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Electrostats Shootout at 4000 Corral

from the latest electrostat technology the gunslingers are from kansas the legendary MARTIN LOGAN with the ASSENT($4000) from utah SOUND LABS with their handsome DYNOSTAT($3900) and from georgia INNERSOUND with EROS PASSIVE($4000) to make this as fair as possibile KRELL 300i amp($3000 new $1200 used) and for CDP hmmm take the NAD C540($600 NEW) i would prefer GASMAN'S recommendation the powerful INNERSOUND ESL amp($3000 new) gives 300 watts into 8 ohms 600 into 4 and 1000 into 2. for cdp i would prefer the new GRANITE 657 TUBE CDP($2500). i have seen MARTIN LOGAN shoot, BEAUTIFUL! no dealers in new orleans for INNERSOUND or SOUND LABS , guess have to drive to houston or atlanta to hear these guys. you know it seems the shootout is not between these 3, its more like these 3 against the HUNDREDS of box LOUDspeakers(WITH THE WILSONS leading the pack and the MAGEPLANNARS are in the pack as well. sorry maggie devotes i'VE HEARD THE MAGGIE 1.6 with CALIFORNIA LABS CDP and a NAD amp as well with a ROGUE amp ,not impressed. so its a question of which of the 3 electrostat can knock off the most boxed LOUD speakers. tweekerman
tweekerman
sean
6,231 posts
 
Albert, you have to remember that the newer Eros are something like 96 db's at one watt !!! With 21 watts of tube power, they would ROAR. There are no doubts that the Innersound's ARE the king of E-stat dynamics from that point of view. Whether or not the dynamic woofer and panels blend well together is a personal decision. I've never heard them first hand, so i can't say either way. Sean
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detlof
1,899 posts
 
I have not heard the Eros, which Sean has mentioned, but otherwise my experience is the same as Albert's, that getting the sound to blend properly with hybrid ESLs is a very tricky business indeed and rarely satisfying. Mating the Quad 63 with a Gradient sub was nice, after some tweaking of the Gradient's X-over, but the the only full range ESL's which I found really convincing were the big Sound Labs. The Quad 989 only second here to my ears. If I were in your shoes I would take both Sean's and Albert's advice and listen to the Eros and hunt for a good used big Sound Lab. Cheers,
sedond
1,387 posts
 
you may be making a big mistake if you fail to check out the vmps rm-40 ribbon loudspeakers. as said before, they have been compared favorably to speakers costing more than three times their price. specifically the m-l prodigy & soundlab a1.

a similar sound, that may even work better in smaller rooms, for even less money, can be found in the vmps rm1 or rm2.

as it seems you are so intent on others' opinions, & that winning the best sound of the show at the 2002 ces isn't enough, go to harmonicdiscord.com & check out owners' comments on the vmps forum there. also, you'll find that brian cheney, vmps' owner, is very active & helpful.

regards,

doug s.

tweekerman OP
473 posts
 
hey Sedond i will look into this line ,but honestly i listen to 95% classical music and the eros may be the perfect speaker for bass plucking and drum banging (jazz R&B rock etc.) but i have a hunch that my choice now is between the affordable SL's M3($3900) and ML's CLS11Z($4000) i prefer synergistic sound as opposed to the amp driven bass sound in the eros, and the eros have a tiny sweet spot , not so with SL's with the CLS i do not know. these pannels should render the best overall symphonic sound. the SL's have a frequency "control" panel (red flag goes up) and "optional" toroidal audio transformer (red flag goes up) ,and the CLS is the more handsome of the two (girl friendly) i'll just have to hear them.
sedond
1,387 posts
 
hi tweek,

all i can add is this - if the ml cls' went louder than 93db (which they won't do, even when crossed over to subs at as high as 100hz), i would have a pair in my house right now. absolutely one of the best sounds i've ever heard - for small acoustical music. if all of the classical music you listen to is quartets, chamber music, etc., then you'll be fine. otherwise, i think not. my opinion, of course! ;~)

not much info/foto's on vmps' latest iterations of their rm1 & rm2 (retail $1600 & $2400, plus options); & the new rm40 has even less - brian needs to update his website. go to the harmonicdiscord site, &/or email brian directly. (vmpsaudio.com) here's a foto of the rm40, from the '02 ces:

http://www.AudioAsylum.com/cgi/image.pl?i=Cheney.jpg

regards,

doug s.

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