What are the advantages of electrostatic versus floor speakers w/wo external drivers?

sokogear, As with most things in audio, there is more "different" than there is "better or worse". E-stats fall into a category I like to call "light membrane drivers" which also includes AMTs, ribbons, planar (like Analysis Audio and Magnepan) and others. One physical or mechanical advantage (relative to transducers) is their light weight. Music happens in the time domain and amplitude domain with phase response contributing. As long as a driver is used within its designed frequency range, displacement limits and baffle configuration, and is tracking the input signal, there really is no "fast" or "slow" driver. If a driver can't do a reasonable job then it's either broken or junk. If a driver is reproducing 500 Hz, that's its speed. If it was "slow" then it would not be reproducing 500 Hz. I believe what people are referring to as "a fast driver" is a driver that can accelerate and decelerate closer to the ideal, which is instant with zero lag. Basic physics tells us that "instant" is basically not obtainable. Basic physics also tells us (all else being equal) that a lighter membrane will accelerate and decelerate closer to the ideal. Many people refer to this as "transient response". The ability of a driver to  accelerate and decelerate closer to the ideal is important for the driver to be able to track complicated wave forms, music.

Line sources, panels, OBs, box speakers, long and short ribbons, AMTs line arrays and other designs is a different discussion.

Our speakers are an AMT line source design that are OB and have a sensitivity of 105dB. The OB woofer is separate. Harry Weisfeld, founder of VPI Industries and proud owner of our Apollo12 speakers describes them as" the fastest speaker he has ever heard". Our measurements tell me that their excellent transient and phase response is why they sound "fast".

Mike