And another!
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)
- ...
- 123 posts total
..and it’s lead me to a final question..how much toe in do I need, given my setup.
ChatGPT question about toe in actual angle: Calculate my exact toe-in angle in degrees based on my room and listening distance. My speakers are 117 inches (on-center) apart and 112 inches (on-center) from my head at the listening position. answer: Perfect—now we can do this precisely for your Eminent Technology LFT-8b. 🧠 Your geometry
This is a classic isosceles triangle. 📐 1. Toe-in for axes crossing at your head (on-axis)
🎯 RESULT👉 27.5° toe-in = speakers aimed directly at your head This is your reference point. 🧠 Now we place this in context of lobesFrom earlier:
So small changes from 27.5° matter a lot. 🔵 2. Axes crossing behind your headTo do this:
Practical range:👉 24°–26° What happens here
Result:
🟢 3. Axes crossing in front of your headTo do this:
Optimal range (based on your lobe spacing):👉 29°–33° Why this range works
🎯 Your exact “target zone”Given your geometry and the ~7° lobe spacing: 👉 Best starting point: ~30° toe-in 🎧 Fine-tuning windowOnce you set ~30°:
👉 Likely between: 🧠 What you’ll hear when you hit it
📊 Summary
🧾 Final answer👉 Your calculated toe-in: 27.5° (on-axis reference) If you want, I can translate that into something practical like:
so you can set it precisely without measuring angles. _________________________ Back to my setup. By ear alone, I have a current toe-in angle of 21 degrees. Chat suggests a mild behind the head optimum would be in the 24-26 degree range. Looks like I have more experimenting to do. I may be close to one of the other lobes. We’ll see.
| |||||||||||||||
OK..I'm done for now as even ChatGPT has run out of suggested additional questions to answer. I guess I have my answer, for the time being.
My window to edit all but the last post has run out (I guess I have 30 minutes to edit). I think GPT didn't wander off into some fantasy world. I hope not as the posts are here now. It seemed to go well. In any event..it'll give anyone in the future some direction on what they're working with and how much of any moving speaker placement around matters. @ledoux1238 or anyone, if you post your listening triangle measurements I can have GPT calculate your "target" toe-in range..fwiw.. It's some guidance at least. | |||||||||||||||
I think that would be a true statement. Not only from just spit-balling and giving it a try (made a very significant improvement for me..like a new set of speakers-change), but also from all the quantitative analysis above. Having the mids on the outside just makes optimal tuning more difficult. I’ve been living (happy as a clam) since last August with the mids on the outside as the speakers still sounded terrific, but..live and learn. |
- 123 posts total