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Hi guys, I posted a few days back that my Acoustat speakers needed repair and asked for help. There's a good chance that a repair will not possible any time soon. So, i'm asking for suggestions for a speaker that could replace the Acoustat with a similar sound, but in the future could be repaired if needed. I really liked the sound of the Acoustat.I knew it had shortcomings (a subwoofer to start).I'm looking to start researching a replacement. I had never heard the Acoustat before purchasing used, nor have i heard Maggies,Martin logans, etc. Any suggestions on the direction i could look to bring me close to that sound would be great. Used speakers- $1500 - $3000 range. Maybe $4000 if it would make a Big difference.
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I heard and awesome ML setup years ago with ~$200k of equipment. The soundstage, etc. were perfect. I could see Steely Dan standing around the stage playing each instrument (I have never heard musicians "standing" like that before or since). But I find Maggies to be much more fun, which is more important to me.
BTW, I visited the Maggie factory last week and found that everything is done by hand, so they can easily do repairs.
This video shows some of their work.
Take a look at the Chinese Kingsound range of electrostats....they are surprisingly good.
Panel electrostatic speakers are very expensive; seller (only one distributor in the US and one in Canada) stated me at 33,000- was down to 17,000 for the Kings but when I queried about future repair--he gave me a bad vibe...They are good -heard them at a show Way out of your price range if you want a full electrostatic.
Why not just buy another pair of working Acoustats?
There's 2 pair of 2+2 on eBay right now asking less than the bottom of your price range. You might even find that the extra panels negate your desire for a subwoofer.
Hey Sondek, I really would like to get another pair of Acoustat Speakers. ( REALLY want to get mine repaired) My concern/fear is that in 6,9 months or 2...years i would end up with 2 pair of speakers that would not even work as plant stands. But, in the back of my mind i am still considering that.
And fuses turned out to be good?
It's been a long time since I looked inside one of those interfaces, but it seems like there's fuses inside the case in addition to the mains fuse in the fuse holder around back.
If you haven't already, you might want to pull the top cover off and see if there's any fuses inside.
Absolutely, if you like the Acoustat sound, thats the best plan by far.
Magnepan 3 series is a great answer, but if earlier than the 3.7, you'll note a loss of coherence. Which happens to be very important to me.
If that is also the case with you, I would consult fellow inmate Kentaja who rebuilds Quads.
heard a used pair at a 'tiny' audio store here in San Diego back in the early 2000's. Their 'showroom' was simply an area probably 20x30' behind the tiny store front. The 3.3's looked commanding and were ran by a single stereo amp (I wish I had noted the name).Brought a couple of cd's with me, the last one was a old Luther Vandross CD called "Busy body"...one of the tunes is a remake of the old Stevie Wonder song(s) "Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)", super slowed down by Luther.
At the bridge Luther's female background singers magically appear to his left (and a step or two behind him) reminding him about the pains of being on the road, their voices and now swirling violins crescendoing to a climax -just as Luther bellows out the word "LONELINESS"...
At the end of the song I was speechless. They only wanted $1600 for them, cheap back then, I opted out for a new pair of 1.6's instead which blew my mind even more.
I played that song earlier this evening about 5 times lol...never can get enough of it.
Edits: 06/30/22 07/01/22 07/01/22
I love my 3.3s. They are my best pair. I'm using a custom KMF active crossover made in San Diego. I got my IIb's at that store you describe, I suspect; I forgot the name, but they were awesome before they went out of business. These my be my 2nd favorite pair but need re-glue.
My 1.6s sound great in my secondary system.
I heard 1.6 & MMG Gunned Maggies which were very coherent, but that is not my priority.
My first Maggies were MMGs and they are rear speakers now.
I notice a lack of lower frequency bass below 45 Hz on the 3.7 compared to older 3 series.The older 3 series can go down to 30 Hz with the right power amp and setup.
Never noticed any lack of coherence on older 3 series VS 3.7 IMO.
Edits: 07/06/22
I tend to agree; I did not like new 3.7s when they came out, but they may not have been broken in. Gunned Maggies are coherent, but that is not my priority; fun and frequency balance may be.
I visited the Maggie factory last week on a road trip and they said that they overstretch the Mylar so that it must relax to sound right.
Kent will steer you right, I can vouch for that.
There's quite a selection of Maggies currently on USaudiomart. ANY one of those I'm sure you would be happy with but I suggest getting the biggest Maggies that will fit in your room: a minimum of 3'away from side walls, 3' minimum from the front wall (the wall in front of you), If you can squeeze 4-5' even better.Agree with Grant on a 3 series, they're the triple base hitter in the line, and the 20 series are your home run/grand slam home run (depending on the year made) speaker.
All Maggies require 4 ohm capable amps, the bigger the Maggie, the bigger the amp required-'unless' you're ok with moderate volume levels. Personally I listen at moderate levels too -but just like owning a Porsche (I'm guessing lol) you'll want to 'open her up' every now and then.
Edits: 06/28/22
You can get into nice 3 series Maggie's for your price range.
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