ESL 15A vs CLX ART+sub ?

[patsuh]

I have been living with Prodigy for 10 years, I love them for resolution, magic presentation of the ESL but I hate them for the bass reproduction specially in a small room. Too boomy, too much bass and not tight enough, that's a pity. So it is time to change now. I have been dreaming about a full range electrostatic speaker, the only way I guess... but it does not exist in a small size at a moderate price. So, the solution would be to buy the Renaissance 15A that I heard, a kind of a better Prodigy, with active bass... or a pair of CLX Art, ESL full range indeed, passive, but what about the bass reproduction with jazz or pop music ? They need a subwoofer add I think, or I am wrong ? All the sub woofers experience failed with ESL speakers (CLS) for the moment ; what about now with the new Martin Logan sub as the model 212 ? Any body tried to put a 212 subwoofer with a CLX Art for example ? Thank you to share your experience to help me. Regards from France. Patounet

we have a 15a after clx being honest nothing compared to clx because the lower crossover point (50 hz vs 350), most transparent and better bass response. if ML can make a totally passive 15a will be astounding, because class d amps always mess a little bit sound.

 

[GW1800]

Totally agree! One of the big pluses of the CLX is the much much lower crossover then any of the hybrids and I would include the Neolith in the same group. Obviously the wider panel is a plus for both the 15 and Neolith but it can only do so much. The other big plus is the CLX with sub(s) as the integration is very good - custom crossover, ARC etc. To add a sub to a 15 or below speaker will work (using the custom crossover and ARC) but there are issues getting it right if you ever can. The CLX just gives the users a much more electrostatic experience top to bottom that many of us love and by adding subs the bass is very good indeed!