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Small room electrostat/ planar speaker?

In about 30 days will be moving to a new home where its going to be hard to make my 1.7 maggies work in a spouse friendly way ( the only large room is the main living room). I've always gravitated to planars and electrostatics, box speakers that don't sound colored or slow usually cost more than my entire system. Where I'd like to end up is a system that's extremely resolving at low to moderate volume levels, my main dissatisfaction with my current Mg 1.7 speakers and Prima Luna amp is that it really doesn't come to life until the volume is moderate listening levels or higher.

I'm wondering if anyone has seen something that approaches the coherency and speed of the 1.7s that would work in an 11x12 listening room? I'd like to keep the cost limited to $4k if possible.
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ivanj
35 posts
 
If you want a pure single diaphragm electrostat, consider Sound Labs with Sallies (or the equivalent) behind them.  Many drive them with low wattage Atmasphere amps and are very happy. PrimaLunas are well-made valve amps. You can always get a larger amp if you need a higher SPL. If it's a small room the new U-4iAs (classic but contemporary look) or M545s (wood covered frames) are a final purchase. If you want the most transparent speakers those are the ones you should consider.  Set up properly they disappear and all you hear is music. They are true full range single driver speakers. As a dealer, I have clients who have had SL in the field for over 10 years without any problems. Unlike the speakers you have now you don't have to turn them up to enjoy them. I bought my first double set of ESL 57s in England used in '77, stacked 57s with JANIS woofers, had 63s, Maggies for a month and returned them, ML are fundamentally flawed, so I've been down the path others are speaking about now. SL never sound loud, the sound just gets larger and more enveloping. Since they are truly custom made the choice of grille cloth, frame wood, metal finish is a finitely large number sure to please your "boss." If you have any other questions send me a PM.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,865 posts
 
Apogee Stage

kdude66
1,200 posts
 
Janzen Valentina hybrid ESL.
check them out.

audiokinesis
2,724 posts
 

The 5 foot from the wall recommendation you see for dipoles and bipoles (like the little Audience speakers) is because reflections arriving within 10 milliseconds of the first-arrival sound tend to be detrimental, and sound travels slightly over one foot per millisecond, so the round trip off the wall behind the speakers adds up to about 10 milliseconds.

Now that 10 millisecond recommendation is not an abrupt wall; rather, it’s within a fuzzy transition zone. Ime that backwave reflection can arguably still be more beneficial than detrimental down to about 6 milliseconds (three feet out from the wall), if you diffuse it and pay attention to your other early reflection paths. To be more specific, you may be able to get away with dipoles if you a) position them about three feet into the room and b) diffuse the backwave (imo absorb it only as a last resort) and c) treat the wall behind the listening position, whether diffusion or absorption would be best I cannot say from here. And toe the speakers in strongly, to minimize the early sidewall reflections, and/or diffuse the early sidewall reflections.

And finally, if this is your mancave, you might try setting the system up either centered along a room diagonal or at least rotated a bit relative to the room walls. This sometimes works better in a small room than a more conventional configuration.

There are other techniques for dealing with the short reflection paths of a small room, but they are more complicated to implement, and since you already have the Maggies imo you might as well give ’em a shot. Even if you plan to change speakers anyway in order to get more liveliness at low level, if you try this with your Maggies and get good results, then you will know that dipoles can work well in your room. If you can’t get your Maggies to sound good in there, then chances are other dipoles aren’t going to fare any better, and you can modify your search accordingly.

Duke

dealer/manufacturer

mcleodsd
7 posts
 
Don't forget the Apogee Stage or better still the Calipers.  They are tremendously open; very decorative (for her indoors); and sound is extremely involving.  I have a small room in a holiday house and use the Calipers there - I look forward to them perhaps more than the bigger, more expensive cone based system I have in a purpose built music room at home.  Plenty of these around and there is a well oiled system for maintenance if needed.


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