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Quad 2912 vs Martin Logan ESL 11a

I am seriously considering electrostatic speakers although living in a part of the world where dealership for both brands do not have all models on hand for audition. While the 2912's were unavailable, a Quad 2812 was available a month ago for audition. It was in an all Quad setup, with a solid state and a 40  watts tube amp for comparison. In a 4 x 4m room, the music was very engaging playing Miles, Coltrane, and Heifetz. Transparency and speed were plenty evident, and  there was a warmth and solidity ( coherence ?) that was a pleasant surprise.  

Last weekend,  audition of  the Martin Logan's esl X was arranged . This is a few step down from the 11a's. Although it was in a totally different system, the ML seemed to be of a different sound signature. Brighter, more air? Ultimately I was not  impressed with the X's, the woofer seemed not to integrate well with the panels. And the salesperson admitted as mush. He said an audition could be arranged in a week or two for the 11a. 

While I wait for a proper audition of the ML 11a,  I would appreciate any comment specific to these two speaker models. Not all electrostatic speakers are created equal, as I have found out.   If the choice came down to the two, what are the issues that needs to be considered?
ledoux1238
ledoux1238 OP
276 posts
 
@pvmike The Sanders Technical White Paper on Tube vs Transistor , which you recommended, opens up a whole new can of worms. I understand Sander's argument. And it doesn't seem to bode well for my 40 watt tube amp driving ESL speakers. Need to do more research.

Thanks!
loramoser's avatar
loramoser
5 posts
 
You can get a digital thermostat/humidistat at Lowes/HomeDepot. Look for one that shows current values and the min/max from the last 24 hours, this is good enough to put in in a few spots around the basement and understand what to do.

Humidistats, in general, aren't very good, so expect a variation of 10 or more between humidistats. More so if the one inside the dehumidifier is ill-positioned relative to airflow.

Putting it near the furnace shouldn't be an issue, but if your ducts are leaky, or the unit emits lots of heat in heating season, it would reduce humidity around itself. It mostly boils down to air circulation.

Be sure you can use gravity, or a pump, to have the unit drain itself continuously rather than having a unit with a bucket you have to empty. The bucket thing is no fun at all.

Is there any water coming into the basement periodically or continuously? Humidity control is moot if the place gets actually damp or wet a lot, I guess for your aims you'd better look at humidifiers, you should definitely find something suitable from this article.
mikedaniels's avatar
mikedaniels
21 posts
 

I have M/L CLS llz. 27 years old and still playing great. Yes, very finicky with placement. I have tube mono blocks at 86 watts Plenty of juice @ 2 ohms.

Over 56 % humidity and it doesn't sound good. 

ledoux1238 OP
276 posts
 

@mikedaniels Thanks for your response.

This is an old thread. The speakers I ended with is the Eminent Technology LFT-8b.

Electrostatic speakers would not have worked where I am with +90% humidity lingering weeks on end. There are a pair of audiophiles here in Taipei who are experts at stator replacements for Quads. 

 

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