Magnepan .7 Alternatives

Speakers are out 3’ from wall, 2’ from Side Walls and on Airborne Magna Risers …Subs I feel are dialed in very well….Off a CD Calibration Disc, 1st set sub gain to match and not overpower my mains, Then Used a 60hz to 20k Frequency Sweep while adjusting the sub’s crossover and was able to obtain ZERO gap or dip from Sub to Maggi as it went up the frequency scale…. blended beautifully…

At times… Other times, the most amazing speaker I’ve ever owned and then can jump to foggy, etc… Very finicky 🤦‍♂️

Thank you for the responses and recommendations…keep ‘em coming.

I listen to Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock (Not Head Banging Stuff), Reggae, etc.

I did look into the LFT’s prior to my purchase of the Maggi’s over a year ago, but what scared me away was his website was not up to date, the site’s info was several years old as if he was no longer in business. I was extremely interested but was not comfortable based upon very little info on the line was available at the time.

I listen to a lot of vinyl, all very well cared for and have just begun streaming Amazon Prime Unlimited using the Blusound Node and like the idea of a better DAC. I recently had a NAD C658 that was so buggy with issues, besides having no sub output level controls and on top of having to do 3 factory resets in less than one week of ownership to unfreeze the unit that I had to return it. Way too much under the hood for one power supply and non responsive app, can’t believe NAD put something like that out… Used to think NAD was the pinnacle of all the “Mass Market Brands”, seems they’ve become another “Me Too” product.

Think I’ll research some DAC’s …Any suggestions on an inexpensive DAC that will make what comes out of the Blusound Node sound better ?

Most of the time my .7 Maggi’s sound fantastic, just a little finicky.

I know my room is smaller than I would like, but unfortunately this is the room I have to work with. I certainly understand the “bloom effect”.

My (2) REL T5x Subs blend beautifully, they’re fast, musical and appropriately sized & placed for the room. The Maggi’s are 3’ out from rear walls & 2’ from side walls, spread is 6-3/4’ apart, After hours of listening and adjusting, I’ve tried them both ways and have opted on having them towed in with Tweeters on outer edge so every seat on the sofa is a sweet spot. Played a lot with placement as well as researched a lot on their nuances and I get it, but have to work within the constraints thrown at me. 

Think I’m going to try running the Blusound Node’s output to a better DAC… Being I mostly listened to vinyl prior, pretty sure it really wasn’t as profound an issue till I started streaming. I’ll be researching the speaker suggestions and trying to figure out how and where and I can audition.  All comments are read and appreciated. Keep those suggestions coming.

Thanks

Been a very rough couple of days, especially the last day and a half, Mother In Law just passed away this morning around 2:00 am, So I won’t be able to get back to the discussion for several days.

Thank you all for understanding and will try to return shortly.

Please keep the suggestions coming…been trying to juggle things along with all that’s been going on with this post as a little escape from what’s been happening and please don’t think I’ve abandoned the discussion or your comments & recommendations.

🔊

My mistake … My Bluesound Node is the N130 not the 2i 

Hey, I’m back… Had to fly up to NJ for my mother in law’s funeral and couldn’t get a flight back to Florida due to the Hurricane…Got back on Sunday to minimal damage and once situated took Jonny R’s advice from Audio Connection and ran the Bluesound Node 2i directly to the Odyssey amp and no difference.

I need to elaborate, my system sounds great and I confirmed with Klaus over at Odyssey Audio that the the amp is 22k not 10k as Johnny R had mentioned.

The issue seems to be the output quality of the Bluesound Node 2i from the source I’m streaming, which is Amazon Prime Music, sounds great a majority of the time but other times ugh!  My (2) REL T5x subs couldn’t be dialed in more perfectly and complement the .7 Maggi’s beautifully. 

I called and spoke with Johnny R over at Audio Connection, his suggestion was to use an amp with more input impedance, more like 100k to really make the Maggi’s shine, unfortunately this is the amp I’ve got and to tell you the truth, I really like the amp, so no plans in the immediate future to switch it out. His reasoning was he felt the tube preamp, my tubes4hifi SP-13’s ability was limited by the Odyssey’s lower 22k input impedance. I can’t say enough how much I really like how my Odyssey Khartago Extreme sounds and is a keeper. 

We did agree adding a better DAC than what’s in the Bluesound Node to the chain would significantly improve what I’m feeding the preamp then amp, thus making a better listening experience when streaming.

So here’s my question, Can anyone recommend an inexpensive DAC that’s a step up above the Bluesound Node’s in the $300-$500 dollar range that I’d hear a significant difference with?  That’s all I can swing right now, so I’d like hear your thoughts / suggestions . 

DAC’s like the Ifi units in my price range pretty much are a lateral move, so please keep that in mind.