Mrtennis,
That panel speakers are always superior to cone type speakers is not true... I'm sure you can usually pick a panel speaker blindfolded because they normally lack dynamics, bass extension, and other qualities that many audiophiles value.
Also, a lot (but not all) panel speakers lack fine detail and suffer from wave cancellation problems in the bass, and time-smear vagueness in the highs. I will give you that many of them sound pleasant, coherent, and open... But nearly all strict panel designs need to be augmented by dynamic woofers and/or ribbon-type tweeters.
Martin Logan mainly uses bass-reflex woofers on their hybrid-stats (probably not as well-controlled or extended as acoustic suspension woofers). And using a curved stat panel increases its sweet spot a little at the expense of losing a bit of dynamic capability.
To say there is wide variation in the sound and sonic performance of panel speakers would be a great understatement. And this is so of cone speakers, ribbon speakers, and pretty much any type of speakers.
Does a Quad 57 sound like an Apogee Diva, Sound Labs M-1, or a Martin Logan CLS??? Not the ones I've heard! They all have things they're good at, but none of them are good at all things.
I was in love with panel speakers for decades and still hold some of them in high regard. Yet I have moved on because I have found some ribbon-hybrid speakers and certain cone speakers that provide qualities I was unable to coax from panel types.
That panel speakers are always superior to cone type speakers is not true... I'm sure you can usually pick a panel speaker blindfolded because they normally lack dynamics, bass extension, and other qualities that many audiophiles value.
Also, a lot (but not all) panel speakers lack fine detail and suffer from wave cancellation problems in the bass, and time-smear vagueness in the highs. I will give you that many of them sound pleasant, coherent, and open... But nearly all strict panel designs need to be augmented by dynamic woofers and/or ribbon-type tweeters.
Martin Logan mainly uses bass-reflex woofers on their hybrid-stats (probably not as well-controlled or extended as acoustic suspension woofers). And using a curved stat panel increases its sweet spot a little at the expense of losing a bit of dynamic capability.
To say there is wide variation in the sound and sonic performance of panel speakers would be a great understatement. And this is so of cone speakers, ribbon speakers, and pretty much any type of speakers.
Does a Quad 57 sound like an Apogee Diva, Sound Labs M-1, or a Martin Logan CLS??? Not the ones I've heard! They all have things they're good at, but none of them are good at all things.
I was in love with panel speakers for decades and still hold some of them in high regard. Yet I have moved on because I have found some ribbon-hybrid speakers and certain cone speakers that provide qualities I was unable to coax from panel types.