Johnathan Valin has a pair on extended loan at TAS. I would think you would want to take care of the paying customers first instead of Valin who won't be buying them.
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I am a maggi fan, own 20.7 which replaced Wilson WP7. I demoed the 3.7s and ordered the 20’s unheard. The Maggi's have a unique depth and breadth to them. A stage illusion vs the narrow cone of the wilsons in my room. I recently heard the 30.7 in Atlanta at HiFi buys. The 30.7 are better than the 20.7 in all respects. I would be tempted if my room was wider than 11.5 feet. And yes the 20.7 sound very good in my narrow room. |
Stickman, I don't know anyone who has a pair or how many they've shipped, but I know they're shipping now. Wendell asked me to pass along a message and some pictures on the Planar Asylum. He writes, "Another 30.7 was shipped today, and three more pairs are being packed to ship out soon. We have been super-cautious and would not allow the pressure to hurry us. A mistake on a flagship is remembered long after delays in delivery. "We were gone virtually all of July and August, so we are ahead of schedule on the North American tour. Forty-two demonstrations so far with 42 different sounds. Great sound was only achieved about 20% of the time. But, the attendees had a lot of fun. Most people recognized the shortcomings of their dealer's showroom. "A special thanks to Wazoo for giving accurate context in Macon, Georgia. It is a HUGE space with poor acoustics. Leland Lee (the owner) regrets that he no longer has the old store. To survive, many dealers have had to move to less than ideal facilities. I saw it repeatedly--the world's best speakers can't fix so-so sound rooms. And diffusers are one of the best investments in audio gear. "Many hundreds of attendees have heard the 30.7s. Only a tiny handful care to participate in chat rooms. I wish more attendees would speak up so it was more representative." https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=mug&m=233509 I'm sure he'll be delighted by rugyboogie's post. Can't wait to hear them myself, though even if I had $30,000 in my piggy bank, they wouldn't work in my pathetically small listening room because I have to accommodate a projector... |
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@elizabeth...……………………………………… So, you posted a bunch of made up stuff about a speaker you have never heard? Way to go! Do you realize you could have hurt the manufacturer with comments like that? All in the name because you were retaliating because the person said bad things about Magnepan/hijacked the thread? Personally, I think it's terrible. Not too cool. |
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Hi Josh 358, Just saw your post about being in my room at CAF. Quote " I’d asked the guys at GT about why they’d use it at a show and as I recall the guy I spoke to didn’t know." I dont know who you spoke to but it was not me, maybe I stepped out for a bite. If you come to this years show I would be glad to discuss my design philosophy. Hope to see you there Greg |
Greetings all...I'm Greg, I design and build GT Audio Works planar ribbon speakers. I may be a bit late to the party having only found this thread yesterday. First let me apologize for my dealer Steve (faxer) of Sound Insight for hijacking your Maggie thread, I have asked him to refrain from doing this in the future. I share your pain on this subject and dont condone it. That being said, I feel I needed to reply directly to insinuations by others as to the sound of my speakers. After I have my say, I will be sure all posts comply to the rules of Audiogon concerning any future posts. If someone can direct me to the forum rules I would appreciate it. Elizabeth....I assume you own Maggies...I like Maggies..I have owned Maggies 2.5r and 3.5r models, no doubt great speakers from a great company. I have the utmost respect for guys like Jim Winey, Peter Walker, Leo Spiegal and the host of others who took the path less traveled and toiled in their garages and shops with the desire to produce something unique of their own. Fast forward 45 yrs and Maggie is one of the big players in the high end community. In the early days did they get flack from nay sayers ? I am sure they did. Luckily they did not have the internet from which these hurled arrows stuck fast for all to see. High end audio was a new market and shining with a bright future. New ideas bloomed and investors were there to help nurture these products into reality. With the support of dealers people could actually hear and decide for themselves if the product merited their hard earned money. Unfortunately the good ole days are gone, brick and mortar stores are hurting and people seem to have little reservation about buying online unheard or unseen. What troubles me in regards to buying high end audio today is the prevalence of people making quick judgments as to the validity of a product and others making