Magnepan LRS Support Group?!


I ordered a pair of LRS a couple weeks ago. Backorder time is 6 months! I don't know if anybody else is feeling the uncomfortable longing after ordering theirs? How are you passing the time? I'm kidding (I guess), but I've never had to wait 6 months for a new toy! Let me know if you're also re-reading the reviews that made you take the plunge and planning your listening space alterations. Maybe some of you who have gotten a pair recently can keep us sane by sharing your experience with what we are waiting patiently for. Thanks!

peterf6

I have a pr of the LRS+ and I have to say that the speakers are amazing but they are a bit of a pain to get used to. First I was not sure what I was doing wrong but after it broke in and I had found a quality amplifier to drive them. I had to get them placed in the right place because they are dipoles and it was not as easy as a box to fine they perfect placement. I then put them on a set of Magna risers which also made me refocus my placement. Now I have no subwoofer in my system and they have a sound that will make you think that the artist is truly in the room. No I am not saying that I can reproduce an organ in a great hall with accuracy but what they can do they do very very well.

i watched the video link above.  One thing they said about the speakers "Filling the Room" made me think i should crank them up LOUD - and they did sound better than i thought...  Perhaps that is a characteristic- they sound better loud than quiet?   to be continued

@peterf6  Still looking forward to tweeking in 5 months.

Man...at first glance, I thought you wrote "twerking" LOL

Hi @rop45 , I won't have mine for months so can't help. There are a lot of reviews you might check out. LOL! @secretguy -- I just moved and am basically in listening without regard to sound. Still looking forward to tweeking in 5 months. 

I was going to listen to my stereo today, but I decided to just read test reports and measurements instead.

I just bought a pair of LRS but can't figure out what all the hype is about!

Admittedly, i am comparing them to an awesome set up and the LRS falls short.

Can anyone tell me if i want to give the LRS a chance to win out, which song would you suggest that i play? and what qualities should i be listening for?

Thank you for your comments...

Jason Bourne is typically a champion of moderately priced gear. I’m surprised he isn’t supporting the excellent value that the lower price Maggie’s offer.  I gave my MMGs that were my first dip into planars to my son. Currently running 1.7s and they continually amaze.  

I've owned Magnepans off and on since 1973, when I had to wait 3 months for a pair of Tympani 1a's, Stereophile's first Class A speaker.

Currently I'm running a pair of SMGa's in my HT, and decided to add something modern, two DWM's and four MMG-W's. I really want to hear that push-pull bass-mid. It's been months - so far. But so what?

Planars forever!

@russ69 Thanks! My dedicated listening room is tiny, but coincidentally almost the same size that Herb Reichert used for his review. Mine's 9.5 x15 feet, so I'll have to fiddle with your suggested measurements! If they don't work there, I'll put them in the living room where there's more square footage.

@ejlif that is the kind of reaction that I'm hoping will keep my patience up! Interesting to hear about the amp pairing, too. Enjoy, and thank you for sharing!

I have other speakers and have always wanted to try Magnepans.

I'll save you a little work. Start 4 or 5 feet out from the wall, toe in to taste, and use a good beefy amp. 

Thanks @jasonbourne52 for the advice. In the stereophile review measurements, John Atkinson echoed what @russ69 says above: "Interpreting the measured performance of a panel loudspeaker such as the Magnepan LRS is far from straightforward. Overall, however, the LRS appears to be capable of well-balanced sound,..." https://www.stereophile.com/content/magnepan-lrs-loudspeaker-measurements. I have other speakers and have always wanted to try Magnepans. Fingers crossed. 

Unlike amplifiers speakers cannot hide their faults from measurements.

You can't measure a dipole loudspeaker in the near field and get worthwhile results. You also can't listen to a Magnepan placed one foot from the front wall and surrounded by other gear. Magnepans lead the industry in each of their respective price ranges including the very top end of audio loudspeakers. Measurements are fine when they are measuring things that can be accurately measured, dipoles are not one of those things. Get out and go listen to a 3.7 or a 20 and you'll see what we are talking about.  

I have a pair.  I bought just to see what all the hype is about.  I am totally amazed by these speakers.  They don't do it all for me but wow what they do well is incredible.  I keep a solid state amp in my rack (Pass 30.8) and pull out the LRS since they are so easy to move and play them for a few days when I want a different flavor.  These are such a bargain for the sound you get.  

 

 

@b_limo thanks for the recommendation and for your comment about liking the LRS. I think the size and price of the LRS is best for my current purposes, but we'll see if I trade up down the road.

@glennewdick thanks for that info. They raised the price $100 from what they were (my order was $750), so I guess they're getting something extra. I also heard that the factory is experiencing the same challenge as a lot of places hiring staff to meet the demand. Did you order them with a year wait? I feel for you!

 

My dealer told me a year wait a few weeks ago. He said they don't make any money off them so they are not prioritized in production. Sadly i wish they would raise the price a little so its a benefit for them to sell and make them in a timely manner. 

@b_limo  +1

1.7i's are exceptionally good... and a steal at the asking price, undoubtedly the sweet spot in the line, what a wonderful speaker, highly revealing and utterly pleasureable at the same time

better stands really help (i use magna's, myes good too)

of course, as with all true dipoles, setup must be done right but the results are absolutely worth it...

 

The LRS’s displaced some Salk Sound Veracity HT2-TL’s in my system.  The Salks measured incredibly well and sounded pretty nice!  The LRS’s were my preference though.  I never measured the Magnepans response and they could have measured poorly but that didn’t matter to me because the Maggies sounded awesome!

Go to Audio Science Review and read the comprehensive measurements AND listening tests! Then re-think your decision to buy such poorly performing speakers! Unlike amplifiers speakers cannot hide their faults from measurements!

I just sold my pair.  The guy who bought ghem placed his order in November and got sick of waiting.  If you can swing a pair of 1.7i’s used, do that!  The LRS’s are awesome…you’ll want more, and more is 1.7i.