At around 2 meters tall these are large speakers. Each side consists of a large electrostatic panel somewhat narrower than a Martin Logan CLS of yore but close enough to stir good memories. Next to them you find a substantial bass tower, which in its current incarnation has 6 bass units, where earlier versions had 8 slightly smaller ones.

Before going on to tell you about the speakers I will just mention that they are actively amplified with a Transar x-over which exists in both an analogue and a digital version. The digital version was used and the equalizing abilities it contains were put to extremely good use since the cabin had a relatively broad 20 dB dip between 55 and 75 Hz. At the show the speakers were driven by AudioNet mono amps, which as far as I could hear did admirable service.

One of the problems with most electrostatic speakers is that while they almost all have a wonderful way with delicate music and the larger ones offer line-source characteristics which gives a very present and dynamic sound, they almost all also fall short in having real oomph in the lower regions. That was the case with CLS which I otherwise really liked the sound of. Also most will not play very loud. This generally being bound in the system of passing the signal through a thin film suspended between two stators with a substantial voltage across them. If the film gets too close to stator you get a nice arc which could do nasty things to your film like burning a hole in it. Most of the time this is not good for sound.

Part of the design of the Transar is that it has been developed in co-operation with the Frauenhofer Institute which is a VERY respected technical institute in Germany and which you could very well know as the place where mp3 was invented (more or less).

Well how did it sound? In one word: MARVELOUS!!!

I honestly do not think I have ever heard a better electrostatic speaker. It does all the things you expect of it with finesse. Choir, guitar, female (and male) voices and violins. Oh yes. But it also BIG orchestra, Hip-Hop and the Sergio Mendes I mentioned above with an ease that seems slightly unreal.

As shown it was 30K€ which is not peanuts by anybody’s account. But I have no doubt that this is a world class speaker system that people with the means should listen to. So should anybody else for that matter just to hear what it can sound like.

Kudos to a very sympathetic Norman Gerkinsmeyer who not only is the prime mover in the development of the film technology used but also more or less build each system by hand.



I've started out telling you about some of the last things I heard and saw in Munich, but of course there were many other exciting things worth mention...

Sun Union Audio speakers from Hongkong (right) filled with mouth-watering European parts like bass- and mid-range units from Skaaning’s Audio Technology, Capacitors and Inductors from Jantzen and a new French ribbon tweeter from the father of the Raven.

Audio Physics’ new Caldera with a brand new way of making a co-axial unit.

Exiting new dipole speakers from Audioelevation driven by the latest version of the awesome Kronzilla amps.

Impressive horn systems from Avantgarde Acoustics and Martion

The best B&W Nautilus Series yet.

Sony’s impressive Qualia SXRD High Definition projector

More than 80 turntables (we think) from ClearAudio, Transrotor, SME, Acoustic Solid, Rossner & Sohn and many others.

Until next year...

Robert Jorgensen
 

                                             Show Page/Part 2