Final-Audio New Series electrostatics

Dear FINAL Owners and Audiophiles,

SunMoon / Ravi / HighResHiFi joining the conversation to share insights and the fun journey of launching FINAL in the US market as a lifelong Planar Audiophile with 27 years of Electrostatic, Planar Magnetic and Ribbon speaker ownership.

Had to let the conversation brew for a week as I completed my work deadlines related to my day job as an Automotive Engineering Strategy Consultant.

Since we are discussing highend audio and not politics, I dont think we need to hide behind screen names, so some introductions are in order.

• Many thanks to riverdinaudio / Hal, my very first retail Silver M35 customer for starting the discussion so we can all share useful and enlightening experiences that will enrich the ownership while helping curious audiophiles gain a deeper understanding of FINALs.
• pinwa / Paul, 2nd M35 owner in custom Red Metallic finish.
• mark200mph / Mark, owner of the Silver show demo M35s together with the Silver TEKTON 7-10 Line source Subwoofer towers.
• acousticrat34 / Len, owner of Black M12s.
• madtrader / Dustin, soon to be owner of the custom White M35s
• liquid sound / John, owner of Silver M12s with custom Clear Frost panels.

There are many other FINAL owners who may eventually join the conversation as we go, 

Let's go have some fun now.

History and Launch ramp up:

FINAL had a successful US launch at the AXPONA 2024 with the full model line up on demonstration with Coda 16 and Coda 8 Class A amplification. M35 did not make it due to crate damage at the UPS warehouse in Netherlands

FINAL's 35th anniversary flagship, the M35 debuted in June 24 at THE SHOW in Costa mesa, California to high acclaims!  Check out all the fun YouTube videos online with some extremely dynamic demos including the RAP music demo track on request by Audiophile Junkie.

The M35 has been the most popular model thus far in the US, followed by M12, both Full Range Electrostats.  Production of the M35 did not start until December 24 due to FINAL moving to a bigger production facility while refining the prototypes of the elegantly designed complex Aluminum extrusion side frame profiles.  These extremely rigid lightweight aluminum profiles combined with the acrylic panels are the reason why the M35s are the ligthest Full Range Electrostatic speakers in the market.

For perspective, @ 66lbs each, the flagship M35 @ 82 inches tall and 26 inches wide is only 10 lbs heavier than Magnepan's smallest floor stander, the LRS @ 56 lbs!

M35 was particularly suited to the listening tastes and preferences of the American market audiophiles with the ability to play any kind of music with resolution, authority and dynamics.

Many of the current FINAL owners in the US market are introverted and not particularly active on the forums unlike some of us!

M35 was launched in Europe this spring with great success, the owner / founder of VITUS Audio has a pair in White (Dustin) as well as Siltech!

Many of the current EU owners of the M15 and M12 are upgrading to the M35, as they auditioned the M35s at launch events through out EU.

There are some useful observations and lessons to be learnt from the differences between the EU market and the US market which I will elaborate further,

It was unfortunate that the launch of the M35 was affected by the TRUMP TARIFF DRAMA,

Some of the crates had been opened by CUSTOMS to inspect for CHINA MADE parts seeking the opportunity to apply additional tariffs while giving us the excuse of searching for Fentanyl.  The electronics boxes including transformer PCB wiring had been moved and abused, in the process damaging the speaker sets. Damaged customer shipments had to be replaced at our cost with no recourse from Customs! FINAL had meetings with UPS to resolve these issues with customs which added to the delays in shipments.  The shipments had to be held until agreements were reached. The strategy is working now and we have not had any issues with Customs for the last several shipments since June 25. 

Thankfully, many are saying that THE END IS NEAR for Trump Tariffs!

" Popori " as a Brand has models of ESL Speaker that are very very expensive to buy into, a substantial sum of money to have a ESL Speaker at hand.

How Popori compares as a comparative purchase price to Final is an unknown to myself.

