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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.
128x128davide256
j_stereo
130 posts
 
I have a similar sized room (bedroom-size) and Martin Logan Aerius-i were the best sounding speakers I ever had in there and I wish I never sold them. Had MMG's and they were too small for me, then had 1.6's and they were too big. I wanted to try the .7's as mentioned in one of the above posts, but I left a message at the closest dealer to me (about 1 1/2 hours away) a week ago and the dealer never returned my call, so I guess I won't be going that route. I am tempted to try Martin Logan again but even the small ESL is much more expensive than the Magnepans. Good luck.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,753 posts
 
All planar speakers-certainly all magnepans-have crossovers; this is a main reason I prefer single driver or other non-conventional crossover designs, e.g. 1st order crossovers or "super tweeters" crossed over way up high with a simple filter (ohm walsh; zu for example).
The Sound Lab ESLs employ full-range drivers.
jergen
3 posts
 
atmasphere: the sound labs look interesting, but i was responding to rocktown's comment that magnepans have no crossover: they, and any other, planar magnetic speaker i know of have multiple drivers & crossovers-was not referring to electrostats, but quads & others do have multiple panels...
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,703 posts
 
One of the remarkable things about the Eminent Technology LFT-8b speakers is that it's "midrange" panel covers the frequency range of 180Hz to 10,000Hz, with no crossover! The 1st-order filter at 180Hz hands off to a sealed-box 8" woofer, and the 1st-order filter at 10,000 to a ribbon tweeter. All for $2499 retail.
yyzsantabarbara
4,698 posts
 
@aniwolfe , @bdp24,

Can you guys give a recommendation to the room size for the LFT-8b (the smallest acceptable size). I was reading about it after your recommendation above and it looks like a good candidate for my office system. I am currently using a great sounding KEF LS50 in an incredibly tiny office but will move to a bigger space soon (not sure about room size yet). How far from the walls do you place the speaker?

I am going to be using the Benchmark AHB2 amp (mono block 380W) in the office will that SS amp be too bright with the E.T.?


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