Steve Guttenberg finally reviews the Eminent Technology LFT-8b loudspeaker.


 

Over the past few years I and a number of other owners of the Eminent Technology LFT-8b have on this site extolled the virtues of this under-acknowledged loudspeaker. I myself have encouraged those interested in Magnepans to try and hear the LFT-8 before buying. That is not easy, as ET has only five U.S.A. dealers.

I am a long-time fan of Maggies, having bought my first pair (Tympani T-I) in 1973, my last (Tympani T-IVa) a few years ago. But the Tympani’s need a LOT of room (each 3-panel speaker is slightly over 4’ wide!), which I currently don’t have. So I gave a listen to the MG 1.7i, and didn’t much care for it. As I recounted in a thread here awhile back, I found the 1.7 to sound rather "wispy", lacking in body and tonal density (thank you Art Dudley ;-).

Brooks Berdan was (RIP) a longtime ET dealer, installing a lot the company’s linear-tracking air-bearing arm on Oracle, VPI, and SOTA tables. After Brooks’ passing his wife Sheila took over management of the shop, continuing on as an ET dealer. I knew Brooks was a fan of the LFT-8, and he had very high standards in loudspeakers (his main lines were Vandersteen, Wilson, and Quad). The shop had a used pair of LFT-8’s, so I gave them a listen. They sounded good enough to me to warrant investigate further, so I had Sheila order me a pair, along with the optional (though nearly mandatory) Sound Anchor bases.

I wouldn’t waste your time if I didn’t consider the ET LFT-8b to be just as I have on numerous occasions (too many times for some here) described it: the current best value in all of hi-fi. Hyperbole? Well, you no longer have to take it from just me and the other owners here: Steve Guttenberg finally got around to getting in for review a pair (the LFT-8 has been in production for 33 years!), and here is what he has to say about it. After watching the video, you can read other reviews (in a number of UK mags, and in TAS by Robert E. Greene) on the ET website.

https://youtu.be/Uc5O5T1UHkE

 

 

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Here is my latest thinking on a diy super duper speaker using planars and woofs

http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/DIY_Bi-amped_super_speaker.html

Bi-amped, eqed, flat to 30hz...Super transparent and inexpensive.

Great plans Ric. Let me add the suggestion of using ASC WallDamp in place of Green Glue when making the 3-layer open baffles. WallDamp is very effective at killing panel resonances, and is not expensive: $43.75 for a bundle of twenty-five 4" x 4" squares, enough for the treatment of twenty-five square feet.

Interesting thread...having had most of the speakers mentioned here...but currently running a set of Quad ESL-2805 with HYPEX amps.....

Anyway, considering selling my ET LFT-6 (yes, the IV)....anyone in the Chicago area interested let me know.

@john65b: Eminent Technology made both a model LFT-4 (also sometimes referred to as LFT-IV) and a model LFT-6 (or -VI). The LFT-4 stands 56" tall, the LFT-6 78", and both are 18" wide. Which do you have? Less than 1,000 pair of each were made.

I have the LFT-6. They are tall -- taller than my Magnepans...trying to see if I can attach a pic