In The Absolute Sound Issue 317Jonathan Valin wrote a book review. On page 25 he recalled experiencing Magnaplanar I-U loudspeakers with Audio Research amplification. The year was 1973-1974. He said the system sounded just like the grand piano in the same room. I had a similar experience at the University of Missouri in the living room of a Physicist there in the same time frame. I suppose having a system sound like a grand piano in the same room does not mean the system is perfect in all ways, but that memory stuck with me as well. My Magnepan 1.7i speakers sometimes sound real on rare recordings but cannot compare with that memory. They also needed two subwoofers to be acceptable. Frank
Speaker size and soundstage
Question: for floor standing speakers, how does speaker size affect sound stage, bass response, and the depth of music?
I’m searching for a new speaker, and just tested Dynaudio Contour 30 against Tekton Electrons (16x18 room with cathedral ceiling). Tekton’s are bigger (48 vs 45 high, and 10 vs 8.5 wide, about the same depth) and had a much larger sound stage and greater dynamics and depth. Tekton’s as a rule are much bigger than most other brands, which can be imposing in a room, but the size must equate to a greater sound stage.
But can a smaller tower be designed to achieve the same sound stage and bass depth of a bigger speaker? If so, what what speakers pull this off?
I’m searching for a new speaker, and just tested Dynaudio Contour 30 against Tekton Electrons (16x18 room with cathedral ceiling). Tekton’s are bigger (48 vs 45 high, and 10 vs 8.5 wide, about the same depth) and had a much larger sound stage and greater dynamics and depth. Tekton’s as a rule are much bigger than most other brands, which can be imposing in a room, but the size must equate to a greater sound stage.
But can a smaller tower be designed to achieve the same sound stage and bass depth of a bigger speaker? If so, what what speakers pull this off?