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Eminent Technology LFT-8b in Harry's system

I recently signed up for the V.P.I. Industries newsletter, and today received my first such. In it, Harry Weisfeld reviews a Grado phono cartridge, but this post concerns one of the speakers he listed as being those he uses to listen to music and evaluate recordings through. All but one are traditional dynamic cones/domes in a box designs, only one being a planar/dipole. That planar is the Eminent Technology LFT-8b. I'm pretty sure Harry could, if he so chose, have instead as his sole planar a pair of $6000 Magneplanar MG 3.7i's, or even $14,000 20.7's. But nope, he instead chose the $2500 ET LFT-8b, imo the greatest value in a loudspeaker on the market. I compared it to the 1.7i, and the difference was dramatic.
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bdp24 OP
4,908 posts
 
If you’re in the northern Washington state area, there are a pair of LFT-8b available from Planar Speaker Asylum forum member "Davey". His asking price is only $1500, a ridiculous bargain.
aniwolfe
544 posts
 
After 12 years in my system, its the only component I haven’t upgraded. No urge to get rid of them. I am constantly amazed by the LFT8b’s as they do so many things well. Such a seem-less zero distorted spacial sound. Just got done listening to the latest Radiohead album and what a great experience it was. Highly Recommended!

I power them with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium Integrated. They don’t need a lot of power in my experience.
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bdp24 OP
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aniwolfe, why the ET's aren't as commonly owned or even discussed as are Maggies is a mystery to me. The 1.7i with the essential Mye stands cost more than does the LFT-8b with Sound Anchor stands, and are simply not as good a speaker (okay, imo). The ET's make the 1.7i sound "wispy", lacking tonal density and body. The ET's magnetic-planar driver covers 180Hz to 10kHz, without a crossover! The dynamic woofer goes lower than the 1.7, the speaker plays loud enough for R & R and Symphony Orchestra, and with less power required than the Maggie. The single highest value product I know of, and almost no one owns them. Weird!
aniwolfe
544 posts
 
You might also want to add the LFT8b’s sound much better than the 1.7 at lower listening levels as well.

You know I think Bruce is ok having a small company and being able to provide great customer service. He makes upgrades to his products if he feels its substantial enough.

I have to admit I am happy he doesn’t come up with a new version of the LFT every few years. That would drive me crazy and it would turn me off.

I like how he came out with the new tweeter years ago and all his customers had to do was just replace it by unscrewing it. No soldering involved...easy! That tweeter upgrade really made a huge difference.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
4,908 posts
 

Good point about the LFT-8b maintaining it's resolution at lower level/volume. It's more like an ESL than a magnetic-planar in that regard. That Maggies need to be cranked to a certain level to fully "open up" is widely acknowledged, being somewhat veiled and opaque at low levels. That is another reason the LFT-8 is better for a smaller room than are the Maggies. I love Maggies too (my first high end speaker was the original Tympani-I, and I now own a pair of Tympani-IV's and IVa's), but they really need a bigger room than does the LFT-8b.

The fact that the LFT-8 has been in production for twenty-five years, and has had only two revisions---a change of the woofer and the tweeter, both retrofitable to the first LFT-8 ever made, and at nominal cost---speaks to the "correctness" of it's design. The recent Magnepan "i" revision can not be performed on the 1.7, which must be a real drag to owners of that fine speaker.

The LFT-8's magnetic-planar midrange driver, which as has already been stated covers the frequency range of 180Hz to 10kHz (without a x/o, the entire midrange and all but the top octave reproduced by a single driver!), has remained unchanged in all that time. As has the x/o and woofer box. The m-p driver and ribbon tweeter are bolted onto a metal frame, while the Maggie drivers are glued onto an MDF frame, which exhibits some flex and resonance, hence the need for the Mye stands. Big difference!

All the LFT-8 needs is the revolutionary Eminent Technology TRW-17 Rotary Woofer. Unlike the LFT-8, however, it ain't cheap! 

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