Lights and Lectrostats? or electrostatics?

Sean, 'tis true what you say about Acoustats I think, with the Stax 91 on par with them.

From what i've gathered talking to different owners of all types of various e-stat designs, i've come to believe that the Acoustat's are by far the most rugged and reliable design on the market. The only complaint that i've ever heard about them is that you have to take them apart to clean various connection points once in a while. Like anything else that is metal and exposed to air and various contaminants, they will corrode and develop poorer connections as time goes on.

As to "impurities" collecting on the panels, i would not doubt it. Electrostatic charges can either attract or repel, depending on the charge of the panel and that of the "pollutant". Then again, i doubt that a candle here and there would be anywhere near as detrimental as being exposed to cigarette smoke on a constant basis. As such, i would simply relax and enjoy your tunes, with or without candles : ) Sean
>

There are stators which attract, others which repell dust and other unpleasancies. I often light a candle when listening, and over the years my Quads, Staxes and SLs haven't complained. One CAN be too finicky. However, there are candles and candles. I agree with George, that candles, which let out a lot of smoke will indeed blacken a room (plus stators) through the years. I use well aged beewax candles only. They also smell nice and they don't pollute that much.
As to distance to speakers, there ARE set rules, but it is also a matter of taste. Infield listening can sometimes be very rewarding and more lifelike, especially with small groups (Jazz, chamber music, solo instuments, solo voices)
I suggest you experiment and trust your ears. Cheers,

As for how far away to sit...which model Acoustats do you have? I sit about 12 feet away from my 2+2s. Don

Candle wax is as bad as smoke;for blackening the inside of your rooms,ceilings--fer'sure.