New Full-Range Ribbon Speaker Line Debuting in Munich

[DaveyF]

Dr k, do you have the Bottocellis in your system yet? If so, any thoughts?

 

[Zero000]

....At very low frequencies, where the acoustical wavelength is much larger than the radiator, far field response is identical with the attenuated near field response considering the distance of the measurement points ...

https://www.klippel.de/know-how/mea...n-and-propagation/near-field-measurement.html

That 32Hz +10DB Duetta Sig bass hump. It gives the speaker a very characteristic sound entirely unexpected from a panel. In other ways, though, it can be annoying.

Bracing the speaker internally with an elaborate solid aluminium internal frame directly screwed into far more elaborate stands and using a backplane twice as thick as the original speaker, plus using a much thicker front cover reduces it quite considerably and also extend the LF response to go even lower.

 

[dr k]

Dr k, do you have the Bottocellis in your system yet? If so, any thoughts?

No, I do not.

 

[allvinyl]

Excursion is too limited on panels... I'd still want some dynamic driver bass augmentation.

I too enjoy the look. But I wouldn't want to see them soley in a cave of a room. They need some light and space.

Yeah, me too. That's why I just purchased GT3AR speakers + the pictured SI200 OB servo subwoofer system. My speakers are ordered in the same metallic grey color as seen in the attached pic at the dealers.

 

[dr k]

Yeah, me too. That's why I just purchased GT3AR speakers + the pictured SI200 OB servo subwoofer system. My speakers are ordered in the same metallic grey color as seen in the attached pic at the dealers.

I also looked into GT3AR, which has some very interesting tech (ie, crossoverless design). The OB servo subwoofer system is from Danny of GR-Research, who is a friend of mine. I have a pair of his OB subwoofers with two 12" drivers per channel, just like in the photo. Those subwoofers are some of the best you can get, IMO.

 

[DaveyF]

No, I do not.

Thanks.

I have a good friend who is thinking about pulling the trigger on the Bottocellis, he is now doing his research on them. So, he has a very high level of interest in your thoughts about them. Since he visits here occasionally, please do post once you have them up and running.

 

[dr k]

Thanks.

I have a good friend who is thinking about pulling the trigger on the Bottocellis, he is now doing his research on them. So, he has a very high level of interest in your thoughts about them. Since he visits here occasionally, please do post once you have them up and running.

I PM'd you.

 

[dr k]

Yeah, me too. That's why I just purchased GT3AR speakers + the pictured SI200 OB servo subwoofer system. My speakers are ordered in the same metallic grey color as seen in the attached pic at the dealers.

You have an excellent system. Could you comment on the sound of GT3AR speakers, compared to other speakers you’ve owned or are intimately aware of?

 

[allvinyl]

You have an excellent system. Could you comment on the sound of GT3AR speakers, compared to other speakers you’ve owned or are intimately aware of?

Thank you. I haven't taken possession of the GT speakers yet. I ordered them right before Steve and Greg were packing up to go to CAF. Some parts are ordered and received but I expect it will be another month or more before they're ready to ship. And yes, I've never heard a dynamic driver based subwoofer system integrate so well with a planar, ribbon, or electrostatic panel before. What I heard from the GTs over the 2 day audition took me back to my days with original Acoustats.

Before the 2-ways I'm using now I ran Acoustats from 1979 to 2009. I used the original servo amps until sometime in the '90s when I found Dan Fanni of American Hybrid Technology. He heavily modified the amps replacing the solid state front end with tubes (6DJ8 and variants) and using a 6LB6 cap tube to replace the original 6HB5 power tubes. A really great amp, IMHO. The weakness of the amp was the lack of the protection circuit in Dan's version which left it susceptible to issues on loss of power. I suffered through that experience twice frying all the high-voltage parts. I was without a system for over a year at one juncture as a result. I couldn't deal with their issues any longer and decided to go away from the speakers all together. I will say, though, to this day there are things those amps and panels could do that I've yet been able to replicate in my listening room. They had that elusive breath of life that takes a system beyond hi-fi. I heard that magic again in the GTs and it convinced me I had found my next speaker system. The OB subwoofers are the icing on the cake with their integration and extension down to 15hz.

