Final Audio Electrostatic Speakers

[goryu]

Final Audio, an electrostatic speaker manufacturer in the Netherlands, first produced speakers back in the early 2000's, changed ownership, then the original owner restarted the company a few years ago. Now they are building out a distributor base in Europe and North America.

There new line features state of the art materials and design. They have exhibited recently at several of the large audio shows in Europe. They have a new distributor in the US and I am wondering what those who have heard or are familiar with their new models think of them. I am considering purchase and there isn't a lot of info available on the web. I am located in the US and a purchase would require a bit of a leap of faith so hoping to hear from those with some familiarity with the brand.

Thank you and happy New Year to all...

 

[goryu]

N/A

Room doesn't exist anymore.

audiosciencereview.com

I updated my old post.

Admittedly, I haven't owned the electrostatics in 3-4 years now, but I did like them while I owned them more than the Magnepan 1.7's and & JBL 306ii's I also had at the same time in the same room comparing side by side with room correction on all 3.

They really need room correction and a sub or two. They are definitely not flat out of the box & really only go down to about 70hz at -6 despite the specs saying much better. For that reason I wouldn't buy the super large expensive ones as they won't go much lower really and still would require a sub. In fact, the smallest Final F90i I owned was the flattest by far! I liked them though while I had them and sometimes wish I still had them, but maybe if I had them in the same room as my Neumanns I might think otherwise now?

Either way, if you have money to blow, they are probably the best electrostatic speakers you can buy if that's your thing.

The new Final line has a totally different design and the lastest tech in coatings/membrane so probably not really comparable to the old i line. Thanks though for your thoughts, much appreciated.

 

[Flexecutioner]

I haven't heard them, but I've noticed them disguising retail advertisements as "For Sale" postings to websites like Audiogon and USAudioMart . Really strange. Looks like the sites finally realized what was going on and removed them. Either way, I wouldn't buy from a company that tries to drive sales through gimmicks like that, especially at that price. There are too many other options to risk it.

 

[goryu]

Not sure what you mean by "removed" as all the ads are still there on Audiogon and USAudioMart when I check.

The ads are a bit off, I agree...

 

[Flexecutioner]

You're right. I think my search options prevented me from seeing them. At least they are now listed as dealer ads. I don't think that was the case for previous postings, but the ads look the same.

 

[welwynnick]

I only just noticed today that Final have started up again.
I have several of their speakers from many years ago (and many have failed).
They weren't reliable - I hope they're better now.
I used to work in a high end HiFi store, and one of the few products that really left a lasting impression on me were Audiostatic ES200 electrostatic speakers.
Everything else sounded muddled in comparison, even Quad and Martin Logan electrostatics.
Determined to find something to recapture that vivid memory, I tried some Final speakers, and though they're hardly a universal solution for everyone, they brought the magic back. They were so incredibly transparent they made it child's play to hear the differences between even very high quality partnering electronics.
Once you've heard something like Audiostatic or Final, it makes you question why anyone would ever want conventional speakers ever again.
And then you think directivity, dynamic range, bass extension, size, cost, reliability, sweet spot .......
I'm really pleased to hear they're back on the market, though.

 

[mhardy6647]

I only just noticed today that Final have started up again.

Final... started up again.
There's some sort of irony there, but I am not quite sure what it is.

 

[goryu]

I was working with them a year ago to buy a pair. We agreed I could pick them up at the Axpona show in Chicago. I was told to expect at least a 15% discount on the price. I booked a room at a hotel, bought tickets, and about a week or two before the event the US distributor asked me to pay for them before coming down. I asked for an invoice. He told me I would have to pay shipping because they weren't going to bring that model to the show (thought they said they were previously), he told me I would have to pay sales tax (I explained to him previously that I was responsible according to WI state law for out of state purchases that incurred sales tax unless the merchant was registered with the WI Dept of Rev., which they were not. I sent him links to the laws but he insisted I pay him sales tax- another $400 or so), and the discount he offered was much less than the "at least 15%" he had originally promised. I was disappointed at the broken promises and the obvious efforts to wring every cent out of me. I had asked the owner a few questions about the specs which he answered in part after I emailed a few times. I heard from someone that knows him that he was calling me "his American stalker". I got a few emails from people who had had bad customer service experiences with them in the past as well as durability issues with their products. Once I took all of this in and gave it some thought, I realized they just weren't the kind of people or company that I could trust or wanted to do business with. I would warn others to think long and hard before you buy a product from these people with their history of product reliability, bankruptcy, and poor customer service. It wouldn't be much fun to have to ship a large set of 'stats from the US to Europe for repair or service.

 

[mhardy6647]

^^^ yikes!