The Magnificent Magnepan 30.7 speakers....wait, I don’t like planars!

Mr. Diller is a one-of-a-kind hard working businessman who has progressivly and slowly made his speakers better over many years. You have had a great opportunity to meet him (and wife) since they represent what is good in America, but maybe vanishing?. Hard work, dedication, belief in one’s self and talent, determination. The list could go on. I applaud him for keeping the price down for the blue collar guy. Plus, it is a good business decision. If I could buy these speakers, I would. But my budget would only allow me the MMGs, which are very good budget speakers IMHO.

the whole line is true high end sound just like Vandersteen and made in America by frugal value focused designers / craftspeople
i missed the event at Stereo Unlimited but I bet it was great...and you are right they no doubt require a big A room, given that they will shine......

But can they compete with the latest and greatest Tekton DI? 😛 

At some point someone will have heard both. 

I love the Magnepan ad ... "Made in America, sold in China." Priceless. 

@seanheis1 I think the Tekton’s would be severely outclassed...most dynamic speakers are going to have a very hard time keeping up with these Maggie’s. OTOH, I suspect the Tekton’s will work in a much greater number of rooms.

I doubt the 30.7 will be a big seller.

Magnepan speakers have no snob appeal, that uber expensive buyer must have! 

Is it even available for sale now, after 8 months of "trotting" around the proto-type?

I’d love the chance to hear some Maggies in a well designed room, set up properly, and playing some content I’m familiar with.  I had high hopes for the demo at AXPONA but left pretty unimpressed.  

I have a feeling that was much more due to the setup and content than the speakers though.  Unfortunately it was one of the last rooms I visited before the show closed on Sunday and the Magnepan reps had already left trying to beat the snowstorm that was predicted to be heading in, leaving a rep for a cable company behind to run the room who didn’t know how to change content from the supplied loop, which was unfortunately just insipid smooth jazz. 

@don_c55

you have an excellent point. The Snob appeal of these speakers is basically non existent.( Although for the music lover, or as JV put it...the person who is an Absolute Sound listener, the 30.7’s are truly impressive!) I asked Wendell why he didn’t price these at $100k or more, that way he would possibly accrue some snob appeal...to which he stated he is not interested in just making speakers for the wealthy!
I thought this was admirable on his part....although possibly a mistake in the marketing technique.

How can Wendell price these planars at $100K??  That's an impossibility given what goes into them compared to perhaps the 20.7 or other Maggies.  

I've done an el cheapo version of the 30.7 by combining mini maggies with MMGs.  It gives me the clarity of the ribbons-- the mini maggies are in the center with a Forte class A amp.  And then the MMGs are on the wings with a PS Audio Stellar S300 class D amp.  So now I have a wide soundstage with a solid center, and dynamics are better thanks to the MMGs working with the DWM bass panel in the very center.  I don't pretend that this is as good as 30.7, or 20.7, or even 3.7, but it fits my budget right now.

I seem to recall others experimenting with stacking maggies for extra dynamics, moving more air.  And here's a guy trying out double maggies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzCpj3rASBM

Hi, Wendell--Glad to see you are still out there.  For the record, Wendell was with Audio Research for years and switched over to Magnepan for reasons only he knows.  I have some ideas, but...

Anyway, Mr. Jim WIney, formerly of 3-M, INVENTED Magneplaners and now his son runs the company.  To be fair, these are NOT "Wendell's speakers" as someone above posted.  Mr. Winey continues to have a team of engineers, etc., who "invent" each model.  Wendell is a salesperson, first and foremost, and a darn good one at that.  If you wish to know the factual history of Magnepan, (I know, today "facts" are considered to be 'relative'...) read this:

https://www.stereophile.com/interviews/103winey/index.html

OK, now that that is straight, I will once again state that, IMO, there is NO box speaker that reproduces sound as accurately as non-box speakers.  AND, once again, for all audio fans, your ROOM Is the most important element in the reproduction of sound.  You know that, but it seems like everyone is "surprised" when they make that comment.