I've spent a lot of time listening to all the usual suspects, MLs, Maggies, ET, Quads, other exotics. Of the exotics, there were more than a couple I couldn't afford. That's another aspect of the GTs, for me anyway. Affordability. I also have an amp that will drive them comfortably with which I can bi-wire them and avoid the compromise of using a jumper. All in all, a full range speaker system that I believe I will be very happy with for a long time.

 

[dr k]

Thank you. I haven't taken possession of the GT speakers yet. I ordered them right before Steve and Greg were packing up to go to CAF. Some parts are ordered and received but I expect it will be another month or more before they're ready to ship. And yes, I've never heard a dynamic driver based subwoofer system integrate so well with a planar, ribbon, or electrostatic panel before. What I heard from the GTs over the 2 day audition took me back to my days with original Acoustats.

Before the 2-ways I'm using now I ran Acoustats from 1979 to 2009. I used the original servo amps until sometime in the '90s when I found Dan Fanni of American Hybrid Technology. He heavily modified the amps replacing the solid state front end with tubes (6DJ8 and variants) and using a 6LB6 cap tube to replace the original 6HB5 power tubes. A really great amp, IMHO. The weakness of the amp was the lack of the protection circuit in Dan's version which left it susceptible to issues on loss of power. I suffered through that experience twice frying all the high-voltage parts. I was without a system for over a year at one juncture as a result. I couldn't deal with their issues any longer and decided to go away from the speakers all together. I will say, though, to this day there are things those amps and panels could do that I've yet been able to replicate in my listening room. They had that elusive breath of life that takes a system beyond hi-fi. I heard that magic again in the GTs and it convinced me I had found my next speaker system. The OB subwoofers are the icing on the cake with their integration and extension down to 15hz.

I've spent a lot of time listening to all the usual suspects, MLs, Maggies, ET, Quads, other exotics. Of the exotics, there were more than a couple I couldn't afford. That's another aspect of the GTs, for me anyway. Affordability. I also have an amp that will drive them comfortably with which I can bi-wire them and avoid the compromise of using a jumper. All in all, a full range speaker system that I believe I will be very happy with for a long time.

Ah yes, the Acoustats, one of my favorite electrostats. They did piano correctly like no other speaker I know of. I would love to audition the GTs when I get a chance. Thanks for your assessment of these speakers. Looks like a winner.

 

[DaveyF]

Ah yes, the Acoustats, one of my favorite electrostats. They did piano correctly like no other speaker I know of. I would love to audition the GTs when I get a chance. Thanks for your assessment of these speakers. Looks like a winner.

Mike, which Acoustats did you own? I used to own the 3C's and I thought they were a very compromised speaker. At the time, I ran them with tubes and ss...but nothing made much difference. Difficult to place in the room, demanding of the amp, colored across the board, restricted in their bottom end and veiled and not that extended in the highs. I had sold a pair of Maggies to get these, and that was a mistake, as the Maggies wiped the floor with them, IMO.

 

[dr k]

Mike, which Acoustats did you own? I used to own the 3C's and I thought they were a very compromised speaker. At the time, I ran them with tubes and ss...but nothing made much difference. Difficult to place in the room, demanding of the amp, colored across the board, restricted in their bottom end and veiled and not that extended in the highs. I had sold a pair of Maggies to get these, and that was a mistake, as the Maggies wiped the floor with them, IMO.

I never owned the Acoustats. Too poor at the time. I heard the 1+1 and 2+2 on numerous occasions at a local dealer who knew how to set them up. They didn't do everything well, but the midrange and imaging and sound staging were stellar.

 

[allvinyl]

A college friend owned the 1+1s and Dan Fanni owned the 2+2s. I thought both did some things extremely well but were certainly compromised mostly in the lower registers. I also always felt they, and the subsequent designs, were a step back from the original Xs, which I owned, because they used the Medallion. With the X panels being directly connected to the servo amps, the Xs had a purity, a magic the other two speakers never quite captured regardless of amplification. Dan's modified servos were definitely a huge sonic leap over the original servos and that combo had everything but the bottom end no amp could fix. You just weren't going to get all that much below 40hz without supplementation and the subwoofers of the day were no match for those panels, IMHO. I never went there on purpose.

