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Spatial Audio open baffle speakers, who has them? Worthwhile change from Maggies?

Of late have been eying the Spatial Audio line of open baffle speakers and like what I have seen and read so far.
Now I am extremely happy with my baby Maggies which have easily bested any and all box speakers in my room ( that I can afford anyways!).
So looking for opinions and views from actual owners of said open baffle speakers, what did you change from and what are the real strengths of the Spatials?
Not short of horsepower to feed them even though they do not need much juice by all accounts but you know the old saying, " too much is never enough!"
Thanks in advance.
uberwaltz

Showing 3 responses by bdp24

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bdp24
10,110 posts
 
Part 4 in Danny Richie's series of videos dedicated to open baffle loudspeaker and subwoofer design is now available for viewing on YouTube. The best one yet! A GR Research YouTube search will bring it up.
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bdp24
10,110 posts
 
@uberwaltz, now that you’re an AudioCircle member, dig into the GR Research Circle. Danny Richie is a very knowledgeable, talented speaker designer, his kits the best values in hi-fi. And his customers the best group of DIY audiophiles I’m aware of, a treasure trove of information and ideas. While you’re at it, watch the GR Research Tech Talk Tuesday videos on You Tube. Believe me, you will be VERY glad you did!
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bdp24
10,110 posts
 

@scothurwitz, the LFT-8b is overlooked for a couple of reasons.

1- Eminent Technology has very few dealers (compared to Magnepan). 2- ET doesn’t advertise, not playing the ads-for-reviews game. In spite of that, the speaker has received a number of rave reviews (Robert Greene in TAS, a couple in UK mags).

A big fan of the LFT-8b is VPI’s Harry Weisfeld, who proclaimed it to have the best midrange he has ever heard, in any loudspeaker, at any price. I assume he has heard the original Quad ;-) .

But like other products in hi-fi, some are trendy, some aren’t. Maggies are, ET’s aren’t. I compared the LFT-8b to the MG1.7i, and the difference was dramatic (I haven’t heard the 3.7i, but own Tympani T-IVa’s). I can only assume 1.7i owners have never heard the LFT-8b.

The LFT-8 has a much friendlier impedance curve than do Maggies, the magnetic-planar panels being 11 ohms (nice for tube amp lovers), the complete speaker 8. Like Maggies, insensitive/inefficient, but Maggies soak up far more power.

I don’t want sound negative towards Magnepan (VERY high value loudspeakers imo), but the ET LFT magnetic-planar driver is a far better designed and built driver than Magnepan’s single-ended m-p drivers. Push/pull (magnets on both sides of the Mylar), vapor-deposited low mass foil conductors (in comparison to the wire conductors glued onto Maggies’ Mylar), and stiff metal frames keeping the magnets in place (Maggies have no such frames).

The LFT-8b isn’t pretty, but the music it makes sure is. So is the price!

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