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What should I expect to be the differences between these? In my setup, I have dual subs filling in below 40 Hz and the amps are Canary 339s. I listen mostly to moderate volume jazz and vocals. 3.5s are on Mye stands.
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I will try to shed some light on your question based on having 3.6's and ML CLS's. In short, the ESL's will have much more transparancy, detail and space at low listening levels. My 3.6's needed to be playing at a moderate level to achieve this. The 3.6's could play at much higher levels than the CLS's though. Of course the size of the space that you are trying to fill with sound will determine how loud they have to play. The 3.5's will need some good high current power. Either the Vantage or Vista has a built in sub amp. (I can't recall which) Depending on what your 339's can drive the best could/should be the deciding factor in your choice. From the $$$ standpoint, the 3.5's are more than likely your best value. I doubt that you will lose much if you decide to sell them. If you really like them, tweak away to your hearts content! I ended up selling my 3.6's for what I paid for them. I've been quite happy with the CLS's combined with a Depth sub for my listening tastes.
Thanks! Are the CLSs crossoverless? They always sounded like an attractive possibility... The Sound Labs may be a possibility as well, especially some of the smaller ones. They seem like full range, not hybrids.
The CLS are essentially a crossoverless full range ESL but do have a "tone shaping" circuit before the high voltage transformer. I have driven my CLS with an Atmosphere M60 MK2.2 OTL with good results when actively crossed over at 100Hz. My CLS are the first series or "1's" with the 33ohm peak impedance. Your 339's may work with a CLS if applied the same way with your subs. The only problem is that you give up the ESL bass when crossing over at 100Hz. I prefered to run the CLS full range with a Classe CA-400 and fill in from the botton with the Depth sub crossed over at 30Hz. The M60's just did not have enough power full range for me at moderate levels with certian source material. I don't have any experience with the Sound Labs, but have been interested in the smaller R3 full range. There are rumors that ML is planning on releasing a "next generation" full range ESL, the CLX. If you are seriously interested in an ESL you may want to look into Quads. They may be a better match for your 339's. I think that you need at least 100 tube watts with the CLS full range.
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