I auditioned a set of Sanders 10e speakers driven by a pair of Sanders Magtech monoblocks and a dbx active crossover and DSP unit.
Yes, I know they are the exact opposite of some of the things I’ve said I wanted. Their sweet spot is strictly one-person wide. No "social" listening here, although those dire move-your-head-one-inch-to-the-left-and-all-is-lost comments you read around forums are, let’s say hyperbolic. While the range of lateral motion the listener is allowed is definitely limited, vertical departure from the listening axis is worse. When I stood from the listening chair, the drastic deterioration in sound quality was shocking. It was literally as though a motorcycle helmet had been dropped on my head. I was not expecting that, but then again I am tall so my ear level was above the top of the panels.
In my book that’s not a total, complete, 100% showstopper - a person seldom listens to music standing up, after all - but it’s definitely a suboptimal attribute.
I’ll close the negative section with a passing mention that these speakers, while not offensively ugly like some, are no fashion statement either. They may look like Maggies propped up against large wood-clad air duct elbows, but I could live with them in my home. Again, no showstopper here.
Now on to the good part - they sounded totally fantastic. Not only do they have all the detail, speed, transparency, and lack of distortion coloration one expects from good panels, but the bass was really pretty amazing. Fast, deep, assertive and coherent, with good extension into the lowest octave.
I have certainly never heard hybrid electrostatics with such great bass integration before.
Only once did the 10" woofers hint that they do have limits, with a song whose truly grotesque amount of bass was better suited to a parking lot car-sub showdown (not sure who the artist was, it was not from the music I brought with me).
A pair of brand new Wilson Watt Puppies was also set up in the listening room. As a point of comparison, I listened to some of my music on them. They were paired with high quality electronics (better than the Sanders), as they were driven by massive Class A monoblocks. The Puppies sounded competent and had surprisingly good bass, but to my ears they felt uninvolving and dim. Even if they were not broken in, it was still probably a little unfair to audition them next to the Sanders, but it provided a good reference point.
The Sanders can play LOUD. Sanders say that their panels cannot arc and have virtually no power limit, so unlike most electrostatics a person can crank them without fear of doom.
I usually believe that less is more, so initially I felt unsure about the signal undergoing analog-to-digital-to-analog conversions in the DSP unit. But the result is what counts, and the Sanders sounded wonderful.
In summary - during this session I discovered amazingly good speakers, and I also managed to confuse myself further. Am I willing to live with the Sanders’ cramped, selfish listening spot? It’s not a definite no. Are there even speakers out there that rival the Sanders but without its stark limitations? I do want to audition Dutch & Dutch 8c (someone local is willing to oblige for a $200 fee, which is creditable to the purchase if I do decide to ,order a pair).
I am attracted towards DSP-based active speakers like the 8c and Legacy Focus XD, which are basically what the Sanders are, packaged.
