Always loved ribbon/electrostatic speakers if only they don't sound like speakers! The Emit 8bs are the best and real deal in the audio world. Sound and look great and not a difficult speaker to drive but will reveal weakest link in your system(a good thing trust me). I have a good size room (18.5 ft square) and because of their design and with proper placement I have minimal room interaction and more than enough volume. These speakers really have sufficient bass but you need again proper placement and understanding of their apparent "power curve". I mean you have to crank them up (never over 84db, which is loud!) to feel what they can do.

I really feel 72db and higher these speakers put out their best with all types of music but you need and amp with at least 100 watts per channel IMHO, and one of high quality.

Clarity

Very limited in dynamics

I finally had a chance to audition these speakers. Dealer network is very small. My first impression was positive, very open as one would expect with a planar speaker, but there was a noticeable lack of bass. That's OK as I have a sub, but the quoted 8" seemed more like a 6.5" woofer.

I played the speakers at moderate level and was enjoying the music and looking to see what weakness I would find. It came when we started to turn the volume up a little, not too loud, between 75 and 80db. The vocals became shrill. The character of the speaker changed and not for the better.

If you don't play very loud and use a sub the speakers are quite remarkable.

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Martin Logan, Magnepan, Infinity, Polk, Paradigm, etc.

Midrange, highs and 3 dimensional imaging. It sounds as if the musicians are there in front of you. Glasss breaking and dialogue is realistic in home theater applications.

Heavy cabinets, requires too much current to drive. Otherwise, awesome loudspeakers. Unbeatable in price comparison to other high end equivalent.

Purchased on october 2004, amplifiers used are carver 225 TFM using a carver c-16 preamp and pioneer vsx912 7.1 home theater receiver with dakiom feedback stabliziers,acoustic research tds-202 spatial enhancer. With the right components or matching, this system is hard to beat and a steal for the price. Life like imaging, crystal clear highs and midrange and voice is realistic. Highly recommended and compared to magnepan better sounding overall.

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Magnepan, srslabs, acoustat.

Spatial Representation Height of Sound "Picture" Overall Frequency Response

Cannot think of any

SUPERB! I recently acquired two pairs; i.e. four Eminent Technology VIIIa speakers, and I am driving them with a pair of Bryston 7B-SST monoblocks. To my ears this combination is indeed quite synergistic perhaps due to the fact that the eight to ten ohm impedance of each ET VIIIa speaker connected in parallel perfectly matches the output impedance of the Bryston monoblocks. I would like to recommend to everyone that they give very serious consideration to acquiring not two, but four of the ET VIIIa speakers, because this truly provides a very wide soundstage and also allows a great deal of adjustment to overcome possible room problems. The four VIIIa speakers do indeed create a "you are there" atmosphere no matter what type of music. I am reasonably certain, although I have not personally made the comparison, that FOUR ET VIIIa speakers greatly outperform TWO of the more expensive Magnaplanar 3.6 series speakers.

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Sound Lab 3A ESL

Seamless integration from woofer to pannels Highs detailed, yet not harsh Does wonders with vocals! Exceptional $/performance ratio!

Not a true weakness, just a difficulty:Awkward to move about due to extensive metalwork on pannels.

In initial listening sessions, I very much prefer the sound of the LFT to the maggie 1.6's. They are similar in nature, having the same kind of 'planar' sound as opposed to cones, but there the similarities end. The LFT is a slightly narrower width of sound field, which makes sense due to the maggies being wider pannels. But the quality of the sound reproduction is wonderful! I especially appreciate the softer, yet more accurate high end. I had always struggled with the edginess of the tweeter on the 1.6, but the LFT resolves the treble nicely without the edge to it. And that is with the setting for tweeter on high. Further, the seamless integration of the bass driver and planars is quite well done. I had auditioned Martin Logans and was not impressed with their integration of the electrostat and woofer. I am hearing very defined, strong bass with the combination of the LFT and my twin Vandersteen subs. I would have to say that the LFT is already outperforming any setup I have used with the Maggies, and that's even before I have tried passively biamping the LFT! I'm very eager to hear what they sound like given more clean power! I have noticed that especially in the bass, there is definition and depth I never heard from the 1.6's. In essence, the LFT produces a richer sound, one that is more like live music, without adding the "box" coloration to the sound.

