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Your favorite Electrostatic, Panel spkr

 I’m putting together an analog system. First on the list was a turntable, I’ve settled on the Denon DP 59L. 
  Now let’s hear from the owners of some panel electrostatic type speakers, not ones you dreamed of owning, ones that you’ve owned and the reason why they were your favorite. 
kgveteran
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
When I had my shoppe in Florida, a customer wanted a pair of woofers built, to go with his Acoustat Model IIIls.    I used a design that Roger Sanders published, in Speaker Builder Magazine(circa 1980), to go with his home-brew(then) electrostatics.  We bi-amped them through a couple of my DH-500s, through a Dahlquist DQ-LP1.   My wife came with, when we set the stuff up, in the customer's home.      Has anyone else ever had to buy a new, bigger house(for a dedicated sound room), because their wife was so enthused about the tone, imaging and sound stage of a system?  My Hafler rep carried Acoustat too.   Sold a few of everything.  Those were the days.  Loved those Acoustats(and having a huge room, just for sound)!
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 posts
 

@rsf507’s recommendation of the Eminent Technology "speakers" (presumably the LFT-8) is a fine one, but you should know that it’s design is magnetic-planar, not ESL. His other nominee---the Sanders ESL---is another great planar. The price differential between the two is considerable---$2499/pr for the ET vs. somewhere around $15,000/pr for the Sanders!

You should also know that each requires a fair amount of amplifier power (being an 8 ohm resistive load, the ET can be partnered with a medium-powered tube amp), and are both "single-listener" designs, each having a rather narrow sweet spot. The same is true of many other planar (including ESL) loudspeakers. And that they both, like all planars, need to be (while listened to critically, at any rate) out in front of the wall behind them by a minimum of 3’, 5’ being better. 10', if you have the space!

johnto
972 posts
 
Maggie 3.7i with a sub, great natural sound nice soundstaging play everything correctly, they even rock.
It would help if we knew your price point.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,175 posts
 
I currently use Acoustat 2+2s a speaker that shocked everyone at the time. Nobody else had ever built a full range line source speaker before and the increase in dynamics was unexpected. ESLs are supposed to be polite. Not the 2+2s. Put them with a subwoofer array and they will play at rediculous volumes and do stuff like rim shots better than horn speakers.
If the panels are kept in the frames and the socks are not removed the panels are indestructible and will last forever. If you can find a pair that have not been mutilated go for em. The current speaker that better than fills their shoes is the SoundLabs 845.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,175 posts
 
rodman99999, I was down in Miami back then where were you and what was the name of your shop? 
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