How both the above Brands compares to a Quad ESL Speaker is known when using the Popori Brand, which shows that the Popori Brand to purchase is considerably more expensive than a Quad ESL.

As an individual who has heard all Quad ESL's as their original and some Quad ESL's having been modified, but as of yet not familiarised with the latest production Quad X Model.

I find it difficult to see where much more is on offer from other ESL Designs, especially when up to 5 x the asking price is required over the cost of the most expensive Quad ESL's I am quite familiar with.

I am not yet familiarised with the Quad X Models, but have had feed back from friends who have recently heard the X Model. Without having these side by side compared using familiar Amplification, my friends failed to discover discernible differences from their recollections of earlier production Quad ESL Models. 

If interest is being shown in ESL Speakers, the Quad ESL's are ones worthwhile having on a Shortlist for further investigation.       

@pindac Just to be clear, you haven't heard any of the Popori or Final speakers, and I'm guessing you haven't heard the latest models of the Clarisys, Diptyque or Alsyvox speakers, but you somehow feel qualified to express an opinion about the superiority of the Quad's?  I have heard the other brands (except Alsyvox) and they are all excellent, albeit in slightly different ways.  

I'm not sure if it is arrogance, ignorance or simply the fact that with 3300 posts you feel the need to share your opinion about everything under the sun but I for one don't appreciate your "contribution" here.

@pinwa Firstly, my reference to Quad ESL's is not the first reference to the Quad Brand made within this Thread, there are other Posts referencing more than one other Brand other than Final Audio that are producing ESL Speakers.

My comments offered was prompted by another Poster making their experiences of ESL Speakers known, along with their referencing how they thoroughly enjoyed their experience of a Quad ESL Model, and one which I am very very familiar with..

My own input is about how Pricing has been discovered to be substantially different between Brands producing ESL Speakers and a Quad ESL Speaker Model.

I was not 'off topic', when the overall content within this Thread is introducing other Brands, revisiting the Quad Brand, is totally acceptable as the Thread is now about encouraged to be off topic from Final Audio Products and covers a broader range of Brands producing ESL Speakers.

My own contribution explains my experiences of One Brand where most encounters are in homes in resident systems I am very familiar with, with such regular experiences had over a long duration, my assessments have in my view, a kudos, and worthwhile making available to a wider reader base.

My ESL experiences is not limited to one Brand, but these other Brands Models  will have been encountered at an event, where when encountered are used in a unfamiliar system and surrounding. I could have added additional Brands to the Thread, but remain not be able to report in a way that I feel would have kudos. Such past encounters, now only memories, have little value as a means to offering up an assessment for a wider reader base to ponder the info offered.  

My Post does not recommend any Brand, the content is to encourage considering Retail Pricing Differences and encourages extension of Investigation to produce a increased base info for oneself.

As always, If a Forum Member is not able to appreciate the content of another Forum Members Post within a Thread, that as the outcome is fine by myself, even when it is my own offered content receiving expressed discontent.

In this case, the Thread is about Final Audio which I do not know the Retail Price. Content offered by myself, flagged up the difference in Retail Price between Quad ESL and Popori ESL's, which are both Brands that are not included in the Threads Topic, both are Alien to the OP's initial inquiry- Yes / No? I can't help but think, the follow up post as a response as a response to my Post is unusually negatively reactive.

In the case those who are Members of Onlookers and do not like content added to Threads by 'pindac', those who are finding contributions repellent. Please scroll on past the contribution offered. 'pindac' has encouraged this as a practice on many a occasion, 'pindac', is not wanting to make any forum members interaction unpalatable. 

'pindac' has seen the content of all Posts within this Thread, and has certainly not added a content to unbalance the info already made known by others.

The non participant onlooker of this Thread, if expressing an interest in ESL Speakers, who may be at the place a purchase is looking attractive, along with all the Brands referred to within this Thread, now as a result of the latest added content, has an increased info to consider, albeit, Price Comparisons Retail vs Price Comparisons for Used Items, when creating their shortlist.