Dynamic versus Electrostatic Part Deux

I posed this question back in March about the differences that exist between Dynamic versus Electrostatic. At that time I had considered buying, then becoming a Sound Lab Dealer.It has since been excised from the offerings here, so I am compelled, for the purpose of information, to redo the "question" in the form of a review. I hope everyone understands, and no one thinks this is 'clever marketing'.
If you recall, somehow, during the middle of the thread, accusations of shilling came about. Those were flung at me, and or maybe I overreacted. Actually, in my positions, of having been Director of Sales and Marketing for THIEL, then President Emeritus Worldwide Business Development for Von Schweikert, and a devotee of dynamic speakers, with a few notable exceptions, that being the magnificant Quad 63s then the Quad 63US version, plus later the Audiostatic. My core question was, in that original post, what is so great about Sound Lab, that makes their following an almost Stepford Audiophile? HA!
Forgetting the accusations, and ugliness that ensued, I am back from a self imposed moratorium from Audiogon to tell everyone how the Sound Labs sound in my cavernous room(s).
For those of you who may feel compelled to run and buy a pair immediately because of my Svengali-like capabilities, I would ask that you wait an extra 24 hours to buy. Get a grip on yourselves,think about your childrens college fund, your mortgage, and don't let me hypnotize you into doing something dangerous to your financial health. I am officially a Sound Labs Dealer, so please take these comments with a whole bucket of salt. They are my true and actual comments, but you know how salespeople are; especially one's who have written "Eleven Hard Earned Lessons", an anecdotal recitation on how to treat customers the right way in a high end audio store setting. In case you hadn't guessed it that is me. So with those people who have asked me to jump back into the fray in mind, and contribute, I will do so on an limited basis, starting with a preliminary review of the Sound Labs, with the Halcro, as I promised.
"Honey, our coffins are here"
First let me tell you, that when the A-1's arrived, no amount of pictures could prepare me for the physical size of these speakers. My other speakers, had, uh...well 'speaker envy' just being in the same room.(Thank you Woody Allen)
The boxes are wooden crates, that in and of themselves must cost a fortune. If you ignore my warning, and run out and order some, be sure to have two large strong, helpers, with a screw gun at the ready. It took an hour to unpack and set them up.
"Fire in the hole!"
After the hour, like all good audiophiles, I was frothing at the 'ear' to hear them. So on they came, all rear panel settings, set to neutral, (more on that later).
Peter Cincotti, a young 20 year old pianist/vocalist, attending Columbia, was first on the CD Player.
For those who want to know, I have the Halcro 10 Preamp, and the DM38 amp, which is 185wpc into 8 ohms.
My room, as is the outer shelf of Mammoth Cave, (one of the 8 natural wonders of the world) located here in Kentucky, is simply huge by most standards. It is 20x22x20high. It is open, through two casement doors, 6' each into the kitchen opposite the listening room. The there's the loft above the speaker wall. All in all I am looking at about 15,000cubic feet of space, including the kitchen and loft. (Very approximate, but you get the idea).
So the obvious question, with the 50 ohm plus, then dipping to 2 ohms at 20K is a rollercoaster ride of fun for the Halcro.
On the first cut I played, Cincotti's,lover's rendition of the Theme from the "Godfather", I was pretty startled.
The words begin, "No one can buy tomorrow..." my first thoughts were, no, but if you can afford them buy the Sound Lab A-1's. There was an immediate change in the sound that I got, versus, what I was getting. In a nutshell, the Sound Lab speakers have no noticible "driver noise" to draw you away from the sound. Driver noise, crossover colorations, all the things that make us aware that we are listening to loudspeakers, is missing, and, for the better.
Low level resolution, that is the smallest of clues within the music, like pages turning on the Dean Martin Columbia double set while he is singing in front of an old barbershop quartet. Piano stools squeeking, the sound of headphones on the singer on some cuts, its all there.
It's hard to remember, as a hobbyiest, not to become a test record groupie, pulling out Stereophile's test record, et al.
I mentioned earlier that there are rear panel settings. First of all, you set the current, with a bias control. All you do is turn it clockwise until you hear the speaker, slightly 'crackle', and back off. That insures that you are at the optimum current presentation to the speaker, just like setting the bias on your tube amp. There is also a High Frequency knob. That is advised to be set at 2:00 on the dial. That works fine for now. I, like all tweaks turned it up and down. Up made the highs, 'bright' as you would guess, and down below the two oclock setting made it dull, and srunk the stage too. (Low level res was down too much, and the 'air' was gone. The mid range knob, has several +3, 0, -3 and so on. 0 is the 'base' and recommended setting, and I concur even during breakin. Low Frequency, same, plus minus, zero. Leave it alone. (Oh hell, go ahead, play with it, then leave it alone.) That sounds like good advice for puberty too. Then comes the fuse trick that Albert told me about. (All non believers, turn your head and cough, skipping this part as it is unbelieveable even to me, but it happened, so I'll pass it on.) Albert said, replace the fuse, a 1/4 amp, with a quick blow 10 amp, so I did. Wow, the best $1.49 change in the entire galaxy! I'm so goofy I put Michael Dayton-Wright's, Tweak, contact enhancer on the fuse!!) Anybody remember him? That's the back panel stuff I promised.
