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What are some of the downsides of owning a Magneplanar .7 or 1.7i ?

Thinking of moving up speaker wise, and so am considering  the fabled Magneplanar speakers, that is, either the  the .7, or supposedly new 1.7i.   (BTW, I am not sure the Maggie .7 is necessarily an upgrade, and has less bass than my current box speakers...see below)

Besides "Maggies" having outdated speaker terminals that might be a struggle with banana plugs,, and they are generally power hungry, I am curious if anyone can honestly tell me of any other downsides of this design.  For the last 30 years, I have owned several traditional box design speakers. 

I currently have a pair of Golden Ear Technology model 7's....which I like and generally sound good However, I  would like to confirm what a planar design brings to the table in sound quality. I have read many times about the box-less sound  provided by this design, and its wide sound staging and low distortion. 

I think I have enough power with BAT VK-200 amp (100RMS) to drive the .7, but not sure that is enough to drive the MG1.7i. to higher volumes The pre-amp is a Conrad Johnson PV-14SE. 

The listening room area 12 X15ft, but opens into kitchen/dining area divided by a medium size couch. The rest of the space is approximately 12X18ft behind the sofa with a stupid counter island ( so I cannot move the sofa back any further.. The ceiling is 8 to 9 ft feet high ( not a cathedral ceiling, praise the Lord) . It is a bit of haul to the dealer I bought the Golden Ear T's from who also carries Magneplanar line.  All advice welcomed.    Thanks, SJ   

sunnyjim

Showing 10 responses by ps

ps
744 posts
 
Johnnyb53 wrote:
"Here’s a very thoughtful review of the Magnepan .7s by Julie Mullins from a couple of years ago at The Absolute Sound. Her observations and perspective echo much of my experience with my 1.7s, including her observations with a pair of subwoofers."

From my perspective, this is a great suggestion. I read Ms. Mullin’s fine review twice and it helped me make the decision to purchase a pair of .7’s - the speakers are a delight. IMO, Mullin’s review is quite accurate.

I’ve often thought that a lot of negative comments regarding Magnepan, in general, are hyperbolic. Yes, they do need to be away from the front and side walls, but so do my Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M’s. Yes, you’ll need more than a SET amp to power them. In my small, dedicated listening space, the speakers are from 3’ to 4’ from the front wall, and about 20"s from the side walls, with tweeters on the outside. Toe-in depends on my frame of mind on a given day. :) . The speakers sound plenty full at volumes lower than 80db.

Finally, I do not think the .7s are especially fussy to place properly, unless compared to say OHMS.  For my listening habits and musical preferences, I cannot think of any "downsides" to the .7's. I do enjoy the luxury of being able to change them out for the SF's monitors when the mood strikes.  If I had to choose one over the other, I'd be hard-pressed.

ps
744 posts
 
So much seemingly endless hyperbole. Meanwhile, Magnepan- a great American speaker company, survives and thrives in the rarified world of high-end audio, with its innumerable variations in the "home listening experience" and listeners.
ps
744 posts
 
To the OP,
I just thought of a real-world, objective not subjective,  potential disadvantage to Magnepans- cats sometimes will treat them as scratching "posts."  I don't know if that has been mentioned elsewhere in this thread or if you have cats.  :)
ps
744 posts
 
I’ve been trying for decades to fit a symphony orchestra into my living/listening spaces. I’m not talking some piddly-size orchestra- I’m talking Mahleresque and more- try Brian's first.  Whoah dude.

It’s a challenging proposition. Very challenging.




ps
744 posts
 
I still have a hell of a lot of rhythm and tone, after all these years but I'm not so sure about my dynamic range.
ps
744 posts
 
@johnnyb53
+1
I hope the OP, SunnyJim, is not dissuaded by the negative hype found on the internets, most of which is unfounded and plain silly, and gets to hear Maggies in his home.   
ps
744 posts
 
To the OP, there are NO disadvantages to Magepans. Only you can decide if they are for you.

Setting aside the tired notion of "how may angels might fit on the head of a pin" it seems to me that the aim of home audio, high end or otherwise, is to eventually stop farting around and simply enjoy the music. Case in point, today I hung a pair of the modest Audioengine A2+ speakers in my garage and spent hours listening to all kinds of music while working on various projects. Loved it! Absolutely no concern with any audiophile yada, yada, just the music. From Dvorak to Ornette Coleman, to Tom Petty and more.

Full disclosure: I don’t pretend to know nor have heard what "The Absolute Sound" is, even after decades of listening to many genres of music, live or reproduced.
YMMV.

ps
744 posts
 
OP, Sunny Jim- are you out there?
ps
744 posts
 
First of all, I'd like to nominate Randy-11 for president and bdp24 for vice-president.
Second.  At what point does one accept the characteristics of speaker A,B,C, or D and simply listen to the music?  My .7's provide listening enjoyment on many levels, far beyond their price point.   But of course that's just me.

Meanwhile I hope the OP is ok since he's not checked back in some time.
ps
744 posts
 
bdp, I’m thinking your "shower rod" idea could look pretty cool. Maybe one rod per speaker, centered. You could also have multiples, two or three per speaker. Maybe powder coat or paint ’em. I may do a rough using Photoshop to get a sense of what my .7’s would look like.
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