From their earliest days (think, Quad 57’s), electrostats have been praised for their transparency and microdynamics, but their limitations were obvious: an inability to play loudly, concomitantly poor macrodynamics, and limited low frequency extension and “slam.” When early models were pushed beyond the limits, which was easy to do, they would arc — with catastrophic consequences — or the diaphragm would hit the stators. To prevent this, protective circuitry was incorporated, which would automatically shut down the speaker. In addition, electrostat panels were sensitive to humidity, dust and insects.
Over the course of many years of experimentation, Roger overcame each of these limitations. His panels are virtually indestructible with normal use, are not affected by humidity, and come with a lifetime warranty. Moreover, they are capable of sustained play at so-called “concert levels.” But the Models 10’s do more than just play loud; they go from soft to loud in the blink of an eye, and thereby reproduce the music’s energy and dynamics. One of the tracks on Roger’s demo disc is a drum solo; when played through the Model 10’s, it comes incredibly close to the sound of an actual drummer playing just feet away. I have played this track for virtually every guest to my listening room and there have been many; without exception, they have been stunned by the life-like dynamics, all the more so that this could come from an electrostat. To my utter amazement, the Model 10’s are every bit as dynamic as my horns, though the Models 10’s do, of course, require a lot more power.
The Top and Bottom Must Meet in the Middle
The Model 10 is a hybrid speaker, in which the lower frequencies are provided by a woofer, rather than by the electrostat panel. Historically, such designs have suffered from a sonic disconnect, in which the low frequencies appear to “lag,” or not keep up with, the higher frequencies. In response, some manufacturers produce so-called “full range” electrostats. I have heard a few different full-range electrostats, including some that are very large and very expensive. Although they were certainly coherent, to my ears they lacked bass slam, and most were also severely lacking in dynamics. Though they do not offend, they are, to my ear, boring, as they strip music of its energy and vitality.
Roger believes that the only way to get proper bass is with a hybrid design. He spent many years designing a woofer system that would have a transient response sufficient to “keep up” with the electrostat panel. His ultimately chose a transmission line design, details of which can be found in the interview I referenced above, and in his White Paper. To my ears, and to those of virtually everyone I know who has heard the 10’s, the transition from woofer to electrostat panel is seamless. I have spent many hours listening to the speakers, and I hear no discontinuity whatsoever. Moreover, the bass is tight, tuneful, and with plenty of slam. Bass instruments sound like real instruments, which is not the case with many speakers. Though the Model 10’s are not as extended, nor quite as tight as the Olaf woofer I recently reviewed, they never left me wanting for more.
Choose Your Music
High-end audio is replete with speakers that sound their best only with certain types of music. This is typically because the speakers are bandwidth-limited, and also lacking in dynamics; as such, they are most suitable for chamber music, and the typical “girl with guitar.” Not so the Model 10’s. Because they are nearly full-range, falling just a bit shy in the lowest octave, because they are so dynamic, and because they are so lacking in coloration, they are equally adept with any type of music. Chick with guitar, wailin’ rock, electronica, symphony, or anything in between, the Models 10’s excel. There is no editorializing, no added warmth or harmonics, and no exaggerated peaks. Instead, the listener is rewarded with an incredibly accurate reproduction of the recording; nothing more, and nothing less. With adequate amplification, no apologies ever have to be made with the Model 10’s.
Take a Seat
As discussed above, the Model 10 speakers have narrow dispersion. When listened to off-axis, especially in my room which is well-treated with absorbers and diffusors, there is a noticeable drop-off of high frequencies. I have heard the Model 10’s in the home of Merrill Wettasinghe, the designer and manufacturer of the Veritas amplifiers. Merrill’s listening room is smaller than my own, and less extensively treated. In his room, the off-axis roll-off is less pronounced than in my room; not unexpectedly, the roll-off became more pronounced when Merrill added some absorption to the walls. An important point this demonstrates is that even narrow dispersion speakers send considerable energy off-axis; it is easy to understand why the sonics of wide dispersion speakers are so compromised.
Some audiophiles who have not experienced the Model 10 speakers believe that they must listen with their “head in a vice.” Let me put this to rest, hopefully once and for all. All that is required for optimal listening is to sit in a chair, equidistant from the speakers. And while the Model 10s are more sensitive in this regard than are more traditional wide-dispersion speakers, one should be similarly positioned to obtain optimal results with any speaker.
When properly set up, the Model 10’s throw a realistic, deep and layered soundstage. They did not provide the pinpoint imaging some other speakers produce; this is typical of dipoles, especially those with large radiating areas. I am aware that there are those who categorize themselves as “imaging freaks.” As I’ve discussed on numerous occasions, in my opinion pinpoint imaging does not exist in live music; not once have I left a concert and heard anyone in the audience raving about how tight the images were, and for the life of me I cannot fathom why so much importance is ascribed to this phenomenon. But of course, “to each his own” applies here, as it does most everywhere. And while I don’t expect to change anyone’s mind, I would be remiss if I failed to point out that anyone who passes up the Models 10’s because of their lack of pinpoint imaging, is missing out on the remarkable way they reproduce music. Let me say that again, with feeling: the way they reproduce music. ‘nuff said.
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I have owned the 10c speakers for a couple of years and continue to enjoy them. I obtained a replacement audio output board for the dcx 2496 that simplifies the circuit, uses better opamps, and also uses a remote control to vary gain…it can be used as a system volume control. A board is also available to replace the digital input / clock circuit. All I can tell you is that I wish Roger would offer this as part of his 10c system, it elevates the transparency, removes grundge, and just makes the speakers better. Contact Ward Maas at Pilghamaudio.com for more info.