When set up properly in a given room, and using very high quality electronics, there is little doubt that these speakers do a better job of reproducing recorded music accurately than boxes.  For those who do not have access to master tapes and a machine to play them, try a good turntable-arm-cartridge combo and a Lincoln Mayorga or other direct-to-disc record and see for yourself.

In my experience, not every room in every house, or even YOUR house, will work with Magnepan speakers.  I don't know why; a thousand audio engineers can post formulas and measurements that will explain this, I am sure.  All I know is that there were times when Maggies simply did not work in a customer's room no matter what techniques we tried.  Now, this was a while ago, so I am sure many improvements in room tech have occurred and some would have helped us back then with these issues.  Unfortunately, no one has invented a time travel machine yet (that we know of), so there is no cure for past issues.

Most audio people like music first.  See if you can find a dealer who has the system set up correctly and give it a listen.  Who knows, they may even have huge sub-woofers to provide the "gut punch" that many love with certain kinds of music.  With others, you will simply be transported into the MUSIC, and that's what its all about, right?

Cheers!

@joey_v 

Your comment is interesting. However, unfortunately that has never stopped any of the numerous other competitors from pricing their wares in the stratosphere...regardless of what goes into them, LOL.

Don,

I understand that the 30.7 has been selling well, to the delight of Wendell, who didn't know if they'd make any money off it or if it would just have valuable as a flagship. As I understand it, though, the smaller the model, the more it sells, naturally enough.

Tutetibiimperes, I understand that the room at AXPONA had no bass. Shows are a chancy environment for any speaker, which is why Magnepan didn't take the 30.7 there -- Wendell has heard too many other manufacturers' flagship speakers sounding sub-par at shows! Even his current strategy of taking them to dealers around the country means contending with unpredictable acoustics, but at least they aren't being shown in a tiny hotel room (there's apparently a shortage of good rooms at these events so manufacturers have to live with what they get).

@josh358 

That is exactly correct. The 30.7's require a very large room. Plus, they seem to also need acoustic treatment behind them to control the rear wave. Additionally, I think they probably truly benefit from at least bi-amping and probably quad amping. ( This has nothing to do wth the venue, but still). 
I think the problem with all speakers like these is that if you don't have the experience necessary to do the set -up and try and cram them into the wrong space, they are going to sound poor. Unlike a few other dynamic speakers that will sound ok if they are placed incorrectly, these babies will not. 

With the sheer size of these speakers, very few people have the room to accommodate them. I’d hate to see them crammed into a room that’s too small to maximize their potential.

....but they’ll fit nicely in my room though.

;-)

davey, I think the need for treatment on the front wall behind the speakers is a function of how far out into the room you can place them.  With the recommended 5' or greater there should be no need.

Also, in a recent conversation with Wendell he related after moving to a smaller home his speakers (he didn't specify which model) are only about 3' out, but he does not have anything on the wall behind them.  He did confirm the 5' or greater for best set up however.

For the demo I heard he had placed the 30.7s out about 5'.

@pryso 

i am not so sure that the Maggie’s don’t sound a lot better with the rear wave attenuated. At the demo, the speakers were initially  about 5+’ from the rear wall, one of our members moved them back about 6”and they definitely sounded better.
One thing about Maggie’s, they are really really a PITA to set up...minute changes pay big dividends. However, exactitude definitely pays off with them.

Right.  I don't think there is ONE set-up procedure that applies for every situation.  So knowledge (reading recommendations to narrow the possibilities), experimentation, and patience are required for every installation.