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Vandersteen 2CE Mangepan MMG, 1.6QR Definitive Technology

I listen primarily to classical and big band. The 8a's are very crisp, clean, and true to the instrument / artist.

I strongly agree with prior reviews -- requires strong amp, pre-amp. The bass was muddy until I replaced my old Carver CT-6 with a Krell KRC-3. I would recommend driving with 200 amp/channel.

Purchased a pair of LFT-8a to replace KEF 104/2 that age finally caught up with. Purchase was based solely on strength of audioreview reviews and e-mails with Bruce Thigpen. After three months listening, can not be happier. Staging, imaging, tonality is a step up from the KEFs (folks, that ain't easy to do). Very pleasant on the ears.

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KEF 104/2.

Huge sounding for size. Impression of loudness/power at lower actual sound pressure levels. Very warm and listenable. Base extends with punch plenty low enough for most any material. Interesting to look at-conversation piece. Reasonable size(vs. acoustats). All in all a remarkable design. High freq coming from point source.

Base does not make it to the very bottom which for the fanatic can be frustrating(need to grow up). Can't crank everything w/o having the woofer popping. Base does drop out at certain frequencies(holes). High freqs are not quite as resolved(acurate) as acoustats but still damn good. Somewhat power hungry. Sounds like a lot of complaining but these speakers are truely amazing.

I have had these for two months or so now and while at first my girlfriend and I scoffed at them (comparing to acoustat sound) I have found i prefer these in many respects. The speakers teach me something about speakers: that there are superior speakers with very different qualities. The acoustats are louder (in high freq range) and more acurate but can be overwhelming and don't extend quiet as low as the LFT 8a's. The LFT 8a's base is very nice but cannot be pushed to extreme loudness. Also, they can't quiet handle the very bottom audible range of some of my drum & base material. But the speaker is ideal for situations where you don't want to crank up the volume but wwant the sensation of doing so. I think this is where many extremely expensive speakers are. Very good within a limited range. Lesson: no speaker can deliver everything.

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Acoustat Model 3's and 3300 spectras

Smooth, crystaline mids and clean crisp highs. The bass is good up the limit and then can be flabby.

The price is right but I agree that quality, high current electronics and--I can''t believe I''m saying this--VERY GOOD BIWIRES ARE ESSENTIAL. THE CABLES MEAN MORE TO THESE SPEAKERS THAN ANY I HAVE EVERY OWNED OR AUDITIONED. Set up and aiming of the high transducer is critical as well. AND WITH THESE TALL BIG FOOTED DUDES WRESTLING THEM ABOUT IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.

These speakers have been a pleasure to live with. The sound is accessible and never tiring. They are absolutely great for Strings and Orchestral music, but have the where with all to handle everything thats been thrown at them.

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EVERYTHING.

crystal clear voices, huge soundstage, super bass

The break-in is a little slow, they get better everytime
I turn them on.

I first learned about them from Listener magazine. They have the same clarty as Quads, but without the loss of bass. The timbres are like real musicians in your living room. The soundstage will make your room seem bigger....much bigger. Downsides of the LFT-8, they probably will get you divorced or fired from your job. The bass is tight and deep and is seamless with the mid range. The high end is adjustable and for my system the mid level is right. These speakers need good equipment(does anybody want to buy a Proceed cd player cheap) around them. The Sound Anchor stands are a must. They will sound better at your home than in the dealer's audition room. Hey, ain't that a switch! I bought them at Hwdsound@aol.com and he is great to deal with. Also, they work well with high powerded
tube amps.

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My speaker budget was $6,000.00 and I listened to everything. They were simply the best speaker at that price range!

3-dimensional, Integration of dynamic bass, incredible smooth and clear heights and mids....

??? maybe one: be prepared to renew your whole system, above all your amps! Try tube and/or Pass (no, no, it's not too weak)!!!

Well, what can I add to John Werner's review? It's bad to have hundreds of CD's in a quality you will never listen aganin with this speakers..... I never knew how poor the sound-quality of the majority of the "consumer music CD's" is. Just listen to things from Nathalie Merchant, Patricia Barber etc. and you'll understand what I mean!

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hmmmm...... just believe me, even Wilson is no match for them.