Electrostatic versus conventional speakers


I have never heard a pair of electrostatic speakers. With that being said, what are the pros and cons of electrostatics versus conventional speakers. I'm not in the market for speakers but am just curious

Are they superior to conventional speakers? If so, in what ways? Are they sensitive to tube versus solid state amps? Do they have issues with reliability? Etc.
hobbyist_and_reader

Showing 1 response by samujohn

An audiophile in our area bought a pair of Quad ESL-63's a few years ago from a police auction for $200. It seems the police confiscated them in a drug bust and an officer took them home and hooked them up to his receiver. The resulting horrible sound convinced him that they were broken.
ESL's are pure capacitive loads and require a very stable amplifier circuit. Most, but not all, audiophile amplifiers are designed to accommodate such difficult loads, but better to check with the manufacturer first.