Hierarchy within the speaker

[ThomasOK]

Are some electrostatics a single driver speaker?

The answer would be: Yes, but. There have been a number of electrostatics that have no crossover but most of them have used multiple driver units just all running full range. The Acoustats were of this type and I believe the Beveridges, possibly some of the Sound Lab units. The two electrostatics I know for sure were/are one driver units are the Martin Logan CLS and the Quad ESL63 and all the more recent variants of the same. I've never been all that thrilled with the sound of either. One of my customers had the most up to date versions of the CLS, which use a single, large, curved panel in a wood frame, and they were somewhat hard and not particularly musical - and this is on the end of a Klimax LP12/Lejonklou Monos setup. He ended up replacing them with a pair of $10,000 Dynaudios and has been thrilled ever since (and it does sound very good). The Quads ESL63, on which all newer Quad ESLs up to the present day are based, are a totally different beast and are meant to act as a virtual point source. They do that by driving different parts of the diaphragm at different times starting from the center and going outwards. In order to do this it runs the signal through a very complex set of delay lines driving 7 different sections of the diaphragm at different times and also reducing the highs as it moves outward. So it is a single driver and doesn't use exactly what you would call a crossover, but it is an altogether different kind of animal. And IMO nowhere near as musical as the original Quads, which are technically a three way speaker but with the midrange and highs produced on the same panel! Yep, electrostatic speakers are a whole different beast and don't follow the normal rules.

[sunbeamgls]

Interesting insights, thanks TOK

[lindsayt]

I have no idea what the hierarchy is within a speaker.

That's because I haven't done the appropriate tests to determine this.

I haven't for example, taken two pairs of speakers with identical cabinets and very different drivers and then demo'd them against each other.

All I have done is to compare a reasonable quantity of different speakers against each other using the tunedem method.

And all I've come with is that - in general - low efficiency, ported, slimline speakers tend to be lacking.

And that high efficiency speakers, or medium efficiency sealed box speakers or electrostatics are better - on the proviso that they are properly engineered examples of these genres.
And how do I know they are properly engineered? By looking at them with a mechanical / electronic engineer's hat on - and by listening to them in comparative demos, using tunedem.

I have heard some relatively tuneful speakers that have terminals and internal wiring that are rather insubstantial.