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$3,000 Planar Speakers

Someone posted a recommendation a month or so ago here regarding a planar speaker
that sells for approx $3-4k. I searched this forum but could not find it.

It was not a Magnepan

Please post that speaker again.  
128x128mitch4t
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
For years I looked for the blend of the Maggie and the Vandy 2. The Eminent Technology LFT-8B is the closest I found. Every bit as sensational performance to value as either of those two speakers, perhaps more. :)  YMMV  

Disclosure: I reviewed the ET LFT-8A to B conversion for Dagogo.com 

Sound Labs are in a different price to performance structure; their bookshelf model is $3,200 and the floor standers are well north of $10K. Majestic 545 is only $13K! :) I say the OP needs to go for it and reach for the stars! ;)  
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,862 posts
 

Mitch, it was I who recommended the Eminent Technology LFT-8b. They actually retail for only $2499, an incredible bargain. Harry Weisfeld of VPI recently said the LFT has the best midrange of any speaker he has ever heard. I wouldn’t go that far, but I have the original Quads in addition to the LFT’s!

The speaker has some advantages over the similar-in-some-ways Magneplanars (which I also own, though the old Tympani-IVa): The LFT driver is push-pull, most of the Magnepan drivers are single-ended. The main driver in the LFT-8b covers frequencies from 180Hz to 10,000Hz, without a cross-over! The speaker has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms, a better match for tube amps than are the 3-4 ohm Magnepans. Ralph Karsten at Atma-Sphere says he has a number of owners of his great OTL tube amps using them with the ET’s. If you bi-amp the LFT (the current Maggies can not be), the midrange panel itself is 11 ohms, an even better match. The LFT-8b has an 8" dynamic woofer for 180Hz and down, and does not have the planar/cone discontinuity often found in hybrid speakers, ESL’s especially. The speaker is capable of pretty high SPL, unlike many other dipoles.

There aren’t many Eminent Technology dealers around, and if there isn’t one within 150 miles of you, ET will sell and send a pair to you free of shipping and tax (unless you reside in Florida, I presume). An over-looked best buy of a speaker---Eric.

cal3713's avatar
cal3713
1,421 posts
 
Perhaps outside your budget, but there's a 4k pair of Apogee Diva's listed right now...
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,950 posts
 
The Apogee Stage is also a giant killer of sorts

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,862 posts
 
Apogee’s require an amp with some serious current delivery, and the ability to drive a 1 ohm load. You can forget about tubes in that case, Mitch, except perhaps the Music Reference RM-200 Mk.2.
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