Just as there are well-engineered exceptions to general trends one might identify for box or horn or ribbon speakers, so too with electrostats. I'd like to highlight some of those exceptions to the trends identified by Sdcampbell.
"1. a "plastic" coloration to the music (or great clarity, if you prefer electrostatics)." In my experience this statement only applies to curved-panel electrostats, not to flat panel ones. There are two reasons for the "plastic" coloration - first, the curved panel is a vertical slice of an expanding cylinder so its tension is constantly changing as it moves forward (expands) and back (contracts); and second, such a design calls for an extremely thick diaphragm. This thick diaphragm actually does not do inner harmonic detail well, thus giving the illusion of clarity because the fundamental tones stand out more. Flat panel electrostats don't suffer from these problems.
"2. often inefficient and more difficult to drive than dynamic/cone speakers." This is certainly true! The exceptions are the highly efficient (but difficult to drive) InnerSound speakers, and the moderately efficient and fairly easy to drive Quads (in particular the originals).
"3. the main panel does not usually do a good job reproducing the deep bass frequencies (it must be very large to move enough air for deep bass), and thus often requires the use of a dynamic woofer/subwoofer, which is often hard to smoothly integrate (because the electrostatic panel is much faster than the dynamic cone of the woofer)." Hybrids are extremely difficult to get right, and in my experience have a hard time being competitive with a well-designed conventional or Maggie system of comparable cost. In my opinion electrostats work best when large enough to operate full range.
"4. potential problems with "floor bounce" of the radiated sound, because the panel extends so close to the floor." I have to disagree; the directional properties of electrostats minimize floor bounce relative to conventional systems.
"5. problems caused by dipolar radiation (ranges from mild to severe depending on the room and the amount of acoustic room treatment)." Dipolar radiation requires several feet behind the speakers for good sound, but room treatment is quite easy since: 1) the panels tend to have uniform directional properties and 2) dipoles put very little energy into the room's bass resonant modes. In my experience if they can be placed several feet out into the room, dipoles are much less room-dependent than monopole speakers.
"6. a tendency for flat panel statics to have moderate to severe "venetian blind" effect (limited vertical dispersion) and a small sweet spot (limited horizontal dispersion) which can range from mild to "head in a vice"". These statements are both true, but I would like to point out that a tall curved array of flat panels can give you an exceptionally wide sweet spot and correct timbre anywhere in the room.
"7. sound staging anomalies due to rear wave propagation (in severe cases, this can produce phantom images that appear to come from places well outside the regular sound pattern)." Any soundstaging anomalies arising from the rear wave are easy to deal with. The inherent coherence of an electrostat (especially a full-range model) gives it potentially superb soundstaging characteristics, with absolutely no boxy cues to detract from the experience.
Also, full-range electrostats are capable of excellent soundstaging and recreation of the feel of the hall, but a really good point source speaker can give more precise localization of sound images. That being said, the second-best imaging and soundstaging I ever heard was from a thirty grand electrostat (the best was from a thirty-five grand dynamic system).
Well this thread isn't supposed to be about the things elecctrostats do well, so I'll tell you the weaknesses I see. My comments will not apply to hybrids, but only to full-range models.
First, they are expensive, and dollar-for-dollar seldom offer the bass extension and maximum volume level of a good conventional system.
Second, they command a lot of real estate. They tend to dominate a room, and like to be positioned 4-8 feet or so out from the front wall.
Third, there is usually a significant hidden amplifier cost.
Fourth, they are hard to find to audition.
Fifth, without good amplification and set-up they can be lacking in dynamic impact relative to a good conventional or high-efficiency system.
Sixth, they are not very rugged physically and are more likely to be damaged in shipping (this hurts resale value).
About the only redeeming feature of electrostats is that they generally sound more natural than their competition, at least within their volume range.
Haydn josef, if the amps you are considering are Tenors, then I think they will drive current generation Sound Labs quite well in a small room, especially since the impedance is more friendly now. I have a customer who is using 80-watt OTL amps in a fairly small room to drive older, more difficult A-1's. His listening position is about six feet from the panels, and he gets enormous depth of image (I was just at his house last night). E-mail me for particulars if you'd like.
Best of luck to you in your quest!
Duke
