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Anything better than Magnepan 1.6?


So, its been out for something like 9 years, but it still seems to be absolute top of the line. I also see the Dali Ikon 6 which seems to have amazing pinpoint staging accuracy. The same recording of a female Jazz singer has a mouht the size of a woman on the Ikon 6 and maybe 5 feet wide, maybe 4, on the Magnepan. Which is a positive thing for much music, that 'wall of sound' thing they do. And it has a much, much better sense of 'air' with the combo ribbon tweeter and dome than most box speakers.

Anything else I should consider? Even up to 3k? In that range, after having Maggies since 1988, speakers like the appropriate B&W and similar don't seem to compare in my opinion at all - I guess its a planar thing. The sound is so obviously coming from a little box! Just can't do it. I love Thiel in general, but in this price range I don't get enough volume.

What about Innersound Isis? I might be able to get a used pair? Tight sweetspot annoying to me, I often have people over to listen to music with me.

Oh - and I don't care about Bass below 80 Hz and possibly a bit higher, but 120, absolute top of 160 might be okay if everything else is outstanding. I already have a VTF-3 HO Hsu subwoofer with turbo.

I listen to almost everything, so that is of no help. If I had to chosoe one to focus on, I'd choose classical, but I listen to a lot of Shostakovitch for example, which is basically heavy metal in classical, so an accurate speaker that doesn't punch you a little won't work.
lightminer
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
shadorne, you are correct. stacked quads are not the last word in dynamics. it is better to stick to small ensemble music and also avoid organ, except at spl under 80 db.

another alternative, although not in production, and highly inefficient is the (original) eminent technology lft 3. a beefy tube amp is required if tubes are preferred, otherwise, a robust solid state amp will do.
mcmanus
82 posts
 
I think the biggest upgrade you can make is to modify the 1.6's.

From the factory, the Maggies are great speakers but they are built to a price point and that means they have to make trade offs. For a few hundred dollars in parts, you take the 1.6's to a completely different level.

Step one is to bypass the fuse. That is an easy way to see for yourself what mods can do. Then set-up custom crossovers and finally replace the internal wiring. It may sound ambitious but it is all pretty straight forward. If you do not want to do it yourself, a local electronic repair shop can follow instructions you can get online. There are lots of posts here and on the Magnapan users site.
55dok
162 posts
 
You can get better only if you spend a lot more. Soundlabs A1,M1 etc are great speakers as are innersound electrostats and apogee duetta signatures. A few changes in amp/preamp, and crossover components might be worth more than "upgrading" to a different speaker. Try using a high current SS amp with a tube pre amp. Then consider upgrading the on board crossover.
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