Alternative after Soundlab. Horns? Heil Tweeters?


Dear all, I had to part from my beloved electrostatic Soundlab due to space limitation. (I didn’t want to hear them nearfield)

Now, provided my type of music is acoustic and vocals – I am looking for a budget price speaker that with all its limitation compared to Soundlab, can still reproduce vocals lifelike, transparent (no drilling ears tweeters please) and emotionally involving.

Due to a cat presence I have excluded Magneplanar but I have considered speakers based on the Heil tweeter like the Oskar Kithara.

Which other speakers shall I include in the list to audition for my targeted taste ? (Range 4000-6000 USD)
Are Horns a possible target? (Acapella and Avantgarde seems too pricey)

It can be both a small monitor or a floor speaker. I am not a fanatic of hard bass also because in the new room it will just be too much.
Many thanks and hope you will accept to respond, it looks a struggling experience downgrading but sometimes priorities shall be different.
Daniel
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Showing 2 responses by gliderguider

Here's another suggestion that's well within your price range: the Reference 3A MM de Capo i. A friend has a pair hooked up to an 18 wpc SET, and they are absolutely terrific on vocals, jazz, chamber orchestras etc. They have a very nice tweeter, are good for semi near-field listening, are very transparent and have excellent bass for their size.
How about the Fab Audio Model 1? They may be a touch over your price range, but I know they'd do the trick. I have mine in a 13x19x8 room, and listen to them quasi-nearfield (~9 feet from driver to ear) and they integrate just fine. They're a bit odd looking , and the driver complement doesn't make intuitive sense (10" paper cone with a 3/4" aluminum dome). But, but, but...

They're 97dB efficient, an easy load (flat 6 ohms), and as clean, clear and articulate as you could ask for. They have very natural but not really deep bass, and with the right amp they can carve people out of thin air. They sound very fast and very dynamic. I drive them with a 6 watt PX-25 amp to all the volume I need, even on symphonic music.

Before I got them I was thinking of trying to shoehorn Soundlabs into my room, but I realized it wouldn't work. Since I got them I haven't even thought about electrostatics.

You can see them in my system photos, and the web site is http://www.fabaudio.com/Model1.htm