Speaking of attenuating the rear wave, I have Janszens and the rear wave of the electrostatic panels is totally attenuated.  That is not common but I believe David Janszen, like his father before him, knows just what he is doing with this design

Would love to, one day, afford the Maggie 30.7s and a room big enough to optimally use them. For now, I’m pretty happy with my little 1.7s.
Those who say the Maggies won’t image well, if you’re not stuck to the sweet spot, I suspect, have not taken the time to set them up properly for your room, or used adequate treatment on the wall behind. After a bit of time and patience with setting up the 1.7s. it matters little if I’m setting center stage or to either side of center; wither I’m standing, sitting or even laying down, the image stays nicely focused across the stage, behind the plane of the speakers and vocals stay, remarkably center stage.
At 14’x28’ with a 12’ vaulted ceiling, I think my room may even be large enough for the 3.7i s. Some day maybe. To those in a position to get and enjoy the new 30.7s, I give you my congrats and wish you the best of listening....Jim

I can't speak to the 30.7s, which should be awesome, but my love affair with maggies ended when I owned 3.5Rs for a few frustrating years. In my large room I had to add subs. I used a 4 channel amp 2 for the ribbons, 2 for the bass panels. I bought a full set of pure silver jumpers for the XOs, and finally bought passive XOs

i could never get a seamless integration. I replaced them with Emerald Physics KC IIs; not only are they super efficient, they integrate well, throw as good or better sound stage and have more lower mid loveliness. Plus at only 4ft tall and tapered, they don't block the room

@tweak1

In my OP, I stated the new 30.7’s are ’not your father’s Maggie’s’
Your description of your older model was exactly what I and many others had experienced with these speakers. Frustration was the word. OTOH, the new 30.7’s seem to have addressed the integration issue, the somewhat limited soundstage and the mid bass resolution. Unfortunately, they still need a very large room and plenty of upstream stick to drive them well.The biggest difference, IMO, is that these Maggies actually no longer need subs!!
I am pretty sure that 'if' one can accommodate these speakers, no other competitor anywhere near its price range is going to beat these guys.

I missed the demo in San Diego (my hometown), had no idea until too late.

I've been a maggie owner for a long time, and contrary to 'conventional wisdom', I haven't found them that hard to set up. What I do:

1) Four feet or more of air behind them.
2) Play a monophonic signal, maybe even pink noise.  Move speakers and ears until the virtual image is a stable immovable dot or line that doesn't change with volume or frequency.  I.e. the minimum possible, most absolutely boring 'soundstage'.  Turn on stereo: maximum realistic soundstage. 

I've never needed room treatment or anything to get them to be good. 

"At 14’x28’ with a 12’ vaulted ceiling, I think my room may even be large enough for the 3.7i s." 

Plenty, in fact the problem with large maggies in smaller rooms is more aesthetic than acoustic above the bass: smaller rooms have more bass modes in psychoacoustically relevant frequencies. 

I also haven't found subwoofer integration that difficult---with a sealed sub of course.  On its own, I ran the sub with a very low crossover frequency (35 Hz?) and the speakers full range.  Also try pointing the sub so the driver is 'across' the room, e.g. from the right speaker pointing to the left or vice versa. 

But substantially superior was moving to high quality measured DSP, namely Anthem ARC.  (Algorithms are quite audibly different, some are better than others significantly!)   If you're having trouble integrating a sub, try one of these: Anthem, Dirac, RoomPerfect.


It's truly amazing. I plopped the sub in the middle, followed the procedure with the included mic, and with only one change to default parameters (maximum correction frequency at 1000 to 1500 Hz instead of 5000 Hz) it sounded fantastic.  Seemingly perfect sub integration, and what's more the common weakness in my 3.6's (slightly fuzzy low-midbass) was eliminated and it sounds more "dynamic", to my ears, no loss vs a very very good conventional speaker.    

Bonus: the Anthem proprietary algorithms for surround synthesis from stereo work very well (much better and more tasteful than Dolby etc), plus transparent calibrated Fletcher-Munson correction for lower volume listening. 


btw, I bought some KEF Reference 1's (top reviews & perfect measurements) in mind as an upgrade---nope. they're good speakers but not magic. 

Other planars I've heard:

Some Emerald Physics at the T.H.E. audio show---to my surprise, major and obvious midrange coloration/tonality problem. 

Spatial Audio M?:  nice, well above average, better than unsubwoofered Maggie (1.7 or lower) in bass, but not as clear above bass. 

