Summary: I waited a long time to get these and have not been disappointed. I paid GBP750 on the bay and had to get both of them in a saloon car to get them home (possible- just). Make sure you try before you buy as if run on cheap amps they will be wrecked by clipping, and new panels are not cheap. Mine had been run by Chords, so no problem.
These are low impedance (2 ohms at high frequency) and therefore eat current: my current amplifier, a Musical Fidelity E100 struggles even at moderate volumes as it has not got the gonads. I have an old Townshend Elite amp which should be better. a nice Audio Research valve amp would be good.
As with other electrostatics, if you feed them rubbish recordings or have a poor source, this will be ruthlessly exposed. That said, I have just listened to Eleanor Rigby, and McCartney sounds so Scouse you can almost feel his hand round your wallet. You need a biggish room, and need to play around with the positioning to get it right, but when you do, nothing comes close, especially with recordings that have not be ruined by remastering.
For comparison, the current top of the ML range sells for about 14k, and therefore if I paid 5% of this and got similar performance, this seems like a reasonable bargain.
Summary: Having bought these gems 11 years ago, I can honestly say that nothing else comes close-
not Kappas, not Monitor Audio, nor Mission. I
have to unplug and vacuum them every 8 - 10
weeks, but driven with a humble Nak PA5 mk II they are, like the baseball player, outstanding in their field. I did have one
problem when I moved to a larger appt - the
rear wave was cancelling out the front wave
and I nearly gave up on them. Thanks to an
honest owner at Alternative Audio, I tried an innovative solution - I made up two wood
deflectors, using 3/4" dowels and 1" thick
oak hockey pucks, painted s.g. black. The rear wave now cancels out the front wave and the beautiful soundstage is back. The
only non-stat I'e heard that comes close was an IRS set-up in Florida. Since I can't
really afford a small Lear Jet, the $16.00
fix was worth every penny.
Strengths: Location, location, location...
Weaknesses: Non switching ES power supply
Similar Products Used: 'stat headphones
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Rating Reviewed by: Jerry O(Unregistered User)
(AudioPhile)
Review Date November 7, 2002
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for 1 to 3 months
Visitors rate this review 4.64 of 5,
11.00 votes
Review 3 of 91
, from U.S.A.
Price Paid:
$1650.00
from private party
Summary: I actually owned an SL3 a few years ago. Then, to try something
different, I replaced them with a highly regarded cone/dynamic speaker.
I purchased these used, mint condition.. Although the cone speaker was quite nice, I soon missed that open,
airy, transparent sound of the SL3's. So, a couple months ago I
went back to the SL3's. I feel like I just came back home after wondering
through the cone jungles. The sound just floates in air as only 'stats
can do. I think these will stay around for awhile. Considering the
accuracy of sound reproduction, I think they are a relative bargain
Strengths: Open, airy, transparent, natural placement of instruments and detail.
Weaknesses: Tough to place in a smallish room. A bit large.
Similar Products Used: Martin Logan Sequal, Aerius i.
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Summary: Quite possibly the sweetest sound I have ever heard. These speakers are quite possible the culmination of perfect sound and, as a nice side effect, look amazing, if bulky. The weight pushes its luck somewhat, and setting it up takes some time and patience, but the end result is sweet, sweet, sweet! If you can stand to fork over the cash, take them. Listening to them with a Krell amplifier was excellent, but with a slightly less worthy amplifier, the bass reproduction could be a bit ugly. But even with a more conventional amplifier the highs and mids could be the best thing you have ever heard.
Strengths: Amazingly tranparent with simply beautiful sound!
Weaknesses: Price, weight, setup
Similar Products Used: JBL, Klipsch
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Summary: Quite possibly the sweetest sound I have ever heard. These speakers are quite possible the culmination of perfect sound and, as a nice side effect, look amazing, if bulky. The weight pushes its luck somewhat, and setting it up takes some time and patience, but the end result is sweet, sweet, sweet! If you can stand to fork over the cash, take them. Listening to them with a Krell amplifier was excellent, but with a slightly less worthy amplifier, the bass reproduction could be a bit ugly. But even with a more conventional amplifier the highs and mids could be the best thing you have ever heard.
Strengths: Amazingly tranparent with simply beautiful sound!
Weaknesses: Price, weight, setup
Similar Products Used: JBL, Klipsch
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5 of 5
4 of 5
