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.
I’m definitely interested in these speakers but I’ll have to wait for a bigger model with more output. My seating distance is around 4.5m.These have a max spl of 105db at 1m. That would mean a max spl in the low 90’s at my listening position. Edit: I just realized that 105db may be per speaker , if so max spl would be in the mid 90’s Edit: I just read that planars only drop 3db so that would mean around 100db max spl at my seat. |
@kot: I’m green with envy! I for awhile unsuccessfully attempted to get myself a pair of the LFT-6. I was however able to find a pair of the smaller LFT-4. Interestingly, the LFT-4 has sloped "side wings", a technique for tailoring the tonal balance of the speaker’s output (the wings prevent dipole cancellation, the frequencies of which are determined by the dimensions of the wings), which Danny Richie also employs in some of his GR Research open baffle loudspeakers. The LFT-3, -4, and -6 are rather rare, Bruce Thigpen having made only a few hundred pair of each. By the way everyone, Grant Mye will make you stands for the LFT-8, with support arms that extent up to the top half of the planar panels. I have heard from one LFT-8 owner who got a pair, and he found the Mye stands to provide a worthwhile improvement over the Sound Anchor bases. I’m gonna get myself a pair, soon as I sell my ARC line stage. |
My LFT 6 are something else: custom wired with Cardas wire, and with Mundorf caps & other exotic parts in their crossover done at the time of production at the factory! The only pair like these in the world! Just extraordinary!!! Had to pay an arm and leg for these! But worth it! Having said that I have to reiterate: LFT 8 are awesome too! Amazing speakers and absurdly great value compared to todays insane hi fi prices! |
@bdp24 Could you elaborate on the Mye stands? I wrote to Grant last month. He did not have any visuals of the LFT stands. From his descriptions, they clip onto the panels at the mid point of the tweeter, and screwed to the sides of the woofer units. They work together with the Sound Anchor stands, correct? From what I understand, they prevent the front to back swaying of the panels and thereby increase image stability.
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Amen @kot! The value of the LFT-8 was my motive for bringing them to the attention of Audiogon members. For he who questions the varacity of the opinion of Steve Guttenberg (and/or Robert E. Greene, as well as a number of UK hi-fi critics), you're missing the point. You needn't consider his (and their) stated opinion(s) as fact, but merely as evidence that a consideration of the speaker might be of interest and/or benefit. As for all of Guttenberg's reviews being positive.....both he and his pal Herb Reichert have stated that there are so many good components they want to bring to the attention of audiophiles, they are not going to waste our time on bad ones. If you find that a specious argument, fine, ignore them. Your loss! |
