Joey_V
Well-known member
I wanted to bring up a topic that most have an opinion in.
I want to know your opinions between the two and how they present sonic information.
As for me, I find that there is an underlying commonality between the new XStats and that is balance. I'm not talking about the infrasonic bass support down low, I'm talking about the sonic reproduction above the panel crossover. I feel that after listening to the Aeons, Ascents and Oddysey (not the Prodigy).... they too have a sonic thread that they all follow to a certain degree. I feel that the older stats have a predilection towards favoring the top end and a bit of the vocals, sometimes leading towards an unnaturally sibilant presentation.
The Xstat is seemingly being faulted for lacking a midrange sparkle.... yet I remember distinctly hearing a piano piece being reproduced better by even the Mosaics, much less the Vantage, vs the Ascent.
I feel that this sparkle, which I have noted in my past auditions (on similar equipment as the Vantage), is an imbalance in the presentation that favors a certain(s) frequency bandwidth(s) at the cost of truer fidelity. There are build points that point to this possibility, the panel being slightly covered the cabinet down low, the larger and less rigid wooden frame, the larger (and thus more resonant) panel, the non-vacuum bonded diaphragm...
There is great reason to believe that the newer XStats display higher fidelity.
I feel that the Summits are the best speakers (short of hearing the CLS, Monoliths, ReQuests, and Prodigy) that I have heard to date. I feel that it is balanced from 270hz to 20+khz and leaves no midrange sparkle to be desired. There is no preference for a certain bandwidth, and this is what I was always looking for in a speaker - fidelity across the medium of reproduction.
I understand that some may argue that there are musical pieces which sound better on the previous generation.... but is it truer? I can attest that after hearing my girlfriend play the piano and my friends play the guitar on more than a dozen occassions... the Xstats are closer than the previous generation of MLs.
There is nothing to be gained by looking for a midrange sparkle on the Vantage or Summits, it does not exist. You will drive yourself mad looking for an imbalance in the sound that does not exist. As a whole, fidelity lies in the newer XStats.
Having said this, I look forward to the next iteration of electrostats.... in a quest for even better fidelity.
Just my .02.
As Roberto says, trust your ears.
I want to know your opinions between the two and how they present sonic information.
As for me, I find that there is an underlying commonality between the new XStats and that is balance. I'm not talking about the infrasonic bass support down low, I'm talking about the sonic reproduction above the panel crossover. I feel that after listening to the Aeons, Ascents and Oddysey (not the Prodigy).... they too have a sonic thread that they all follow to a certain degree. I feel that the older stats have a predilection towards favoring the top end and a bit of the vocals, sometimes leading towards an unnaturally sibilant presentation.
The Xstat is seemingly being faulted for lacking a midrange sparkle.... yet I remember distinctly hearing a piano piece being reproduced better by even the Mosaics, much less the Vantage, vs the Ascent.
I feel that this sparkle, which I have noted in my past auditions (on similar equipment as the Vantage), is an imbalance in the presentation that favors a certain(s) frequency bandwidth(s) at the cost of truer fidelity. There are build points that point to this possibility, the panel being slightly covered the cabinet down low, the larger and less rigid wooden frame, the larger (and thus more resonant) panel, the non-vacuum bonded diaphragm...
There is great reason to believe that the newer XStats display higher fidelity.
I feel that the Summits are the best speakers (short of hearing the CLS, Monoliths, ReQuests, and Prodigy) that I have heard to date. I feel that it is balanced from 270hz to 20+khz and leaves no midrange sparkle to be desired. There is no preference for a certain bandwidth, and this is what I was always looking for in a speaker - fidelity across the medium of reproduction.
I understand that some may argue that there are musical pieces which sound better on the previous generation.... but is it truer? I can attest that after hearing my girlfriend play the piano and my friends play the guitar on more than a dozen occassions... the Xstats are closer than the previous generation of MLs.
There is nothing to be gained by looking for a midrange sparkle on the Vantage or Summits, it does not exist. You will drive yourself mad looking for an imbalance in the sound that does not exist. As a whole, fidelity lies in the newer XStats.
Having said this, I look forward to the next iteration of electrostats.... in a quest for even better fidelity.
Just my .02.
As Roberto says, trust your ears.