Roger does not believe op amps make a difference (he used very inexpensive ones in the Innersound crossover amp, and told a friend of mine who is an op amp guru that “they all sound the same”). I replaced five of the op amps at my friends advice and it made a TREMENDOUS difference. I’m very much a fan of science and like much about objectiveness, but while I was once a “doubter” of some of the tweak nature of high end audio, I’ve come to find over time that numerous things I used to mock I could hear differences in if I gave it a chance and a bit of an open mind. Yes, there is snake oil crap, but there are other things that I have noticed making an improvement (like cables, ha ha ha! Yeah, I used to be in the “all sound the same unless poorly designed” camp, and mocked the cable swapping crowd. Then I stopped mocking and started listening more….)
The op amps I was talking about above (that I replaced) are in the Innersound (now Sanders Sound) crossover amp, not a Behringer unit, just to clarify. Have heard the DCX2496 at shows in Roger’s room, but have not tried it yet in my system).
Thanks for both reviewing a great speaker and interviewing one of the great pioneers in high-end audio. I would like to listen to a pair of Model 10s with a DEQX HDP-4 instead of the Behringer. The DEQX would serve as digital crossover with very steep filters (maybe lowering the crossover point below 172Hz significantly), it would correct both speaker and room, and even seamlessly integrate a pair of subwoofers at any reasonable frequency. Let me just dream.
Glad someone in audio review tells it like it is WRT what live music actually sounds like. Having had subscription series to symphony orchestras and listened to more live jazz than most people, I can tell you that imaging is an pot of gold at the end of the audiophile rainbow. Now, that’s not to say that pinpoint imaging doesn’t have its own visceral enticements, but it’s not what real live music sounds like. So, perhaps we need to abandon the notion that audiophiles must pursue “the closest thing to live”. Maybe we should recognize different tastes and expectations for different audiophiles and leave it at that. Personally, I’ll spend my extra money on live music and more vinyl rather than more exotic gear.
Lots of active crossover options listed here (both analog and digital)
http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/HW/ActiveCrossover.htm
Has anyone tried a 48dB/oct analog crossover with the model 10s such as the Marchand XM44 and compared with the Behringer?
Chris B
48dB/oct is the standard setting. Roger crosses at 172hz at 48 on both sides.
vdorta
I am test driving a Deqx Premate at the moment, with my 10c s. I am told a HDP4 [ 3 way] has a tweeter x-over that does not go low enough, so you are throwing away a crossover. Save money and buy the 2 way Premate. I have yet to ponder that info. and purchase.
6 weeks later…I have bought the HDP4. For $500 more, you get better transparency and thus imaging. This must be the linear power supply. I saw inside both machines. Anyhow, I thought it no contest in the end. This is so far ahead of my Behringer set up of dcx2496, deq2496 and src2496. I am a happy chappy.
Oh yes…the included asynchronous usb input is truly excellent. I surpasses my Audio-Gd DI V3. I think it injects I2S directly into the digital receiver. I play [a] from a netbook via usb and JRiver,[b] Squeezebox Touch with EDO mod to usb from a SD card [c] cd from Oppo 95 [d] vinyl via SOTA/SME and AQVOX balanced phono stage.
Roger once told me that in order to get the crossover slope that is used in this instance with these speakers, it can only be done in the digital realm to get it low enough. The crossover point in the bass panel amp on my Innersound Eros III amp (his speaker company before Sanders sound, but it’s basically the same speaker), is 310 HZ, higher than what can be done with the DC2496. So that would rule out any analog crossover like the Marchand.
Do you have an active crossover amp, or one of the rare passive crossover Eros models? I have the crossover amp (actually, it’s an Innersound Kaya amp, better transformer and 330 watts at 8 ohms). I have a friend who is an op amp expert, and under his recommendation, I replaced five cheap op amps better (and much more expensive) ones and it made a notable improvement to the sound. I had thought about trying the DCX2496, but afraid the cheap nature of it might ruin the sound (plus I listen to tons of vinyl, have over 3000 lps, so do prefer the idea of not “digitizing” the signal). There are the replacement boards by Pilgham audio mentioned in the first post, so maybe I should pick up a DCX2496 just to try and see if the lower crossover point wins out over my “hotrodded” Innersound crossover amp. If not, I can return the unit. If it shows promise over my crossover amp, then try the upgraded boards mentioned. But….your mention of the Marchand intrigues me. The price is a bit steep (compared to the DCX2496), and I don’t know if Marchand has a return policy, but I do see they sell a board unit only of the crossover which of course is much cheaper. Hmmmm…wonder if it could be installed in my Innersound crossover amp?
I purchased both a Behringer DCX2496 and a Marchand XM44 to try with my Eros MKIII.5. Both tuned to 48dB/oct at 172Hz with the equalization as specified by Roger in his DCX setup manual. They both made the lower midrange much more transparent. There was a “hollow sounding” coloration with the stock crossover. However…. The Behringer obscures microdetail which the Innersound are known for. I preferred the stock crossover for its natural detailed sound despite the lower midrange coloration. Then came the Marchand XM44 with the same tuning as the DCX. The stock Marchand was better than the Behringer for sure but i still felt it was slightly “hifi” sounding. After lots of research, I ordered some dual OPA627 and DEXA discrete opamps from Partsconnexion. I put a pair of DEXA in the input section. I ended up using the OPA627s in the high pass section only since the stock opamps are a little punchier in the low pass. Bingo! This combinations sounds amazing! The lower midrange is seamless now, the bass dynamics and articulation much better, the microdetail is still there, and as an added bonus the high frequencies sound much more extended. Somehow the stock crossover was making the Eros sound muffled. These were always awesome speakers, and now sound even better.
I have the new 10Ds and I have a modded behringer done by Audiosmiles in the UK and it is truly amazing.