Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?

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warnerwh

Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« on: 14 Mar 2006, 05:45 am »
Just wonder as I know someone who just ordered a pair of A-3's. These speakers will be essentially brand new when he receives them. I just wonder how they sound compared to other speakers. Please include other speakers besides Vmps too. I've not heard any Sound Labs in many years but am curious how they fit into the audio world. I know alot of people loved them but you don't hear much about them anymore although they're still in business. Thanks

lonewolfny42

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Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #1 on: 14 Mar 2006, 05:51 am »
reefrus own's a pair of Sound Lab A-1 speakers. I remember seeing them at his home during the RMAF '05. Didn't get to hear them.

woodsyi

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Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #2 on: 14 Mar 2006, 10:09 pm »
Warner,

I set my mother up with a pair of A5s in her basement.  A5 was a special order item that is slightly smaller than the A3s.  They are still an imposing pair of speakers which need a lot of room to breath.  These just happened to fall into my lap because a kind gentleman had promised his wife that he would get rid of them the next time he needed to service them.  I got them free.  I just had to send one power supply back to Soundlab to get fixed.  The panels were just upgraded and he had already upgraded the PS with big torroids.  People at Soundlab were very cordial and answered all my questions and repaired the PS for a few hundred bucks.  Talk about a bargain.  The gentleman told me he enjoyed them while he had them (he was running them with Goldmund pre and Berning amps) and he wanted someone else to enjoy them.  I have been trying to pay forward his genorosity in small ways since.  :wink:

As for the sound, they just disappear.  I have them running with Innersound ESL amp and the voices just float out and you can catch all the subtle nuances and artistic interpretations.  They are better with my Hurricanes but I am not giving those away.  :? They are not your Rock'n Roll speakers, however.  I have them augmented with a pair of SVS subs at 70Hz but they don't match my RM40 in dynamical range.  Well executed full electrostats -- Soundlabs are one -- will sing like a Siren that will lure you into her magical island.  Before you know it, your wallet will be emptied............. :lol:  :lol:

I think Ryan AKA HeavyStarch knows Roger West and has some dealing with the company.  You may want to PM him.

rhyno

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U2s
« Reply #3 on: 15 Mar 2006, 12:52 am »
owned U2s for a brief spell. bought them without listening first. ---my mistake.

hated em. just hated em. selling them was a relief.

they are huge, unreliable, current hungry and of marginal build quality. and the sound was that of elevator music----always polite. too polite.

much happier w/ wilson WP6s, but FWIW, my wife liked the SLs better than any other speaker i owned.

rhyno

MtnHam

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Re: Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #4 on: 12 May 2012, 06:34 pm »
Anyone who wishes to hear my Sound Lab speakers is welcome

 to come! I am located on the coast of Northern California, near the wine country of Sonoma County.

a.wayne

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Re: Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #5 on: 13 Jun 2012, 05:18 am »
Is there a bigger model ... : :thumb:

7x57

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Re: Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #6 on: 6 Oct 2012, 05:52 am »
I listened to a pair of Sound Labs back in the mid 90's at my Vandersteen dealer in Dallas, TX.....John Fort Audio.

They were a hybrid model at the lower end of the Sound Lab price range at the time. It had a Stat panel mounted to a woofer box. The Stat panels were quick and clear, but the bass was not as good as a Vandersteen 2Ci that I owned at the time. You could get a new Vandy model 2 with 5-year warranty for about what the used Sound Lab was priced at, and a new Sound Lab of that model was at least twice what the new Vandy cost. I don't think the Sound Lab would play as loud as my 2Ci. Overall, I would just as soon listen to the 2Ci even before considering it cost half as much as the Sound Lab. The fact the Sound Lab was traded in to a Vandersteen dealer tells you something.

I consider my VMPS RM1 as superior to the Vandersteen 2Ci in just about every area. That means I would find it superior to the Sound Lab that I listened to as well. I think the RM1 is just as detailed in the midrange and treble as that Sound Lab was, and there is no doubt it totally blows it away in the bass extension, quality and volume. If you play loud, dynamic music......there is no need to go further......you will prefer the VMPS and you will lose nothing in detail and clarity that electrostatics possess.

