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Which speaker has the biggest sound stage?

I tried out a Magnepan 1.7 a couple months ago, and I am a bit shock by the sound stage of it. It just feel live music. Although the bass is a bit lacking, I really like the "be there" feeling.

So, my question is, does all planar speaker (electrostatic, ribbon ... ) have such big sound stage? And with different brands and models, which one has biggest sound stage?

Specifically for Magnepan, the 3.6 is about $1000 more than 1.6. What are the major differences? and is it worth the extra money?
gte357s

Showing 2 responses by douglas_schroeder

douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
To answer the OPs question, yes fairly all larger panel speakers have this huge soundstage. An eception might be the Magnepan MMG for its dinky size, it certainly is not capable of the vastness of the bigger panel speakers.

Besides Magnepan you've got the aforementioned Analysis, Sound Lab and Kings Audio (reviewed). Quad makes a couple of bass shy full range ESLs. Then you have hybrids which really are all over the place in terms of how much panel element is built into them. VMPS has quite a bit, but Legacy Audio uses only one planar element in the Whisper and Helix (reviewed). Eminent Technology has a very similar concept to Magnepan, but is a hybrid with a sealed 8" bass driver per channel (reviewed). The Janzen is also thinner ESL hybrid. Martin Logan is a hybrid with a curved ESL panel, which may/may not require subs added to satisfy.

One thing to keep in mind is the width of the soundstage, as people have distinct preferences in this regard. Some don't mind a narrow sweet spot while others find it intolerable. You will definitely have more lateral extension to it with the wider panels in general.

As to the largest, if you want a planar sound the Magnepan 20.1 is among the biggest, and if you prefer an ESL sound the King is quite competent. The biggest and having among the best sound is the Sound Lab. Pay careful attention to the bass response especially if coming from a larger/deeper bass full range speaker, as you may end up feeling the bass is insufficient with some of these brands.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Now then, even a modest floor standing dynamic speaker can have its soundstage perceptually raised and expanded by placement. One can elevate it through placing it on a pedistal, can attain a higher ceiling on the soundstage by tilting it back slightly and adjust the width through avoidance of toe in.

All of these adjustments can add substantially to the sense of scale, however they also might involve compromises in terms of perofrmance, such as moving the M/T drivers away from ear level or losing some floor reinforcement of the bass.

If I were limited to small floorstanding speakers I'd be trying such things to see what the effect would be.
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