What ever happened to the Naim electrostatic speakers

Posted by: Martin M on 09 January 2001

I remember Guy Lamotte writing Naim's new Electrostratic/Ribbon hybrid speaker in HiFi Review circa 1986 and Chris Frankland going into total rave mode about their sound.

So what happened to them? They just seemed to disappear while in the productionization stage.

For that matter, what happened to Guy and Chris, they disappeared too.

Can anyone shed some light?

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Andrew L. Weekes
I believe that the very high voltages required to obtain the performance that Naim wanted resulted in a number of occasions where a huge spark leapt from one speaker to another.

I think it was decided that they were dangerous, and the compromises involved in making them safe would have degraded performance significantly.

For this reason they were shelved - must have been an interesting sound - light unit cool

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Andrew L. Weekes
As for Chris Frankland I don't know what he's doing now, but Hi-Fi Review folded very soon after his new magazine Motorcycle Review.

Both were excellent magazines in my view, and I find the alternatives currently on the shelves to be so poor I rarely buy them.

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Martin M
Obviously a spectacular demo - the sparks must add an interesting edge to a Yello 12" single..

I guess the insulator materials weren't up to the job.

I wonder where the prototypes are?

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Pete, Mad Bad and Dangerous to Know
Hi,

They are probably in a kebab shop zapping flies.

wink

pete

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Martin M
Or executing people in Texas smile
Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Andrew L. Weekes
Maybe that's what happened to Guy and Chris?

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Martin M
Well Chris was probably sentenced for cruelty to a perfectly decent six-pack Isobarik system by playing all those Alphonse Mouson records and Larry Carlton LPs through it. Maybe he was execuated in George Benson-acution style a la 'The Day Today's' Elvis-acution.
Posted on: 09 January 2001 by rohit
go to

http://www.audiocircuit.com/9105IMAI-MA.htm


select 'N' ..... Naim / Electrostatic speakers

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Mike Harris
Blimey, you would need some Mana under that, just to make it look nicer....

mikeh

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Joe Petrik
Hmmm, they do look suspiciouly like Quad '57s without the grilles.

This is a shot of the '57 from behind, all nekid



Joe

[This message was edited by Joe Petrik on TUESDAY 09 January 2001 at 20:04.]

Posted on: 09 January 2001 by Chris Murphy
In answer to your question...as it happens, the pair of FL1's is in New Zealand. I had a guy ring me prior to Christmas wanting to sell them. I said yes, and haven't heard from him since! Still time I suppose. He bought them off Guy when he was flatting with him in London in 1980 something. Now going through a messy devorce, he is forced to sell. They may make it back to the Naim museum yet. Fingers crossed.

Chris.

Posted on: 10 January 2001 by MarkEJ
IIRC, there was an article in HiFi World (UK) about the FL1, published within the last 12 months. I didn't eventually buy the issue, but now wish I had!

From what I remember, the FL1 was Guy Lamotte's next project after the ARO, and what finally killed it was that the manufacturing tolerances required for some of the bits were beyond what even British Aerospace could achieve consistently. That and the fact that at some point any design project comes to the end of its budget…

Of course, that was then and this is now. I note an ominous lack of comment from Naim in this thread! Grounds for optimistic speculation? smile smile smile

Best;

Mark

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forum environment is
better than none)