Single driver speakers - opinions

Mrtennis, Timrhu & Viridian

Full range electrostatic speakers, definitely qualify as the "SD" design. The only reservation IMO (nothing is perfect) is:
*Size - full range electrostats requires large panels
*Require power - most (not all) will need some serious power to make them sound their best. SET, low power tube amps or SS Class A (in most cases) are unfortunately , incomparable with power hungry Stats or Planers.
* room size - I think that we all agree......they need some room to breath.
*Placement - well that is a given with any design, but they might need a little more attention then other designs (not a big deal if you have the space).
* If I had the necessary space....no brainer. (SoundLabs, Quads or new ML would be on my short list.......oh yea, also custom Sanders-all stats, no sub. I am sure that Roger would not disappoint and do his best to please his customers).

Mapman , Kijanki

AC is great source for OB and SD reading.
However for newbie DIY guy like my self it is not enough.
I like to explore every possible angle of design (not this site though) , opinions, plans etc.

It wasn't my intention when starting this thread.

Getting DIY-ers, users, anty-SD design guys to share and maybe educate the rest of AgoN members & visitors - is the main purpose for this thread.

There are pros and cons to every design.
Single Driver speakers are no different.
However, it should not be overlooked while searching for the pair of speakers. It is almost impossible for most audiophiles (or those starting getting their feet wet in this hobby) to audition SD speakers.
By starting this topic, I am hoping that it will at least touch the bases and qualities of this speaker design.
We all learn something new everyday.......and I will be happy to absorb as much info, tips and personal experiences of others to draw my own conclusions that will help me to better understand the art of SD design and possibly become a better listener.

Enjoying DIY projects, SD seems like the perfect "long Winter nights" shop time.

One more thing:

for those on the small budget - if you are seeking the close to state of the art audio on the cheap....look no farther. Even if you can not build your own boxes, plans are widely available. Any cabinet shop will be able to help you with this project. The results may shock you.

Enjoy the music

Mariusz

Mariusz - every design has some positives and negatives. Electrostatic panels are often problems in places with very high humidity and a lot of insects (high voltage attracts them). I don't mean to criticize electrostatic speakers - just to show that every design has some negatives.

Single driver design for DIY might be not the best choice - it is difficult and drivers are not available. Fujitsu Eclipse I mentioned contains just one 4.7" driver and costs $7000.

I'm expecting someone to challenge my assertion regarding the Walsh driver?

For example, typically, they are not an easy load to drive. For the most demanding applications, tube amps need not apply.

Of caurse I agree with you about the shortcoming in many speaker designs (electrostatics are no exception) and I have state that in one of my previous posts.

As to your DIY assessment -

"Single driver design for DIY might be not the best choice - it is difficult and drivers are not available".

I do not really agree with that statement.
Fostex drivers are easily obtainable, as well as Great Plains Audio, Lowther ets.
Fostex being one of the best when it comes to value and Lowther drivers as the state of the art ( some claim their superiority) but costly alternatives.

If you decided to build SD enclosures yourself, it would cost you 10X less then commercial products. Even if you had to hire a cabinet maker or handy finishing carpenter it would still be substantially less then anything close in performance vs cost on the market today.

(you can alway find the way if you put your mind to it)

$7000 Fujitsu Eclipse is a very nice speaker. I had a pleasure of auditioning those on few occasions. Awesome image, soundstage, well balanced, cute bass*.....
*and that is the problem I had with this particular speakers.
Also, 7K is a bit much for what you get from these small monitors. They sure look nice though.

If I told you that:
you can have a speaker that will require some sweat, work, will sound IMO better then those 7K monitors (and many others in that price range) for ........lets say, $1500 - would you believe me????

The trade off - size, look, some research ( not a trade off if you can learn a thing or two about speaker design in general) and low WAF.

What you can get is:
* satisfaction ( you build it....right?)
* open window between you and performers.
* most require just a few watts of power (quality over quantity is the general rule here)
* VALUE

Mariusz

DIY can be fun.

It doesn't have to be hard. Start with an old existing design that you can pick up cheap and try just upgrading drivers, etc. This can make a big difference.

I do not have time for major DIY work. I did do a DIY bass driver upgrade with very minor cabinet and internal damping mods for $130 to my 30 year old Ohm Ls using new high quality Morel woofers. THe results were definitely a big step forward. These speaks sound very good now on most genres even in very large rooms. They are not as smooth still as my professionally designed models, but compete far better than I had really expected prior.