Sanders 10D or 10E:  utterly perfect, best recorded sound I've ever heard---in the 9 inch sweet spot. 

(A.Asylum: DrChaos)

I just heard the 30.7’s at the Denver ListenUp store last night.  I was a bit disappointed but can’t decide if it was the room, the setup, or the 30’s, or all of the above.  To my ears the lower mids and down to the bass were a bit bloated and for lack of a better term, ‘boomy’.  

The room was Absolutely too dead and took the sparkle off the top end. I have the 20.7’s and I know that the top can be extended, clean, and very real sounding with the right amps.  The sound from the 30’s last night was a bit dull on top, very little shimmer or life or air; it was all sucked-up by the overdamped room.

The room was also Too square for my tastes; 20 w x 23.5 L x 10.5 h.  That’s a width to length ratio of .85.

Also, the amps and the front-end were all McIntosh. This surprised me since every other Maggie demo that I’ve seen by Wendell used Bryston amps.  I think that the Mac amps were the big MC1.25KW. In any case I’m not convinced those are the best amps for Maggie’s.

Overall, a bit disappointing.  But, dealer demo rooms can be a mixed bag.  Following some of the conversations on previous 30.7’s demos around the country I have heard some other complaints on too much lower mid and bass energy in the presentations.  

Were you at a demo in a better room? A bigger room or perhaps one not quite so square?  

‘And, for those that have heard the 30’s demo, what are your thoughts on the minimum sized room necessary to get great sound from these large panels?  I thought that the 20’ width was a bit too narrow in the demo.  Another foot or two of width would help spread the four panels better.  The length could easily stand to be 26’ to 30’ feet or more.

@stickman451

I also heard the Maggie 30.7’s with Mcintosh gear...which I don’t feel is the best synergy with these speakers. ( although the amps do have the necessary drive to power the panels well)
I asked Wendell what is the minimum size room for this model, his answer was that a minimum of about 15’ wide and length...depending on user preference. I would think that 25’+ would be required. The room I heard it in was 19’ X28’...which seemed pretty good. Did you happen to notice if there was any acoustic treatment behind the speakers, because I think this is pretty crucial. Although from your description of the room, it seems that the acoustics were definitely sub par in that space.

I hate to dispute Mr. Diller's opinion, but a 15 ft wide room is Absolutely too narrow for 30.7's!  I don't think I'd even put 20.7's in a 15 ft wide room....  For a room that size, the 3.7i's would be a much better choice (imo)...

My current room is 20'-8" wide and handles the 20.7's well.  I'm worried that the 30's might actually be tough to shoe-horn in that space.  But, most likely 21'-8" is doable.  

I reserve judgement that the 30.7 is a success when someone actually buys a set, and reports their personal opinion, somewhere on the internet.

As of now there is no evidence that the 30.7 is being produced, or if Magnepan is just collecting enough orders to actually build and ship in the future.

Even the most limited selling, expensive, obscure speaker has some actual owner talking about their personal experience somewhere on the net.

I agree.  Magnepan’s ‘marketing’ of the 30.7’s has been a complete fiasco.  If you announce a new ‘flagship’ speaker in Oct. 2017, why is it you still cannot put a set of those in your room today, nine months later?  As a company Magnepan owes its current and potential customers more clarity than that.

If I remember correctly, Wendell told me that the photo in the 30.7 ads showing the long haired listener was actually taken at one of their dealer events. The room was apparently 15' wide at this event...and would seem to show this in the ad.

Yep; and I was told by someone that attended that exact demo that overall the mid/bass was too fat, bloated, and ‘phasey’

I actually own Tympani IVa, I would like very much to hear these new 30.7.

Magnepan should mate them with Pass Labs XA or XS amplifier series ...

It is absolutely great that Magnepan decided to reintroduce a Tympani successor.

@effer,

If you get a chance to hear the 30.7’s, I think you will be very impressed...I was..and I don’t even generally like planars!
Only problem is that you will probably be looking to sell your Tympani IVa’s, LOL. Your idea about matching Pass Labs with these speakers is a good one, IMO.

