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Eminent Technology LFT 8a's versus 8b's

Hi everyone and happy new year.

I’d like to ask feedback from owners that have either had the 8a’s and then bought 8b’s later or had their 8a’s tweeter upgraded to the b.

I purchased a used set of 8a’s in 2010 and they are one of my favorite speakers.
I use mine in a focal point setup where they are beside the walls about 6" out -in a long rectangular room about half way in. There are two sweet spots at either end of the room. This setup works well.

I have considered upgrading to the b’s however as confirmed to me by Bruce the b’s tweeter only puts out sound one way and is not dipole. I could not use them
the way I currently do. I am very happy with their sound as is.

Can I get feedback from fellow owners. Was the a – b upgrade worth it or do you miss anything from the 8a’s. Of note the room I have them is bass shy. They sound fine with about 150-200 watts but I found they really need a powerful amp to show what they can do. I have them hooked up to Classe ca300. Big difference in all aspects especially the bass – no sub is required even in the bass shy room I have them in. I have seen some room pictures where subs are used and wonder how much power is involved that a bigger amp wouldn't fix.
Thx for the feedback.
128x128ct0517
4 responses Add your response
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
I agree - if you added the B ’ Tweeter you could always interchange with the A’s very easily. I think this talks greatly to the genius and simple way that Bruce built these speakers.
Funny about the tweeter comments – maybe because mine are firing down the lengths of both sides of the room. Never had an issue with brightness. I keep the tweeter on the inside and the crossover has remained on the mid-setting.

I did receive a couple of emails from my first post from folks that preferred the A’s for their set up as well. Either way A or B versions these are great speakers. Are there better planar type speakers at their price point?

Last 4 months I have been using a Music Reference RM9 with the ET’s and am very happy with the sound. These ET’s are very fast speakers even compared to my PK Quad 57’s.

ArmyScout - You have done some interesting things with your ET’s. Regarding Dakiom tweaks I have heard very little about them. If I had an issue with any of my speakers I would maybe try them since they do offer a guarantee. Interesting product.

Cheers
armyscout41
64 posts
 
I'm not sure whether to upgrade or not and the price of the tweeter upgrade jumped from $399 to $470 within a year. No problem really, but the LFT 8A which I have i'm able to tame the brightness of the tweeter by using dakiom feedback stablizers which cleans out my amps. You can also use it between the crossovers and the tweeter which would be more recommended. I may upgrade anyway because I always have an upgrade bug. I already have a janszen electrostat add on for the high range which puts any speaker at another level, so at this point at least to my set up, I'm not sure it's warranted. I can always interchange my speakers since i'm a collector and also have acoustats, maggies, ess heils, ohm walsh and SLS etc. The B not being dipole is another issue for me as i agree with the user of this post. If brightness was the main issue for changing the tweeter, I already resolved the issue at least in my set up, plus I have tubes and ss amps and I have buffers to clean up any brightness and tons of sound processors like dbx, bbe, aphex, behringer and peavey!
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
Thx for the feedback Nels. Internet reviews are one thing. Its nice to hear real experiences.

I used the following method to set mine up in a long narrow room. Even with the cone woofer the sound is nice very balanced. It is the only thing preventing me from upgrading as the b tweeter is not dipole and this setup uses the front and back waves.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1279867740
nels
2 posts
 
Hi Ct0517, I did the 8b tweeter upgrade and don't miss the 8a's tweeter. There's a good review of the tweeter upgrade out there on the internet that mirrors my experiences well. For me this was a very worthwhile upgrade and one I recommend. For amps, I alternate between Classe CAM200 monos and ARC Classic 120 mono's. I've never used any lower powered amps so I can't comment on the power requirements vs sound performance. For the music I enjoy the speakers sound best with the ARC's. My 8b's are (were) at least 6'out from the front wall positioned along the short wall in a well damped room 27'x 16'x8'. I can't give more specific postioning data right now as my room notes are in storage. I'm remodeling my music room and everything has been moved to storage. I listen to mostly jazz, classical some rock and really enjoy these speakers. If you decide to go down the subwoofer path I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences. cheers, nels
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