Great update! I am not at all surprised with your findings. I have been fortunate to hear WB sub system few times and always came away impressed. They were of course in a system well north of $200K (courtesy AAudio Imports). Keep us updated…we all are living vicariously through your amazing journey.
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.
- ...
- 226 posts total
Well there is the post I have been waiting for- good stuff @arafiq edit: Ok, just looked up the Wilson Benesch "infrasonic generators"- wow! you must be getting some "real" bass now!
Or they don’t take the time to live with them for enough time, and quickly loose the patience necessary to set them up properly.
Yeah, they don’t do that. Again that argument of "what I like vs. what is realistic". What do people define bass to be: Is it what an acoustic bass, live, un-amplified sounds like? Or does bass mean an amplified kick drum played back in a rock concert, where I can remember being on the floor in front of stacks of 15-18 inch woofers and your hair and pants move several inches on each note. I might argue one is realistic and the other not, but I might also argue both are correct, and fine- choose your poison. Maggies do the first part as well as anything I have heard, but the second part, yeah, not so much- rules of physics apply here. If you can allow me to hijack your thread a bit- I admit after 15 years of 3.6r’s I am enjoying a little "thump" with the Eufrodites. Of course there are songs/albums where I have missed the low frequency growl, areas below 40hz where the 3.6’s start to tail off quickly, but the kick drum always sounded natural to me, and it is not so much the "thump", or even a more impactful "whack" on tom toms. To be honest, I find it grabs my attention and detracts from the drum’s mid-notes resonance, but with more listening I may change my mind. Where I find I am enjoying the "impact" is on leading edges of notes- like bass guitars- you know, the electric amplified ones. I get a little "punch" from the midrange driver that was not so noticeable with the planars. Maybe that isn’t so much a conventional woofer cone vs. planar magnetic difference, maybe that is the difference between my particular speakers? I am not so experienced with various characteristics of speakers. There are many other differences I won’t list here, but also many similarities- voices are so similar- I enjoy the presentation of both- but then again some perspective: I am used to and comparing maggies with speakers that retailed for over 4x this. Speaks volumes for the quality of sound one can get from Magneplanar for the money- that is what I was told 20 years ago and I suppose it still applies today. Maybe the differences will become more apparent when I get an amplifier that suits the Horning’s better than the one I am using that benefits the lower efficiency Maggies.
Also, I did find Isoacoustics Gaia II footers under my Mye’s cleaned up the presentation as they have been reported to do on virtually everyone else’s speakers who have tried them- sound became less muddy, less smearing, or also interpreted as better separation of instruments, and bass tightened up. Had thoughts of trying more expensive footers/platforms such as Live Vibe’s, Townshends or Stack Audio’s but I have spent that money on a second set of speakers instead (ha ha). It sure was nice that discover that the Gaia simply unscrewed from the Mye stands and into the bottoms of the Eufrodites using different threaded screws already supplied in the box the Gaia’s came in. And yes, they are providing the same sonic benefits in the Eufrodites as I noticed with the Maggies. Thanks for follow-up! Let us know how those diffusors affect the soundstage. Enjoy
|
Thanks, @lalitk .. your input has always been appreciated and honestly has played a huge role in how my system has evolved over the years. |
@mclinnguy All good points!
I'm getting the same results after adding the subs. Another benefit, due to subs, is the midrange has more 'meat on the bones' now. It has added the right level of warmth but without crossing into the syrupy warm territory. However, at the end of the day, planars will never give you the visceral punch in the guts type of slam that a traditional speaker like Wilson Audio will. But that's not why you love Maggies, right? They do so much more that you tend to forget about the shortcomings. I'm completely with you on the insane value the Maggies, especially the 3.7i, provide. I have owned speakers up to $30K and I can confidently assert that the 3.7i's can take on any of the speakers, and in some ways better them. But they do require some effort. Regarding your comment about Gaia footers, I was advised by someone whose opinion I value, that the Gaia footers are not the best choice for Maggies. He recommended Auva speaker isolators by Stack Audio for carpeted floors. But I have not tried them so it's neither here nor there.
|
I am positive the Auva's would be better, the Gaia's provided a positive benefit, and considering the price paid is well worthwhile, but for sure there are better options out there. But, if I were considering spending $1200 US for those Auva 100's I would seriously consider spending a wee bit more and getting Live Vibe's. I am going to guess your pal hasn't tried them. I own 4 of their platforms but only relatively recently, and I have only put them under components. I love what they do there, and I planned on placing a few of them under the Mye stands but they don't fit without some minor modifications to the stands. I will try them under my Eufrodites eventually once I get familiar enough with the "new" sound and compare them to the Gaia's. Both Stack Audio and Live Vibe offer money back guarantee's- man I would love you to try both and provide comparisons, I am happy your ears/brain are similar to mine and you are enjoying the Maggie sound, and echoing what @lalitk stated above I am enjoying reading your experiences. |
Wilson Benesch huh? I thought for sure they might have been some style of open baffle.
- 226 posts total