Planars/ Electrostats benefits over box speakers?

When my system isn't knocking my sox off, I check the phase and sure enough, house keeper cleaned the buttons on the remote again. ts like a speaker is wired backwards (lol). Sucks the life out of the presentation.

07-05-15: Cerrot
When my system isn't knocking my sox off, I check the phase and sure enough, house keeper cleaned the buttons on the remote again. ts like a speaker is wired backwards (lol). Sucks the life out of the presentation.

Presumably the switch on your remote just affects absolute phase, aka polarity, which ZD correctly referred to just above. If changing that setting results in major changes as you described above, and not just on those few recordings which have been engineered with "purist" techniques (i.e., just two or three mics, and minimal post processing), then what is most likely occurring is that your preamp itself sounds different in the two settings.

Keep in mind that when you change that setting you are not only changing the polarity with which the recording is played back, you are also changing the circuit configuration within the preamp.

BTW, although I haven't read through a lot of this thread, I second all of the comments in ZD's most recent post. I would just add to it that for a speaker to be time and phase coherent (or simply time coherent, which automatically implies phase coherence as well), in addition to the drivers moving in the same direction at any given time the crossover (if there is one) has to be first order (i.e., 6 db/octave). Among box-type speakers which have a crossover, only those made by Vandersteen, Thiel, and Green Mountain Audio, and perhaps a small handful of others, meet those criteria.

Regards,
-- Al

Crossovers have a sound, and can degrade the music no matter how complex or simple, crossovers kill.

Also, multi driver systems always seem to sound like multi drivers to my ears.

I have listened to a few cone speakers that came close to stats, such as Verity Audio, and the Sonus Faber Stradivari.

Also the old Tannoys had a similar coherent point source sound, but the price was not as fast or clear as a stat.

I used to have Vandersteen 2ci way back and a pair of Quad 63 I used to switch between.

The Quads were better, but not by a great margin.

The Vandersteen five that I heard were very good with much better bass than any stat in my experience, except for a pair of Ultimate One Soundlabs that I've also had the pleasure of listening to at an audiophiles home.

It was a different kind of bass, but very full none the less.

The Soundlabs were the best stats I've heard and one of the best speakers I've heard.

Back to the original question, I own Maggie 3.6s with one Maggie DWM bass panel.

I thought I was getting bored so I traded an old amp for a pair of Thiel cs 3.6's.

After about a month, the Maggies are back in place - just more alive and room filling than the Thiels.

By the way, the bass panel adds a lot. I am looking for a used second one.

Shameless plug:

ES/planar fans, I have my STAX SR84 Electret phones up for sale here if anyone is interested. You won't find that planar ES sound for any less than these anywhere. Plus they work well with most any amp.

Why am I selling these you ask? I am in process of clearing out some of my older currently unused gear that has value. If they don't sell I'll probably set up yet another system in the house with them someday, maybe running off a SET amp.

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/over-ear-stax-sr84-lambda-pro-jr-earspeakers-and-15-foot-extension-cable-2015-07-03-headphones-21136-reisterstown-md

BTW the other STAX up for sale on this site currently are all 10X plus what I am asking for these. These sold for $300 back in 1998 or so. I also have a long STAX extension cable included to make listening possible from most anywhere in a room.