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Eminent Technology LFT-8c Robert Greene review

A friend of mine forwarded this review to me a couple days ago.  I hadn't seen it as it's just a week old at this point. 

Why would I be interested? I have a pair of LFT-8b speakers that I picked up about 7 months ago.  Wonderful speakers. I always wanted to try a set of panels and, as luck would have it, last summer I found a used pair of 8b's just a short drive from my home..I made the jump.  As it turns out, this was one of the best moves I've made in my 50+ year audio hobby. 

In the last few months, I was considering picking up the 8b to 8c upgrade components, but put it off as I had a number of other projects going on.  Well..the projects got completed and I started a few more projects, though this time around the 8c upgrade is one of them.  I ordered the 8c upgrade yesterday and I'm really looking forward to the adventure once it arrives. 

One thing I've noticed when reading discussions of the LFT-8(no a, b, c)  here on A-gon, is the discussion wanders over the now 36 year history of the LFT-8.  Issues identified in this or that review from 10-20-25 years ago are brought up as if they reflect what the LFT-8 is today.  LFT-8's had a great sound 30 years ago, with a few flaws, as any 30 year old speaker would, and it sounds better today. Nothing surprising there. Most companies cut ties with models as they age and come out with something new, whether they are really new or repackaged parts..that varies.. 

What's my point?  I just find it interesting that Bruce Thigpen (Eminent Technology) came out with the LFT-8 in about 1990 and has been continually improving the model 8 year after year, decade in and decade out, staying in business with no advertising, though with a few shows here and there. There are very few current speakers(let alone businesses) alive today that have a 30+ year history under largely the same name. (Though the Vandy 2 series comes to mind)  Pretty unique in this industry.  It's also pretty unique that a decades old pair of LFT-8 speakers can be upgraded to the current model at a very modest cost. And the upgrade is easily done by any owner. 

So..the latest review:

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/eminent-technology-lft-8c-planar-loudspeaker/

Robert Greene goes into considerable depth in his review, which is specific to the 8c version, though he's done an 8b review in the past. I'm glad it came out as it pushed me over the edge in ordering the 8c upgrade.  I'm not getting any younger..time to give the 8c a spin. 

One last note, I've read in a number of older and current reviews that the LFT-8 speaker placement is..finicky.  I haven't found that to be the case at all.  In the last 7 months I've experimented extensively with placement and they respond well to various setups. My current setup is about 115 inches between the panels (on center) and maybe 30 degrees toe-ed  in from facing directly forward.  Each speaker is 45 inches off the front wall(on center) and 38 inches from the side walls.  I have a great soundstage and and equally great imaging.  My tweeter panels are on the inside. 

 

(...and no..I have no affiliation with ET..just a customer owning a used pair of the 2017 model 8b)

nogaps
ledoux1238
421 posts
 

The Enjoy the Music.com review of the LFT 8c  by Jules Coleman was conducted with the ribbon tweeters placed on the outside edges. I had assumed that the issue of tweeter placement, on the inside edge of the speaker, was established knowledge. For the many years of ownership of the LFT8b / c, I have placed the tweeters on the inside edges. Well, after re-reading the article, I decided to reverse the tweeters placement to the outside edges. My room is about 11’ wide by 33’ deep. The edges of  speakers are placed 10” from side wall with no toe-in. And I much prefer the tweeters on the outside! The soundstage  has a better sense of air around the instruments. It is not as wide on most recordings, which makes sense with the mid-range panels closer together. And perhaps because of this, the soundstage is denser, most robust, and somehow depth is increased. Overall, it is a better presentation in my room, a nice discovery!

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,487 posts
 

 

@ledoux1238:

Another factor to keep in mind is the fact that when the midrange drivers are repositioned, the speaker/room interaction is changed. And with no toe-in, the phase relationship between midrange driver and tweeter is as well. An easy way to experiment with midrange/tweeter phase orientation is with varying degrees of speaker toe-in.

Another is that with the width of the LFT-8 midrange driver being 4", horizontal beaming of that driver starts at a relatively low frequency, the beaming of course increasing as the frequency increases. The low-pass filter of the LFT driver is 1st-order at 10kHz, where beaming is at it’s most severe. With the LFT-8 midrange driver on the inside, you are getting less driver output loss due to beaming (even at midrange frequencies, far below 10kHz) compared with that driver on the outside (where the listening position is further off axis).

 

peter_s
1,439 posts
 

If anyone is upgrading to 8c’s and selling their 8b’s, please let me know!

nogaps OP
167 posts
 

Interesting. I'd read that interview and his discussion about the tweeters to the outside, but hadn't messed with it at the time as I was busy with other things. I'm still about a month out from being home and listening again(and installing the 8c upgrade). 

My room is about 13.5 x15.5, with the LFTs on the long wall 115 inches apart on center and 105 inches from the listening position.  The panels are about 37 inches off the side walls and 43 inches from the front wall. This is a balcony over a great room and I have nothing but air behind my head over the room below.  Basically, very different from Coleman's or ledoux's room. Once I get the 8c's setup and initially tuned in, I'll have to flip-flop them and see what happens. Thanks for highlighting this..

nogaps OP
167 posts
 

If anyone is upgrading to 8c’s and selling their 8b’s, please let me know!

If someone has a set of 8b's then the "upgrade" is primarily swapping out the bass unit (purchased separately) as there's no real reason to repurchase a set of (8c) speakers.  The 8c as purchased new today does have an improved tweeter over the 8b (or at least a 2017 8b pair, as mine are..I purchased the upgraded tweeter too),  I doubt you'll find a set of 8b's due to someone upgrading to 8c's.  There is a set of 8c's on audio mart in TN for a reasonable price.  There was another 8c set in Knoxville a couple weeks ago. Very nice listing with extras tossed in, same money as the current listing...it's in the hifishark history.  If you're up for a serious(I assume) roadtrip..there's a pair of 8a's up in British Colombia.  They could be upgraded to 8b's or 8c's for a modest amount. 

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