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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
ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,682 posts
 

Finally got these dialed in and I must say I’m glad I was patient. Here is where they landed.

77” to the wall behind them as measured from the back of the woofer enclosure and 104” between them (center to center). A slight toe in, firing just over my shoulder. From Bruce’s recommendation I cut 125 hz by 6 db and set the Q to 1.5. 
 

All this leads me to say I now see what all the fuss is about.

nogaps OP
161 posts
 

Well..like..Yay!  :)

Nice to hear you’ve sorted them out. There are few speakers out there that have more adjustability than the 8c’s.  Remember, you have three levels of the tweeter also on the rear-top of the box.  I have to say, I’ve done more than a ton of research on the LFTs before & since I picked them up last summer, and your observations about bass and centerstage were outliers to what I’ve read.  There had to be a setup that was clicked into place.

Great news!

ledoux1238
418 posts
 

@ozzy62 

Would you elaborate a bit more on how you turned things around? What were the steps you took to get from fuzzy center image to dialed in? 
Thanks!

ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,682 posts
 

@ledoux1238 

The biggest improvement was bringing them so far out into the room. My initial instinct of 3-5 ft. just wasn’t enough. Then just fine tuning the placement and toe in. I must say I’m not a fan of the “head in a vice”, but I’ve lived with panels before so I know the drill.

ledoux1238
418 posts
 

@ozzy62 

My experience with the 8c in term of distance from front wall mirrors yours. I am now at 330 cm or 130” from front wall. 
 

Having spend some time with the 8c, can you ‘hear’ the DSP working in the system? Mind you the entire frequency range in converted to digital and back. This applies to analog especially, do you notice the digital conversion at work while playing vinyl? I switched from 8b to 8c. And I cannot say that the same records played through 8c sound ‘ digital’,  i.e. lacking in soundstage depth or a certain flatness. The vinyl reproduction is as vivid through the 8c as it was through the 8b. Given the use of an inexpensive plate amp and DAC converter, I don’t quite know why. And I wonder if you have this same sense towards the DSP aspect of the 8c.

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