Getting out of Electrostats
 

Several years ago, I bought a pair of Martin Logan Theos speakers. While I've enjoyed them over these years, I'm considering moving back to more traditional speakers for two reasons: first, while great recordings sound amazing, bad recordings sound far worse and I'm tired of avoiding certain songs or albums because my speakers reveal how bad the engineering is. Second, I'm tired of dealing with what I heard Paul McGowan of PSAudio refer to as "vice grip" speakers--that is, the sweet spot being so small that you basically have one good seat and you feel like you need to put your head in a vice grip to stay in the correct position. I'd never heard the term before; but, when I heard Paul say it, I immediately felt a bit of relief that I wasn't the only one who felt this way about my electrostats!

Has anyone else made this transition? What brands have you considered or did you ultimately purchase? Did you miss the ultra-transparency of the electrostats? What was it that made you choose your new speakers? I've posted these questions in other places and I think I've received great suggestions as to speakers to try; but, so far, no one has been able to explain *why* their suggestion makes sense for someone making the move I'm looking to make.

I haven't settled on a budget yet; but, let's call it $10,000 to keep my options pretty open. These speakers will be driven by a McIntosh C1100C/T preamp and McIntosh MC452 power amp.

Not all electrostatic speakers suffer these faults. You need to audition Sound Labs.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm not familiar with Sound Labs and it looks like the closest dealer to me is several hours away. I'll do a bit of research; but, demoing these could be tough!

I've owned numerous models of Logans over the years, never once did I feel they were as bad as you say, sure they don't have the wide dispersion of cones but their curvilinear design does help somewhat. The Theos panel is rather small so this may cause what your experiencing. My last M/L's (Montis) there was not an issue.

With all this being said I have switched back to cones (Revel StudioII's) and am very happy

I realize my post sounds fairly negative. When everything comes together, these things sound amazing. Perfect positioning. Perfect source material. It's awesome! Overall, I'd describe it as "fickle."

I have an appointment to demo some larger panels to see how I like them; I agree that the Montis being a smaller panel might be problematic.

What drove you to switch back? Why did you settle on Revels?

Was a loyal Logan fan for a while, never thought I’d skip to dynamic speakers. I had the Martin Logan Vantage and Summit... now I am with Bowers and Wilkins, Focal, and Sonus Faber.

I would not go back for my applications.

I had Acoustat IIIs for almost twenty years then switched to dynamics back around 1999 and bought my Revel Studio IIs three years ago and will never look back either.

You made pretty diverse choices there with Sonus Faber, B&W, and Focal--what was it about those speakers that drove your switch. You say you won't go back; what makes it stick?

:thumbsup:

Thanks for sharing--why'd you end up sticking with dynamics?

So much easier to place and no more head in a vice issued to listen. Revels are so wonderful in their presentation with a huge and stable image.

I have owned both Sound Lab Dynastats and Martin Logan SL3s. I even owned a pair of early Acoustat speakers I picked up at a used store cheap. I never could get them to work properly. I ended up trading them in for more then I paid. Electrostats can be wonderful speakers that punch way above their price point. But you really need to match the panel size to the size of the room. They can also be very revealing and benefit from excellent electronics. No speaker is going to make a bad recording sound good. I now own Sonus Faber Elipsa SE and am very happy with them. It took a long time for me to find a speaker I really liked more than the SL3s. I would have seriously considered Magnepan speakers but my wife was against them.

Back in the day when I own the Dynastats, Sound Labs build quality was not that great. I believe it has gotten much better since then. Back then I always lusted after the huge A3s.

Speakers are very personal and you really should listen to everything you possibly can.