Thiel CS3.7 and CS2.4 comparisons?

Larry,

I will try and hear the Sound Labs some day. The only electrostatic speakers I have demoed is the Martin Logan line, I thought the CLX was pretty nice but out of my price range. It did many things better than any speaker I have heard but they needed more low-end extension. The mix and match drivers of the lower models turned me off. Ultimately though the panel life of electrostatic speakers bothered me. How long is the panel life on Sound Lab speakers?

I also demoed the entire Magnepan line too. I also liked them but could not get over the build quality. Other panel brands are just a little too exotic and hard to come by.

James63,
I don't think that Electrostatics have an infinite life, but then neither do cone driven speakers in the absolute sense.
That IS an excellent question and talking point though, so I'll get an answer for you asap, by going to the 'sources'.

Best,
Larry

Ok thanks Larry, I know Quad recommends changing panels every 5 years. Martin Logan was not as direct with my question and said it depends on atmosphere (dust, temp, moisture, etc) but reading though the martin logan forum 5 years seems to be the sweet spot. Some people claim to get 10 years before the sound changes but I would guess they are not listening critically.

Other brands such as sanders have a life-time warranty on their panels and claim they do not wear out but again I do not like the mix and match driver designs (all panel or moving coil please).

Panel life seems to be a grey area with electrostatic speakers. Not sure why it bothered me so much, I have yet to keep a pair of speakers 5 years... but I like to think I could.

James,
I have contacted Dr. West of Soundlabs and am waiting for a reply.
Also, I completely agree with your lack of enthusiasm regarding mix/match, presumably cones and mylar panels, being the weak point of that speaker.
The Soundlabs I owned, the A-1, were not a hybrid, but a full range, (flat to 25Hz) panel.
And, the bass was REMARKABLE--smoothe, detailed, tonal, and importantly, VERY LOW DISTORTION.

It's surprising, the advances in electrostatic technology over the past few years.

I'll write back with Dr. West's response when he gives it.

Best,
Larry

02-16-11: Lrsky
James,
As a side note to the comment about Sound Labs...some people know this, others may not--Jim Thiel was actually a serious fan of Electrostatics--and once told me that he felt that that was the optimal way to build a speaker.

the thing that strikes me about sound labs speakers is that they are HUGE speakers but if you've got a huge room with high ceilings, they aren't bad looking speakers in my opinion. from the information on the website it sounds like they are interesting speakers. one of the advantages that they cite is because of low mass of the electrostatic sheet, the speakers can maintain relatively high impedance levels even at low frequencies, which reduces the strain on power amplifiers. on the other hand, because of the low mass you need a huge sheet to move enough air to drive low frequencies.

sound labs has an faq on the website that addresses the lifetime issue. according to them, the speakers have "heirloom" duration and are not particularly influenced by things like moisture, &c. the have some technical papers that you can also access from their website.