Magnepans or...Martin Logan

NO SPEAKER is better than Magnepan speakers BECAUSE boxes, by definition, change the sound that was recorded. Otherwise, there would be no investment in engineering them Every box would be whatever the designer decided "looked good." (Funny fact: After about 1973, most "high-end" speaker manufacturers began making taller speakers. Wonder where they got THAT idea from?)

Period, end of discussion.

Now, having typed that, your ROOM is the most important element in your listening experience. Think of it as YOUR "box" if you will.

Magneplanar speakers require sufficient clean power as they are somewhat inefficient. Also, they reproduce what you send them, so if your source material is poor or your hardware is not of a fairly good quality, you will only hear what you send them. Doesn’t mean you have to spend a million dollars on cables or amps or whatever. Most audio products today are pretty durn good, especially when compared to many years ago before many famous designers got into the hardware game.

Finally, setting-up (placing them in the room) Magneplanar speakers is somewhat difficult in some instances. You may need to work on this one inch at a time. Pretty much all speakers are like this, but Maggies are particularly sensitive to placement. Your listening position has to put your ears in the middle of the panel for best results.

If possible, have a professional--Santiago certainly has them--help you with all this. If not, keep moving them and listening and you will find the "sweet spot."

The experience is one that is hard to describe, but when you find it, the music "opens up" to you and your actually hear the recording as made. Whether that is "good" or "bad" to you is personal.

Cheers,

Richard

richopp159 posts08-09-2019 8:54am

NO SPEAKER is better than Magnepan speakers BECAUSE boxes, by definition, change the sound that was recorded  ... Period, end of discussion.

Of course Magnepan is not even remotely the only "boxless" speaker system.

I still have Martin Logan’s CLS 2s. They’re incredible. I also have box speakers- Wilson Watt/Puppies. They are beyond incredible. 

Don’t believe everything you read about box speakers being inferior. There are excellent ones out there if you’re willing to spend the money.

@cleeds, richopp is obviously unaware that were both tall and/or boxless speakers long before Magnepan introduced it’s original model the Tympani T-I in the early-70’s (which I bought in ’73. I currently have a pair of T-IVa), including the 6’ tall KLH 9 (an ESL, reviewed by JGH in the October ’68 Stereophile), available for years before the Tympani was introduced. And he doesn’t even seem to know that there are today MANY planar speakers other than Magnepans, including the bargain-priced ($2499/pr) Eminent Technology LFT-8b, a real MG1.7i killer.

Having owned several to get to what my current speakers(ML), Magnepans are great for jazz and folk, but no bass, you will need a sub. A used pair will ship cheaper than Thiel(great) and Martin Logan( awesome).  Used will also get you a great speaker at a better price.