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Steve Guttenberg finally reviews the Eminent Technology LFT-8b loudspeaker.

 

Over the past few years I and a number of other owners of the Eminent Technology LFT-8b have on this site extolled the virtues of this under-acknowledged loudspeaker. I myself have encouraged those interested in Magnepans to try and hear the LFT-8 before buying. That is not easy, as ET has only five U.S.A. dealers.

I am a long-time fan of Maggies, having bought my first pair (Tympani T-I) in 1973, my last (Tympani T-IVa) a few years ago. But the Tympani’s need a LOT of room (each 3-panel speaker is slightly over 4’ wide!), which I currently don’t have. So I gave a listen to the MG 1.7i, and didn’t much care for it. As I recounted in a thread here awhile back, I found the 1.7 to sound rather "wispy", lacking in body and tonal density (thank you Art Dudley ;-).

Brooks Berdan was (RIP) a longtime ET dealer, installing a lot the company’s linear-tracking air-bearing arm on Oracle, VPI, and SOTA tables. After Brooks’ passing his wife Sheila took over management of the shop, continuing on as an ET dealer. I knew Brooks was a fan of the LFT-8, and he had very high standards in loudspeakers (his main lines were Vandersteen, Wilson, and Quad). The shop had a used pair of LFT-8’s, so I gave them a listen. They sounded good enough to me to warrant investigate further, so I had Sheila order me a pair, along with the optional (though nearly mandatory) Sound Anchor bases.

I wouldn’t waste your time if I didn’t consider the ET LFT-8b to be just as I have on numerous occasions (too many times for some here) described it: the current best value in all of hi-fi. Hyperbole? Well, you no longer have to take it from just me and the other owners here: Steve Guttenberg finally got around to getting in for review a pair (the LFT-8 has been in production for 33 years!), and here is what he has to say about it. After watching the video, you can read other reviews (in a number of UK mags, and in TAS by Robert E. Greene) on the ET website.

https://youtu.be/Uc5O5T1UHkE

 

 

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Showing 5 responses by ieales

ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 

The LFT-8b can be turned into a world class speaker that has few equals... for those who appreciate coherence and staging. They play loud enough and only change level, not character no matter the request.

Replace the passive XO with active DSP. Time align the system. Drive the mid and tweets with very good tube gear. Replace the woofer drivers if they are original Usher or Tymphany with the Dayton RS225-8 and drive it with 200WPC of good SS. Roll the bottom octave from the woorfers w first order HP. Add a pair of subs with controls to integrate properly: multiple XO slope, polarity inversion, continuous phase.

Add in a decent cable loom and put them in a very good room.

They will "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" when required.

Former bi-amped Tympany IV owner - a long time back...

See ieLogical Audiophilia Redux

ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 

ALL equipment reviews are specious and designed to sell product to the naive.

ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 

@mijostyn 

As a former Tympany user myself just what are you doing now? The system you described above? 

Yes

Harry Pearson’s favorite bass reproducers!

I thought the Tympany were OK at the very bottom, not great. BUT, at the time I owned them, I was a recording engineer. Perhaps my perspective was colored by the awesome low end in some control rooms. OTOH, the Maggies' midrange and top were sublime.

Properly setup and configured in a good room, the LFT-8b, as I mentioned to Bruce, are "Merciless on bad material and sublime on well recorded."

 

ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 

@ledoux1238 

Bruce first mentioned the new panels in April 2022.

We bought a new motorhome in May 2022.

Our heating system died Dec 22nd.

Still on the radar... but since the system is so outstanding, there’s a bit of "Ain’t broke,,, Don’t fix" trepidation.

ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 

Point of clarification on woofer replacement:

Since I’m using subs, I don’t need the low bass extension of the LFT’s woofer which is obtained by mass loading.

Bruce did a superb job with original Usher, lowering the free air -6dB to 15.3Hz

See Measuring Loudspeaker Driver Parameters (sound-au.com) for more info on measuring driver parameters

The Dayton RS225-8 functions more like a upper-bass / low mid driver in my system.

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