tweak1,
I suspect you’re right. I’ve yet to hear any electrostatics that sounded balanced. Some things were very good, open airy and expansive mids, but some very bad, bass balance, dynamics and timing.
Even the original Quad ESL57s didn’t work out for me, but maybe I didn’t know how to get the best out of them. I’d still like to hear some Magnepans or Martin Logan’s though.
As for box speakers, there does seem to be a discernible ceiling on performance with them. Most have bandwidth/ resonance/ crossover / dispersion / drive unit integration problems etc.
I feel that most of these issues are down to the way the bass is interacting with everything else. As you say, most of the cost goes into keeping the cabinet inert so that it doesn’t interfere.
On the other hand I’ve not heard the KEF Blades, B&W 803s or any of the almost universally well regarded Revel range.
When you read so many good things about Revel speakers it almost sets up an impossible ideal for them to match up to when you finally get to hear them.
Open baffles also seem to have the same problem as electrostatics in one regard - domestic acceptability. Probably explains why box speakers remain the norm despite their box issues which the other two don’t have.
I suspect you’re right. I’ve yet to hear any electrostatics that sounded balanced. Some things were very good, open airy and expansive mids, but some very bad, bass balance, dynamics and timing.
Even the original Quad ESL57s didn’t work out for me, but maybe I didn’t know how to get the best out of them. I’d still like to hear some Magnepans or Martin Logan’s though.
As for box speakers, there does seem to be a discernible ceiling on performance with them. Most have bandwidth/ resonance/ crossover / dispersion / drive unit integration problems etc.
I feel that most of these issues are down to the way the bass is interacting with everything else. As you say, most of the cost goes into keeping the cabinet inert so that it doesn’t interfere.
On the other hand I’ve not heard the KEF Blades, B&W 803s or any of the almost universally well regarded Revel range.
When you read so many good things about Revel speakers it almost sets up an impossible ideal for them to match up to when you finally get to hear them.
Open baffles also seem to have the same problem as electrostatics in one regard - domestic acceptability. Probably explains why box speakers remain the norm despite their box issues which the other two don’t have.