Box speakers that sound like Electrostats?


Has anyone found a monitor or full range speaker that compares to an electrostat?
128x128dennis_the_menace
Muralman with due respect to you I do have quest Martin
Logan rewired with siltech,IMHO this speakers they are
so hard to beat, In my room they are slightly big,
but they do unbelievable sound, I did hear the sound lab
I dont know the model but as tall as my quest they are
good but I did not miss them at all. Actually when I read
the Andra 2 by Paul Bolin, My friend brought this andra
in my house as good as my electrostats this andras they
clearer, more like electrostats but emotionally they will
connect to you,It almost took a week befor Sarah Brightman
left my room, The emotion is the difference, the logans
they perform more live.
Perigees - if you are an Aussie, or Brit. The Perigee presently has a limited distribution. Apogee - Perigee... There is a connection. The Perigee developer started business as a ribbon replacement manufacturer for his and other's, around the world, beloved Apogees. The Perigee is a steal, if you can find one. Used Apogees are still audio's greatest bargain.
Muralman i do agree with the apogee are really good, Iam
glad that your thread just remind me fifteen years ago,
how good they are, the problem is they are hard to find,
i dont even see them anymore, 2 years ago, i saw them
on the audio dealership.
Jaytoy, Apogees have for the most part gone underground, both literally, and figurative. There are still thousands of mint Apogees out there, but they are almost all locked up in people's dedicated listening rooms. There is also a thriving Apogee forum where one finds Apogees, learns to care for them, and what ancillary equipment works with them. The Perigee creater, Graz, produces replacement ribbons for all models, and there is a long time Apogee builder, Robert Dragunas, who has all ribbons, and will rebuild Apogees for a reasonable cost. I have bought three near mint Apogees off of eBay and Audiogon.
Whoa!! Where are all the Vandersteen fans today? The whole idea of the Vandersteen "baffleless" design is to eliminate the "boxy" sound of a box speaker. Whether you like them or not, for whatever reason, the Vandersteens are absolutely transparent. Have a new listener over and the first comment (after Wow) is how transparent the sound is (and where is it coming from).

Give the 2CEs a listen Dennis, or if you have a little more room, the 3As. Sigs of course in either case.
I do like Vandies...and they are very open sounding...however...they do lack the speed of ELSs and even other conventional designs in their price range...but this is highly subjective...it comes down to what music you enjoy and what trade-offs u can live with....if I ever graduate to a bigger room..the Vandies will be on my short list...
You should listen to the Von Schweikert VR-1. Their top end is precise and crisp without sounding tinny and the base is full and lively. It also has a great and deep soundstage. To me they sound like the best electrostatics without having to get a sub.
I took my Spica TC-50s to my "local" Quad dealer and listened to the Quad 12L, the Spicas and the 988 (all thru Quad electronics, with a sub). To me the 12Ls were very impressive and in some ways better (e.g. smoother) than the Spicas, but the Spicas were closer in personality to the 988.
Just a note to say I prefer paper cone boxes to Electrostats. I am a classical musician, and I think they sound more realistic. The metallic sound of Electrostats somehow don't capture the full scope of musical expressions.
I like old big 15inch Tannoys, not because it sounds like electrostats, but cuz they don't. Just a note incase someone wanted to get into classical music, I think boxes will lead you there quicker.
interesting comments gonglee...i'm a classical music fan and that's exactly the reason i went to electrostats...well, i can tell that you probably never heard Innersound electrostats with classical music...there is no metallic sound and the chamber music or piano/violin solos are absolutely envolving...one thing though...the Innersounds, due to their narrow sweet spot, can not do justice to full scale Mahler, but i can live with that...
I sold my Maggies for sets of Modified NEARs.I was able to do testing before I sold the Maggies and have no refrets In the least.Believe it or not the NEARs were more transparent than the Maggies.I won't be going back to Electrostats or panels ever again.They get some things right,but they lack integration of good way down Bass and I do not like adding a sub.
Abex, again i have to say to you the same thing that i said to Gonglee3's post...you obviously never heard Innersound electrostats if you say that the electrostats lack integration of the woofer with the pannel...many people think of ML when they hear "electrostats" (and I fully agree, ML's don't do bass very well), but they should give a listen to a pair of Innersound speakers first before generalizing...
Iasi:
I really do not have a chance to audition the Innersounds,but I have heard good things about them.I think the biggest complaint I have about Panels is that people that fall in love with them as I did do not have a proper rooms to put them in after moving.I liked my Maggies and they intergrated well with a sub,but then I had to move and I had to get box speakers.The NEARs give me the transparency that the Panels did and more dynamics.

The Accoustats and ML's were really bad in getting the intergration right.

If ever I get a chance to listen to the Inner's I will gladly go take a listen.What I have to deal with at the moment is getting a speaker that has a small footprint and go as close to Fullrange as I can possibly get.The NEAR's are really small and go down to approx. 28Hz..Now I have to sell my sub which crosses over at 40Hz..I will probably opt for a REL sub.

The Modified NEAR M15's go to 32Hz. and are extodinary for what I paid for them,$350, and they are probably the best deal I have ever found.The M50's I am getting are still used by some Manfs. for reference speakers which says alot to give you an idea.I shall have the most advanced set in the world.

One other thing is that most Panels have weird loads which makes choosing amplification difficult.If I remember correctly Innersound uses CODA Amps which are designed to Innersounds specs.NEARs are alittle difficult because they go down to 2ohms on some pieces I think,but they are really easier to match amps to.

I bet you are happy with the Inners and I hope you have a room and amps that are suitable to put them in.I would like to have some CODA's also BTW as they are on my list of being some of the finest amps in the world along with the likes of LAMM,Threshold and Pass.I will probably get some Mark Levs or Aragons to run my NEAR's.

So in closing I will say I hope I did not offend you or any Planar owner's ,but I would really like people that buy them to have adequste rooms and amps for them.I am happy with what I have found and what I know about some Planar's.As I mentioned I will try to find a place that has them.I live in ME. so it's really difficult to get to hear alot of stuff.

Regards,ABEX