Hey Duke,
That's a nice turorial on electrostatic and panel speakers, and I find myself in general agreement with your insightful assessment. One thing you did neglect to mention, was that with large, full range electrostatics there is normally a sizeable bass resonance (typically 16 dB) somewhere between 50Hz and 100Hz, which is related to the mass of the air surrounding the diaphragm and the tension of the diaphragm. Maggies may not have this issue because their diaphragms are considerably more massive than that of an electrostat (but they have other shortfalls as you noted).
So, while hybrids have specific types of integration problems to overcome, full-range electrostatics have their own unique inherent problems. What it really comes down to is that ALL speakers (including dynamic types) are a blend of compromises and the audiophile must decide which particular set of flaws (and strengths) he can tolerate in the long term (based on his/her personal preferences).
BTW, Brauser, that was a cheap shot. And I noticed you failed to state which speakers you personally own... I'll chalk your comments up to your relative inexperience with electrostatic speakers.
That's a nice turorial on electrostatic and panel speakers, and I find myself in general agreement with your insightful assessment. One thing you did neglect to mention, was that with large, full range electrostatics there is normally a sizeable bass resonance (typically 16 dB) somewhere between 50Hz and 100Hz, which is related to the mass of the air surrounding the diaphragm and the tension of the diaphragm. Maggies may not have this issue because their diaphragms are considerably more massive than that of an electrostat (but they have other shortfalls as you noted).
So, while hybrids have specific types of integration problems to overcome, full-range electrostatics have their own unique inherent problems. What it really comes down to is that ALL speakers (including dynamic types) are a blend of compromises and the audiophile must decide which particular set of flaws (and strengths) he can tolerate in the long term (based on his/her personal preferences).
BTW, Brauser, that was a cheap shot. And I noticed you failed to state which speakers you personally own... I'll chalk your comments up to your relative inexperience with electrostatic speakers.