techno_dude,
I don't follow your statement that electrostatics involve more electronics than multi driver dynamics. The latter often has an elaborate crossover network, although admittedly the stat needs a transformer mainly to step-up the small wall voltage to the 1000's of volts to run the panels. Some stats like the original Beveridge of 1980 used tube amps directly coupled to the panel. Even if the crossover in the dynamic speaker is minimalist, that factor is far outweighed by the superiority of the electrostatic driver which is nearly massless and is controlled more precisely by the electric field. The cheapest Martin Logan at around $2k has lower midrange coloration than any dynamic speaker I have heard, at moderate SPL of 85 dB, which is natural SPL for most instruments and singers. Perhaps a $100K highly engineered dynamic can have comparable low levels of coloration to a modestly priced smaller stat.
Mrdecibel and science cop,
I agree that horn speakers are superior to non horn dynamic speakers for loud dynamics and less distortion. This is due to the high efficiency of horn coupling to air, which enables a small driver in the throat to have a small excursion for the same volume level. It is easier to design small drivers for low distortion if they don't need to push much air by themselves. Small dynamic tweeters can be SOTA, but larger midrange drivers are vastly inferior to electrostatic midrange drivers in freedom from coloration. At lower SPL, a small stat will have less coloration than the horn. The horn has the advantage at loud SPL. But any attempt to make a large stat like the Neo to get loud SPL will create higher coloration and time smearing from the multi pathway effects from the large panel, especially in the highs. To understand this, realize that it is an integral calculus problem for the large panel like the Neo. Take a point facing the wall at the highest outer part of the speaker. This is way above ear level and aimed far away from it due to the curvature, so the highs are rolled off big time. Now take a point on the panel at ear level and directed at the ear. There will be no rolloff and all the information will be revealed from that point. Summing these 2 point sources creates a heterogenous sound, and all the points in-between will create a big mess. So I can understand why a reasonably sized dynamic speaker can be more accurate than a huge electrostatic.
WC,
To summarize the above, bigness is NOT BETTER, if the goal is pure, least distorted sound. You will get bored with bigness if you realize that clarity suffers.
I don't follow your statement that electrostatics involve more electronics than multi driver dynamics. The latter often has an elaborate crossover network, although admittedly the stat needs a transformer mainly to step-up the small wall voltage to the 1000's of volts to run the panels. Some stats like the original Beveridge of 1980 used tube amps directly coupled to the panel. Even if the crossover in the dynamic speaker is minimalist, that factor is far outweighed by the superiority of the electrostatic driver which is nearly massless and is controlled more precisely by the electric field. The cheapest Martin Logan at around $2k has lower midrange coloration than any dynamic speaker I have heard, at moderate SPL of 85 dB, which is natural SPL for most instruments and singers. Perhaps a $100K highly engineered dynamic can have comparable low levels of coloration to a modestly priced smaller stat.
Mrdecibel and science cop,
I agree that horn speakers are superior to non horn dynamic speakers for loud dynamics and less distortion. This is due to the high efficiency of horn coupling to air, which enables a small driver in the throat to have a small excursion for the same volume level. It is easier to design small drivers for low distortion if they don't need to push much air by themselves. Small dynamic tweeters can be SOTA, but larger midrange drivers are vastly inferior to electrostatic midrange drivers in freedom from coloration. At lower SPL, a small stat will have less coloration than the horn. The horn has the advantage at loud SPL. But any attempt to make a large stat like the Neo to get loud SPL will create higher coloration and time smearing from the multi pathway effects from the large panel, especially in the highs. To understand this, realize that it is an integral calculus problem for the large panel like the Neo. Take a point facing the wall at the highest outer part of the speaker. This is way above ear level and aimed far away from it due to the curvature, so the highs are rolled off big time. Now take a point on the panel at ear level and directed at the ear. There will be no rolloff and all the information will be revealed from that point. Summing these 2 point sources creates a heterogenous sound, and all the points in-between will create a big mess. So I can understand why a reasonably sized dynamic speaker can be more accurate than a huge electrostatic.
WC,
To summarize the above, bigness is NOT BETTER, if the goal is pure, least distorted sound. You will get bored with bigness if you realize that clarity suffers.