Electrostatic speakers from ER Audio
Doug Flynn
Do any of you have any experience with ER Audio (from Perth) electrostatic
speaker kits? The Acorn design looks impressive:
http://www.eraudio.com.au/DIY_Speaker_Kits/Acorn_ESL_kit/acorn_esl_kit.html
Cheers. Doug
TT
"Doug Flynn" <doog...@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:ia0Om.56597$ze1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Yes, I have demoed these a few years ago and was told by Rob
McKinlay that he would not sell any to me. I happened to
criticise the bass, or more correctly the lack there of. At
the time he was also not happy to assemble them either and
was only interested in flogging the components.
I should also talk to Patrick Turner who had extensive
experience with a set of these a while ago in trying to get
them to work properly.
I have struggled to find anyone that actually has anything
nice to say about these.
Cheers TT
Patrick Turner
> "Doug Flynn" <doogs...@bigpond.com> wrote in message
>
> news:ia0Om.56597$ze1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
> > Hi chaps
>
> > Do any of you have any experience with ER Audio (from
> > Perth) electrostatic speaker kits? The Acorn design looks
> > impressive:
>
>
> > Cheers. Doug
>
> Yes, I have demoed these a few years ago and was told by Rob
> McKinlay that he would not sell any to me. I happened to
> criticise the bass, or more correctly the lack there of. At
> the time he was also not happy to assemble them either and
> was only interested in flogging the components.
>
> I should also talk to Patrick Turner who had extensive
> experience with a set of these a while ago in trying to get
> them to work properly.
>
> I have struggled to find anyone that actually has anything
> nice to say about these.
>
> Cheers TT
Doug should do a search of the archives to see the posts I made about
the ERA ESL kits.
There are piles and piles about terrible experiences. Doug would, like
anyone trying to make their own ESL, have to spend years in
researching just how ESL work and to become as capable as Peter Walker
both practically and theoretically. But also one needs to know what
Peter Baxandal wrote about the Quad ESL57. Few who build/market ESL
know any fucking thing.
I had not the slightest bit of success even after many attempts to
build just one panel. ERA CEO in Perth and salesman in UK were not the
slightest bit helpful. I later had an old complete kit given to me by
a guy who'd bought the kit but who didn't proceed to try to build it
after his friend failed dismally to get his built. I have since seem
no evidence anyone has ever got good performance at least equal to
Quad ESL57.
I am not aware that any successful demonstration of ERA speakers has
been performed in front of an audio club in Oz.
I know a guy in Sydney who has had success with ESL after 20 years of
part time R&D. Nothing like ERA crap though.
Quite beautiful sound IMHO, and no problems with HV arcing. He does
get good bass and sensitivity and needs only 16W from 6C33c amps.
I'm currently working to restore a pair of home made speakers with
Janszen 11" bass dynamic up to 1kHz, then a pair of 150mm square
Janszen ESL panels for above 1kHz. There wasn't much I had to do
because the ESL panels and bass drivers are OK after 30 years.
Sound is fair only though.
Patrick Turner.