LCR - Stay 60XT or go ESL

[Broussar88]

Hey everyone,

I have an ML home theatre setup configured 7.2.4 at the moment. 10.5' W, 17' L, 7' H (very small).
LCR are 60XT. L/R can be moved behind or beside my acoustically transparent screen.
Sides are FX2.
Rears are 35XT.
Heights are ElectroMotion IC.
Amps currently are NAD M25 for the bed layer and Emotiva xpa5 for the heights.

Really happy with the setup but I decided to try a pair of Electrostatics for music. I picked up a pair of Sequel II and I was blown away at the difference in sound. Cabinets are 1989 and panels are 1993 according to the serial numbers but they appear (and sound) to be in fantastic shape. Unfortunately the theatre isn't big enough to keep both LR setups. I have been debating selling the Sequels but I am also considering replacing LCR with electrostatics.

There are more Sequel II around I could pickup to match, and that would give me an advantage(?) of having a spare.
I do worry about the age of the sequels and how much life they have left.
I also wonder if a new(er) set like the EM ESL or ESL X would be a smarter decision long term.
Or should I just sell the sequels and keep the 60XT's?
If I was to switch, my budget would probably be in the range of $1500(CDN) per speaker. ($5000 max total).
So many questions. Just looking for people's thoughts.

Thanks

 

[Nuri58]

There is a world of diff from the EM ESL to the ESL X - From the ESL X to 9a diff becomes minor, in fact i wouldn't be able to say which is which unless perhaps in an A/B test. The panels are 10% different in size and the base same but paper versus alu cones. Adding a sub will minimise the effecr in my ears. But do try to listen to both and let that deciede.

 

[Robert D]

DaVinci Media, owned by Shawn on here, has the best prices that I know of and he's great to deal with. Shawn is a good guy. If you decide to buy new, you should check with him. He might even have a demo set you could pick up at a great price.
I bought my BF 210 from him. He's based out of Wisconsin if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Broussar88]

Thanks for the inputs.
It's been a while. I ended up getting a second pair of Sequel II but in a different colour. So I'm running 3 for my front stage at the moment. I have a pair of the sequels and the 3 60xt both posted for sale but barely getting any bites on them. I think the market is slow right now (in Canada at least). I'm still debating about upgrading to newer esls at some point but I'm happy for now with the Sequels.