What is your opinion regarding electrostatics?

Tubegroover you've hit the nail on the head. I too love this thread and I'm learning from it.
Sean, I'm surprised that you think of using electrostatic panels just for the highs. An interesting thought. In my practical experience, I've found ALL ESP's I've every listended to somewhat lacking there. As for your thoughts ad personam:
Your diagnosis is right of course: When I was a child, they used to say that there was nothing crazy enough, which I would not try. So there you are...and ahem, its a Golem, not a Frankenstein and drop me line, if you should ever hit these shores. Though you seem to tackle your goals far more rationally than I prefer to do, we seem to be after the same thing and that is what counts.
Cheers to all and happy listening!
Detlof

Sean: having lived with planars & e-stats for 12 yrs, I too would dare advise against yr having expectations from the highs -- especially as new media can go well over 20kHz.

The mids& mid-highs are very fast, granted, but until two yrs ago (when I changed from stats), the +15kHz region couldn't reach conventional speaker levels: witness, Detlof, who uses plasma for the upper highs.

A related subject is placement; with stats firing along the long side of the room, I have been happiest without toe-in at all. And yes, I do sometimes listen to jazz & blues apart from classical. I suppose Detlof, A-Porter or Duke, would be among the resident experts on the placement...

Cheers!

Greg you are right about the toe-in, with stators on the long side of "shoe-box" like rooms. I am just using a very tiny amount of it and another thing should be mentioned, that with stators the distance to the side walls is uncritical for all intents and purposes. Another advantage of dipoles, which is not to be underestimated.

Detlof, now that you mention the side walls issue, I remember that the narrow stats were standing ~10 ft apart centre-to-centre and two ft from the side walls. Eight ft into the ~23ft room -- i.e. not far from your present set-up (between 1/3 & 1/2 into the room).
Cheers!

Yes Greg, how does the saying go? "Great ears hear alike " or something like that, no? (-;
Cheers!