gushed at the utter musicality, dynamics, imaging, frequency balance,
etc…then I took off the grilles.
Shock!
Once he saw the 12 inch driver coupled to the single tweeter, all of a
sudden his opinion changed: “I thought
I heard a crossover artifact…there’s no way the dispersion could work – that would
explain the lack of imaging…”
Incredibly, he refused to accept what his
ears were telling him, once his eyes (and mindset) were engaged…and
unfortunately, I cannot BEGIN to tell you how many people share that same view.
Just thought I’d clear the air. But if you can find a pair of Escalante
Design Fremonts or Pinyons at a good price, buy them. They will, in my opinion, outperform anything
near (or even above) the price.
I’ve owned many, many speakers in the 40+
years that I’ve been in audio, from large Infinity models to Apogee full
ranges, to Ohms, Snells, Genesis, etc.
The list goes on…and yes, I own both the Fremonts and the Pinyons…but I’m
not selling. You’ll have to get your
own.