Hey Efffer, I have a pair of IVa's as well! Mine are in a room that's only 13-1/2 feet wide -- it's been a challenge, but I can believe Wendell when he says that they work in a 14-1/2' wide room because the bass panel of the 30.7 are designed to go against the side wall, whereas the single panel Maggies are generally used about two feet out.

I'd love to try them with a Pass Amp too. As I understand it, the dealers are providing the amplification during the tour, so it's up to them, but when Wendell demoed them for Christ Martens at Magnepan, it seems he mated them with Audio Research gear:

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/magnepan-307-fourpanel-dipolar-planar-loudspeaker-system/

I've been hearing a lot from Wendell about the varying acoustics at the dealers on the tour. He's been following this thread, and he's concerned that some will mistake the performance of the 30.7's in showrooms with sub par acoustics for the kind of performance they can expect at home, so he asked me to post this:

30.7 in 21 different sound rooms

To date, I have set up the 30.7s in 21 different rooms including the North American tour. If you really want to hear the full potential of the speakers, Hi Fi Centre in Vancouver, BC would be the place to go. However, the 30.7s won't be on display there. There are plenty of wealthy customers in Vancouver, but invariably, their rooms are too small for big panel speakers.

The world's best speakers can not fix a "challenged" sound room. So, it is risky business to undertake a North American tour with the 30.7 when I know in advance that most of the dealer's sound rooms are not capable of showing the full potential of the speakers. Dealers will readily admit that their sound rooms are not the best. (There is a downside to having a sound room that is superior to what their customers might have.) Your dealer can usually assure you that if you like the speakers in their sound room, you will like them even more in your home.
  
At last count, there were 2,599 views on one thread about the 30.7 on the Audiogon forum. I saw comments such as--- "I was told by someone that attended that exact demo that overall the mid/bass was too fat, bloated and 'phasey'."
.
If any one of those 2,599 readers wants to know the sonic issues of any one of the 30.7 demos they heard (or heard about)-----call me.  I have no problem disclosing what worked and what didn't work at each event.

The purpose of the North American tour is not what it might seem. We might sell a few more pairs of 30.7s, but considering the huge expense and effort, it is not the most effective way to sell more 30.7s. The reasons are varied. Many customers have never heard 20.7s (especially in smaller markets). They are even less likely to hear 30.7s. Given the significance of the 30.7s, we decided to bring them to you---even if you live in Eugene, Oregon or Vernon, British Columbia.

​P.S. One customer heard the 30.7s at two different stores. He did not want to be identified out of concern for the dealer that had the lesser sound room---​

"The moment we walked into the room in XXXX, I wondered if they really were the same speakers. They seemed to have a natural quality, particularly with the choral group that was singing that was lacking in XXXX. The bass response was spectacularly good without being “spectacular”. It just sounded natural in the way acoustic instruments sound in real rooms."

Wendell Diller, Magnepan

Thanks for posting this Josh.  But with all due respect to Wendell, the third paragraph doesn't make sense.

If Hi Fi Centre has been "the place to hear the full potential of the speakers" then how can at least one of their rooms be "too small for big panel speakers"?  It sounds like he is saying they had the best sonic presentation of any of the first 21 rooms for tour demos.  If so, why would they not be offered there for plenty of potential customers?

I was fortunate to be able to attend one of the demos conducted so far.  It was a pleasure to meet Wendell and his wife and chat briefly.  My reaction to the speakers was fine basic enjoyment while not being overwhelmed by the performance.  But I've been reluctant to post much about that because of personal issues with my hearing that day and not wanting to jump to any false conclusions.  I can say the speakers are beautiful in person and assuming one's room is of adequate size and the cosmetics of the 30.7s carefully chosen they can have visual appeal in spite of their size.

It’s pretty much unanimous, the 21 demos of the 30.7’s at various dealers around the country have been a mixed bag.  It’s a fact that many if not most dealer showrooms are mediocre at best, and some are downright terrible.  And it’s also true that most likely if you enjoy the sound of a speaker at a dealer’s showroom then once you bring that speaker home you’ll like it even better.  

