"Sound Lab" electrostatic speakers...

[Robin]

Martin Logan, is generating a little more competition, I see...

I was cruising the internet and I came across, "Sound Lab", an electrostatic speaker company. I never heard of them before?

http://www.soundlab-speakers.com/

Tell me if their products look familiar? I'm going to diffinately, check out the authorized dealer in, Santa Rosa, CA, and audition these puppies.

http://www.soundscapeav.com/soundlab.html

The 'Sound Lab', electrostatic speakers seem as pricely as, 'JansZen' eletrostatic speakers.

Cheers

-Robin

 

[Statman]

I'f I hadn't bought ML's all around I'd have bought Sound Labs. Dr Roger West and Sound Lab have been around awhile. A true full range electrostatic speaker. Depending on which speaker you own they do take up space due to their sheer size. Better have the right room to play them in.

 

[DTB300]

I was cruising the internet and I came across, "Sound Lab", an electrostatic speaker company. I never heard of them before?

Sound Labs are great...also another great non-cone speaker, Beveridge a speaker that uses a "Lens" for it sound. Beveridge is what turned me on to the non-conventional type of speaker many many years ago - late 70's early 80's if I am not mistaken.

Dan

 

[holmancv]

ESS Hiels

About 30 years ago there was a company put together by a guy named, Oscar Hiel. I probably have at least half of my facts wrong by now but they made a real nice speaker. I don't think they sell out of any retail outlets but they do have a website, I think it's just hiel (or heil) .com. It was my fond memory of those speakers that made me check out ML. See, after 30 years he's still doing me right.
CVH

 

[DTB300]

Heil's are back with new models and compared to the old ones (which I heard) and quite nice sounding. Look around for some dealers as they are out there.

Dan

 

[Robin]

Oskar Heil speakers...

CVH and Dan,

I looked around and found a dealer, which site that sells Oskar Heil's high end loud speakers. They have some good photo's of the Oskar Heil speakers too:

http://www.unitedhomeproducts.com/id101.htm

They seem to be an ATF hybird type loud speaker. What do you think? Has anyone actually heard Heil speakers, up-close and personal? If so, what did they sound like?

Cheers

-Robin

 

[DTB300]

This place is in Columbia, Maryland (30 mins away) and this is where I heard the new Heil's. It had an all Jolida setup playing them in two different models.

Dan

 

[Robin]

The Heil's were 'nice'...?

Dan,

So, you were able to listen to the New Heil's? You said, they sounded 'nice', but how would you compare their sound to your, CLSiiz's, if your CLSiiz's were played through the same equipment? Do you think they were better than ML's or just different sounding? Do you think they where they brighter or mellower sounding?

Cheers

-Robin

 

[BearcatSandor]

Galcier Audio is out here in Montana. I got to talk to Harry Blazer for an afternoon and listen to the magic that are the SoundLabs M1s.

Yes they are huge. Yes they are 16K. They were powered by a Atmosphere MA2-MKII (http://www.atma-sphere.com/awards/gea/gea.htm). These are 24K tube amps!!

The sound was my new bench mark. The depth and clarity was amazing! I actually wept listening to them, and found myself gasping from tiime to time.

I would like to hear a pair of Summits with a pair of AES Sixpacs. I have to wonder how they would compare. I know that such a system is about the price of the M1s alone.

I mean, if i don't play at high volumes and don't have a big room, am i going to get more out of a 220 watt tube amp (!) vs. a 55 watt?

I never inquired how much it costs to replace the tubes on the MA2. I probably don't want to know.

 

[DTB300]

So, you were able to listen to the New Heil's? You said, they sounded 'nice', but how would you compare their sound to your, CLSiiz's, if your CLSiiz's were played through the same equipment? Do you think they were better than ML's or just different sounding? Do you think they where they brighter or mellower sounding?

Robin...It has been a couple of months since I heard them, so let me see what I remember. First they were hooked up to all Jolida equipment - meaning all Tubes - either integrated or Pre and Power Amps, using DH-Lab cables. I heard them on 200w Tube amps and 60 watt integrated Tube Amp with the Jolida Tube CD Player.

Tough to compare to CLSIIz's without side by side listening....

Without the side by side, I thought the Heil's were brighter sounding even on the Tube Amps. They did have a Moon Solid State Amp they could have hooked up, but I did not want to waste the rep's time as there were other people in the store and I was not buying

The sweet spot on the Heil's was VERY wide. You could almost move from one speaker side to the other and still feel like you were in the sweet spot. This is from the dispersion of the Tweeter/Midrange device.

Bass in the cabinets fired UP underneath the tweeter unit and the bass was not bad sounding - not quite as tight as I am acustomed to or like, but again that could have been the Tube Amps. I cannot remember if you can Bi-Amp them or not.

They were very nice looking speakers...typical tall rectangular cabinet look on the bottom, but the Tweeter/Midrange device made them very unique looking. And as ML owners we like that uniqueness

Cost is a personal issue and each would have to listen to see if they liked what they heard for the cost.

Would I buy a pair....I would have had to listen to more sources other than the Jolida equipment to make an adequte decision, and of course take them home.

Dan

 

[Robin]

Heil speakers...

Dan,

Your review gave me a good idea, of what to expect from 'Heil' speakers.
I plan to drive over to, Santa Rosa, and check out the 'Sound Lab' electrostatic speakers, and I will let you know how they, 'generally', compare to ML's...

Thank you, as always, for your quick and wonderfully articulate response Dan...

Cheers

-Robin

 

[Robin]

No Sound Lab speakers in Santa Rosa...

Dan,

Your review gave me a good idea, of what to expect from 'Heil' speakers.
I plan to drive over to, Santa Rosa, and check out the 'Sound Lab' electrostatic speakers, and I will let you know how they, 'generally', compare to ML's...

Thank you, as always, for your quick and wonderfully articulate response Dan...

Cheers

-Robin

Dan,

Well, I drove over to Santa Rosa today, to listen to the, "Sound Lab" - electrostatic speakers, at "Soundscape Audio" only to discover, they stopped carring them, and have not seen a pair in their store in about four years...

Needless to say, I was a little disappointed. Well, I probably should have called Soundscape Audio first, Oh well... I am now concidering calling the manufacturer directly, to discover where the nearest dealer is located to me in Calistoga. I really want to listen to these speakers. I'll let you know if I ever find some to listen to...

Cheers

-Robin