Electra 1028 Be
 

So this speaker has shown up on my radar. Is there anyone on this forum that can give me a real world review of these? I read some places that the tweeter can sound harsh.

A well broken in pair of 1028's should never sound harsh. A good friend of mine has a nice 2 channel set up with a McIntosh pre (C2500) and MC452's powering the 1028be's. They are an amazing speaker new, and even better once broken in.

Next week I'm planning on spending a few hours with them before I decide on 1038's or 1028's. I'll let you know how they have broken in.

Agree with Scirica, not harsh.

The beryllium HF driver is very extended, very pure, never harsh. In the 1xx7 series, it can be a bit obvious, in terms of the transition from mids to upper treble. So amp and room needs more careful match. The 1xx8 series is a smoother blend. They are punchy, dynamic, detailed. They are not warm, like many SF or the Focal Aria series. So less forgiving of source and amp: if there is any hardness in your system, you will hear it with the Electras. But when everything is balanced, they sound very good indeed.

Looking back on those reviews, I think they were talking about a different tweeter than these have. I think in one of the other series.
Scirica, I would love the know your impression after you hear them again.
I am trying to see if I can find a place to demo these that is not to far from me.

The Be tweeter can certainly run hot if not controlled properly (amp/pre selection, pure silver speaker cables, etc.).

But when you hit that sweet spot - omg there are few tweeters that are as dynamic, pure, and powerful as that one. Not to mention zero fatigue. The nice thing about the Utopia series is they have a dB switch on the back to calm it down or heat it up.

I'd certainly go for the 38s - the extra woofer is not a bad thing.

Found a place to demo these in the next couple of weeks so that is good. I am eagerly wanting to replace the speakers I am using with the Luxman. The Shahinans I am using sound great but I am wanting something a little more efficient that also dig a little deeper. I want to try and avoid the use of subs

Be sure to let us know what you think. I'll probably spend a little more time in my friend's 2 channel room with with 1028be's this weekend. I know he's already looking for a way to help me trade up from my Aria 948's!

I own the 1028be. I've had them for a few months now and just love them. I upgraded from 1008. I had demoed the 1008s and compared against several brands in store including B&W, Sonus Faber, Thiel. The 1008s busted my budget at the time, but they blew me away. the Be tweeter was quite the standout. I couldn't afford them, but went home with them anyway.

I run the 1028s with Simaudio Moon electronics, and Nordost Frey interconnects and speaker cable. The 1028s are not harsh in my setup.

I own the 1028be. I've had them for a few months now and just love them. I upgraded from 1008. I had demoed the 1008s and compared against several brands in store including B&W, Sonus Faber, Thiel. The 1008s busted my budget at the time, but they blew me away. the Be tweeter was quite the standout. I couldn't afford them, but went home with them anyway.

I run the 1028s with Simaudio Moon electronics, and Nordost Frey interconnects and speaker cable. The 1028s are not harsh in my setup.

fje00 thanks for that info. I can't wait to demo them.
Do you ever use them at low, conversation level, listening? If so could you tell me how they behave?