You might consider the Martin Logan Aerius or the Quad ESL's. The Logans have a small footprint, and because of their smallish diaphram, they work rather well in a 15x15 room. The Quads have a unique diaphram, which is activated in concentric circles, from the inside out, with a specific time delay between actuator circle. The result is a wave that mimics the spherical dispersion of a point source, which would have emanated from about 2 feet behind the speaker. I hope you can visualize this from the description. All other stats on the market produce a plane wave of sound, whereas the quads produce a sphere. The advantage of the Quads is that spherical wave disperses better smaller rooms, with less interference patterns. Because of this, quads can be placed very close side walls, and reasonable close to back wall without problems. Having an open kithcen, if the speakers were between the kitchen and listening room, either design would send sound into both rooms quite nicely. Lastly, the Quads have perhaps the most neutral midrange in the world, but the bass is not exactly powerful. The ML's use a woofer for the bass, so they have a decent amount, but I personally don't think the woofer keeps up with the panel, causing a seperation in the sound. The ML Aerius are of course a lot less money than the Quads, although preowned quads can be had for a lot less that new prices.
Best electrostatic in smaller room? Please help!
My room is about 15' x 15' (open to the kitchen on one end). I like the sound of electrostatics and planars because of their seamless sound from top to bottom. But I've heard that they need alot of room. Can I find a particular model that will fit my room? I really appreciate your help and input!