Magnepan .7 Alternatives
Looking for suggestions…Currently I have Magnepan .7’s and am generally happy but at times they just don’t do it.
I find these speakers to be schizophrenic, sounding great on some tracks and other tracks leaving me wondering what the hey !… I’d say probably 30-40% of the time I’m feeling this way. Either too much treble, not clear or not tonally balanced. I’m no expert but just my opinion, it often comes off as the midrange being pushed to it’s limit trying to be treble. I assume I feel that way being the speaker’s lack of accuracy, although what Maggi’s do they do well, just not an accurate speaker.
I experience this pretty much no matter what source or style of music I play, certainly a non forgiving speaker. Yes, I’ve played around with Toe-In, tried various resistors & jumpers…sounds great on everything I adjust, just not a consistent sounds great.
Lets get it straight, I’m not a “Magnepan Hater”, there’s certain qualities I truly love about my Maggi .7’s, the open sound, the transparency but hoping I may be able to find a speaker that’s not as finicky and can give me the open feel, transparency and clarity that I seek.
My set up consists of:
Odyssey Khartago Extreme Amp
Tubes4hif SP-13 Preamp
Bluesound Node
EAT B Sharp TT w/Sumiko Moonstone Cart
Pro-Ject Tube Box S Phono Pre
(2) REL - T5x Subs
Room dimensions: 11.5’ W x 12’ L
10’ Ceilings -
Listening Distance from Speakers
8.5’ - 9’
Carpet, Curtins, (4) 48” x 12”Acoustic panels on wall behind sofa facing my set up.
Not a fan of bookshelf’s and rather would prefer recommendations on
Floorstanders but will listen and research any suggestions you feel would work.
Note: I’m just starting my search, so don’t beat me up if I don’t go right out and purchase your suggestion as others have done in the past.
My Budget is around the $3k mark.
Thanks
🔊
significant difference over node n130 at $300-500 price point for an outboard dac? don’t think its gonna happen closer to a grand, particularly if bought used... yes, definitely... |
preamp to power amp gain/impedance matching is one of the most difficult issues for many audiophiles playing with separates sometimes it can only be sorted out via trial and error, which can be an expensive proposition one of the reasons why it is often a smart practice to use separates from the same maker, or rely on a good dealer who has this aspect well understood and embedded in their equipment recommendation to the customer |
my condolences on your loss music, good music, has been very important to my own coping with many of the pressures and vagaries of living life -- hope it offers the same essential solace for you back to the hifi question you posed... please do what johnny rutan suggests -- much of your sonic issues may well stem from the preamp impedance mismatch stay well, stay level, and enjoy the music |
lots of good comments here, valuable reading not just for the op, but for many having or interested in the smaller maggies key points: -- room appropriateness and setup for any speaker choice is always critical - the dipole maggies illustrate this in spades -- subs are needed for little maggies and many work well, despite wendell saying they don’t (god bless wendell but he is salesman and he is trying to sell his new bass panels lol!) -- maggies are very very revealing, and like any truly hi-rez transducer, the resolution can be a dual edged sword -- poor recordings are revealed to their full extent |
on paper, regarding the equipment it all looks like it should sound great so for my money it has got to be the room, the setup, or listener tastes not an easy room, basically square suggest as @yogiboy said, smaller box monitors with sub support listen nearfield or semi nearfield btw, good subs like rels do exceptionally well with maggies, no problemo |
