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Your favorite Electrostatic, Panel spkr

 I’m putting together an analog system. First on the list was a turntable, I’ve settled on the Denon DP 59L. 
  Now let’s hear from the owners of some panel electrostatic type speakers, not ones you dreamed of owning, ones that you’ve owned and the reason why they were your favorite. 
kgveteran

Showing 2 responses by mike_in_nc

mike_in_nc
1,169 posts
 
I have Janszen Valentinas (aka zA2.1). You can read REG’s review in TAS and several others if you want a good description of them. I like them for several reasons:

  • typical electrostatic low distortion, high transparency
  • fairly directional, less wall/ceiling interaction
  • no backwave, so fewer acoustics problems
  • compact size, not overwhelming visually
  • full range and well integrated
  • easy to place
I am quite happy with them and would recommend them to anyone who is looking for what they can give. What they do not provide is a huge soundstage, though they represent what’s on the record at a natural scale. Like many stats, their imaging will be best in the center seat.

Through the years, I’ve auditioned Sanders (great, but bigger), Muraudios (bigger soundstage and sweetspot, but more $$ and ugly IMO), Magnepans (sounded lifeless to me at low volumes), and MLs (years ago, but I found them too "wispy" sounding). I also owned Apogees, which were a lot of fun but far more colored than the Janszens.
mike_in_nc
1,169 posts
 

After posting the following, I noticed the thread was 2.5 years old! I assume the OP is set by now. I'll leave my post here, in case it's of interest to anyone.

 

Has anyone experienced Muraudio electrostatic speakers? if so what was your impression of them?

@willieva @kgveteran

I heard the smaller Muraudios at AXPONA 2019. These are the ones that cost roughly $20k then. I thought they were very good. The advantage they offered over most stats is a very wide listening area.

I like the way Sanders speakers sound, but they have an extremely narrow sweet spot . . . the opposite of the Muraudios.

I’ve heard MLs once or twice and to me, they lacked body. It could be that newer ones are better; I don’t know.

I have heard Quads with and without DSP in the system and thought they were flatter sounding with DSP. Otherwise, they are a known quantity and much beloved by many.

For 8 years now, I’ve been using a pair of Janszen Valentina P8 speakers. I had them upgraded from the previous version, and most published reviews are under that model number, zA2.1. I like them for their very smooth frequency response, easy placement, good bass, and of course that electrostatic low distortion. So I definitely recommend you give them a try. They are much smaller than SoundLabs, so they will be easier to place in a small room.

Janszen also makes an active version with nCore amplification, should you wish to simplify your system.

They really are something special.

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