Final-Audio New Series electrostatics

I am late to this thread, but I found it very interesting. I am the third owner of my Acoustat 1+1 speakers. I purchased them from for only $350 from a friend that was very disappointed with the bass. I thought the sound was terrific and  purchased them on the spot. Then I added a Vandersteen sub and invited him over. He was blown away by how they sounded.

Today, I run them with an active SPL crossover limiting the signal to the 1+1’s above 70 Hz with a steep -24 dB slope. The signal to the dual Rythmik F12SE subs is limited to below 70 Hz with the same -24dB slope. I keep wanting to get new speakers but have not found any that I prefer to this set up. I listened to the M35’s in Costa Mesa last summer and liked them, but felt they were lacking just a bit in bass oomph. I would personally add a pair of subs to them and have the crossover at around 50 Hz. But at $21k for the pair I won’t be making that test. Half that price, and I might be tempted. My speakers are around 35 years old.

Electrostatic speakers just have a presence that other speakers are missing. It is kind of like how some people love horn driven speakers (I don’t, but I appreciate them). They just sound different. Electrostatic speakers, in my space, makes me believe that I am in a mid sized live acoustic concert venue. It also helps that all my equipment was selected over the years to complement the 1+1’s.

@thriftyaudio A Great Story and in ways one that reflects on my own experiences.

Your Speakers at over 35 Years moved on from their Release as a Design and possibly their Production Era, still being able to impress as per the description given, is no different to my own.

My own Speakers up to 70 Years moved on from their Release and Design and a lengthy Production Era are able to create Jaw on Floor musical experiences of End Sound Produced.

At a Publicly  Attended Audio Event where I exhibited, In the room I was exhibiting in, I was to cover over and conceal a Stand that was within the Room.

Visitors to the Room who were quite familiar with my Speakers were quite vocal about how impressive they were, and how they were performing much better than how they recollected from their own periods of ownership.

Some Visitors were adamant I was using Bass Augmentation and were finding it difficult to comprehend and not believing me. One visitor, who was so cock sure Bass support was in use, I sent them to the Covered Table to see the Bass Unit in use under the cover. Call me a supplier of falsehood and you'll get my version of a falsehood . They were scratching their head when they were appraising the Speakers qualities.

The same Speakers, or more accurately described, is repurposed parts belonging to that design of ESL Speaker, are to be found in $100K+ Speakers supplied to the market currently by Emia. 

A prudent market search should get speakers of this type to be used as donor models only for near a $1K - $1.5K.

A very good condition working pair would also if searched out prudently, be found for similar monies or less than the above price guide.    

Having owned Acoustat 2+2s and having heard multiple pairs of Quad ESL-57s if you think either of those speakers are competitive with today's best panel speakers (electrostatic, magneplanar, or ribbon) I would suggest you are either delusional or listen to an extremely limited range of music.  They have their strengths, and the 57s in particular have a great midrange and spooky holographic soundstage, but they simply don't sound very good with quite a lot of music.  But hey, whatever rocks your boat and your budget.  Just stop claiming the technology hasn't improved over the last 40-50 years without having actually listened to other speakers.

Searching Carver Reference Lightstar* ~ brought me to this thread on Final 

OK: I started a post this AM, seeking Opinion on replacing my Final Mains with Magnepans. << look for that thread for details, Because it involves More than just Final Sound’s.

I have an old Final Sound Surround system consisting of five panels.  I don’t know the model number, as I bought it used.  It sat for a few years because the Bias-supplies, (all in one central unit,feeding signal+power to panels via 3-wire speaker cables), Did Not Function.  I had new Bias built to replace the bad ones, and have been using it for years, *^ driven by two Carver Amps, one of which is a Lightstar.

& round, & round I go...

The Quality Issues, Plus Considerations of Dealing with the Netherlands for products & repairs, etc...  Has Me looking More Locally.