If (or rather when) the Sound Lab blows up......and they are far less reliable than electrodynamic speakers and the VMPS neo ribbon drivers......and in a dusty environment such as Montana the electrostatic panels will be dust magnets......then you have to ship those huge speakers back to Sound Lab for repair rather than calling Brian and ordering a driver that you can install yourself in a few minutes of your time. A new tweeter for my RM1 from VMPS cost $28 delivered, and that would pay for about 10% of the one-way cost to Sound Lab for one of their monster sized speakers, before figuring in return shipping and labor/parts cost.

Have you seen the prices of current Sound Lab speakers? They start at over $13K/pair for a decent sized "entry level" model and that model will be inferior to an RM2 in many areas as far as sound capability.

I also listened to Magneplanar speakers at a Dallas dealer, and I was nonplussed as well. It did not beat my Vandersteen speakers overall, much less the VMPS that I now own. I had much the same opinion of "minimum phase" Thiel 2.2 speakers at another Dallas dealer. More money spent, and a better looking wood cabinet, but not a better speaker overall than the Vandy 2Ci because of poorer bass and less efficiency, so also not in the same league as the RM1.

I listened to a Martin-Logan CLS at the Memphis Dealer, Underground Sound, and decided the Vandy 2Ci beat it overall as well, so it is also inferior to the RM1 as far as I am concerned. YMMV, but NONE of the electrostatic or planar electrodynamic or "minimum phase" speakers I have heard are better than VMPS (or even Vandersteen) at anywhere near the price. Those who like them probably do not agree with Beethoven that bass is the basis of western music.

You have to get the biggest Sound Labs to get good bass, you need an expensive powerful amp that is still fast and delicate in the top end (very rare) that can drive a 2-ohm load, you must forget value for money, you must have a huge and treated listening room, you must be comfortable with sending them in for repair and spending even more money while you listen to a backup, and you must be comfortable with the speakers visibly and physically dominating the room, etc. I decided that Sound Labs were overweight and too-demanding poster children for what is wrong with most high end audio equipment.......which means they have a very loyal following among some wealthy audiophiles that can afford to throw common sense and value out the window. They ARE the best electrostatics with patented features to address many electrostatic problem areas, so it only gets worse with other brands of electrostats.
« Last Edit: 6 Oct 2012, 03:01 pm by 7x57 »

playntheblues

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Re: Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #7 on: 6 Oct 2012, 11:39 am »
There is a well known audio member here in Dallas that use to own the big sound labs, cost is no object when it comes to his system.  He always has said they sounded excellent and if they didn't keep failing (breaking) he would not have made the switch to the large Dali line sources.  He just got very tired of shipping them back to Utah for repairs, just say-in.

doug s.

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Re: Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #8 on: 10 Oct 2012, 03:46 am »
should not this thread be moved oout of the vmps circle?   :scratch:

doug s.

BruceSB

Re: Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #9 on: 10 Oct 2012, 06:46 am »
I am a current electrostatic speaker owner (acoustat spectra 22) and soon (hopefully) a SoundLab owner (following up on their custom option).
Yes, electrostats generally do have low impedances but I am just using a Quad 606 amp, not anything especially exotic or expensive.
At the last HiFi show that I went to (October 2011) the only non electrostats (read Martin Logan) that I found really appealing were the Sonus Fabers and the Maggie top of the range.
BUT...
I think the key thing to remember is that electrostatics do not appeal to everyone.
In fact the same goes for horns, or full range, or planar magnetics, or whatever speaker type that you can name!
No, I have not heard any VMPS model but I do know that the speakers that appeal to me don't appeal to everyone.
Please enjoy your speakers.
Please be happy that you have speakers that you are happy with!
That's part of the fun of being an audiophile!
Happy listening.
Regards.
Bruce

fsimms

Re: Anybody heard or owned Sound Lab speakers?
« Reply #10 on: 10 Oct 2012, 01:18 pm »
I heard some A-1’s at a guy’s house.  I thought they sounded pretty good but I liked my Salk HT1’s with sub better.  That same guy now has some Joseph Audio speakers that are similar to the HT1’s that I had.

Bob