Newform research

Here it is almost 6 years later. I have to agree about the integration problem, but I bought the 645 ribbons alone and paired them with SEAS EXCEL woofers and the integration is perfect. These sound better than my Quad ESL's and also my Maggies, and also... well, everything I've owned before.

Like Jeff said (more or less) the Newform ribbons are very special.

newforms are made to accomodate off access listening, so unlike apogees, etc. they do have a softer soundstage. that said, they are extremely balanced, and are very rare in the used market.

I also owned a pair of of 645s. I did expensive crossover upgrades and I still didn't care for them. I think my room was too small for the ribbon and bass to integrate right.
The ribbon sounded great though (maybe too fast for my taste the woofers couldn't keep up) I though it has good bass extension also.
I now own a pair of Eminent Tech. 8A ( will do the tweeter upgrade to 8b when funds allow). I enjoy these speakers much more. (the tweeter is not as clean fast the Newform - which probably will be alleviated with the 8b upgrade). They go lower and are very coherent. Not pretty to look at, but neither were the Newforms.

If you're interested in ribbon/dynamic hybrids, you may consider line arrays. Selah Audio can design around compatible ribbons and midbasses. Mine use Fountek NeoPro 5i ribbons and Scanspeak Revelator 18W-8531 midbasses and sound spectacular, albeit at a relatively high cost (mostly the drivers). Much less costly driver combos are possible. The main issue is resale value for custom items, so you should be sure you're in for the long haul.

I had a pair of Newform 645's. Compared to the Maggies and Apogees I owned prior the Newforms didn't hold a candle. The Maggies and Apogees were detailed, natural, neutral and rendered wonderful soundstages. The Newforms had a
good soundstage, clean top end and the bass was lacking in
comparison to the Maggies and Apogees. I will not buy Newforms again. I sold them to a guy in the ATL area and he appeared to be happy.