Essence Electrostatic Speakers...A Bold Statement

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Why these companies publish such incredulous spec is beyond me.

I think Essence Company is blowing hot air with out facts to back it up.

Dracule1, I think we will have to wait and see when someone gets some of these new Audiostatic speakers and do some tests on them to see if they can "REALLY DO" 20 HZ +- 3. I don't think it can be done with a Electrostatic Speaker... and will never believe it until I see tests showing it!..

According to that review, 20 Hz response was down -10 dB relative to 1 kHz at 80 dB. First of all, that is not loud to begin with and due to our decreased auditory sensitivity to low freq, I doubt anyone would notice. I don't think he's anything new that can overcome low freq limitation of electrostatic speakers.

10-25-15: Dracule1
20 Hz +-3dB...yea right.

That's what Radio Shack claimed for their bookshelf speakers in the late '60s. Well, without the +/-3dB part.

20 Hz +-3dB...yea right.

Maybe Ben Peters is bringing back a improved version of his Threshold ES-500 Electrostatic speakers...

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_5_2/thresholdes500.html

That is a bold statement, LOL

Ben Peters newest design is based off of this former Audiostatic ES-500...more info about this in the thread below.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1374183292

The dimensions stated (70" x 11")doesn't look in proportion to the image.

"10-23-15: Hifisoundguy
Some members from Space Coast Audio Society in Central Florida is going to go Demo these all new Audiostatic speakers when Essence gets a pair in to demo!"

Post when the shuttle lands and tell us how things went up there.

I'm familiar with Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Any relation?

Some members from Space Coast Audio Society in Central Florida is going to go Demo these all new Audiostatic speakers when Essence gets a pair in to demo!.. I found out about this on another forum. The Space Coast Audio Society E-Mail is [email protected] and their phone number is 386-423-4650

So.. "it's all going to come out in the wash.. SOON"!!...

If those speakers actually extend flat to 20 Hz they are breaking all laws of physics not to mention any common sense in doing so. I don't believe it is possible, but in time the truth will come out about them so stay tuned.

I don't see how you can go wrong. The company that makes them fully endorses them. 0 risk in my book.

They will not have these new Audiostatic speakers in stock until December 2015 and they say these new Electrostats are a major breakthrough that do not need any ac power!

http://www.essenceelectrostatic.com/new-audiostatic-electrostats-need-no-ac-power/

Johnnyb53, the last time I checked...{"we all hear things very differently"} SO what I think sounds amazing, somebody else will always think it sounds very bad! That's what makes this hobby ...SO GREAT!!

I do believe the $$$$ Yamaha Soavo NS-F901's pushed the TAD R-1's out of the market!!...Yamaha can make "Reference products".. when they want to!!

10-03-15: Hifisoundguy
We can go..FORWARD or BACKWARDS! ???..

And you make wild swings sideways time after time:

Chasing after the Essence electrostatics (no longer distributed in the US),

Bose 901 (40-year step backwards),

Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 (came and went in less than a year), and speculating that they're pushing TAD R1's off the market,

"Modified DCM TFE200's......World Reference Now",

... and more breathless be-all and end-all product rhetoric than I am willing to track any further.

BTW, your link to Princeton U's measurements of the Essence 1600 show that they start rolling off in the "bass" at 320 Hz and are down 16dB at 100 Hz. I don't expect any better bass performance from a stand-mounted electrostatic, let alone 20Hz at -3dB.

IMHO, I believe the correct phrase for trying figure out claims such as this is "Pissing in the wind".

Without comment on whether Essence sells wonderful or terrible (or anything in between) gear, I can say that the linked article is pretty close to outright ridiculous. What is their point? Well, per their own text:

"The real question comes down to this; can you actually hear the difference between a $50K system and a $3K system and if so, is it worth the difference? IMHO no, you cant. "

Why is that the real question? Why isn't the real question "Can you hear the difference between a $3k system and a $300 system?" or a "$300 system and a $30 system"?

Or, if (as I understand their reasoning) the room is the critical element - Why isn't room treatment/room correction the key question? Further, given that different rooms present very different issues, why is this particular design the best solution for every room?

As to the last link - the model 1200 'stat that is being touted there is listed as "discontinued/no longer carried". By the way - assuming that it's available (or available again) - it's a very different design than the one touted in the first link. This one is an electrostatic dipole. Is THIS approach better at taming the room than the line source design, which is supposed to be the best?

