Planar loudspeakers. Inefficient. Power hungry. Big. Hard to place. Low WAF (wife acceptance factor).

 

Whatever the drawbacks of electrostatic and ribbon loudspeakers may be, there is no denying that with the right material they can absolutely dissolve into thin air. The first time I ever heard a pair of Magnepans I heard some deficiencies, but I also heard the performance in the room with me in a way that I had never, ever heard with conventional loudspeakers. This is precisely why, despite the requirements of planar loudspeakers, their siren song exerts such a strong pull over those of us who have heard their magic.

 

One of the enduring planar loudspeaker companies is Bruce Thigpen's Eminent Technology. Not only is Bruce a key figure in planar loudspeaker design, he's one of the guys you need to include in the discussion when you talk about influential figures in modern loudspeaker design. I'm sure that there are more than a few loudspeaker designers that I would love to interview who would include Bruce on their list of influences, and with that I am very pleased to present this month's AV Enthusiast Interview: Bruce Thigpen of Eminent Technology.

 

John DeVore is a relatively young guy, at least young enough that he hasn't lost his passion for life and what he does with his. He started DeVore Fidelity in 2000, and has been designing and producing loudspeakers that have garnered unanimous approval since the 90's. John isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, just produce loudspeakers that are truthful windows to the source material. DeVore Fidelity's product line isn't that deep, and he doesn't follow trends. John just makes good loudspeakers and let's them speak for themselves.

 

It's telling that John is a musician. Not that non-musicians should somehow be excluded from loudspeaker design, but for those of us who were driven from an early age to express ourselves through music, an ear for aural detail seems to be a common trait. His loudspeakers have a well-deserved reputation for reproducing that detail. 

 

John's also a really nice guy and consented to do this interview some time ago when I contacted him out of the blue. He had a couple of hi-fi shows on his schedule, and I have had my hands full with things away from AV Enthusiast, but we finally reconnected. John was gracious enough to spend some time with us, and here is the result:

 

Curved enclosures aside, LSA Group's LSA1 bookshelf and LSA2 floorstanding loudspeakers bear a suspiciously strong resemblance to the discontinued Von Schweikert VR-1 and VR-2 loudspeakers, both of which always garnered favorable reviews.

 

LSA has added a new variation of their LSA1 loudspeaker to their speaker lineup. The LSA LSA1 Statement uses the same 6 1/4" paper cone as the other models, but instead of the silk dome used in other LSA offerings, a ribbon tweeter has been implemented. Coupled with an entirely reworked crossover, LSA claims the statement betters the frequency response of the standard LSA1 at 30-32,000 Hz, as opposed to the base LSA1's 45-20,000 Hz. If true, 30 Hz is quite extraordinary for a bookshelf loudspeaker. 

 

I have had the opportunity to audition a pair of LSA LSA2 floorstanding loudspeakers and found them to be competitive in the price tier they occupied. The LSA LSA1 Statement loudspeakers will set you back $3000/pair. If their frequency response claims are true, they deserve an audition if you are in the market for a higher end bookshelf that can fill out the lower registers like a floorstander.

British loudspeaker producer Neat Acoustics' Paul Ryder and Bob Surgeoner have a simple idea about the type of loudspeakers they would like to create, inspired by the fact that both Paul and Bob are musicians. The goal of Neat Acoustics is to come as close as possible to recreating the live performance.

 

The newest line from Neat, the Momentum range, consists of a bookshelf and a floorstanding model that look like just about any other 2 way design. The difference is that they are isobaric designs, utilizing internal passive radiators in conjunction with conventional ports. The Neat Acoustics Momentum 3i is a 2 way bookshelf loudspeaker that utilizes a 6 1/2" woofer with phase plug coupled with an inverted titanium dome tweeter, that despite appearances, is Neat's design and not a Focal unit. The Neat Acoustics Momentum 4i is a 2 1/2 way floorstanding loudspeaker that features the same driver configuration as the bookshelf, with an additional 6 1/2" driver aimed south in an isobaric configuration. Both speakers are average to good sensitivity at 88dB, and the floorstander is a slightly easier load to drive at 8 ohms vs. the bookshelf model's 6 ohms.

 

Neat's facility includes a recording studio, and each design is tested the old fashioned way; by ear with a variety of source material. Refreshing in a world of computer designed audio components. The Momentum range is available in maple, oak, cherry or rosenut finish. The Momentum 3i will set you back $3500/pair. No pricing on the Momentum 4i.