Sony electrostatic speakers japan only?


Anyone have any info on these sony electrostats, model ss-r10?? apparently these are only sold in japan. i can't get the link below to revert to english. which might be for the best because they look really cool and very expensive. anyone know anything? should i start obsessing or not?

http://www.sony.co.jp/sd/ProductsPark/Models/Current/SS-R10_J_1/
kublakhan
Wow, those do look wild. I couldn't get it to translate to English either. I bet you need a big stack of green to acquire those puppies.
Look interesting, but unlikely to be good as the upcomming
Magnepan MG-20.1 or similar Martin Logan.
Whatjd, what's with your comment? You know next to nothing about the product, yet you voice an opinion about its sound quality. Please educate us further.
Key word is unlikely...perhaps it is a great product. Sony
has not shown us much for high-end speakers, Martin Logan
and Magnepan have a good track record. Perhaps someone
in Japan can join in on this thread. I believe that both
Martin Logan and Magnepan are sold there..hopefully someone
or perhaps an audio mag. has had the chance to review them.
Wonder if there are any reviews available on-line?
there is a guy andrew who has a site i've come across now and then and FINALLY have bookmarked it. it takes a long time to load but worth it. it's full of links and little mini-reviews. the guy is seriously deep into hifi and you have to wonder if he ever leaves his house his site is so extensive. i saw the speakers listed there and andrew writes that they are the greatest elecrostats he's ever heard by a long shot. i saw a picture of these about a year ago so they aren't 'that' new and might even be old. if anyone reads japanese let us know what these things are about cause they do look sweet (and i hate to say that about any sony product but sometime the truth hurts).
Whoops. i meant to add andrew's link:

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/1484/audio.htm

it's worth a look. lots of info and hifi links.
Kublakhan: One of my good friends works for Sony, and we had these conversations before on there high end speakers. His answer which is [facts] from the home office is they don't sell here in the U.S. The high prices turn people away to other brands they are familar with. Then whatever is in stock has to be continually marked down until they sell. Here is Sony's toll free no. 1-800-295-SONY 8:30-6:00 e.s.t. Any more information i'm sure they could help. I hoped this helped you a little, if yes,it was worth it. Good Luck.
landmark, thanks. i'll try calling that sony number. i have a japanese friend who's going to read the link for me and he's got friends in japan...that might be nice. i'll start taking -pre-orders :)
It translates: "We have fooled you once again americans, these are really nothing more than bookends. At one point they were used so that Aibo the dog jumped over them during phase II of is testing."

Actually, I think it just says they play up to 40,000hz, have an efficiency of 80db, gives the physical dimensions, and the usual mumbo jumbo that gets us all excited. There may have been a price in there too, I couldn't tell.
I searched Google for the SS-R10-L/R and found a similar site that had a price of 3 million yen (about $25,000) and what looked like a sale price of 2.4 million yen (about $20,000) I am unclear if that is each or for the pair. If anyone is serious about wanting these my wife works for a Sony dealer and I know their Sony A/V rep. I can ask more questions.....
hey ez, you're right. 80db? those things are going to need 400 watts to drive them. i'm out. thank god.
a71, didn't notice your post. 25k? now i'm really out. thanks for the offer to gather info, though.
Here is some more info that I found at audiocircuit.com:

Sony has made an ESL with separate elements for low, midrange an high. The different panels work with different polarization voltages. The low range panel consists of two elements placed 5mm apart. By using very smooth copper stators and a special HV isolation a polarization voltage of 8500 V can be applied. The high frequency element has a membrane stator spacing of 0.3 mm and polarization voltage of 2000V. One speaker weighs 90 KG and a pair costs around $18.000
Perhaps the FBI and CIA should look to AudiogoN members
when they need info on something! Also, regarding one of
my posts above....do go to a Magnepan dealer and listen to
the MG 20.1. Dealers should have or be getting them soon.
I've had the 20, 1.6 and 3.6...and, I think, the 20.1 will
cause an even bigger splash..and waiting list, than the
3.6 did/does.
Here's what my friend who reads japanese said of the speakers:

There is no price quoted on this. What's interesting is that it says you should only use an amp between 50 and 100 watts, because more than that could be dangerous. The top part says that the woofer, midrange, tweeter are all condenser units for reproduction of the most delicate nuances of sound. It comes with spikes, a dedicated power cord, and dedicated cabling. The thing weighs 170 pounds each (!!). At the bottom, it says where in Tokyo and Osaka you can see the speakers demo'd. On the bottom, there's also (I think) a streaming video commercial for the speaker. haven't tried it yet (just printed the page out).