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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
lrsky
1,118 posts
 
I have not read all the posts so forgive if I repeat someone else.
Having owned many types of loudspeakers for the past 40 years, I've always enjoyed the near field listening position. So, I'm not sure that the 'smallish room' you have couldn't work to your advantage. Though the room is limited because of the almost square shape, you can sit very close to them, if that's an option for you.
I currently have the 20.7 Maggies in a large room maybe 35x30 with 22 foot ceiling. Even so, I listen (for serious listening) at only six feet or so away. Now, having said that, it's not an option with time aligned speakers like THIEL, as the minimum distance should be, if I remember correctly, 8 to 10 feet away.
Maybe you could try near field just to see if it pleases you. To me, it lessens room aberrations and gives all music a much more intimate presentation. (especially Lara Fabian, and I can use all the intimacy from her my wife will allow!!!)
Good Luck in your search, which for me was always the best part.
Larry
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,849 posts
 
I'd be much more interested in these speakers if I could use my active crossover with 100 Hz high pass and low pass boards with them. I would send the high pass signal through my tube amp to the panel of the LFT-8b, then the low pass through my solid state amp to my own woofer array. Thus by-passing the LFT-8b bass driver.
@cli

Bruce has been known to sell individual panels. A friend of mine purchased his panels and wired them up to create a 16 ohm full-range load, and I've heard of others just using single panels. So I bet you could pull this off.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,850 posts
 

For a while I was searching for a pair of the ET LFT-6, the biggest panel Bruce made. Over 6' tall, each panel contained three of the LFT drivers, two of the ribbon tweeters. The only pair I found for sale were in Asia, and the shipping plus not being able to hear them scared me off.

@aniwolfe, I think the same about the LFT-16a, a miniature version of the LFT-8. I've mentioned them a few times, but it takes a certain amount of independent thinking and self confidence to even consider them. A lot of people need confirmation (;-), and end up buying Maggies.

clio09
3,357 posts
 
@ralph

Thanks I was wondering if I could just get the panels. I think single panels would be fine given I have Zeros.

clio09
3,357 posts
 
@ralph

Appreciate the advice and spoke to Bruce but he is no longer selling panels separately. Too bad, that would have been ideal for my project.
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