That was the first day. The second day was agony; the break in process, according to Albert Porter, the person I most admire, along with Duke and Brian, but I have been talking closely to Albert. Where were you Albert, when I was traveling the country trying to teach some rather insistant hard heads, about how to treat customers?? Albert is a good guy, he knows the product, and he's patient; he epitomizes the audiophile's dream. Back to music.The second say they sounded thin and nasty, and I kept yawning thinking I had lost my golden ears. But alas, it was breakinitius. I turned them off and went to bed.
Day Three "God Said, "He's 55, and not much time left for him, give him a break already, let there be music." And so there was...
"Electrostatics don't have dynamic punch, and can't play loud." To that, with the "New" Sound Lab's which offer about 9db more efficiency I can only say bullsh*t, and for those of you with no imagination that word with the asterisk was 'bullshit'.
To think that I am filling this enormous cavern, is to be unbelieveable, even to me, but I am. Admittedly the Halcro, can drive a 'nail' as they say, but it's a terrific combination. I can hear why some will like tubes, but, and follow this because it's important to see a distinction here. The Halcro's are that perfect spring water, that has no taste, or should I say no added taste. I LOVE cold natural spring water. To that extent, I disagree with those who say no taste; to me it tastes like a piece of pure heaven when I want it. Now, does that mean I don't want some Orange Juice, some color sometimes? No!
So there are those who will want color ADDED, but by all means, be careful, pick the right color, because you're going to 'taste' that color in all its glory with the Sound Labs every time you turn them on. Micophone noises, imperfect edits yada yada.... Sterile, no. I have to say that, CLEAN and UNCOLORED, have met their mates, and match. Now, I can 'hear' without having heard it, what the steel outer containment units on the Ultimate, and and would do, if that makes sense. Cleaner yet. But this is purely remarkable.
One thing that bears noting too, is the scaling. My audio system, (shudder) is also my video. So I have a High Def TV there. When Tom Brokaw, or Peter start to speak, their voices aren't five six feet tall. They are properly scaled in size, which, also means, thank God that a live perfomance of Peter Cincottic (no, I am not shilling for him) Live on Bravo, from the Montreal Jazz Festival, sounds lifelike in size.
If you want a fun test, and can access it, play the "Live Bravo" versus the album, and note how much more lifelike the live version is, (no I am ahead of you, even with the picture OFF). The Cincotti Group is in the same room, TOGETHER, and, yes, they have a 'hotter' mic on him, as with a lot of live groups, but its better than the cd, and WAY more fun.
"Honey what does a real zeldgin cymbal sound like".
While playing several albums, I noted time after time the lifelike sound of the highs. The cymbals sound like small gongs, not the tiszszszszs monster. Plus there's the air coming down from them. Wow. No tweeter ever made can do this better, maybe some of the best ribbons, come close, but then there's that damnable crossover in the way. The same wonderful sound comes from the highest notes on the piano, they sparkle, they don't klink.
"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", by Stacey Kent, was a new experience, with the middle of her voice having a richness that wasn't there before, as it was masked by the noise of, either the crossover or the drivers.
Nancy Wilson, Cannonball Adderly, on "The Masquerade is Over" is a tour de force in vocal dynamics of a great singer in her prime. Nancy Wilson is trading phrases with Joe Zawinul, (later of Weather Report) and still around.
She sings the lyrics, "I guess I'll have to play Pagliacci, and get myself a clown's disguise" at which time Zawinul, comes out with an operattic flourish, matching the full meaning and dynamic of her words. They never quite did that, that way before, even though this was recorded in 1962, it's all there. WOW!
"A Long Wait for Perfection"
Since Albert Porter tells me that there is a six month break in, I am in audio heaven. Within, what five days, they have become a piece of magic already. There's only one problem that I can see. With something this good, amp, preamp, Speakers, what do I have to compulse over? Maybe photography, hmmm....how many colors are there, and how many can I personally see?
More as they break in, and thanks for reading. If you have any questions, write to me. Wait a while, unfortunately (just kidding) I am going on vacation to see my daughter. Back in two weeks.
Best to all, and it's good to be back, even if on a limited basis.

Good Listening to All, hope you get some feeling of these speakers from this.

Larry R. Staples