After much experimenting I have discovered that the sum of these speakers is greater than the parts. Adding the 4 additional panels really pumped up the low end performance. I have the 4's at the sides of the 6's, raised up so they are about mid way up the 6's. They have a dedicated amp. This gives me an incredible opportunity to tailor the sound and vary the soundstage.
I believe the best configuration is for an almost equilateral triangle to be formed with the 6's at the edge of the 2 front corners, facing almost directly ahead. The 4's are towed a bit more, to point at the apex of the triangle; the listening position, which is about 7 feet from the speakers. The speakers sit about 2.5 feet off the back wall. The room is 13 feet wide and 21 feet deep, with a dining room area open to the back and right, creating an "L" shaped room of fair size, (about 375 share feet of floor size).
This setup gives a huge soundstage, extending well beyond the speakers themselves both vertically and horizontally, yet without a hole in the middle. I wouldn't say the staging is perfectly pinpoint, but rather very large with fairly definite localization. It is as if you are sitting in the second row of a symphony. Depending on the recording you may sometimes be seated immediately in front of or occasionally within the material being heard.
Many sounds seem to shimmer in the air, with lots of space around them. Unveiled and distinct. Bass, extends from the low 30's to the mid 20k range for the highs. The bass is quite substantial and a bit sweet, owing to the combination of the Eminents very large surface area and an incredibly smooth transition to the midrange. It is easy to understand how they have good bass, considering they have approximately 630 square inches of radiating surface per side, with an excursion peak to peak of almost a half inch. This allows the speakers to reach astounding volume levels for a planar type speaker. The radiating area of each side is about the equivalent of 5 1/2 12" woofers...
I have recently compared them to the Soundlab A-IPX's and the Soundlabs sounded grainy in comparison. I admit that the Soundlabs had more "slam" and a slightly more analytic sound, but they were also being driven by a much higher powered system than my own, and in a more ideal room to produce it.
It is my feeling that the Eminents in this combination give just about the perfect combination of performance versus price for mid-large rooms. They are vintage for sure, but in no way out of date. I would also call them forgiving. They make almost all material sound a bit better than it is.
I will probably sell them soon, after about 5 years I have the itch to move on that we all get. When I do if you live nearby I invite you to bring some of your material over for a test drive. I'm sure you will be astounded at these truly remarkable planars, and just may lug them home...
Thank you and best regards,
Ron
