It is with considerable regret that I have decided to sell the most satisfying speakers that I’ve ever owned – Duke Lejeune’s fantastic Planetarium Betas. For those of you who are not familiar with these, I’ll summarize the innovations:
1) Bipole output, with a 12” pro driver and a 1” compression driver with waveguide on either side
2) The SWARM system, comprising 4 small satellite subs, each with an 8” long throw woofer. Duke’s idea here was to space these irregularly through room to minimize room modes, and I guarantee you that it works extremely well
3) Very efficient Class D bass amp with integral gain, phase, and variable crossover
4) 97 dB efficiency (main speakers)
5) Variable treble output via rear mounted, high quality resistors
These speakers are finished in gorgeous oak, and the finish is essentially flawless. As you can see from the photos, I placed the main speakers on 4” stands. This is not necessary, but I found that it improved image height slightly. Stands are not included. The satellite subs have a very small footprint at 11” X 11”. I will include the wiring harness for these. As my listening room is quite large, I would expect that the harness would accommodate most any other room.
Rather than write a long and involved description of the sound here, I ask you to read the review that I posted on Audiogon. Following are a few excerpts, but the review is long and detailed. It pretty much says it all.
“…I can tell you here and now that you would be rewarded with some of the finest bass, both in terms of quality and quantity, that you’ve ever heard.”
“…the Planetarium Betas are somewhat superior to the SoundLabs in a couple of areas, namely depth of field and apparent extension beyond the physical edges of the speakers (i.e. width).”
“So, there you have it, horn efficiency and dynamics with none of the usual disagreeable horn characteristics.”
Most of us expect to find used gear in excellent condition at 50% of list or less. Duke sells his speakers direct, obviously meaning that that ‘middleman’s cut’ is not built in. He packs one hell of a lot of innovation, technology, and value into his products. My asking price reflects this.
Duke provides the best packing I’ve ever seen. Each main speaker comes in its own plywood crate lined with foam. There are two further crates, each holding two of the subs. There is absolutely no ‘play’ there. When I first received these, I was actually wondering if I was going to be able to get them out of the crates. The upshot? This is probably the safest shipping there is – at a cost. Needless to say, shipping will be by freight, and four moderately large crates are not going to be cheap. An off the cuff guess would be $500 within the CONUS. I will ship the amp separately by Fedex.
One final note, which is critically important in my opinion. Duke Lejeune is absolutely one of the best guys in the business. If anything ever goes wrong with his products, he’s there – period. I try hard to deal with folks in whom I have faith that they will stand by what they build. Duke is a shining example.
List price is $10K, asking $6100 obo. I will not sell outside of the US. The customs hassle is simply not worth it. I’ll accept a cashier’s check or Paypal, and will split fees for the latter (1.5% net to the buyer). I would strongly prefer that the buyer make arrangements for shipping, but I will do so if necessary. The asking price is, in my opinion, fair. Near offers will be considered.
