What planer speaker to start with? Budget 2k


I've been wanting to try a pair of planer speakers for a while now. I just don't know where to start. I have an Aleph 5 to drive them, and I have a sub. My listening room is 17' by 25' by 8'. So far my favorite speakers are an old pair of Epos es-11's. My budget (which hasn't been cleared by my wife yet...) is $1999. I listen to everything except country and jazz. Thanks in advance.
rtenyes
I suggest avoiding all hybrid planers. Getting rid of the box is only half the advantage available to a planer design. The other half is the full range driver.
Crossovers, especially in the midrange, ruin the continuity of the sound. Full range electrostatics are the most successful designs, despite their power and size requirements. Quads, Acoustats, and Soundlab are the best known, but many choices are available including several DIY designs.
Like Douglas, I think the ET LFT 8 is a great choice at the price point - the Vandy 2 would be the other (non-planar) speaker that instantly comes to mind at app $2K. When asked my opinion, I've recommended these 2 speakers as the "go to" choices at the price point for many years - in the case of the Vandys, for decades.

However, the MMG offers the opportunity to utilize the Velodyne SMS sub interface and PEQ (and an $800 sub of your choice) at the same price point. Since you already own a sub, you can pocket the difference. IMHO, in most rooms, this is simply a better mousetrap. Note that you'll be crossing actively below 100hz and, with a little work, integration issues can be minimized (particularly with the SMS). In my room, the integration could reasonably be called "seamless".

As to the MMG vs. 12 or 1.6s, there are certainly trade offs. But, I've owned 3.5s and never got them to perform nearly as well as the MMG/SMS/SPLR 8 set up I'm now using. Before buying the MMGs, I auditioned the 3.6Rs at a local dealer. Diferent system, different room, etc. Not remotely a controlled comparison. However, I'd note following:

The total cost of the SMG+sub set up I just bought is app $2400 (with 2 SPLR 8 subs) The 3.6Rs carry a current list of $5K. Although the 3.6 certainly has some performance advantages -- it is noticeably more dynamic than the MMG -for me, the cheaper set up would be a no-brainer even at the same price point. No doubt this reflects my personal priorities, so YMMV.

Marty
be careful if you elect ML to evaluate panel age and condition. When I bought my Quest I didn't know enough to budget new panels in the near future due to age of the original panels.
take the trash out on time a few more times and ask for enough to get the 3.6..MMG is dwarfed by them...MMG is good for the money, but not close to being within sniffing distance of the 3.6...Jeff