ElectrostatsPlaner/Ribbon s Vs Cone driv


I have owned Proacs, B&W Nautilus, Theils and others but never planers. I auditioned ML Arieus but was not taken with the musicality and the other models too big for my room. No other dealers nearby to demo Maggies, etc.
I know the general differences of the two design concepts, but I am trying to determine if there is a smallish planer design that would give nearly all the satisfaction I am getting from my BW Nautilus 805's with REL Strata Sub. In particular I would love to gain the lifesize soundstage and midrange wonder but not feel lacking by the lesser performance in high and low frequencies. I have a Levinson 331 amp and AR LS22 preamp. thanks for any experienced suggestions.
128x128comchenry
Doug, sorry for the late reply. My notebook`s screen went South. Now, I am sharing my wife`s computer -- Japanese software and all -- hoping all goes well.

I changed from Stages to Centaurs because of a smaller room. I never had the sense to try a high quality sub like the REL with the Centaurs. I then moved to a room that would work with one of my fav`s, the CLS`s with brand new panels. I then fell in to a sweet deal for as-new SW800`s that were owned by Gayle Sanders. Tony Di Chiro traded these to Gayle for a pair of CLS`s.

I know exactly what you mean comparing the SL3 and Centaur bass. The first generation Centaurus enclosures were not the best in terms of engineering or construction. I wound up using the Tekna Sonic stuff to tighten the bass on these.

If you are ever in SoCal, buzz me and drop by for a listen.

Best, Jim
Jim, I appreciate the offer. You own a terrific system, and what a pedigree! Regarding Comchenry's dynamics question, I don't know which speaker would be best. My gut tells me that the dynamic drivers may have the edge. Certainly in terms of loudness, the Centaurs hit a max lower than the MLogans. Perhaps a Maggie owner of 1.6s coiuld chime in to compare volume and dynamics???
I've listened to the Maggie and yes they sound nice, but I personnally found more life with the Martin's. As far as dynamics goes, try adding the Bat 3i pre and the vk200 amp. Martins are picky with equipement and after endless auditioning I found my pleasure to be Bat pre/amps, not crazy over their cd players. To all that did not care for Martins, I've been to 4 dealers who care martins and only one of the dealers was somewhat close to having them hooked with the right equip.. Good luck