Hello All,never really been a tweaker,if it sounds good where it is,then leave it alone,whats that saying,"if it aint broken etc"i dont even dust the things,i tell her that the dust aids the sound,she tells me to get off my lazy arse an polish em or she,ll polish me.......off.Still havent heard from Audiovenue,sent them another E about ten min ago,if i dont get a reply i,ll try that shop in Oxford,dont need to chase shops to spend the ammount of money i have in mind.........Take Care All.....Dave
|
 |
 Hi Rik, "crikey......this is going to take a while....................!" Sorry about that mate....hope it proves helpful
All the best.......................................Bill.
|
|
Hi Dave, Don't mention dusting mate..... I still get the pre-vacuuming nightmares when it comes to cleaning the Stators Best regards, Bill.
|
|
The Lowdown on Final Electrostatics :......................................They're a Netherlands based Company who claim to have solved many of the problems that afflict electrostats.....................Interesting differences between Final and their contemporaries......................1. The panels they make are flat as they insist that proper dipolar behaviour and minimal harmonic distortion cannot be achieved otherwise...... I see their point as the inner wavefront will never be identical to the outer wavefront nor will the tensioning of the diaphragm be seen as symmetrical.............................2. Instead of supporting a single membrane with spars, they divided the diaphragm into vertical strips.............................3. The vertical strips yield what they call "wide dispersion" - not dissimilar to curvilinear. (Not sure how they can manage this as I can't see how smaller strips would do what they normally achieve using a very wide area) Apparently, reviewers have been able to walk around and still get stable off-axis response and solid imaging - almost like conventional speakers!......................4. While Martin Logans early efforts at diaphragm deposition resulted in migration, Final claim to have solved it by deeply embedding/sandwiching the metal layer in the centre. Here's a killer -- as a result, Final claim IMMUNITY to dust, cigarette smoke, and contaminants which would severely affect their competitors products (!)...................5. The most important technical difference is that Final INVERT the signal to the electrostat i.e. the Stators are fixed at GND potential and the diaphragm is charged with the signal instead. This makes 'em completely safe (even though other Stats are harmless anyway)...............6. Just to compound matters they are using only 25% of the voltage of a typical Stat(!!!).......7. They can maintain an impedance >4 ohms across the spectrum but efficiency is very low at 86db/1W..................8. F response of a 6ft model (13.5" wide) aint bad at all - 38Hz to 22KHz....without subwoofer assistance! (But you can add one of their range of subs too...)............................9. Instead of using ML's vacuum bonding type process, they can simply glue the assemblies together in a normal class A environment, by virtue of the way the loudspeaker operates.....................10.Comparisons between the sound of comparably priced Stats to Final is likened to "Tubes vs Solid state"...with Final being the tubes!The reason is that Final's hybrid subwoofer tends to be "softer" in the bass, but not unpleasant.....................(Continued.............)
|
|
Finals Part II.....................11.Prices, from what I can see are pretty good, and they seem to have a more interesting range of electrostatic "Surround/Satellite" speakers than ML do............................12. The real cruncher is the packaging. The Control/Services Unit at the bottom is self assembly i.e. you have to mate the 2 together on arrival. However, the packaging is a lot flatter and LIGHTER than competitors.Typically these things weigh in at a mere 35lbs or so for the 6 footer, so carriage is far easier !Stick it under your arm and walk away !....................................Appearance is decent as you would expect, and the footprint is smaller than your typical Stat.Long term reliability and company reputation would be the only other issue.My feeling is that the true test of a Company lies in it's longevity and success. ML have been around for 20-odd years now and are more successful than ever.Others tend to come and go but it will be interesting to see how Final, currently 7 or 8 years old, gets on..................Best regards.....................................................Bill.
|
|
 Very, very interesting Bill, can you offer a link to their site? If the panel is flat but divided electrically into vertical strips, and those strips were sent time delayed signals then the acoustic result would be similar to a curved panel. This remember was how Quad created the 'point source' effect in the ESL63 unit, incidentally the same technique is used in high definition radar. In that the beam direction is controlled by timing rather than moving the antenna physically. Intrigued... John...
|
|
Brilliant contribution John..... Say no more on the web link......(great sound effects greet you upon entry) http://www.finalsound.nl/ All the best......................................Bill.
|
|
...mind you....you could get dizzy watching them Not sure if the build quality is likely to be as good as Quad or ML, but they offer an interesting alternative..... Cheers, Bill.
|
|
|
|
|
Yes would not mind but I only want two and I definitely do not want them moving around. But really reality has kicked in here and that is that I don't 'have a pot to piss in'.  I am impecunious, and I can't see how that will improve...
|
|
Sorry to hear that John.... Looking on the bright side the rental market is booming just now and you have 4 or 5 properties.... Best regards, Bill.
|
|
No only two, and one on the way, number four cannot move as she can not get the finance And I was hoping for seven, the real problem now is who can move, no one can get a mortgage so the problem is not property prices but simply not being able to borrow. I'm shure now is a great time to buy and I do have a good reputation with mortgage companies but I don't have any capital left and the people who want to sell can't get a mortgage for their next step up, so they can't sell. I certainly hope you are right. John...
|
|
Hi Dave, When your good lady gets her Magneplanar 1.6s set up you should ask her to publish her Review here All the best................Bill.
|
|
Hello Bill,just popped my head round the door to the conservatory,to ask what she thought about her "new" speakers and got told "quote"absolutley stupendous,now go away and let me listen,think that says it all,i,ll ask her about writing a review,but it,ll probably be me who writes it,looking at her now,she,s conducting the band,must be good..........Take Care Mate.........Dave
|
|
I think we can take that as a positive Review Dave !! Give Brenda our thanks
|
|
Hello All,just been informed by the boss about cleaning the dust off the front of her speakers,and she wants me to pass it on to you and all the others who have this type of speaker.........use your wifes[with her permission of course,and clean it first]Blusher Brush,not the cheap one,but the one with good quality bristles,just tried it on my trannies,and it works..........Bloody know all women.......Take Care ...........Smacked on the Head Mush
|
|
Hi Dave, I'm just wondering if the grill cloth can be removed for vacuuming. Prevention can be better than cure.....I keep dust covers on my panels when not in use. According to Jim Power (of Martin Logan) for background listening some users leave the dust covers on all the time and listen through them (!) It will change the sound a bit infortunately Cheers.................................Bill.
|
|
Hi Bill,i,ve no idea mate if the speaker covers come off or not,i,m forbidden to touch her hi-fi,on pain of multiple smacks over the old nut,no seriously,i havent a clue,and i dont recall seeing dust covers in the box,still its not to dusty in there,and she,s got her Blusher Brush.Ithought about putting the Sugden A21SE amp on my system,but after hearing it through cans,have decided not to bother,it,d do my head in,dont like either and can,t understand her liking them either,always thought she liked the sound of the RTL4,s,but its her choice...............Take Care Mate.............Dave
|
|
Hi Dave, sounds like another non-box speaker convert I hope the boss has many hours of listening pleasure. Regards
|
|
Dave Brenda sounds like a lady who knows exactly what wants....and what she doesn't want Sometimes it just boils down to using the plastic bags they were wrapped in.....or if they were discarded you can obtain packs of "laundry covers" from Lakeland quite cheaply THe ones I use came with the speakers and are made of soft fabric-like paper, white and very lightweight. My wife says the speakers look like "Shrouds"... Cheers buddy...................Bill.
|
|
