Electrostatic Speakers

[tubehunter]

Any one know anything about these Newform Research R8-1 electrostatic speakers.
They want £250 for them and I’m sorely tempted.

[YNWaN]

As far as I can see they aren’t electrostatics at all but an extended ribbon tweeter attached to a cone bass unit. Still cheap though

[walpurgis]

The finish looks rather like the infamous 'white van man speakers'.

[tubehunter]

Yes of course ribbon units my mistake.

They come with some Nordost cables which are probably worth the asking price.

[Ali Tait]

Have to be worth a punt at that price Duncan I’d say.

[Sherwood]

I am guessing that the ribbon section will sound good, but it is rare to find a big box like that to sound good unless it has been rigidly braced and damped. I think the price may give a clue to their quality.

Can't you get the seller to connect them up so you can hear them?

[Macca]

The finish looks rather like the infamous 'white van man speakers'.

Not white van man. Here's the website:

https://www.newformresearch.com/

And on Stereophile:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/newform-research

and, lord help us, on 6 loons - I mean moons

http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/newform/1.html

Looks like they are cheap because they are in Cash Convertors. Or somewhere similar. So they are probably broken in some way.