Mitch, it was I who recommended the Eminent Technology LFT-8b. They actually retail for only $2499, an incredible bargain. Harry Weisfeld of VPI recently said the LFT has the best midrange of any speaker he has ever heard. I wouldn’t go that far, but I have the original Quads in addition to the LFT’s!
The speaker has some advantages over the similar-in-some-ways Magneplanars (which I also own, though the old Tympani-IVa): The LFT driver is push-pull, most of the Magnepan drivers are single-ended. The main driver in the LFT-8b covers frequencies from 180Hz to 10,000Hz, without a cross-over! The speaker has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms, a better match for tube amps than are the 3-4 ohm Magnepans. Ralph Karsten at Atma-Sphere says he has a number of owners of his great OTL tube amps using them with the ET’s. If you bi-amp the LFT (the current Maggies can not be), the midrange panel itself is 11 ohms, an even better match. The LFT-8b has an 8" dynamic woofer for 180Hz and down, and does not have the planar/cone discontinuity often found in hybrid speakers, ESL’s especially. The speaker is capable of pretty high SPL, unlike many other dipoles.
There aren’t many Eminent Technology dealers around, and if there isn’t one within 150 miles of you, ET will sell and send a pair to you free of shipping and tax (unless you reside in Florida, I presume). An over-looked best buy of a speaker---Eric.