Let’s move past all that contentious commentary.  There’s a better way.   Magnepan should announce when 30.7’s will begin shipping and provide a listing of which dealers, if any, will actually display the new flagship.  

As always, once rabid Maggie lovers get their hands on a pair of 30.7’s and actually use them in their own room they will most certainly fill the forums with discussion on how they perform, what they like, what they dislike, and how they compare to their previous Maggie’s.

I own 20.7’s and before that I owned 3.6’s. There’s No question, Magnepan’s are some of the finest speakers in the world today and they have been since day one!  And, for cost vs performance they ARE the Best buy you can make in all of Speakerdom!!!

But, since Magnepan has raised the anty by presenting a “flagship” design that costs plenty ($30k) it should also consider that buyers’ expectations have been raised.  The demos across the country aren’t addressing those expectations.  

Start rolling 30.7’s off the assembly line and let’s hear what early adopter audiophiles have to say. 

I think the best way for anybody to truly know whether any speaker is a contender for their own home system, is to take a pair home for an audition. This isn’t that easy with a speaker the size of the 30.7’s. However, compared to a lot of other SOTA contenders out there, these guys are fairly easy to move around and transport.
I would certainly consider these speakers in my system, IF I had the room- and the amplifier power to drive them effectively. Having heard many of the SOTA contenders on the market, I certainly believe that the 30.7’s can compete with the very best...at any price. While I do think that there are a few speakers that offer some very minor pluses to these Maggies, I also think that the price difference will be considerable.

@stickman451

I agree with your post, Magnepan needs to start selling these guys and having them available for home audition. This ’raising the ante’ is not a negative for Magenpan, because while I don’t agree with today’s high end speaker pricing, $30K is actually entry level for numerous other brands!!

BTW, pleased that Wendell is watching this thread, it was a pleasure to meet with him and his wife at the demo...
Now we just have to convince the local dealer to carry the 30.7's in their inventory, LOL.

Hi Pryso,

Yes, that paragraph is confusing, isn't it? But what Wendell meant is that the *customers'* rooms are too small for big panel speakers, not the dealer's.

Stickman, good point! I'm told they are coming off the assembly line now, so presumably we'll start to get some feedback. Considering that these are improved from the Tympani IVa's in just about every department and knowing what the IVa's sound like in my room, I imagine that they're pretty amazing.

I also know how much time it takes to set up a planar for best results, and Tympanis are even worse since there are so many panels!

Davey, how much room do you have? The reason I mention that is that Wendell is saying they'll work in rooms that are smaller than most people think. The original reviewer demo was in a room only 14-1/2' wide.

Of course, it helps if you have a dedicated room, or a wife who is very nearsighted. :-)

@josh358

My dedicated room is 10’X11’.Saving grace is it has a vault ceiling that goes up to 13’. Big Maggies definitely are off the table...and most likely the larger models above the 0.7’s. I’m pretty happy with what I have right now.

daveyf,

Heh, yes, that would be a bit small for 30.7's. I empathize, my room is small as well! Only a madman would put Tympanis in it (bows).

Had the privilege of auditioning this amazing speaker at Absolute Sound in Austin...Across the country, the size of dealers varies quite a bit. This shop is one of the smaller facilities, hence their sound rooms are smaller as well.  Yet the sound from these 30.7’s was tremendous.  The deep bass is here, magical!  Subs are not required.  Everything you’ve ever hoped for in a Magnepan speaker has been achieved.  Great time with Wendell; he’s extremely cordial & has to be enjoying the interaction with both customers & dealers.

My experience was the same yesterday at Timbre here in Houston! Great time with Wendell Diller,also he answered my questions on their Tri-Center setup with the MMC-2s and CCR Center Channel panel! Wow,those 30.7s would work awesome as the mains in an all Maggie home theater system possible 20 x30 room size driven by Bryston or Theta Digital high current amps! That's what dreams are made to come into fruition.