Look, this stuff may be great or it may be awful - but there is just about zero in either of the linked texts that makes any sense, much less a decent case for these products.

Here's more info on these all new Audiostatic Electrostatic speakers

http://www.audiostatic.com

They just came out with a all new Electrostatic speaker that will go down to 20 Hz! for $2K!

http://www.essenceelectrostatic.com/product/model-1200/

No matter what I say, you'll just keep talking, so I won't waste my time. I'll just make 1 quick point.

"09-22-15: Andrew9405
Hifisoundguy also espoused Bose 901 as the world's best speaker a few years ago in these forums.
I would take this just as seriously. "

I know I can do better than that.

We can go..FORWARD or BACKWARDS! ???..

Zd542: Nothing can be done with these problems you made your bed now you have to lie in it!

The "ROOM" rules! and box speakers sound boxy and close-in no matter what you do!!! "Electrostatic speakers get "out-of-the-way" from the "ROOM" more so than any other type of speakers period"! Think.. headphones without the ROOM!

We can go forward or backward!

"10-02-15: Hifisoundguy
Johnnyb53: Box speakers SOUND BOXY and those crossover caps just colors the sound..."A LOT"!.. {"The BEST Crossover caps is NO Crossover CAPS"}..SAD, BUT TRUE!!"

If you know what you're doing, you can get around those problems fairly easily.

Johnnyb53: Box speakers SOUND BOXY and those crossover caps just colors the sound..."A LOT"!.. {"The BEST Crossover caps is NO Crossover CAPS"}..SAD, BUT TRUE!!

Douglas Schroeder: What's that saying...{"Never JUDGE a BOOK by it's COVER"}

The dealer believes that the room predominantly determines the sound quality. Ergo, put in cheaper gear in a fine room and you have state of the art sound.

I disagree. If you put mediocre gear in a fine room, you will hear the mediocre gear the best it has ever sounded, but you are still light years away from SOTA. :)

09-30-15: Hifisoundguy
"Diminishing Returns" starts kicking in very quickly in this hobby !... BUT..

"Audiophiles" want to keep this "{TOP SECRET}" !!! BUT "Music Lovers" already knew how quickly those "Diminishing Returns"start kicking in !!.. ..

... And if you want speakers that can reproduce the full realism, weight and power of an orchestra playing The Pines of Rome or of the Basie band in full tilt, what speaker marks that point of diminishing returns?

Among other things, it would need to reproduce bass linearly down to about 18 Hz and be able to hit 115-120 dB distortion free. It would also have to have uniform power response throughout the room. I also want it to resolve the inner harmonies of Mendelssohn's 8-part vocals with orchestral accompaniment. Show me a $3500 speaker that can do all that at live concert levels.

"Diminishing Returns" starts kicking in very quickly in this hobby !... BUT..

"Audiophiles" want to keep this "{TOP SECRET}" !!! BUT "Music Lovers" already knew how quickly those "Diminishing Returns"start kicking in !!.. ... ....

Joefish: If you plug the 1975 prices for your rig into an inflation calculator it comes
out to $8000-10,000 in 2015 dollars, especially if you add a commensurate turntable, e.g., AR, Dual, or Technics DD.

Those modest and simple rigs we fondly remember actually took a pretty good chunk of change for a college student or recent grad.

I clicked on the website and was surprised to see a picture of the exact Dynaco 400 amp that I had in the 70's. My set up at that time was the 400, a Dynaco pre-amp, an Acoustic Research FM tuner, and a pair of Acoustic Research 3a speakers. It had great sound and impressed many. As far as price, only you can decide where the law of diminishing return sets in.

Hifisoundguy also espoused Bose 901 as the world's best speaker a few years ago in these forums.
I would take this just as seriously.

"09-22-15: Cleeds
It's just hype, which is nothing new, and no worse than the "Perfect Sound Forever" claim."

I don't know about that one. At least Sony was talking about the actual product they were trying to sell you. And back in 1982, they probably believed that statement to be true.

With the company the OP mentions, it sounds like they make audio equipment as a platform to push their political agenda. You can't help but think they would rather have you read their sales literature than buy their equipment.

It's just hype, which is nothing new, and no worse than the "Perfect Sound Forever" claim.

I've been doing this my whole life and thought I'd seen it all. That guy is on crack.