[seadogs1]

Has anyone heard the Muraudio SP1's at any of the shows? What are your thoughts?

[EkW]

I heard them at the Cal Audio Fest Last year. They sound was clear. The demo was extremely loud but still clean, so they can do that.  They are tall and visually imposing. They did not seem to have a narrow sweet spot like other electrostatics.

[Mike-48]

I heard the SP1 at AXPONA this year. The overall sound was impressive, with seemingly low distortion and wide coverage area, though I found them a bit bass-shy. (I'm reluctant to attribute that to the speakers, rather than the room/setup, though it can't help having the bass reproducer that far off the floor.) I also found the SP1 visually large and imposing (as @EkW said) and not attractive visually to my taste.

If a person is looking for an electrostatic speaker, if a very wide sweet spot is important, the SP1 would be a great choice. If a narrower sweet spot is acceptable and less obtrusive appearance is also needed, the Janszen Valentina would be my pick (I own a pair), with comparable sound at about half the price. The Janszens *might* have better bass, too.

[edmiston]

I have owned most of the commercially produced electrostats over the years (including the Janzens and the latest Sound Labs - yeah, I have a speaker problem) and I was blown away by the Muraudios at the Florida show, specifically the clarity and the imaging.  I thought the bass was excellent - not subwoofer deep but deep enough for most.  If I weren't really over goofy looking dipoles sitting way out in my living room (and these, to me, are goofier than most) and if I was not into multichannel music, I would be after a pair.

[artur9]

If a narrower sweet spot is acceptable and less obtrusive appearance is also needed, the Janszen Valentina would be my pick (I own a pair), with comparable sound at about half the price. The Janszens *might* have better bass, too.

I recently got a pair of Janszens.  I have yet to determine the extent of the sweet spot but I used REW to measure their bass response.  I was gobsmacked at how loud and low they went.

HST, Muraudios have a reputation for an enormous "sweet spot."  Is that justified?  Is anything sacrificed to achieve it?

[tonyptony]

+1 to what everyone has said already. I heard these at Florida and at AXPONA. One thing I'll add is that the clean sound is not at the expense of ease or naturalness. I was quite impressed with these. I too thought the bass went low enough to satisfy most folks. Yes, the sweet spot was a very nice size compared to most planars. When it comes to "buying thinking" I normally go to dynamic speakers. These are the first planars I've heard over many years that make me challenge that view.

[shahed]

I first heard MurAudio Sp1 at NY Audio Show last fall. I was BLOWN away. It sounded better than a half million dollar gigantic horn system. Not exaggerating.

I later spend an entire afternoon at the dealers place in NJ/Distinctive Stereo. I mostly listen to rock/indie pop/dream pop/post punk and sometimes audiophile friendly music. I never thought an electrostat speaker would have what it takes for a person with my music taste. It rocks, boogies, extremely transparent and yet makes bad recording listenable and pull all the audiophile tricks that you'd expect an electrostat would do.

It's not thin or dynamically constricted like other electrostat can be (when it comes to rock music). Big sweet spot.

Only caveat is, they are visually dominating. That gave me a pause. And you need amp with juice. Thats the reason I've not bought it yet. But may be I will when fund permits.

What a speaker!!

[BobM]

I think these are the poor man's MBL's, though I don't think "poor man" really qualifies. It's all relevant though.

[rollo]

AT 63K not so poor. 15K for the SP1. Very interesting speaker. At 86db bring plenty of power. Bass to 45HZ may be an issue for some.


charles