Planar Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Sound Lab Inc. A-3 Speakers by Oakroot

Model:	A-3
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$12,870
Description:	Full Range Electrostatic Speaker
Manufacturer URL:	Sound Lab Inc.
Model Picture:	View

Review by Oakroot ( B ) on October 08, 2002 at 17:09:13
IP Address: 67.119.178.226

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I heard the Soundlab A-3 speakers years ago in a dealer demo and thought they were great. Every time I've heard the A-3 since,regardless of room or associated equipment they have neve failed to impress. So when I had the chance to aquire a pair at a reqal world price I decided to jump - and am I glad I did.
If I had one word to describe the sonic character of these speakers it would be coherent. There is a seamless integration between the various pieces of the frequency spectrum. Where we often hear the deletrouis roughening sonic effects of the crossover in even very good dynamic 2 and 3 way systems there is only smoothness and a steady flow of sound.
What this coherence does is leave fine musical details that were obscured clearly audible - even at low listening levels. Small percussive instruments like sand blocks, or the crisp leading edge of a plucked string are the type of details that can be heard on the A-3s and obscured on dynamic speakers. A case of this is the use of marraccas (sp?) on Eric Claptons unplugged - they are not allways audible on Spica TC-50s or Sonus Faber Extremas - but are clear on the A-3s.
Midrange is what planars, especially electrostatics, do. They are essentially undisputed champs in the musical fundemental ranges of most instruments. While ribbons may rule the high end (when well designed and implemented in a speaker) the electrostatics run a very very close second.
The Sound Labs do not dissapoint in these areas, they have world class performance in the mids and highs. The midrange has superb texture that shows the interior musical detail in the apporpriate scale, either large or small. The high end has a natural and airy openess that is not excentuated (like poorly implemented ribbons). It does not have a silvery or shimmery quality, where treble details are pushed forward and sound like a confused conglomerate of windchimes.
A knock on some electrostatics is that bottom end is simply anemic. It has no dynamic punch and no robustness to what it does have - the Quads (any of them new or old) fall into this range. Here is where dynamic speakers to get the upper hand in most cases. There have been some noble attemmpts to integrate a dynamic woofer with an electrostatic element with varied success. This standard criticsm does not apply to the A-3s. There is enough panel area to keep the bass taught, robust, and dynamic except from the low organ pedals and electronic moogs, etc. The Sound Labs swill hold their own against all but the very best dynamic setups. The VMPS line has a coule models with bottom end that can better the Sound Lab perfromance - but not by a great margin. Where the Sound Labs do need help is in places like the dynamic punch of a kick drum - all the sound is there and you get a taste of air suddenly accelerating, but you don't really feel it. I admit, I use a Muse 18 sub (at 50 Hz) to augment this area and the organ music. But the quality and character of the bass the Sound Labs do have is so good that I leave them runnign full range, and have the overall output of the Muse 18 reduced, so the 50 to 100 Hz range does not get heavy and bloated from their combined outputs.
With the afforementioned exception in the bass, the Sound Labs are one of the most dynamic speakers I've ever heard. I hedge by saying "one of" because I have not heard the other speakers with them side by side. But only the big horn systems I've heard come close to my ear. However, the Sound Labs are not perfect - they always sound right and coherent but never effortless. They do not sound strained in anyway, but always like they are working to do what they do. The big horns have them beat here - they sound truly effortless (if not good).
Soundstage - my least important parameter, but very important to many so I'll mention it. They are dead on from left to right, but a bit shallow in my room. I specifically state in my room because the room plays a larger role in sound stage than the speaker (any speaker) does. The images from the speaker are locked in place and do not meander over the soundstage (unless they are suppose to like when a singer moves position, as on some live recordings). There is enough center depth in my room to let me note just how flat and sterile CD is compared to vinyl (not that this takes much in the way of listening ability).
Let's dispell a couple of myths about Sound Labs:
1. You do not need a big room to have them perfrom well. My room is about 14 X 21 X 9 and they sound great - about 98% of what they are capable of doing they do. If you want to get the last 2% then a larger room would be in order say 18 X 21 - but you do not need a cavern or arena. In fact, such rooms in some ways may sound worse.
2. You do not need mega watt or mega buck amps to drive the Sound Labs. I hooked up an Aragon 4004 and the speakers sounded very very good. So for about $600 used someone could pick up an amp that will handle the funky impedance load that electrostatics have and still sound good. Again - not 100% of what the A-3 is capable of , but over 95%. I run two Classe' DR-9s in mono block configuration giving 400 watts and have no desire to switch amps or go to tubes.
3. The SoundLab is euphonically sweet sounding. Nope - they are coherent without the roughness that we may be accustomed to. But, you put something bad sounding in front of them and they will punish your ears for such an offense. They will sound hard and shrill on material that is hard and shrill. They will sound warm and syrupy on warm and syrupy material. In other words they are honest and accurate reproducers - but you may find out that after striving for accuracy when you hear it you may not like it.
How do these compare with similalrly priced competition? I am lucky enough to have some Quad 63 USA/Gradient 63 subs and Sonus Faber Extremas that I can compare directly against. The Quads are a bit more forward than the Sound Labs and considerable less dynamic (especially by themselves) even with the Gradient subs. The Extrmas have dynamic capability but do not quite match the Sound Labs. The Quads are coherent but because of their forward nature they tend to overemphaisze some detail while obscuring other detial - the A-3s are not forward and do not mask detail. The Extremas have very good detail retreval for a dynamic design (maybe something to do with their Esotar tweeter and a fisrt order crossover) but must be played more loudly to get the details audible, which tells me they mask more than either the Quads or Sound Labs. Remember, this is in audiophile terms so we are talking levels of subtlety only. Not the imaginary night and day difference too often written about in reviews.
One last little problem - getting them past the WAF, due to their tremedous size (they do dominate the living room). Well enough, I think you get the idea the A-3s are truly a world class performer. Perfect no - but nothing is.

Product Weakness: Bottom octave dynamics, soundstage depth, size.
Product Strengths: Coherency throughout the musical spectrum, midrange fundemental texture and transparancy, interior detail reproduction at low volume.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Classe Dr-9s - in mono
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Audio Research SP-10
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Gyrodec/SME 309/Lyra Clavis EAD CDT1000/EAD DSP 7000 mk III
Speakers:	SoundLab A-3
Cables/Interconnects:	Strightwire, Wireworld, Audioquest, Cardas
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, Blues, Classical, & Rock.
Room Size (LxWxH):	21 x 14 x 9
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 month
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition):	same as above

Product Weakness:	Bottom octave dynamics, soundstage depth, size.
Product Strengths:	Coherency throughout the musical spectrum, midrange fundemental texture and transparancy, interior detail reproduction at low volume.