I recommend the Eminent Technology LFT-8's. They may be a bit high at $1800 to $2000, but their sound compares favorably to speakers five times their cost. In my opinion they beat or match many of the big electrostatics with their liquid sound. The electrostatics tend to sound grainy to me in comparison with the Et's.
The ET's employ a push pull design which makes the signal they produce more linear than other planars. Others planars have magnets only on one side, causing the magnetic field to be weaker farther from the speaker; therefore as the diaphram moves outward, it experiences a weaker magnetic field, losing control and linearity. With magnets on both sides, the Eminents eliminate this problem entirely.
The sound they produce is magic, with a very large multidimensional soundstage, deep, wide and tall, with good dynamics and midrange to die for. The new "B" version boasts a much improved tweeter, with neodymium magnets for control.
If you are a fan of the planar sound, you can't go wrong with these speakers. I own 2 pairs of earlier models, and couldn't be more pleased with their sound.
Bruce Thigpen, one of the inventors and owner of the company has no problem speaking directly with his customers and is very accomodating. Not only that, but he produces almost everything used in the speakers on site in Tallahasse Florida, employing folks who are local to the area.
Add these factors up and in my opinion you come up with an unbeatable bargain for high end planar sound.
Hope this helps and good luck with your search,
Ron
The ET's employ a push pull design which makes the signal they produce more linear than other planars. Others planars have magnets only on one side, causing the magnetic field to be weaker farther from the speaker; therefore as the diaphram moves outward, it experiences a weaker magnetic field, losing control and linearity. With magnets on both sides, the Eminents eliminate this problem entirely.
The sound they produce is magic, with a very large multidimensional soundstage, deep, wide and tall, with good dynamics and midrange to die for. The new "B" version boasts a much improved tweeter, with neodymium magnets for control.
If you are a fan of the planar sound, you can't go wrong with these speakers. I own 2 pairs of earlier models, and couldn't be more pleased with their sound.
Bruce Thigpen, one of the inventors and owner of the company has no problem speaking directly with his customers and is very accomodating. Not only that, but he produces almost everything used in the speakers on site in Tallahasse Florida, employing folks who are local to the area.
Add these factors up and in my opinion you come up with an unbeatable bargain for high end planar sound.
Hope this helps and good luck with your search,
Ron