This response is coming way too late to matter, as Escalante Design is long gone...however, I feel that it is important to clear the air. The designer for Escalante was Tierry Budge, who had previously worked with Talon Audio and Wilson as well. The top design that Tierry created for Escalante (ED), the Fremont, was far more advanced than most speakers, and it defied conventional wisdom/beliefs.
The sound quality of the Fremont was amazing: it had transient response that was faster than an electrostatic speaker, yet had efficiency and dynamics that you had to hear to believe. Detail retrieval, and microdynamics well superb. Imaging was first rate, and the Fremonts could reproduce any type of music or scale that was given to them. Their efficiency was rated at around 93dB, but their drivability was such that they could work well with small SETs of less than 5 watts. On the other side, I’ve heard them reproduce 120dB+ SPLs with huge monoblocks, and never break a sweat.
I personally heard them in multiple systems, in various settings, and actually helped Matt, the company’s owner, set up and demo them. They could be picky, and in at least one review, they were not set up correctly, resulting in less than ideal results. They required the right upstream electronics; proper cabling; fastidious attention to placement and positioning…but were worth it. I’ve heard the Fremonts in both tube based and solid state systems, and they were incredibly musical in both types.
The problem was, most people (audiophiles, engineers, etc.) have their own opinions, knowledge base, and experiences…and when something comes along that they have a hard time accepting, they will usually turn away (or worse).
Case in point: I demoed a pair of Fremonts for a gentleman at a show…played different types of music, at different volume levels…and asked his opinion. He gushed at the utter musicality, dynamics, imaging, frequency balance, etc…then I took off the grilles.
Shock! Once he saw the 12 inch driver coupled to the single tweeter, all of a sudden his opinion changed: “I thought I heard a crossover artifact…there’s no way the dispersion could work – that would explain the lack of imaging…”
Incredibly, he refused to accept what his ears were telling him, once his eyes (and mindset) were engaged…and unfortunately, I cannot BEGIN to tell you how many people share that same view.
Just thought I’d clear the air. But if you can find a pair of Escalante Design Fremonts or Pinyons at a good price, buy them. They will, in my opinion, outperform anything near (or even above) the price.
I’ve owned many, many speakers in the 40+ years that I’ve been in audio, from large Infinity models to Apogee full ranges, to Ohms, Snells, Genesis, etc. The list goes on…and yes, I own both the Fremonts and the Pinyons…but I’m not selling. You’ll have to get your own.