decisions to buy such products solely on the heresay of others. Sound Insight is my only dealer, he is located on Long Island NY. Other than an audio show this is the only place to hear my speakers. I find serious customers will take the time to fly out and give them a listen where it counts most, properly set up in a home environment. We will deduct the cost of airfare from a speaker purchase. We will be at Capital AudioFest 2018 in November. I invite all who will attend to stop by the Fredrick room for a listen. As for what you heard at the show Elizabeth....I dont agree with your assessment. Are show conditions optimal ? No. Have I had my share of setup issues at these shows, you bet. I hope you have been around this hobby long enough to know you cant form an educated opinion from just a casual listen. Can you get pissed at someone for hijacking a Maggie thread and snap back with intent to denigrate a product ? You bet !! Best Regards, Greg GTAW |
Faxer, minor technical quibble -- while it is true that copper is a better conductor than aluminum, it is a worse conductor *per unit mass.* That, not cost, is why Magnepan and most other speaker manufacturers use it instead of copper, which would cost pennies in the amount used in a planar speaker. Interesting that they used it to reduce resonances, though. I'd asked the guys at GT about why they'd use it at a show and as I recall the guy I spoke to didn't know. That said, according to press reports, Magnepan has reduced the resonances in the new high performance midrange of the 30.7 via other means. (The true ribbon tweeter already had low resonance.) I'm looking forward to hearing it (and the GT, which wasn't playing when I saw it). |
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First off let me disclose that I am a dealer and I have heard all models that Magneplanar produces except the 30.7. I do not sell Magneplanar but as a dealer I have sold some of the worlds most exotic planar magnetic speaker designs which include Wisdom Audio, Genesis and the flag ship BG Radia FS 880. In all my years as an audiophile and a dealer I have been most satisfied with my musical enjoyment with a company by the name of GT Audio Works. The speakers are a very special hand crafted Open dipole planar magnetic speaker. What makes them so special is the fact that the main driver which is almost 6 feet tall Does not contain a transparency robbing crossover. Additionally, unlike other manufacturers they do not employ the use of inferior aluminum traces but chose to use pure 6N copper traces ( A much better conductor of electrical signal then aluminum) Most other manufacturers do not use any other material but mylar or kapton to reduce or eliminate the resonances these materials produce when they Deliver the signal. GT Audio works is the only company that I am aware of that is using a quasi-membrane (not just mylar or kapton alone) where the copper traces are bonded to which eliminate these resonances that can be quite unappealing on planar magnetic speakers that only contain a single surface driver using only mylar or kapton These speakers in premium wood finish or hi gloss paint retail for 17k and have won numerous awards in many audio shows. Last year they were awarded best sound show at Capital Audiofest 2017 by AV Nirvana and we’re given rave reviews by numerous reviewers including Kemper Holt of Avshow rooms and enjoy the music. Kemper actually owns a pair of the speakers. They can also be purchased with the optional open baffle servosubs - which brings the response of the speakers down to 15 hz We welcome all auditions. |
Thank you Professors for the lesson in proper English and the correct use of the apostrophe. Still, 30.7’s just looks so much better and is easier to read... Well, it appears that we have no new 30.7s owners that follow Audiogon. Now my curiosity is peaked by the comment from josh358 that Magnepan is making “special arrangements” so that perspective buyers can hear the 30.7s under good circumstances. |
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Elizabeth, congratulations on getting the 20.7’s! Aren’t they awesome! As you said, they are definitely a major step up from the 3.6’s. I’m curious what amps you’re using? I tried many, many amps on my 20.7’s before I found the tubed Carver 305 mb. If you gravitate towards tubes I would definitely recommend you try a pair of them. |
I just heard more from Wendell. He writes, "BTW -- I would not call the first speakers 'prototypes' since it implies changes might be coming (which is not true). "Since the 30.7 is so big and complicated, the safe process is to take one speaker through from start to finish. If there is a hitch (which there always is), there is little wasted effort. Large quantities begin after all the bugs are worked out. A flagship model has to be perfect from the start. It is better to have the criticism for it taking so long than to hurry." |
