What’s your favorite ESL?

Gene, I suspect you were hearing some bad digital and or poor amplification at work. Bad pairing as they say.

M/L's kind of expose anything bad up front, including poor recordings.
 
I love my Martin Logan Montis speakers. I have spent ton of time optimizing location of the speakers, and treating the room. I have been to many $100K system demo's and none of them sound as good or better than my set-up (IMO) and I have a fraction of that invested in my system. I have yet to hear better sound or "see" / hear better imaging.
 
Very sad to have to give up my martin logan summit x , they were the most awesome speakers i have ever had . still managed 4 years before swmbo decreed they must go
 
Martin Logan 13As or 15As. With the right amps and subs (for synergy ML BalancedForce 212s) they are wonderful.

Interesting. I bought a pair of Martin Logan 13As after hearing them (and some used Summits) in a showroom with the intention of replacing my 18 year old Agantgarde horns.

I'd earlier bought a pair of Quad 2905s (with 2912 mods) to see if I liked electrostatics. I was impressed although these "barn doors" could not remain in my home for aesthetic reasons. The MLs looked a godd proposition as they sounded great in the showroom. However, they didn't like my room one bit. Despite buying a Sanders Magtech to power them, a visit by the importer and a couple of runs of the Anthem room correction via the PBK kit, they were no match for my ancient horns. I have them for sale at a good price!

So I bought slightly newer AG Duos to replace the Unos.

However, I'm sure that the MLs would sound great in many listening rooms - just not mine. The Quads sounded much better.

The electrostatics I'd really like to audition are these tube-based active ones -

Not working - how does one add .jpg images? I'm getting "This is not a valid image file" despite my photo being a 'jpg!
 
...I'd earlier bought a pair of Quad 2905s (with 2912 mods) to see if I liked electrostatics. I was impressed although these "barn doors" could not remain in my home for aesthetic reasons. The MLs looked a godd proposition as they sounded great in the showroom. However, they didn't like my room one bit. Despite buying a Sanders Magtech to power them, a visit by the importer and a couple of runs of the Anthem room correction via the PBK kit, they were no match for my ancient horns. I have them for sale at a good price!

So I bought slightly newer AG Duos to replace the Unos...!

Its hard to un-hear a good set of horn speakers, harder still to replace them with 'stats. What stats do well, they do exceptionally well but horns aren't too far behind and over-all are the most satisfying (for me). So don't fight it, if you can have both! I'm on my 4th and last pr of Quad ESL 57s and they come out of the closet every so often when the urge is there.
 
Once again, I feel compelled to bring up Sound Lab electrostatics, as they are rarely mentioned in discussions like this. Yes, I am a dealer, but for the simple reason that they have been my favorite for the last 25 years, after having auditioned all the more popular and always mentioned stats, which in my opinion do not compare. Yes, they are not easily auditioned, and require a well matched amp to perform well. I am a music lover 1st, and and an audiophile 2nd (for over 65 years) and a dealer (home based) only because I am enthusiastic about the product, and not for any real profit. If profit was my motive, I would have been bankrupt many years ago.

If anyone is seriously considering any of the previously mentioned stats, they owe it to themselves to audition Sound Lab ELS speakers, even if it requires traveling some distance to do so, and it probably will. I have two different very SL models at two different locations, one in San Francisco, and the other in the boonies, two hours away from SF in the Wine Country. Please contact me if you are interested in hearing what I and many other audiophile/music lovers (almost an obscure cult) consider to be the best in Electrostatic speakers.

Yes, several previous posters mentioned SL ELS speakers, but the focus of this thread seems to be elsewhere. No one has contacted me about a visit. Even though the current SIP situation makes this unlikely, the offer is still open.
 
Most interesting Electrostatic ???

Tube Active full-range panels

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Blanko No 2.jpg

I'll plan on hearing them when Europe eases travel restrictions as I'll be in the area they are built.
 
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