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Have not heard the Sanders. The best ESL's I heard was the Martin-Logan CLS. No dynamic drivers, just a large ESL panel.
"Hopefully this will pass as a review, albeit a very quick and cursory one at that.I have only directly compared the Sanders rig to my CLS setup though I do have, as a background reference, fairly extensive and varied experience listening to stats, going back close to 30 years now, including offerings from Quad, Dayton Wright, Acoustat not to mention 6 different Logans. I have run ML for the last 25 years though …. 22 of them with my current CLSes. As for my ownership history. It has included Sequels, Aerius', Quests, ReQuests, SL3's and several CLS incarnations. I also auditioned, on extended loan, Vantages and Summits. I also spent countless hours at my dealer’s home listening to his CLX’s. My takeaway from all of this is that none gave me the constant goosebump moments I get when playing my CLSes, especially when playing my goto music ...... jazz, acoustic guitar works, blissful classical and vocals. My wife and I both call it the “we are there” factor. For years I simply accepted the shortcomings of CLSes (that they are devoid of anything resembling proper bass quality) and was fine because they excelled, like no other I could find, where it matted most to my ultimate musical enjoyment. It wasn't until I spent time with this Sanders setup that I finally found a “we are there” speaker but with added dynamic scale that blended in seamlessly. So, cutting to the chase, what are the differences I have experienced compared to my CLSes? They lie in the dynamics and the deep, high quality and controlled bass output. It’s there in spades with the Sanders and, obviously, not so with the CLSes. In comparison it’s a hugely different sound perspective that has become “highly” addictive and not something I could live without I suspect. But honestly, it’s the similarities, vis-à-vis, “we are there” factor that is most important and impressive to these ears. It’s there but with additional dynamic scale to go along with it.Though not critically important to my listening enjoyment, these Sanders play incredibly loud if you supply them with gobs of voltage. They very easily pressurize my 19.5 x 21.5 x 9 room with great effect and with nary an inkling of straining. This was foreign to me and probably took the most adjusting to get accustomed too. I also greatly enjoy the flexibility the DXO affords me in fine tuning things up just right. Though, admittedly, it’s made me even more anal than I already am as I seemingly find myself always wondering, and then tinkering, with EQ and timing adjustments looking to extract even more out of the setup. I'm hoping that this is a novelty thingy that will wear off in due time.At any rate, I am beyond happy with the Sanders addition. It is, I believe, the final piece of the puzzle that I have been chasing for so long."
