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Your favorite Electrostatic, Panel spkr

 I’m putting together an analog system. First on the list was a turntable, I’ve settled on the Denon DP 59L. 
  Now let’s hear from the owners of some panel electrostatic type speakers, not ones you dreamed of owning, ones that you’ve owned and the reason why they were your favorite. 
kgveteran
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

@rsf507’s recommendation of the Eminent Technology "speakers" (presumably the LFT-8) is a fine one, but you should know that it’s design is magnetic-planar, not ESL. His other nominee---the Sanders ESL---is another great planar. The price differential between the two is considerable---$2499/pr for the ET vs. somewhere around $15,000/pr for the Sanders!

You should also know that each requires a fair amount of amplifier power (being an 8 ohm resistive load, the ET can be partnered with a medium-powered tube amp), and are both "single-listener" designs, each having a rather narrow sweet spot. The same is true of many other planar (including ESL) loudspeakers. And that they both, like all planars, need to be (while listened to critically, at any rate) out in front of the wall behind them by a minimum of 3’, 5’ being better. 10', if you have the space!

johnto
1,023 posts
 
Maggie 3.7i with a sub, great natural sound nice soundstaging play everything correctly, they even rock.
It would help if we knew your price point.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
I currently use Acoustat 2+2s a speaker that shocked everyone at the time. Nobody else had ever built a full range line source speaker before and the increase in dynamics was unexpected. ESLs are supposed to be polite. Not the 2+2s. Put them with a subwoofer array and they will play at rediculous volumes and do stuff like rim shots better than horn speakers.
If the panels are kept in the frames and the socks are not removed the panels are indestructible and will last forever. If you can find a pair that have not been mutilated go for em. The current speaker that better than fills their shoes is the SoundLabs 845.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
rodman99999, I was down in Miami back then where were you and what was the name of your shop? 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
bdp24, Martin Logans and Soundlabs speaker have wonderful high frequency dispersion characteristics. The larger multi panel Acoustats did also. 2+2s not so hot. If you use the speakers with subwoofers you can keep them as close to the wall as 2 feet. In any case you want to dampen the wall directly behind the speaker as it is the strongest primary reflection. With single panel speakers like the Sanders the high frequencies drop of fast off axis which heightens the sensation of a tight sweet spot but frankly even SoundLabs and Acoustats have a "tight" sweet spots. Because there is no midrange or high frequency cross over and the the entire spectrum (except the low bass with sub woofers) is coming from the same spot in space these speakers "image" the sweet spot and everything else much better than other speakers. In other words, the sweet spot is much easier to hear and when you are in it the image is holographic. This is always fun but in many cases not an advantage. It is highly unlikely that the engineer mixing the master was listening to speakers like these. You are more likely to hear what the engineer was hearing with dynamic speakers. With my Acoustats the image is frequently surrealistic. Like the drum set being wider than the whole band. Each piece is imaged in space perfectly except the floor toms are 20 feet away from the high hat. I've never seen a drummer with 10 foot arms. Live performances especially classical ones are usually right on as are older Jazz recordings. 
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