Any better midrange driver than an electostat?

[caesar]

I haven't heard anything that comes close, but I haven't heard everything. IMHO, electrostats rule in producing the most realistic sound, other than the bass.

Anyone make a driver that is close or better?

 

[mep]

This ought to be good...

 

[tony ky ma]

I haven't heard anything that comes close, but I haven't heard everything. IMHO, electrostats rule in producing the most realistic sound, other than the bass.

Anyone make a driver that is close or better?

Electrostatic speaker is perfect in strings music reproduction, if it combine work with sub and super high in multi amp system, then it can present more kind of instruments in realistic reproduction, but except metal horn instruments, only mid-range horn speaker can beat it in this kind of reproduction
tony ma

 

[Mobiusman]

I haven't heard anything that comes close, but I haven't heard everything. IMHO, electrostats rule in producing the most realistic sound, other than the bass.

Anyone make a driver that is close or better?

Caesar,

I love electrostats, especially because of the way that project their sound that is distinctly electrostat. I am not sure what it is or if it is even accurate, but I love it. However, there are two other midranges that I love as much, although all three sound somewhat different. The other two are planar magnetic, and in my opinion are at least as good as electrostats and maybe better because they have far superior dispersion. The first is the midrange portion of the new Magnepan 3.7. Granted it is as power hungry as trying to get a boat anchor to make sound, but it is superb. While I know that I will take flack for this comment because it is so "un-high end", but the BG Neo 10 midrange driver is probably as good as any on the market, cheap and can be bought individually and works well in multiples, especially in line-arrays. I have them in my speakers and find myself hooting and hollering with joy at my system during loud fast sequences more than any other speaker I have owned, including 4 pairs of ML's.

 

[LL21]

I have heard the Quads, Magnepans, Martin Logans (many including CLX)...and always luxuriated in their midrange deliverability and sense of space/realism...i have always admired electrostatics for this and still enjoy them whenever i get a chance to hear them. One day, after I heard Sonus Faber Strads...i started to realize something about my own personal preferences for midrange...and my understanding culminated in hearing the Alexandrias and Grand Slamms properly set up.

Midrange has more "body" to it than i realized until i heard the Stradivaris propertly set up...the SF Strads which i loved when i owned them...gave me the "gravitas/weight" in the sound of my midrange voices that (until i heard it) i did not realize "should" be there to propertly produce midrange. I went back thru all the written reviews and realized many critics had noted this...not a razor sharp delivery of sound but rather a lifelike body of voice coming at you...and in their own words...very realistic in this way. Yes, the Strads have their own issues in sound production...a touch slow from time to time. Thus, when i heard the Alexandrias and Slamms, i found that same body/solidity which i did not find with the CLXs for example, but with an alacrity i found that freed the music from the speakers.

Thus i had the richness of the midrange of the Strad, but with far greater/instantaneous delivery which gave the sound more freedom. More similar to electrostatics...but with a fullness/body i have (yet) to find in electrostatics. (just one man's experience.)

 

[Robh3606]

The JBL 435Be on a suitable horn sounds quite good. It uses a damped beryllium diaphragm and has excellent clarity and detail

Rob

 

[naturephoto1]

The JBL 435Be on a suitable horn sounds quite good. It uses a damped beryllium diaphragm and has excellent clarity and detail

Rob

I like my OMA New Yorker Prototype Horn speakers. The production model is coming. Unfortunatley probably only about a hand full of people have heard my speakers at this point.

Rich

 

[Robh3606]

Hello Rich

What driver do you use for your midrange driver?

Rob

 

[microstrip]

As a Quad ESL63 - Soundlab owner I must agree with you that electrostatics are some of finest speakers for the best midrange driver contest I have heard, but the realism of these transducers depends a lot on the synergy with the matching electronics, something I would not expect with the best midrange drivers!

BTW, I agree with Lloydelee21 - after I have heard a pair of Alexandria series 2 driven by Audio Research top amplification, I started questioning if my ESL63 was really the best midrange on Earth.
As I never listened to the ESL63 with the Ref610T I still have the doubt ...

 

[naturephoto1]

Hello Rich

What driver do you use for your midrange driver?

