Small room electrostat/ planar speaker?
I would have too disagree with that,the Valentina has a 3 position switch to select -3 ,0, +3 db on the 2 woofers.I used mine in a 11x12 bedroom 2nd system for a month with very good results.If I would have the monitor version I probably would have added a small sub. Offcourse both versions are'nt dipoles so room position is a lot easier. Just my experiance and opinion. Kenny. |
My late night listening room has much the same dimensions. My primary room is outfitted with Magnepan 3.7s driven by a ML 336 so I went through much the same exercise. I ultimately landed on a pair of Spendor SA1s with a REL 9T/i sub. The balance of the gear in that room is a Schit Ragnorak integrated amp, Aires Mini and W4S DAC 2 V.2 DSD SE (just upgraded to the V.2). This really sounds great in a small room. If you cannot locate a pair of the SA1s I would look for other L3/5a variants plus a sub. Just my thoughts. |
Years ago, I A-B'd the Magnepans and Quad ESLs with the Acoustat Monitor 3's. The Mags were unquestionably the best sound, excluding low bass and the fact that they have no dispersion at all, so I was forced to sit in exactly one place without moving to enjoy my music. The Quads were the best compromise, but again the bass was lacking. The whole point of a planar is defeated once you add a subwoofer, hence a crossover, which is why every time I go back to A-B my Acoustats against Martin Logans or equivalent, the ML's just don't reproduce correctly. Any planar with a crossover is doomed to fail, from what my ears tell me. My ex hated the look of the Acoustats, even though they can be easily modified (modernized) with different end-caps and grill cloth, but their positive characteristics are unmatched by any other planar I've listened to between $2K-$20K): - Their dispersion is about equal to a box speaker (yes, sometimes I have to leave my man-cave for the kitchen or bathroom or office while music is playing) - Clean bass down to 16Hz (amazing bass transients I haven't heard from any other planar) - single point source from a legit 16Hz- 38mHz - beautiful! - Can be placed in any size room and at any volume, they sound great, the most forgiving planars I've ever listened to (and yes, I'm extremely biased in favor of planars over boxes) - Sound almost as good as the Quads across all music types - Indestructible - through many moves over the years, cannot be killed. - Sure, they suck up enormous power, but my Brystons do just fine (amp/pre-amp undr $10K or less if used), sound as good with these speakers as the big Conrad Johnsons - Can pick up a used pair for between $1.2K-2K. I can't imagine why anyone would ever sell their pair, however, except for the perceived ugliness (yeah, they look like the 70s, but that can be fixed with a makeover). |
I have the perfect speaker for you :) Eminent Technology LFT 16 Many reviews to check out. http://www.the-ear.net/review-hardware/eminent-technology-lft-16-loudspeaker I have the Primaluna Dialogue Prem Int and use the bigger brother LFT 8’s and it sounds unbelievable. I listen at lower to med levels also. |
Great minds think alike, aniwolfe. Take a look back at my 4-19 post. I also have the larger LFT-8b, a ridiculously under-owned design that completely clobbers the Maggie MG1.7. Some prefer the LFT-8 to even the 3.7, which sells for more than twice as much. But for anyone with a room too small for the 8b (or the 1.7), the 16a is the speaker to get. Not many Eminent Technology dealers though, which is a shame. The most brilliant sub-woofer ever designed is Bruce Thigpen’s Rotary, which I would dearly love to own. The man may be a genius; if not, at least one of the greatest creative minds in the entire history of Hi-Fi. And barely talked about! J. Peter Moncrieff’s IAR review of the Rotary Woofer is, as usual, a chore to read through, but worth the effort. Pure brilliance, I tells ya! |
