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Magnepans VS MartinLogan for detail and sound staging

I'm currently an owner of Magnepan 1.7s paired with a Peachtree PreDAC/GaN400 bundle. 

I'm one of those listeners who loves detail and accurate sound staging.

On some levels I'm perfectly happy with the sound as when I play Grateful Dead's Ripple at mid volume where I can position every voice, every guitar strum with amazing clarity. When I step up to something fuller and more complex musically like something off the Doors first album or even something musically symphonic like Saint-Saen's Organ Symphony or the Nutcracker at mid-level volume the fullness and detail begin to wear thin.

I also have a 30 year old Yamaha subwoofer that I occasionally use for any recording that seems to need a boost for my 72 year old ears.

Though I haven't listened to them yet, research makes me think that a pair of Martin-Logan ESL's could improve my experience since they're less demanding power-wise than my Maggie's and have a reputation for delivering the sound nuances I'm looking for. On the other hand maybe I should be investing in a different amp or preamp?

Any suggestions from anyone who's ventured down a similar path?

 

baconboy

Showing 1 response by milo0812

milo0812
44 posts
 

I was wondering the opposite thing. I've owned a pair of Martin Logan Advantages for over 12 years now. I love them. Originally way back when I owned an entry level sets of Maggies before swithching to ML's. Decades later I was curious about the newer Maggies and bought a pair of 1.7i . They now have at least 100 hours run time. I kept the ML's. Still doing comparisions, but no matter how I tweak the Maggies (more power, added in my ML sub, upgraded speaker cables to Nordost Frey2), the ML's still win out. The 1.7i's sound great but do not have the depth of soundstage, full background, and clarity of the ML's. The ML's are indeed a worth the investment, IMHO. Will likely sell my Maggies eventually. Don't know where you live but if you are in CO, I highly recommend seeing Rick at Audio Alternative.

Good luck!

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