[MtnHam]

Anyone who thinks electrostats 'sound thin' hasn't heard properly set up Sound Labs, particularly the larger models.

[OzarkTom]

Anyone who thinks electrostats 'sound thin' hasn't heard properly set up Sound Labs, particularly the larger models.

Soundlabs and DD Acoustats definitely does not sound thin, very full sounding. I am sure Roger Modjeski dsigned amps for ESL's do not sound thin.

If anybody here still listens to Acoustats get adventurous, there is a pair of modded Acoustat amps on Ebay for 3K.  These amps will make you current 20K amp sound broken.

Remember, no speaker cables required.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACOUSTAT-TEN-X-DIRECT-DRIVE-ELECTROSTAT-SPEAKER-POWER-TUBE-AMPLIFIERS-/152148034847?hash=item236cbac51f:g:olMAAOSw9eVXVz7z

[twitch54]

As an aside I had a couple of extended listening sessions to the only Martin Logan full range, the CLS.
Boy was that a great speaker!!
Bruce

Bruce, the CLS and the variants thereof were and still are great speakers. They have been replaced in the current lineup with the CLX's. If one has the space and can pair them up with a couple of subs the music put forth is like none I've heard at their price point.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Bruce, the CLS and the variants thereof were and still are great speakers. They have been replaced in the current lineup with the CLX's. If one has the space and can pair them up with a couple of subs the music put forth is like none I've heard at their price point.

I heard the CLX's at a Magnolia store with Mac gear and they sounded great.  They have a full body sound and put out plenty of bass.  They do not sound like other ML's.

[OzarkTom]

I will bet this ESL system at CAF did not sound thin.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Capital_Audiofest_2016/EMIA_Audio/

EMIA's Dave Slagel had help from Kent McCollum (Electrostatic Solutions) in rebuilding the Quad 57 panels, put two pairs in a gorgeous wood stand, and reworked the semi-direct drive amplification using 300B tubes in this iteration. This design in-progress isn't yet ready for purchase, yet if transparency to the source is your Grail then you had better start talking to Dave.

[OzarkTom]

This is my account with Dr, James Strickland around 1982. Jim also owned a private prop plane and did a fly around to a few of his top dealers. I had been playing around with the DD Monirors for a few months and was very surprised on how much better that they sounded than the ones with the transformers, I don't really like this saying because it is over used here on AC, but it was truly a night and day difference. I had even tried the Futterman OTL 's, and no comparison.

So dummy me, when I heard that Jim was flying up, I left the Monitors hooked up to show Jim how much better that they sounded. Little did I know that Jim had started this project in 1962, and very well knew how they sounded. When Jim saw them, he sternly looked at me and said "get rid of them". Since Acoustat was my top seller, I was afraid I would lose my dealership so I sold them. I have kicked myself ever since.

Just to show how great these sound even today, Steve Deckert of Decware still uses his Monitors as a reference tool, and I am sure as many components he has sold, Steve could afford any reference speakers.

So if you want truly want SOTA for 2K or less today, I would highly recommend the Monitors or X's. Since these are now 45-50 years old, many owners are now starting to passing them on because of retirement or death.

[josh358]

I'm curious -- wide did Strickland abandon the direct drive amplifier?

[OzarkTom]

Probably the top reason was reliabilty of the amps. But by 1982, Roy Esposito had a mod that fixed that. Roy still mods the amps if you ever buy them.

Second might have been greed. Jim found a way to make the panels thinner and Acoustat could fit two panels in a box instead of one forshipping. Plus now everyone coulld use their amp or receiver. Acoustat became a runaway best seller.

[Rusty Jefferson]

I'm curious -- wide did Strickland abandon the direct drive amplifier?

Probably the top reason was reliabilty of the amps......

Traditional direct drive OTL amps are notoriously unreliable.  David Berning has a custom direct drive OTL amp for full range electrostatic speakers that is quite remarkable and overcomes the reliability issue completely with his ZOTL technology.

More to the point, as we've gotten off topic, I'm curious if the OP had integrated a subwoofer into the system. Since these are hybrid speakers, a quality sealed sub may have integrated well and solved the problem. The transparency of electrostats can't be beat. If you can get a sub to integrate, the system can be magic.

[OzarkTom]

Traditional direct drive OTL amps are notoriously unreliable.  David Berning has a custom direct drive OTL amp for full range electrostatic speakers that is quite remarkable and overcomes the reliability issue completely with his ZOTL technology.

One pair of Monitors I sold had an amp break down last year after 34 years. He sent the amp to Roy for repair. I had Roy mod those amps in 1982, SQ, after the mods they were much better. The DD amps makes the Acoustats sound much fuller, more open, dynamic, and transparent. The ones with the transformers sounds thin and veiled. There is no comparison.

Roger Modjeski makes OTL amps for the Acoustats also.

[jsm71]

I am active online with a bunch of us who enjoy the JansZen hybrid ESLs.  One of the group uses the latest ZOTL40 amp from Linear Tube Audio which is built in cooperation with David Berning.   

http://www.lineartubeaudio.com/#home

My friend raves about the matchup and has me thinking about trying one as well.  We both started out with transformer driven tube amps with the JansZens which sounds pretty good, but apparently the LTA amp is amazing. 

[Pneumonic]

Stat owner here for over 3 decades now. Any "thin" sound description of a capably designed stat can be remedied with proper room placement and amp selection. The challenge is real and too few get this critically important aspect right. When done right ........ oh baby!

[Jazzman53]

As a long time ESL builder, I can attest that a properly designed hybrid electrostat does not sound thin.  I would also concede that some commercial designs have  inadequate panel area and suffer mid-bass suck-out that does indeed sound thin.       

[josh358]

Probably the top reason was reliabilty of the amps. But by 1982, Roy Esposito had a mod that fixed that. Roy still mods the amps if you ever buy them.

Second might have been greed. Jim found a way to make the panels thinner and Acoustat could fit two panels in a box instead of one forshipping. Plus now everyone coulld use their amp or receiver. Acoustat became a runaway best seller.

Thanks, that makes sense.

[OzarkTom]

https://zenamps.wordpress.com/

If you go here at the top of the page, you will see Steve Deckart's Acoustat Monitor Iv's but facing backwards. Could this result in more bass or a bigger image?

[josh358]

He may have been aiming for more directionality. After all, the idea of angling the panels is to increase HF dispersion. This will decrease it. Which may make sense if you're after a very dry, detailed, headphone-like sound  and maybe a bit more SPL (but that would be at the mid/high frequencies only, where length of the array is large compared to the wavelength of the reproduced frequency). Also if you're doing something like crosstalk cancellation that benefits from a dry acoustic.