I honestly regret being the contrarian here but a good buddy and I attended the demo here in Houston yesterday and we both felt there was something seriously amiss with the sound. Not sure what the culprit was (all gear seemed to be very high caliber to the tune of about around $150k retail), but we were both really disappointed in what we heard.

The first major hint of trouble for me was hearing Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances where the tympani on the normally awe-inspiring crescendos completely lacked any slam. Throughout listening to several varied types of music, the same overly polite and reticent sound signature permeated each cut.

I was ready to accept what I heard as simply being much different than my preference until one guy dropped a 45 rpm QRP reissue of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” LP on the Linn table and Tin Pan Alley (one of the highest energy performances ever IMO) sounded like Al Di Meola was playing an acoustic cover of the track in a jazz club.

I normally love the sound of planars (happily owned various Apogees for many years) but not this time. To each his own but I feel sure that these speakers are capable of much more.

Mike Heusi, and his father, co-owners of the new Timbre store were most gracious hosts and I am genuinely excited to once again have a real hi-end store in Houston, so it is doubly regrettable that the sound fell short of expectation, at least for us. I am glad to read that others enjoyed the demo.

Dave

@dlcockrum 

What you describe would lead me to believe that the speakers were interacting with the room in a detrimental way. This would seem to be an ongoing problem with the larger Maggies. Really don't think you can just plop these speakers down and expect to get anywhere near what they are capable of. OTOH, even with care, a less than maximum set up is easily accomplished. At the demo I attended, the SQ originally was good..yet several members of the club knew that the speakers could sound even better. With a little experimentation in positioning and care, along with some judicially placed room treatments, the speakers did shake off their last vestiges of tonal awkwardness and opened up brilliantly. I would think the same might apply at your meet.

Very well could be the case, daveyf. I would estimate the room was 20’ x 25’ x 10’, with the speakers positioned on the short wall about 5 feet out. There was a large opening in the wall opposite the speakers. Acoustical treatment was minimal, just a couple of absorptive/reflective panels on the side walls at the midpoint between the speakers and the listening position.

These speakers probably need a lot of room to breathe. Makes me wonder just how large a room is needed to get them to open up...

Dave

Odd i have 20.7 in what should be too small a room. 11.5w 18L and they sound amazing. yes took some placement work, room correction, and tilting downward a hair but the imaging and bass are very good. of course there is a sweet spot but much wider than box speakers i had before ( wilson wp7, krell resolution 1) . hardware is Mac mc601 monos, AR Ref5, cullen mod ps audio dac. but no way i could fit 30.7 in there....

I heard these speakers last Friday driven by a pair of D-Sonic mono amps (M3a-1500M). The music selections, including Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, sounded divine. In all respects, the speaker / amplifier pairing was amazing. I have never heard such authoritative bass on a planar speaker. 

Wendell will be in Atlanta at HIFIBuys Friday 8/17. I plan on going should be fun.

I attended the Atlanta 30.7 demo. Thanks Wendell and HiFi Buys for hosting the event. Auditioning anywhere that’s not my room with my music at my dB level is tough. However the drive sources could not be bettered which were Dan Dagastino pre and monos. With that said the 30’s are better than the 20.7’s I own. I like to demo Aaron Copland’s fanfare for the common man. I have the telarc Atlanta symphony version which this demo was not but it was a pleasure. Bass is much more pronounced while still that fast, tight planer sound. In fact everything is just more than the 20.7. I must say the setup was not done for sweet spot listening. Wendell wanted us to walk around a lot. I appreciate that method but for a serious buyer it’s not ideal, so think these could sound even better. They are not that much wider than the 20’s maybe half again for the twin panels. I Also must say I am used to ‘the wall’ of sound Maggie’s make. So for me I was not blown away (first time listener might well be though) but I was not blown away by the vanderstien 7 mk2 which these temporarily took their place. And those are very well thought of speakers. The 30’s are really good though. I can only attribute both setups to not my own specific room and sweet spot. First world problems for sure but a privilege non the less.