Eminent Technology LFT8B’s reversing woofer polarity

Hi bdp24

I appreciate your input and suggestions. 

I went to GR Research's website and I don't see the Rythmik/OB dipole subs you're recommending. Does GR Research still sell these or have they been discontinued? Do you use one or two and where do you set the crossover point at. 

I don't hear that "low level whistle" from the woofer you mentioned. Just because I don't hear it doesn't mean it's not there and everything won't sound better if eliminated. Do you think it's on every LFT8B ot just on some? 

Thanks for your help.

Best
Scot

Hey bdp24

Thanks for the explanation, I’m sure I would have eventually figured all that out, only problem is I would have been 5 years older! Does Rythmik sell this sub already built? I would like to hear one. The other sub System I would like to hear is the “Swarm”. Thanks again, very interesting. Take care

Scot

Hi everyone

I just wanted to share something with everyone who owns LFT8B’s.

About 6 months ago I emailed Grant Vandermye (myesound.com) best known for making stands for Magnepan speakers among several others. I had his stands on my 3.7i’s and really liked them. I asked Grant if he made those same stands for the LFT8b’s and he said he did not. I asked him, would he consider making me a pair for the LFT8B’s and to my surprise he said sure, why not. He’s a really nice guy and a pleasure to work with. Long story short....

Six months later, with the help of friend we set them up yesterday and all I can say is WOW! I cannot believe the improvement. Anyone who owns these amazing speakers needs to hear these stands. The first thing that just hits you is how much more stable the instruments are within the soundstage. I could not believe the improvement. I am hearing background details on familiar albums that are mind boggling. Bass is much tighter and much cleaner. Midrange and the high frequencies are much more open. They are, in my opinion, a must hear. For the money ($560.00 usd pair incl shipping) it is a tremendous upgrade for not a lot of money. Enjoy!

Scot

Hi all

Regarding the amp requirements to properly drive the LFT8B’s, too many people worry about having enough watts per channel. My experience has taught me that the quality of the amp is much more important than the watts per channel.

I had a Cambridge stereo amp on them (200 wpc) and it was good. Not knocking Cambridge, they make a nice amp, but when I switched to the Pass Labs XA30.8 and heard it for the first time, I laughed out loud. That amp, on paper, is rated at only 30 watts per channel (solid state) but it’s all power supply. The thing weighs 84 lbs, it’s rated at 30 wpc @ 8 ohms, 60 wpc @ 4 ohms & 120 wpc @  2 ohms and it still has 12 dB of headroom! It’s a class a design. That amp drives those LFT8B’s effortlessly and always sounds incredibly musical. Watts per channel means nothing. 

bdp24

Thanks for mentioning the Audiophiliac show on YouTube, I’ll definitely check it out. 

Regarding the Mye stands for the LFT8B’s, I’ll bet he doesn’t have any pictures on his website yet, mine were the 1st pair he’s built. If you look at the pictures of the stands for the Magnepan 3.7’s you’ll get the idea, it’s basically the same stand. I’ll try to get a picture posted on this website (if Agon will allow it).

I also forgot to mention the most important attribute of the stands, the upright braces that attach from the back of the stand to the sides of the 60” panel. The upright braces prevent the panel from moving forward or backwards when the music is playing. HUGE IMPROVEMENT. To test the stability of the panel, I put my finger on top of the panel and tried moving it forwards and backwards, it felt like it was anchored to the floor, no movement whatsoever. The biggest benefit is image stability. The instruments within the soundstage are now precisely placed and pinpoint and rock solid. The improvement is off the charts. Background details are much better. Background voices are more intelligible. On familiar recordings you hear things you never knew were there. Everything is much more open. Like I said in my original posting, a must hear for anyone who owns these speakers. No negative, all positive.

I also prefer a Planar magnetic driver to any dynamic driver. It’s a simple matter of physics. The heavier dynamic driver will never start and stop as quickly as the planar drivers. I’ve owned Magico’s, Avalon’s, and the list goes on, some of them costing more than 10x the price of the LFT8B’s. I obviously prefer the LFT8 B’s. The fact that they only cost $2500.00 pair is a gift. Thank you Bruce Thigpen! Take care.

Scot

Hi guys (and gals)

I to, probably like most of us, used the Sound Anchor stands and liked them. You fill them with sand, adjust the rake angle, and you’re good to go.

One of the weak points of the LFT8B’s design is in the way the panel attaches to the woofer box (no offense Bruce). Five small wood screws screwed into an MDF woofer box just isn’t very secure. If you put your finger on the top of the panel and move it forwards & backwards there is a lot of movement. With the Mye stand in place, no movement whatsoever. That panel now feels like it’s part of the floor!

The thicker metal Mye stand with the upright braces that bolt to the thicker metal bases of the stand allow the upright braces to attach to the sides of the panels with a metal “C” clamp and  makes that panel MUCH more stable. The “C” clamp attached to the sides of the panels was done at my request. Grant wanted the upright bracing to screw into the backs of the frames but I felt the attachment points were too close to the tensioning adjustments for the midrange panels and didn’t want to risk going anywhere near those cam adjusters. I felt the “C” clamps attached to the sides of the panels were an acceptable aesthetic compromise. That is the key element of the Mye stand and why the imaging within the soundstage becomes rock solid and instruments are now pinpoint stable. 

My my pair of Mye stands were the first pair Grant has ever made. It doesn’t surprise me that there are no pictures of them on his website yet or have been added to the price sheet. I feel pricing is very reasonable. I paid $560.00 for the pair including shipping (from Canada) to Illinois. He includes all necessary hardware and an Allen key for assembly. The fit and finish is very nice (all metal surfaces are powder coated). The price/performance ratio is well worth it. 

This is embarrassing to admit but here we go, I am terrible with computers and have never used the camera on my smart phone (I’ll wait for the laughter to die down) I will try to figure out how to take a couple of pictures and email them to my computer so I can post some pictures for everyone. 

Anyone who would like to contact me through email is more than welcome to. I don’t think Audiogon allows people to post their email but if they do here it is:  scothurwitz@comcast.net. If that doesn’t work, feel free to direct message me. Tanks and take care.

Scot