Just discovered how good modern stats are.....

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Scottinwa

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Aug 26, 2014
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Location
Medical Lake, Washington, USA
Greetings….
I have been involved in audio since the mid 80’s, did a host of DIY/kits and upgrades starting in 1995. I have owned speakers ranging from Bose to VMPS, Kef to klipsch. I ran a gamut of dynamic, ribbon, hybrid….high end and midfi. My last project was a refurbishment and upgrade of some 1988 Infinity Reference speakers. Probably the highest performance dynamic I had was the CES show winning “best of show” VMPS Ribbon Monitor 40’s. Over $5,000 a pair. They did outdo a LOT of far more expensive and hyped speakers. I also upgraded and modded my share of horns, for me….shout is out. But I digress.

The Infinity gave me a taste of high end. $400 investment (including new 1% jantzen caps) and the Emit tweeter really revealed a lot, musically. The poly Watkins woofers were just too “flexible” and weren’t the most solid foundation. It was time to move up again. I considered new and used.

I decided to gather up my demo discs and try out a variety of new speakers. I was reluctant to try electrostats due to previous experience. I had listened to a friends acoustat 1, quads and much older M-L. The older stats all seemed to lack dynamic range, they had a narrow listening aperture and were inefficient. Some stats sounded to me like midrange only… no extended treble or bass slam. A friend recommended Martin Logan.

This week…
I did an extensive listening demo of some Electromotion ESL’s and it changed my perception of stats and dynamics. These were not ye old stats….these were proof racing improves the breed. No more 82/86db bricks. These were an easy to drive 91db. In fact, the modest 125 wpc Marantz Receiver didn’t strain. This receiver isn’t on the same level as my gear, but it worked fine. I just had to make sure all other channels were shut down….and it was “blu ray direct” 2 channel. No “oops I forgot the sub was on” dealer nonsense.

I brought a good cross section of music to test the speakers. Diana Krall/love scenes, Jennifer Warnes/the hunter, Crystal Method/Vegas, o brother where art thou, Planet x/universe and Willie Nelson/stardust. Each recording was handled with no distortion or strain. Unlike some very expensive speakers, no part of the ESL’s called attention to itself. It was ONE speaker. The bass was potent enough so I would not need a sub…(But I’ll use one anyway). I listened at a pretty loud constant mid-90’s db level.

Everything that is said about these speakers in a positive way is true. Most dynamic speakers sound “bloated and slow” by compare. The nuance and transient speed were transcendental. I was also shocked by the focus, and the comparatively wide listening window. Everything sounded natural. The electronica played without wimping out. Virgil Donati’s drums sounded like drums, within the detectable limits of that cd’s recording quality. Definition, timbre and dimension were all presented in an all-day listenable soundstage. I was truly shocked at how far electrostats have come. And to answer the question: yes, I prefer these to magneplanars too---which I found too polite and overrated with a Apple-like cult following. I am a believer, and I am also glad to have speakers “MADE IN THE USA.”
 
It's the first time I felt instantly jaded. That is...instantly realizing other speakers are not going to be it for me. I had all manner of horns from 1987-2014, but came to the realization that the coloration, shout and so on weren't for me. I prefer more dimensional speakers. While listening I tried to imagine ANYTHING from wilson, Joseph audio, proac or other highly regarded speakers that I would prefer...and the answer was quickly ...None of them.

I wish I had a dollar for every wasted high end demo that left me wondering why anyone likes some of that stuff... 3 of the most disappointing (and colored) speakers were north of $38K a pair. Hmm... etchy tweeter calls attention to itself, port noise.... hmmm....


A lot of what other speakers attempt to do, is easy for ML. No driver integration issues, no phase issues, and no cabinet interactions. I can't wait to re-listen to all my vinyl and uncompressed digital.

I see an Oppo in my future as well.
 
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Horn guys (especially the avante-garde guys) like to point out "detail" and "microdynamics". This comes at a cost of dimension, coloration, group delay and fatiguing sound. The ESL's don't have any of those problems. (not to mention having a $38,000 speaker with $30 drivers).
 

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