Sean,
You have done a very credible job of explaining the complex loads that electrostatic hybrids represent, and I thank you for your effort and all the good information.
One additional point I'd like to bring up is that while tube amps generally excel as voltage amplifiers (which is why many use them to drive ESL panels) they do not deal with low impedances as well as solid state designs. So in the typical ESL panel, where you have that low impedance dip at high frequencies, the power that most tube amps can deliver falls off rapidly. However, in such designs, sometimes a bit of high-frequency roll off is perceived as a good thing by listeners.
This was one of the biggest problems I had in finding a suitable amp to drive my InnerSound Eros, which dip to 2 ohms in the high frequencies. The tube amps I tried, although they sounded nice in the midrange, noticeably rolled the high frequencies. Even the highly-respected Clayton Audio M70's, a solid-state, high-current design that exhibited wonderful high frequency reproduction with many other speakers, failed to maintain its level of treble performance on the Eros. With such a load it cannot be taken for granted that every high-current, solid-state amp will be up to the task, and many that I tried were not.
The InnerSound amp, which is stable to under 1 ohm and delivers 1200 Wpc into 2 ohm loads sounds utterly unrestrained, detailed, and airy. At the same time, it is also quite adept at providing plenty of punch, extension, and control in the bass. Of all the amps that I've tried with the Eros so far, the InnerSound Amp and the Monarchy Audio SE-160 hybrid monoblocks have provided the best performance.
You have done a very credible job of explaining the complex loads that electrostatic hybrids represent, and I thank you for your effort and all the good information.
One additional point I'd like to bring up is that while tube amps generally excel as voltage amplifiers (which is why many use them to drive ESL panels) they do not deal with low impedances as well as solid state designs. So in the typical ESL panel, where you have that low impedance dip at high frequencies, the power that most tube amps can deliver falls off rapidly. However, in such designs, sometimes a bit of high-frequency roll off is perceived as a good thing by listeners.
This was one of the biggest problems I had in finding a suitable amp to drive my InnerSound Eros, which dip to 2 ohms in the high frequencies. The tube amps I tried, although they sounded nice in the midrange, noticeably rolled the high frequencies. Even the highly-respected Clayton Audio M70's, a solid-state, high-current design that exhibited wonderful high frequency reproduction with many other speakers, failed to maintain its level of treble performance on the Eros. With such a load it cannot be taken for granted that every high-current, solid-state amp will be up to the task, and many that I tried were not.
The InnerSound amp, which is stable to under 1 ohm and delivers 1200 Wpc into 2 ohm loads sounds utterly unrestrained, detailed, and airy. At the same time, it is also quite adept at providing plenty of punch, extension, and control in the bass. Of all the amps that I've tried with the Eros so far, the InnerSound Amp and the Monarchy Audio SE-160 hybrid monoblocks have provided the best performance.