Gilmore Audio planars revealed

Sean, "I am out of here"? Say it aint so!

I saw the ad before I saw this thread. I regarded the claims I saw there just as skeptically as many of you above, and found the tired old 'hot chick model' ploy to be particularly tacky - even borderline insulting - attached to a product in this price range. That sort of marketing does nothing for a new manufacturer's credibility IMO (not to mention for Mr. Gilmore's appearance by comparision!).

And I don't feel that way just because the ad might be considered sexist, but because it almost seems like an attempt at a bit of sleight-of-hand for an ad to trumpet supposedly revolutionary technology while at the same time wrapping it up with T & A ; could it be a diversionary tactic? Most ad campaigns go one way or the other - advanced technology or blatant sex appeal - so this one, perhaps unintentionally, helps prompt me to question the legitimacy of the very technology it purports to offer. Not classy enough for a $20K product if you ask me - I mean, if you're gonna do it, at least get a model with natural breasts, give her something stylish to wear, and keep the leering, goofball-lookin' audiophile guy out of the photo ; who among us wants such a pathetic reminder that in real life being a shlubby middle-aged gear-head will never cause hot young chicks to flock to your side? - though I must say the speaker itself doesn't particularly look like it should cost that much either.

Anyway, besides the confusion engendered by tossing around both the terms 'ribbon' and 'planar' (as in planar-magnetic) to describe their HF driver, what I want to know more about are the LF drivers. They are described as being a "dynamic/planar hybrid". Well, do they have a conventional voice-coil or not? 'Cause if they do, they're dynamic woofers - that flat-fronted diaphragm means nothing. Until I see something presented to change my mind, I'll agree with those above who find nothing apparently revolutionary about this speaker's design, and who smell a fishy odor surrounding some of the vague yet seemingly incredible specs. None of this is to say that it might not be a fine speaker at real-world operating parameters, only that its marketing campaign, technical claims, and pricing to me tend to raise more doubts than they allay.

Sellerwithintegrity...Air core inductors inherently have the MOST DC resistance, as they require more (a longer length of) wire to make the desired value than an inductor with a magnetic core. And all caps in a crossover MUST be "non-polarized" or "bi-polar" or else they would not transmit AC current at all. Just a FYI, big guy.

"Mr.Gilmore obviously has smoked too much pakalolo, if he thinks anyone would pay $19K for these plug ugly kitchen counter tops."

I'm sure he will sell plenty of them. They are sure to be a great addition to the lofty collections of well pursed collectors. IMO, Corian seems like an ideal material to utilize in this application, and I look forward to checking them out. They might even spank the big VMPS hybrids for sheer dynamic-razor-embalism overkill. I hope so! But please spare us the psudo-tech descriptions of passive components. I'm still laughing.

Ok folks, I HAVE FINALLY heard these speakers in person.

I was invited over to Mark Gilmore's house when I went to visit relatives.

I was able to hear both the Model 2 and 3 speakers. We listened to the Model 3 speakers extensively because the Model 2 speakers were a bit too big for the room we were listening in.

Anyway... Let's forget about all the white paper BS specifications on these speakers for a moment. White paper has never told me anything about how something sounds. I have to hear a piece of gear before I can make a judgement on the sound.

And how do I think they sound???
On axis these speakers are possibly the finest speakers I have ever heard. What do these speakers do that makes them this good?
- They are amazingly coherent from top to bottom. I could NOT hear their crossover point.
- They are the most dynamic planer speaker I have ever heard. And most box speakers do not even come close to competing dynamically as well.
- The bottom end of these speakers is mind blowing. They go so deep with minimal distortion.
- This speaker has probably the least amount of distortion that I have EVER heard from ANY speaker. Listening to these speakers is like listening to the finest headphones EVER made but on a huge scale.
- This minimal distortion enables detail to just ooze from this speaker. These speakers are like windows to the music you are listening to.
- These speakers are perhaps the fastest speakers I have ever heard. Their speed from top to bottom is insanely good.

Is there anything negative I can say about these speakers?
- These speakers are designed to be listened to from a designated listening position (on axis). If you are NOT on axis BUT you are still ear level with the drivers of the speakers, the sound they project is GOOD but not great. And if your ear is above the drivers of the speaker, the sound these speakers project declies quite quickly. Thus, if you want to hear these speakers in all of their glory, you must listen from an on axis optimal listening position.

This is the only quibble I have with these speakers.

Anyway, I planned on only being at Gilmore's house for two hours or so, and I ended up staying around seven hours. We ended up spinning a ton of vinyl (YEE HA!!!!! and only a little digital) I would have stayed as long as I could, but I had to pick my mother up at the airport.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND EVERYONE GOING TO CES DROP BY AND HEAR THESE GILMORE SPEAKERS IN ACTION. IF YOU CAN AFFORD THEM (YEP, THEY NOT BE CHEAP), THESE SPEAKERS COULD BE THE LAST SPEAKERS YOU BUY FOR A LONG TIME. I kid you not... These are my favorite non box speakers by a WIDE MARGIN. THree years ago I sold my Maggies because I could NOT get dynamic sound like this from them... My favorite box speaker is the Vandersteen 5A speakers. For me to determine which I like better, I will need to hear them back to back in a reference system. Maybe one day....

Email me if you have any questions.

KF