Considering a POSSIBLE replacement for speakers. Opinions?

@mijostyn: Ah yes, but there is a cure for the one weakness in the ET LFT-8b (ignoring in this discussion it's inefficiency, which is actually not as severe as are Maggies. I have both.)---the matter of mating the planar m/t drivers with a monopole bass driver (woofer in a sealed enclosure), good as the LFT-8b woofer is (much better imo than in any other hybrid.): use the GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole Sub in place of the ET woofer (which has it's own binding post on the top of the woofer enclosure---to facilitate bi-amping or bi-wiring, and may be left unconnected).

The OB sub is, like any and all planar loudspeakers, a dipole radiator, with a figure-of-8 radiation pattern, a null to either side of the OB frame into which the dual-12" woofers are installed. It shares that pattern with the LFT-8b planar drivers, eliminating the problem of the spl-drop off with distance differential found in "normal" hybrids. Clever, ay? ;-)

The GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole Sub can be used up to 300Hz, safely above the 180Hz planar/dynamic-to-woofer x/o frequency of the LFT-8b. A single sub (containing a pair of 12" woofers) may be employed on each channel (left and right, in stereo), or multiples may be stacked up on each side. Choose the number of OB Subs based on the desired maximum-spl (and available funds ;-) .    

Hello bdp24,

     I've never experimented with an OB sub, or even heard one in action.  But I'm still theorizing that 2-3 OB subs, independently and strategically positioned in the room either using measurement gear, room correction hardware/software or just subjectively by ear, would likely yield the best results.

Tim

There are so MANY great speakers available. As Jay says there is no perfect speaker.
I dare say whatever speaker you buy will fill your needs. Provided they match up even half assed with what feeds them.
In my case I made a road trip (7hrs) to hear the speakers I bought. And heard them through equipment, and room, that unless I hit the lottery would never own. But know the potential of what I bought.

Make sure you also hear the best selling high end speaker of all time.The 3.2 k newest Vandersteen 2Sig 3 Its offers amazing potential in that it works great with your B&K and well beyond will give you a more sophisticated level of performance then typical box designs.Achieve the proper tone with voices guitars and timing of the recording venue that are MIA in conventional Box/ steep crossover designs. JohnnyR

Time and phase-correct

Minimum-area baffles for driver mountings that eliminate most cabinet edge and grille diffraction anomalies

Midrange and woofer use cast baskets

Tri-woven composite midrange

Filled poly cone woofer

High quality hand built crossovers

SPEAKER SPECIFICATIONS -

• DESIGN -Sealed individual enclosure Loudspeakers


• TWEETER - 1” Exclusive Dual-Chamber, Transmission-Line Loaded, Ceramic-Coated Alloy Dome with Ferrofluid Voice-Coil Cooling


• MIDRANGE - 4.5” Reflection-Free Tri-Woven Composite Cone with Die-Cast Aerodynamic Basket and Magnet System with Ferrofluid Voice-Coil Cooling


• WOOFER - 8” Mineral-Filled Polycone with Die-Cast Basket, Dual-Layer Voice Coil with Ventilated Aluminum Former, 40 oz. Focused-Gap Magnet Structure


• ACTIVE ACOUSTIC COUPLER - 10” Critically-Damped Long-Fiber Cone, Heavy-Duty 1.5” 4-Layer Voice Coil with Ventilated Aluminum Former, 40 oz. Focused-Gap Magnet Structure


• FREQ. RESPONSE - 29Hz to 29kHz


• SENSITIVITY - 86 dB


• IMPEDANCE - 7 Ohms


• POWER HANDLING - 40-160 Watts


• DIMENSIONS/EA - (LxWxH) 10.25" x 16" x 39.75"


• WEIGHT/EA: 69 Lbs each
• Bases filled 30 LBS
  

@audioconnection 

johnny - curious to hear your take on how the vandy 2ce sig 3 (what a word salad!) compares to the vandy 3a sig, one step up richard's line...

I am a big fan of the Harbeth sounds and would recommend a set of C7ES3.  They will sound more natural, more refined, have better vocal imaging and presence, better instrument recognition and a larger sound stage than any of the MA Silver series.  

@noble101: Tim, give Danny Richie---the designer of the OB Sub---a call at GR Research. He is a very nice guy, and will be happy to advise you on adding the sub to your system.

Danny is one of the true experts in the world on the subject of OB speaker/sub design. Also check out the GR Research Forum on AudioCircle, which has a number of threads dedicated specifically to the OB Sub. 

Since you are investing a significant amount of money, why not consider a trip? Are you a 4 hour drive from a city? That’s a day trip. Call up in advance, make appointment. Know what they carry, read reviews in advance. Have a play list. Live further? Overnight trip. Take your time.

I really do not recommend acting on a consensus here. Your tastes are probably unique, and the performance of speakers are highly system dependent. A good audio dealer should be able take into account your system, tastes and help guide you. Find out the store owner or manager in advance, make the appointment with him. You want a seasoned professional, not some summer hired kid.