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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.

128x128arafiq
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,610 posts
 

when a product/brand has sooo much market presence and success, such legions of owners across generations who love the performance, there are bound to be some that don’t get it

nature of the beast --- unanimity of opinion and preference is simply unachievable in this field

we all hear differently, we value different sonic traits, expectations can affect what we perceive as well (i have been to so many highly touted gourmet restaurants with expectations so heightened it become impossible to be ’pleasantly surprised’ ... or maybe the demo(s) are/were simply faulty in some significant respect

rikkipuu's avatar
rikkipuu
241 posts
 

@aamiransari 

I listened to 3.7i’s at a dealer in Woodland Hills and was unimpressed.  They actually sounded harsh and edgy.  Maybe it was the electronics, I don’t know .  I had previously purchased 1.7i’s from them.  The 3.7i’s did not audition well in store,  in purchased a used pair online with mye stands as I got the bug to hear their ribbon tweeter.  They are phenomenal in my home.  I thought it odd that they did not have them set up well.

steve59's avatar
steve59
1,646 posts
 

I only heard a used pair of affordable maggies in a little 10x10' room at a local dealer, but for the $600 he was asking I was impressed! The kind of magic those speakers were making is generally reserved for the $10k and up club. 

arnold_h
93 posts
 

I have a pair of original LRS and I must say,  never heard Magnepan before, but all the rave reviews and the low cost, I was curious and ordered a set from the factory. I was truly blown away for the price, never hearing Magnepans before was a real ear opener for me.  I drive them with a Peachtree Gan 400 without any problems.  I also high pass them at 80 hz and run a sub.  Some people claim they don’t image well but I disagree.  They throw such a large soundstage that the speakers just disappear.  The depth to the sound stage is amazing and on recordings with multiple voices for example I can pinpoint different voices within inches of each other.  I find I get the best imaging with the tweeters on the inside and the speakers toed in to cross just in front of my seating position.  After my experience with Magnepans I would have a hard time justifying spending 10s of thousands of dollars on box speakers when you can have such amazing sound at a very modest price range in the Magnepan lineup. 

secretguy
1,586 posts
 

I'm going to pull mine out. They've been packed away for 6 months or so. It will be nice to hear them again.

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