ElectrostatsPlaner/Ribbon s Vs Cone driv


I have owned Proacs, B&W Nautilus, Theils and others but never planers. I auditioned ML Arieus but was not taken with the musicality and the other models too big for my room. No other dealers nearby to demo Maggies, etc.
I know the general differences of the two design concepts, but I am trying to determine if there is a smallish planer design that would give nearly all the satisfaction I am getting from my BW Nautilus 805's with REL Strata Sub. In particular I would love to gain the lifesize soundstage and midrange wonder but not feel lacking by the lesser performance in high and low frequencies. I have a Levinson 331 amp and AR LS22 preamp. thanks for any experienced suggestions.
comchenry

Showing 2 responses by jim

Doug, which Apogee hybrid do you have? I went from Stages to Centaur's (26" ribbon/8" woofer) due to a move/smaller listening room and found the bass to be pretty good. Actually, pretty damn good. Maybe it was my room. I subsequently went to ML CLS's in a much larger room -- bass was not as good as the Centaurs. Now I've added Kinergetics SW800 sub towers (5 ten inch drivers in each enclosure) -- this mini-Statement system just slays. I think the Apogee hybrids are a solid recommendation. Low price of entry, hard to beat the ribbons for upper mids and highs.
Doug, sorry for the late reply. My notebook`s screen went South. Now, I am sharing my wife`s computer -- Japanese software and all -- hoping all goes well.

I changed from Stages to Centaurs because of a smaller room. I never had the sense to try a high quality sub like the REL with the Centaurs. I then moved to a room that would work with one of my fav`s, the CLS`s with brand new panels. I then fell in to a sweet deal for as-new SW800`s that were owned by Gayle Sanders. Tony Di Chiro traded these to Gayle for a pair of CLS`s.

I know exactly what you mean comparing the SL3 and Centaur bass. The first generation Centaurus enclosures were not the best in terms of engineering or construction. I wound up using the Tekna Sonic stuff to tighten the bass on these.

If you are ever in SoCal, buzz me and drop by for a listen.

Best, Jim