Best new loudspeaker

if there is a speaker that is a worthy competitor of electrostatics and planar/magnetics/ribbons, with respect to reproduction of timbre, using "conventional" drivers, i would want to audition it, unless i have already heard it.

Ok - but it isn't an issue of timbre. Gordon Holt used the big Soundlabs for many years - he now uses ATC SCM 50 actives - I suggest you start there. I expect the radiation pattern and room interaction will still be quite different from the big Soundlabs, however, the "TIMBRE" of both is of very high quality.

I suspect you may not be able to get past the differences from room interaction / reverberation and sound field from a short listening session (you have preconceived expectations). However, if you were to acclimatize and give it a few hundred hours then you might think differently. Leading classical audio engineers certainly do not have a problem with the timbre of these cone speakers, however, I would add there are many other good cone designs too....if you took the time to acclimatize I think you would find there is not such a "great divide" as you insist.

Are all tubes bad? Are all SS amps bad? Is all CD redbook sound bad? Is all vinyl inherently bad? Is all 5.1 HT sound bad? Is all two channel music bad? Are all horns bad?

IMHO - NO.... all of the above can sound excellent... given the right choices and room setup.

MRT, why don't you tell us what 'new loudspeaker' of the planar/magnetic/electrostatic variety has caught your fancy instead?

let's be careful of how you interpret the word "new".

if by "new", you mean, production date during the last three months, i must admit, that what i have in mind is somewhat older than that. the only speaker which could be considered "new", would be the electrostatic panel portion of roger sanders hybrid electrostatic speaker. unfortunately, his design includes a bass driver, which causes his product to lose coherency. it sounds like two speakers. if he had introduced a fulll range, flat panel electrostatic, i'm confident it would be a serious contender for purchase.

the speakers i am considering are analysis audio omega and quads unlimited stacked quad 57s.

one more point regarding cone designs.

i have auditioned over 1000 of them, at shows and at the homes of friends and acquaintances. i assert that i can observe colorations which are intrinsic to these designs.
i find that at times i may be attracted to some of them, initially. however, it is my opinion that over time, these colorations will lead to an unsatisfactory listening experience. while panel speakers have different colorations, i find that ultimately, panels come closer to my experience of listening to live unamplified instruments.

To Mrtennis here is a loudspeaker with 22nd century technology please do research this one and read the review
I heard this for 30 minutes and was more than just impressed this speaker was unequaled at this modest $25k
price point for what it offered even the Quad will have to acknowledge this, http://www.polymeraudio.com/
and your thoughts and please do at some point give these
a listen .

hi techmachine:

it may be a great speaker. i visited the web site, read a review and briefly studied some of the technical details.

the speaker might be too revealing. until i hear it (i can't lift it at 295 pds), it represents an if.

for $7200, i can purchase stacked quads unlimited quads.

i would love to compare the two speakers, each having a different driver type to determine the merits of the polymer.

i doubt it would be possible to do that. where did you hear them and who carries them ?