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Why would one person’s opinion matter? Read the speaker threads just to see how opinions about one specific set of speakers vary dramatically from one person to the next. With speakers like these, given their size and price, you’ll never know how they’ll sound until you hear them in your room with your own gear. Stating the obvious. |
Don, I don't know how many have shipped. I only know that they are coming off the assembly line. Wendell is a friend, yes, but that doesn't make me a Magnepan shill. Rather, since we speak and email frequently, I hear a lot about what's going on at Magnepan and pass that information on when I can. As you undoubtedly know, I'm also the Planar Asylum's informal go-between with Magnepan, since Wendell doesn't participate in the forums directly. Sometimes if he sees something he feels needs addressing he'll email me and ask me to do so. My responses are always my own unless I pass something on from him, in which case I say so. I am glad to say that my $1600 rebuilt IVa's and cheap amps are sounding wonderful, thank you. Indeed, they rather make me feel sorry for those who spend $100,000 and get sound that in most cases isn't as good. That's the benefit of 50 years of experience as an audiophile and audio engineer; you know what to buy and how to get the most out of it. I would point out, by the way, that my main amplifier, which drives the mids and highs, is rated Class A by Stereophile; that the monoblock version of my midbass amplifier is also rated Class A; and that my DAC was rated Class A+. There is no need to spend vast sums of money to get good sound: knowing what gear to buy and how to set it up and treat your room matters far more than cost. Of course if you want to send me a pair of 30.7's and three Pass amps, I won't object. But if you think that after years spent building million dollar rooms, designing pro audio products, and listening to master tapes in the studio I'm doing this because I need to impress people with fancy faceplates, think again. I have owned Maggies continuously since the late 70's, when I bought my Tympani 1-D's. Later, I had a pair of MMG's which I bought for my home office and used temporarily in my main system until I was able to score a pair of IVa's, which, unlike my 1-D's, fit in my current listening room. Which is to say that I've owned as many Maggies as you have for as long as you have, for whatever that's worth. And of course I've heard many other models over the years. I haven't yet heard the 30.7 but of course it's a step up from the 20.7, with a new high performance midrange, a four-way design, and much more bass radiating area. To assess the difference you would have to hear the 30.7 in good circumstances, which few have had a chance to do yet, hence this thread. You would have to ask Wendell why you can't hear a pair yet in the Twin Cities. I know that there are three prototypes in circulation, one of which Wendell has with him on the tour, one of which is at the Absolute Sound, one of which last I heard was at a dealer's on the West Coast. I assume that initial production will be allocated to dealers, reviewers, and customers on the list but I have no idea in what order; again, you'd have to ask Magnepan. I honestly don't know why this matters; it's a new model and it will be in short supply for a while as the factory catches up with the backlog. "The critics that reviewed the 30.7 only listened for a few hours." That's incorrect, and a good example of why I take the time to make these posts. Julie Mullins of the Absolute Sound for example had a pair on long-term loan for their reviews, and last I heard she still has it. "Magnepan said the 30.7 would ship in January of this year." There were some production delays. The one I know about occurred because a supplier provided a metal part with curvature that was out of spec. This sort of issue is common when a new model goes into production, both at Magnepan and at other companies -- another major speaker manufacturer had a similar delay at the time Magnepan did. Of course, it's understandable that people would want to hear about the experience of others before shelling out $30,000. In a case like this, I think the question isn't going to be so much "is it good" -- we already know that it is very, very good -- but rather "is it enough of an improvement to warrant spending the money, and is it a good match for my listening preferences?" I understand that Magnepan will be making special arrangements so that prospective buyers can hear them under good circumstances, but details haven't been announced. |
The critics that reviewed the 30.7 only listened for a few hours. Nobody has had a long term listen, at home, with their own equipment, outside of Magnepan. The 30.7 has to actually ship to owners, break in, and be reported on the internet. Independent opinion is needed, not fuzzy marketing gossip. Store demos mean little. That is what Stickman and everyone else wants to know. Magnepan said the 30.7 would ship in January of this year. |
