There seems to be a lot of misinformation on the CLX. I own a set of CLX, AND a set of DynAudio C4's, so don't for a second think that I am unaware of high-end dynamic driver products.
- The CLX impedance does indeed drop to the input impedance of the audio transformer at 20 KHz, but the ENERGY delivered much above 500 Hz in audio rapidly tapers to near nothing. The CURRENT that is drawn at those frequencies is very low. Most half decent amps will drive a pair of CLX just fine. I use a MOON W-8 with no problems at all.
- The sweet spot isn't hard to define set-up wise. I'm not in agreement with the every milli-meter counts crowd on CLX placement. I had no more issues with the CLX than my C4's. Both had a SINGLE spot that they liked, and sounded best.
- All speaker systems have advantages, and to me the CLX has the LEAST serious disadvantages. Yes, a dynamic driver speaker will have more SPL headroom in the midbass for that POP that is fun (think C4's!!). But still, you can argue a HORN loaded speaker eclipses even a dynamic driver speaker. Is the mid bass POP your thing? It's but a small part of music. Important to an extent, but not all there is.
-The CLX is simply in a class by itself where the panels dynamic range meet or exceed the need (I can play 90 dB average all day on them). I have never heard a speaker so completely void of odd colorations,and leaves the macro / micro dynamics of music so pure to the source. So nope, if you like that heavy chesty distortion dynamic drivers all have on vocals, you won't like the well damped and open sound of the CLX. We get used to distortion and start to accept it as "real". Well, it's not. Those dynamic drivers are full of distortion and the inability to start, and stop, as needed. A 0.5-mil PET film is superbly damped by the air pressure on each side of the film. Yes, it does resonate some, but vanishingly little compared to dynamic drivers.
I agree that the CLX are best enjoyed with stereo subs. Some will be fine without them and I suppose that's a peronal thing but I enjoy the foundation of music to go DEEP. My C4's don't even sound good to me without subs! And no, subs do not "cloud" the transparency of the CLX. Remember, the rise time of the bass is well slower than the higher frequencies the panels have to drive. Most modern DSP subs will do very well with the CLX. Why people feel bass somehow has a fast rise time is beyond me. A cheaper bass DRIVER may resonate, but it isn't the fault of the music.
To, my ear, the CLX lack just the bit of mid bass POP that is indeed a dynamic driver advantage (about the only one I've found). Remember, that that requirement isn't always "there" in most music so it's dynamic headroom isn't missed all that often. Same said, it is a fully logical argument to understand that the CLX mid bass panel can't produce the SPL headroom of a dynamic driver. What it does do, convey the musical nuances of tone and timber more than makes up for it's shortcoming as those qualities are most evident in ALL music.
What I do miss when I don't listen to the CLX, and always, is the awesome purity of timber, tone, micro / macro dynamics and image placement of every note the CLX plays that is within it's dynamic headroom abilities (more than 98% of what I play is just fine, and yes, I play Nickel Back and Supertramp them!)
This speaker won't be acceptable to those who feel "high-end" is an SPL contest and bass slam. My C4's do pretty good at that...but, if you want music to sound "right" the CLX excels like no other. For those who disbelieve in the CLX, listen to FOUR SEASONS and tell me the stunning coherent sound isn't simply amazing. Violins that sound like complete instruments! Imaging is exceptionally spatially correct as well. The concept that an electrostatic speaker is tizzy and euphoric is flat wrong on the CLX.
I have speakers that are the polar opposites of the CLX, the Dynaudio C4's. Neither product will really bother the others strengths. To my ear, the CLX plays music at a MUCH higher level of overall refinement than any dynamic driver product I've used (there are many speakers prior to the C4's). Yes, the C4's are a hell of a lot of fun, but they aren't musically as accurate.
You don't need fussy tubes with the CLX, I use a MOON W-8 with a PASS LABS XP-10 preamplifier and it sounds sublime.
You will hear each cut on a disc and each disc have a musical mind of it's own on the CLX, however. The CLX DO NOT add a house sound to music. This can confuse many that have never heard the pristine nature of a more true transducer. The CLX aren't "warm" or "full"? Those are traits of driver and box distortion. We get used to that sound and have a hard time moving away from it.
Even the better dynamic driver speakers fall victim to this, like a MAGICO Q7, Q5,and Q1 series. Remove all that distortion and all of a sudden music changes, ALL music...and for the better.
The CLX is a stunning achievement in the electrostatic art. No, it isn't dynamically perfect everywhere (no speaker is). But is is most perfect over the widest response range of any speaker I've listened to and at anywhere close to an affordable price. A stereo set of subs places the CLX in very rare company.