 

[dr k]

A college friend owned the 1+1s and Dan Fanni owned the 2+2s. I thought both did some things extremely well but were certainly compromised mostly in the lower registers. I also always felt they, and the subsequent designs, were a step back from the original Xs, which I owned, because they used the Medallion. With the X panels being directly connected to the servo amps, the Xs had a purity, a magic the other two speakers never quite captured regardless of amplification. Dan's modified servos were definitely a huge sonic leap over the original servos and that combo had everything but the bottom end no amp could fix. You just weren't going to get all that much below 40hz without supplementation and the subwoofers of the day were no match for those panels, IMHO. I never went there on purpose.

I never had the opportunity to hear the Medallion. That must have been special.

 

[allvinyl]

Well yes and no. The Medallion allowed you to use whatever amp you wanted, but imposed itself into the equation. I never felt using the Medallion sounded as natural, pure, as directly connecting the amp to the panels. It just wasn't the same, and to my ears, not as good. Less real, more hi-fi...

 

[dr k]

Well yes and no. The Medallion allowed you to use whatever amp you wanted, but imposed itself into the equation. I never felt using the Medallion sounded as natural, pure, as directly connecting the amp to the panels. It just wasn't the same, and to my ears, not as good. Less real, more hi-fi...

I misunderstood. I thought the medallion meant the panels were directly coupled to the servo amp.

 

[allvinyl]

I misunderstood. I thought the medallion meant the panels were directly coupled to the servo amp.

The Medallion was a transformer interface introduced because not everyone wanted to use the servo amp. The interface went through a few versions and became popular with some, not so much with others like myself. Had I not found Dan's servo amp mods I likely would have spent some time investigating the Medallion in my own system.

 

[DaveyF]

My Acoustat 3’s had the Medallion mods. Very unimpressive and frankly I thought a waste of my money. The day I sold the 3’s was a day that I never regretted. So many other speakers that easily bested them....at even the lowest price points.

 

[allvinyl]

My Acoustat 3’s had the Medallion mods. Very unimpressive and frankly I thought a waste of my money. The day I sold the 3’s was a day that I never regretted. So many other speakers that easily bested them....at even the lowest price points.

I can understand as I always felt their best effort was the original X. I was working in an audio store during college at the time the X came out and we were one of the first Acoustat dealers in the country. Our other big speaker at the time was the DQ10. We all felt the X superior and a few of us found a way to get a pair. We communicated quite a bit with Strickland and others at the company and felt good about their desire to continue to refine the original design. I don't know if a single factor ultimately resulted in the change in design philosophy but I do know there was a lot of outside pressure to provide the ability for users to choose their own amplification. I think succumbing to that pressure started, or at least contributed to, the resulting evolution of the line. To me, it was all down hill from there. There was a lot they could have done in house to refine the servo amp but chose a different path.

 

[DaveyF]

I can understand as I always felt their best effort was the original X. I was working in an audio store during college at the time the X came out and we were one of the first Acoustat dealers in the country. Our other big speaker at the time was the DQ10. We all felt the X superior and a few of us found a way to get a pair. We communicated quite a bit with Strickland and others at the company and felt good about their desire to continue to refine the original design. I don't know if a single factor ultimately resulted in the change in design philosophy but I do know there was a lot of outside pressure to provide the ability for users to choose their own amplification. I think succumbing to that pressure started, or at least contributed to, the resulting evolution of the line. To me, it was all down hill from there. There was a lot they could have done in house to refine the servo amp but chose a different path.

I remember being so very disappointed when I did the C mod to the Medallion...absolutely no improvement to my ears whatsoever, in fact even slightly more veiled. My dealer at the time was telling me the mod was essentially an epiphany and that all the difference in the world was to be had by this mod. Here I was thinking the old Maggie’s that I had sold for a song were so much superior, and here he was telling me the Acoustats were in a different league to the lowly Maggie’s. It was only years later that I found out that while this guy sold Acoustat, he used Maggie’s in his home system...
Needless to say, I wasn’t terribly upset when he closed up shop for good after going bankrupt.