How do you power your ESL?

[schnottus]

Until a short while ago I had never heard of electrostatic speakers but as soon as i started researching them I was immediately obsessed with building a pair.

I have researched them quite thoroughly and don't think I will have trouble building them but I do wonder what you guys hook them up to?

I am a college student so expensive amps and processors have always been out of my price range. I currently use an onkyo reciever that supposedly puts out 100w per channel. My worry is that if I build ESL speakers their low impedence will burn out my reciever. I'm sure it will not like them since it says to only go as low as 6 ohm speakers.

Is there a cheap amplifier or diy solution that can take care of this?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[Few]

You can reduce the problem somewhat by designing your ESLs so they don't present as nasty a load to your amp. Are you planning to use perforated metal, insulated wire, or some other approach to making your stators?

Also, some have reported good success with class D amplifier modules, but I'll let someone with more experience on that subject chime in.
Few

[schnottus]

I've been planning on making my stators out of insulated wire. Do you think perf. metal would be better or worse as far as a load on my reciever is concerned?

[schnottus]

Also I forgot to mention that I plan on this being a hybrid setup that will be biamped so the ESL will only be getting the upper range of frequencies from the biamp. Not sure how much of a difference that makes, but then again that's why im asking you guys

[Few]

A hybrid design is definitely the way to go, particularly to get yourself started with ESLs.

Building a wire stator design is much more involved than perforated steel-based panels, but the insulation problem is immediately solved and--to get back to your original question--you can also create an easier load for your amp. First, it's easier with wire to minimize stray capacitance (capacitance coming from portions of the panel that can't create sound). You can also more easily segment a wire stator so that the high frequencies are generated by a narrow strip of the stator and lower frequencies are created by wider sections. This improves the uniformity of the polar response: the high frequencies won't radiate in a narrow beam or complicated set of lobes. It also reduces the capacitance the panel presents at high frequencies, where the impedance can otherwise drop very low.

Few

[Ronmeister]

As mentioned by others, the building of an ESL can be as involved or difficult as you'd like it to be. I prefer wire-stators for the reasons Few describes.

Both low impedance and phase shift present a problem with this type of loudspeaker. This directly relates to the choice of amplifier. I have yet to find a "cheap" solution to this issue.

The only DIY products that I know - needless to state there are many more products I don't know - will have no issues with ESL are Hugh's AKSA amps. I recently acquired the Lifeforce 100 with upgraded power supply. It deals with any load in a graceful manner. A stunning amp that really brings out the best in ESL speakers, detail, imaging and, most of all, an incredible ease in reproducing music.