Rob

Hi Rob,

I wish I knew and could say. The speakers are a 2 way (tweeter/midrange) and 2 15" woofer 3 driver system. OMA is being very hush hush and will not divulge the drivers used in the speakers. All that they have let on are that these new expensive professional European drivers (I think they are Dutch) are at present used in 2 Professional speakers and the New Yorkers are the only Hi End speakers using these drivers. OMA has gone on to say that the speakers would not have been possible without these new drivers. I am sorry though that I have no other available information to provide. But at 105 dB/1w/1m they are truly efficient and dynamic.

Rich

 

[muralman1]

The Apogee Scintilla, and Full Range bring the weight, seamlessness, true tone, and every detail into natural focus. For voice, integration of drivers is paramount. Speaker height vertical mid and tweeter ribbons serve their frequencies equally. The very large bass panel is just as fast, so it provides it's portion in time.

 

[mep]

Rich-Don't you just love cloak and dagger secrecy in audio? Since OMA doesn't manufacture their own drivers and the company they buy from is in the business of selling drivers, aren't they at risk of these very same drivers already being used by another manufacturer? Or is this the same old song and dance where the speaker builder buys his drivers from a manufacturer and then "heavily" modifies them for their use because of course they know more than the company that designed and manufactured the drivers in the first place.

 

[naturephoto1]

Rich-Don't you just love cloak and dagger secrecy in audio? Since OMA doesn't manufacture their own drivers and the company they buy from is in the business of selling drivers, aren't they at risk of these very same drivers already being used by another manufacturer? Or is this the same old song and dance where the speaker builder buys his drivers from a manufacturer and then "heavily" modifies them for their use because of course they know more than the company that designed and manufactured the ddrivers in the first place.

Hi Mark,

First of all, I could be mistaken, but I do not believe that OMA modifies the drivers that they use. At this point though, there are only a relatively small number of Hi End makers of Horn Speakers and to the best of my knowledge at this point OMA is the only Hi End maker using Professional drivers in their speakers. OMA takes pride that they use Professional drivers which gives them some advantages (such as being extremely efficient, able to be driven easily, and being able to be driven hard) over using the "normal" Hi End drivers used by most of the major players (and even many of the smaller) Hi End speaker makers. As I have mentioned though there are to the best of my knowledge only 2 Professional Speaker makers using these same drivers and I do not know if the 2 makers use one or both of these drivers in their speakers. I believe that OMA though is going to great lengths in their cabinet design, cross over part selection, and voicing of these speakers with the Anechoic chamber. The parts, parts selection, and voicing of these speakers will be based upon my speakers. Also, to make sure that no one will attempt to modify the crossover OMA is epoxying the crossover parts in a block of epoxy. If a crossover part or driver should ever fail OMA will just replace the entire crossover or driver.

Also it has to be understood in my case I have only 1 of 2 pair of these speakers in the world and as mentioned the Prototype pair. I know that these will be going into production shortly, but I do not know if Jonathan Weiss will release information about the dirvers used in the speakers once they have begun production.

Rich

 

[c1ferrari]

How about a plasma identical to the type featured in the Hill Plasmatronics?

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Electrostatic panels have a beautiful midrange. Not punchy, but lovely, and right for much of the music I listen to. It's a shame they have to be so big to disperse well, and because of that, I can't use them, but I do like them a lot.

Tim

 

[c1ferrari]

Tim,

Did your avatar change?

 

[JackD201]

I don't know about Stats being the best midrange drivers as like Tony and others pointed out, utility comes into play. I'm pretty confident I can say they are the best full range single drivers that I know of.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Tim,

Did your avatar change?

It did, but this one was a joke for a specific thread. I don't think it will last long.

Tim

 

[Robh3606]

At this point though, there are only a relatively small number of Hi End makers of Horn Speakers and to the best of my knowledge at this point OMA is the only Hi End maker using Professional drivers in their speakers.

Hello Rich

It's actually the other way around with horn speakers using compression drivers. Almost all compression drivers have their roots derived from or are originally designed as Pro drivers. All of the JBL statement speakers as as example all use/used compression drivers with their roots in the Pro Side of the house. There may be refinements that are not used in the Pro equivalent or they can also be identical except for cosmetic issues.

Rob

 

[tony ky ma]

Electrostatic panels have a beautiful midrange. Not punchy, but lovely, and right for much of the music I listen to. It's a shame they have to be so big to disperse well, and because of that, I can't use them, but I do like them a lot.

Tim

Hi Tim
Do you know about Jecklin Float static headphone ? Swiss made, IMO it is better than many other brands because they have a very big panel stick to your ears and will not take more room from your place, the only thing is a little heavy hanging to your head.
tony ma