Despite their saying it isn't intended to replace any particular speaker, it is pretty clear that both the Vista and the Vantage are on their way out. Summit was upgraded to Summit X (with attendant price increase); Spire came in just below it (an obvious replacement for the Vantage); and this speaker probably comes in below that and replaces the Vista. Then, you have the Purity and Source bringing up the low end of the esl line. They could also potentially put another speaker with an unpowered woofer into the mix between this one and the Purity, as a true Vista replacement, price-wise.
The Vista and the Vantage are the only remaining electrostatic speakers from ML's last generation. Clearly they will be replaced soon and this new speaker seems to be part of that transition. Doing it this way allows them to raise their prices without too much fuss from customers. They introduce new models at higher prices, saying they are not intended to replace current models, then they slowly cease production of the older models and discontinue them a little while later. Kind of like when they assured everyone they would try to make the Summit X such that Summits would be able to be upgraded, but then they just kind of let that slide by the wayside without too much comment.
. . .
My guess is this speaker comes in around $7,000 to $7,500 and they put out another around $5,500, and the Vista and Vantage go Bye Bye. And all this happens during the course of this year. Ok, that is my completely off-the-cuff prediction. What do you guys think?
