Mesch, congrats on the new LRS +! They’ll sound even better after some period of break-in.
Thinking of Magnepan ... finally!
Until recently, most of my amps have been tube-based with the exception of a few great SS integrateds thrown into the mix for fun. That's probably the main reason I have stayed away from Magnepans (or other speakers of its ilk) thus far. Now that I have an Aavik U-280 integrated amp that can do 300 watts @ 8 ohms and doubles to 600 @ 4, I would love to scratch that itch finally. Keep in mind that I do not intend to get rid of my other speakers (Joseph Audio Perspective2 Graphene, Harbeth SHL5+, Fritz Carrera BE) since I love them all for different reasons. The Magnepans will be rotated in the main listening room with Joseph Audio Perspectives. One thing I like about Maggies is that they are relatively lightweight so I can move them to the closet without breaking my back when not in rotation.
Since I've never owned Magnepans before, I have a ton of questions and doubts. So here we go ...
Bass (or the lack thereof) -- I've been told that the Magnepans are very light on bass and definitely require at least on subwoofer. Is this true in all cases? Anyone using them without subs and happy with the performance? TBH, I really would prefer that I don't use subs but not set in stone for sure.
Breathing Room -- my room is 20' x 15' with 12 foot ceilings. The speakers will be placed along the short wall (15'). I can pull them out by about 4.5 feet from the front wall and 3 feet from the side walls. Seating distance will be approximately 8 - 9 feet. Is this good enough or do you think more distance, especially from the front wall, is required to truly enjoy the speakers?
Mods -- I've also heard that the stock components (crossovers, fuses, etc.) and stands are suboptimal. Is this true? If so, what are the minimum requirements to bring the speaker to a higher standard and at what cost?
Value -- For someone who is just starting out with Maggies, which model is a good entry point? I know that LRS+ is a good value, but my other speakers are very very good, so I want to do justice to the Maggies as well. But at the same time I don't want to spend more than I need to. Where do you think the sweet spot lies, i.e. which model(s)? I will be looking for used only since I've already spent way too much on other speakers.
Imaging -- I've also been told that imaging on Maggies is not that great. I have never heard Maggies before so I have no idea if this assertion is true or not. Your thoughts?
And finally, I want to hear from folks who love their Maggies. What is that you love most about the speakers? What qualities do they bring to the table that no other speaker does? Are there magnetic planar speakers from other brands that I should also be considering? Keep in mind they have to be readily available in the used market. So please don't suggest something that doesn't meet this requirement.
However, to bring some balance to the feedback, I would also love to hear from those who tried Magnepans and moved on to something else. Why? What was it that you didn't like about them? What did you move on to?
Thanks in advance and a sincere request: Please keep it civil ... no need for haters of Magnepan to use this as an opportunity to diss the brand.
Showing 8 responses by campoly
"Also, Maggies really perform best with high current, linear-power-supply class AB amplifiers. Unfortunately, most class D amps, regardless of power/watts spec, do not possess the current capability necessary to “wake” them up." I must disagree with this statement. I’ve had Maggies in one iteration or another for the past 25 yrs. I’ve always driven them with AB amps thinking this conventional "wisdom" was true. It wasn’t till I bought a pair of PS Audio M700 mono blocks that I knew what my Maggies could really sound like. They drive my 1.7i with such ease. Even listening at low levels, the detail is still amazing. These amps do not sound cold or hard edged. Quite the opposite in fact. Nor do they fall apart at higher listening levels. My point is don’t underestimate class D amps. They can be quite capable of driving challenging speakers. So, there’s my 0.2 cents. P.S: Love my Maggies! Hope you will too, arafiq. |
Arafiq, I’m no expert but I used to have a 250 watt amp that doubled at 4 and never felt like I needed more to drive the 1.6 and 1.7i. My room is slightly smaller than yours and I don’t listen at loud volumes. I did upgrade from that amp to more powerful mono blocks and got a more refined overall sound quality. Probably not from more power but rather from the higher quality of the amps. On a side note, it took about 3 month for my 1.7is to fully break in. |
RE: Magnepan’s amp recommendations The good folks at Magnepan, God bless’em, need to listen to some good modern class D amps with their speakers and then update that FAQ on amps. Then there is this quote from that FAQ “WE DON’T KNOW. It is too much work to keep up with changing models and the vast number of products.” That FAQ has been there for a very long time (outdated?). At some point, they’ll need to update it even though most of it still stands true. I’m not recommending anyone run out and buy a class D amp or an A/B amp (personal choice). Just saying that class A/B amps may not be the end-all/be-all for Maggies and certainly not the only choice these days. |
@yyzsantabarbara, I’ve never had Maggie’s in a room that small so I won’t speculate on how they would sound. Apparently Magnepan says yes. Here is what Magnepan says about that from their FAQ section: “A typical consumer question-- "Is the _________(model)_________ too big for my room?" From an acoustical standpoint----No. Ideally, the _______(model)_________ should be 8 feet tall so it goes all the way to your ceiling. The ideal line-source speaker would be very narrow like a pole from floor to ceiling (and have no mass). The Magneplanars are large because of the bass section. If Magnepan sold only the portion of the 3.7i or 20.7 that operated from 200 Hz and up, the question of speaker size would seldom come up. Most of the area of a Magneplanar is needed for bass reproduction. The larger, higher definition Magneplanar will sound better than a lower-priced model, even in a small room. To use an analogy, a high definition video monitor does not lose resolution when placed in a small room. Buy as much Magneplanar resolution as your budget will allow. Accuracy (or high definition) is the most important feature of the larger, more expensive models. To use a video analogy, with a high definition monitor, you can see the individual blades of grass, not just a sea of green. The smaller models may fit into a room more easily, but for accuracy, they can’t equal the larger, more expensive models.” |
I think they will work too. Especially since you have some room treatments. I find (in my room) that absorption on the front wall kills some of the sense of spaciousness. I have absorbsion/scattering panels on the rear wall and diffusion panels on the front and side wall. Maggies require an extended break in period. Don’t expect miracles out of the box but when they open up, it’s a beautiful thing. |
@krelldreams, true dat! Every model I’ve had sounded a bit disappointing out of the box. Fortunately, they get better with age. I’ve found that about 3 months is a good break in period but they still continue improve after that. |