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Small room electrostat/ planar speaker?

In about 30 days will be moving to a new home where its going to be hard to make my 1.7 maggies work in a spouse friendly way ( the only large room is the main living room). I've always gravitated to planars and electrostatics, box speakers that don't sound colored or slow usually cost more than my entire system. Where I'd like to end up is a system that's extremely resolving at low to moderate volume levels, my main dissatisfaction with my current Mg 1.7 speakers and Prima Luna amp is that it really doesn't come to life until the volume is moderate listening levels or higher.

I'm wondering if anyone has seen something that approaches the coherency and speed of the 1.7s that would work in an 11x12 listening room? I'd like to keep the cost limited to $4k if possible.
128x128davide256

Showing 5 responses by schubert

schubert
7,386 posts
 
A pair of Gallo A’diva speakers with tube stands and a TR-3 sub is the ticket . And if your wife will let any speakers in living room these are them. Women love them.
As fast as 1.7 and more coherent , around 2 k . You can try any position in any room in a matter of minutes .
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Omegas are fine speakers and Louis is one of the nicest guys in audio.
But they have a small sweet-spot(like Maggies) and sound far better with tubes than SS .
So much so, I would say they require tubes .
Also, the ability to play complex music well, aka a, symphony , is just not there .

Again, they are very good , if I was going to listen primarily to jazz might well be my choice.
I have owned 2 pairs .
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Well. people do have different ideas as to what constitutes a "sweet spot".
On the acoustic music I listened to my 3XRS had a small one and other listeners felt the same . Still were fine speakers .

For reference , at time I had MMG, Totem Signature 1, Gallo CL-3, Rega RS1 and Meadowlark Kestrel 2 none of which did except the MMG .
schubert
7,386 posts
 
I use the Rega RS-1 most of the time because I've been to thousands of classical music concerts in my in my life and they sound the most realistic.
Close to a single-diver in that the cross-over is one small cap .
Totem 1 Sigs have best tone but are hard to drive, Regas are close and sing with small tube amps . Gallo has at least a big sound stage as Ohms but a bit bright .
I  heard the new Rega RX-1 at local dealer, he is also Maggie dealer, had his .7 maggies right next to them, he kept saying how they image as he switched back and forth , true enough but concert halls don't and the RX-1
as FAR better sounding in every respect .

I would try some Ohms but ones I have looked at used looked almost shoddy,I like pretty speakers ,

schubert
7,386 posts
 
Ohms used to be sold by dealers, I know , I sold then -they were so many flimsy ones damaged in shipping and/or just falling apart we dropped them.
Regular speaker models, no problem.

I'm sure they are better these days .
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