Sound Lab vs Magnepan 20.7

...the problem is we forget to tell our wives we need two of them.

Johnnyb53, the technologies of the speakers are entirely different. Planar magnetics with voice coils glued to the membranes with permanent magnets running the height of the speakers plus ribbon tweeters versus full range electrostatics with membranes with a light magnetic coating and a charge applied along with insulated stator wires on both sides of the membrane which are driven by the amplifier via step up transformers. Entirely different. And then there are the radiation pattern differences, i.e. flat diaphragms versus stepwise faceted panels which effect a virtual line source with a figure-8 pattern.

Essentialaudio - With all due respect if I may correct you, electrostatic speaker panels do not have any magnetic coating. They are a non-magnetic design, and the membranes need to have an electrically conductive coating in order to be charged to a fixed positive voltage. The rest of your explanation of their operation is correct.

05-16-15: Essentialaudio
Johnnyb53, the technologies of the speakers are entirely different. Planar magnetics with voice coils glued to the membranes ... blah-blah-blah

The OP, who stated that he's aware of the technical differences, was asking about end results--how much of the SA performance do you get from the Maggie 20.7s.

I never said anything about the underlying technologies, so how can you presume to "correct" me about them? I offered up relative dimensions and purchase prices, which were germane to the thread's original post. If the higher line SA's outperform the 20.7s, it's not a fair comparison given the difference in radiating surface and cost. At that point, the discussion would turn to whether the additional cost is worth it to the OP.

After much contemplation, I'm leaning toward the SL.
They were great in '04, and I'm sure they've made lots of improvements.
Larry