Josh Exactly how many have shipped? You never answer that. You are a Magnepan shill, and too close to Wendell to be objective! 12,000 posts on AA! When do you have time to listen to music? Your personal system is rebuilt $1600 old Tympani’s with cheap amps. You are full of hot air, love to argue, and have to have the last word, as your activity on AA shows. Have you even heard the 20.7 or 30.7? You have little listening experience and no ownership of various Magnepans, just the old Tympani and MMG. I do not think the the 30.7 is a big step up over the 20.7. I can not even hear a pair in the Twin Cities. Why is that? I have owned the IIa, IIIa, and 3.6 and listened every day to my Magnepans since 1977. |
Don, they've been a success and that while they're in production there's a wait list to get them. Wendell had told me that he wasn't sure that they'd make any money from them and thought they might just have flagship value, but they've been delighted to find that they're selling well and there's now a wait list. Their listening room may not be ideal, but would you want it to be? If you go over to ARC, you'll see rooms set up with diffusion and bass trapping, but ARC is listening to amplifiers -- Magnepan has to know how the speakers sound in a more typical listening room and most listeners don't have diffusers or bass traps. Again from talking with Wendell I know that they're aware of the modal behavior of their room and use close measurements and listening in a variety of environments to tune their speakers for the average room. Even so, bass typically swings 10 dB from room to room so with any speaker you have to work carefully with placement and ideally use bass trapping and EQ. It seems to me that dipoles are more susceptible to this than omnis because most of their energy goes into the z-axis axial mode. This means there are fewer rooms modes but they have more of an effect. I've seen this with Quads as well as with Maggies. The solutions are again some combination of placement, bass trapping, and EQ, and in the smaller speakers adding diaphragm area in large rooms with the DWM. Otherwise, if you look back in the Planar Asylum I think you'll see that there have been complaints about dealer demos of Maggies for years. They're seldom shown at their best. And also that those of us who own them have to mess with their position quite a bit to get them to sound their best! This of course is true of any speaker, but it seems to be more true of dipoles. The consensus among the few who have heard the 30.7's set up properly, mostly critics, seems to be that you have to spend more than $100,000 to equal the sound of the 30.7's. I haven't heard them yet myself, but as someone with Tympani IVa's I can easily believe that, as the IVa's are already remarkable speakers despite their age and every single component has been improved in the 30.7. Like Stickman, I'll be curious to hear from people who have them at home. |
@don_c55 How many Maggies have I owned over the years...you tell me since you seem to know?? How many have I heard, well let’s just say almost all of the different models from the last 25+ years! Does that count? Just to correct the record, I have never said I am a Maggie hater, they may not have been, or are, my favorite speaker, but there is a difference.Please refrain from putting words in my mouth. You have no idea about any of your points in your last post...none. My point about coming to conclusions about the new 30.7’s without actually hearing them, still stands. Have you actually heard these speakers?? I seriously doubt it. @stereo5 I have actually heard the Maggie 30.7's, which is what I thought I made clear! |
"Can the 30.7 owner do it to in their home?" Why couldn't they? Most dealer showrooms and most shows for that matter, are not capable of demonstrating very large speakers effectively. In most if not all cases like these, the dealers are more than willing to set the speakers up in your home and let you try them with your gear. I can assure you there're a lot folks out there who have very large rooms which allows them to enjoy very large speakers. I'm not one of them but have friends who can easily and properly place speakers that size in their great rooms. |
daveyf How many Magnepan speakers have you owned and listened to over the last 30 years? You have said you do not like Magnepan speakers before hearing the 30.7. You were a Maggie hater. I have not gotten raves from 20.7 owners about the 30.7. You do not have deep knowledge or experience with Magnepan. Who are you to judge? |
Nobody, not even the Magnepan factory has heard the 30.7 under optimum conditions. How can they do proper R&D at the factory? I have heard Magnapans at the factory and then I listen at home and my setup is much better. The factory des not even have a SOTA turntable for listening! WTF! Magnepan under Mark Winey is like Apple under Tim Cook. The master is gone. |