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Magneplanar .7 speakers. Have you heard or own them??

I have owned a pair of Golden Ear Technology for about 8 months. I generally like them because of their high level of accuracy and general transparency   However, despite those virtues, I find them to sound cool, and not very involving, or engaging.  Everything being equal, they don't seem to convey the emotional content of the music. I also been finding it difficult to get them to sound right. They can sound a bit bright on some CD's and also provide an overtone on vocals 

I would like to get  feedback from owners of the Magneplanar's .7 speaker, or even if you have only auditioned the speaker a few times in anticipation of buying. Some of the reviews I have read claim that with a fairly powerful amp or integrated, they can cleanly down to 45Hz, but their major strength is a superb midrange and smooth high end. Of course, being familiar with "Maggies" they can give a buyer ulcers trying to get them to sound right especially in medium size room because of their design.  My room is 12.5 X 15 and is separated by a couch to a dining and kitchen area.of almost the same size 

Therefore, I am curious if the .7 can convey that  emotion of music with the same clarity of a  dynamic speaker.  My system is a Rogue Sphinx integrated  amp (100 RMS @ 8ohms, and 200 RMS at 4ohms.  CD player is a Ayre CX-7e mp.

Speaker cables are Harmonic Technology PRO 11+ and  HT Truthlink IC.  I  plug the system into the less expensive Blue Circle's  conditioner which is outstanding,  Thanks to all!!

BTW , I heard the .7 once but not for long, and in a audio shop that carries both Maggies and Golden Ear Technology speakers  However , the owner never seems to have .7 and the GET model 7 on display for audition at the same time.  .   

 

 

sunnyjim
sunnyjim OP
927 posts
 

Correction of reply to Papermill: Reviewer Herb Reichert used the Rogue Sphinx integrated almost exclusively to drive the Magneplanar .7. 

I was mistaken also about the amp; he generally cites the glories of the Line Magnetic LM518IA  a tube amp of 22 watts per channel which this month he used to audition the inexpensive Elac B6 bookshelf 

As far as power, I could sell the Rogue and look for a used Parasound Halo integrated which is 160RMS or its equivalent.  I just need an integrated that has a good MM/MC  phono stage  I don't need a DAC because I have no desire to stream music. It  would only be a benefit  if integrated's DAC was superior to the DAC in my Ayre CX-7emp CD player

However from what you  noted about room size and distance from the back wall. I might not have it.  I can get them out about 4 ft from the back wall, and still be seated at least 8ft from center point between  the speakers   However, 6 ft apart is about all I can manage in my current living room set-up. 

I took an interest in this model because of its more compact size compared the larger Maggies, and because I would like a more open soundfield or sound stage and a smoother top end  Musicality is the key.   Thank you for the advice.  

 BTW, how do you handle the speaker terminals on the Maggies. I am running another thread in "Tech Talk" about the ridiculous terminals they have used for 30 years. Any fire hose speaker cable with quality larger  banana plugs will not fit in that hole which secures the male connector with a  screw lug. ( A standard banana plug might work)     

mtbrider
150 posts
 
Given the potential issues with Maggies, you might consider an alternative like the Spatial M4's.  They'd been reviewed on this site and there's an extensive thread on audiocircle.
papermill's avatar
papermill
80 posts
 
Sunnyjim,
Your room size might not be an issue as far as distance from each speaker is concerned. Toe-in or lack-of is always a determinant of integration of imaging.
And I think your initial interest in the Magnepan "open sound field, smooth top-end and musicality" is spot on. They deliver.
BTW - When I refer to "front wall" I'm referring to the wall as you face the speakers... and it sounds like you've plenty of distance from the speakers. 
Per your other thread, banana adapters work perfectly fine on the speaker terminals.
That you are investigating a integrated with a phono stage really interests me because I'm a die-hard vinyl audiophile, and I'm thinking about setting up an analog rig to the AV - just because I'm expecting vinyl to be a really great match to the Magnepans.... 
henrycai's avatar
henrycai
120 posts
 
Try the Parasound Halo A21....n if you can with a Modwright
LS 100 preamp.......Henry. 
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I have heard almost all the GoldenEar stereo speakers plus their best soundbar and some of their subs. I’ve also heard the Magneplanar 1.7, 3.7, and 20.7. I have owned the 1.7 since Nov. 2013 and picked them in a close audition over the GoldenEar Triton 7s.

What I noted about the GoldenEars was not a lack of involvement, but rather how their folded ribbon tweeter is free of inertia artifacts--no ringing or overshoot, simply sweet fast treble with great extension.

I also noticed with the Triton 7 that their passive radiator augmented bass overloaded the audition rooms easily. Ironically, the active Tritons could have done better in that situation because the bass can be turned down to match the room loading. For the passive Triton 5 and 7, they have to be better matched to the room size and dimensions, and may well need bass traps to tame that 100 Hz hump that seems to form so easily with many speakers in many rooms.

Anyway, I chose the Magenplanar 1.7 because it has this very natural presentation devoid of boxy artifacts, doesn’t have that room resonance hump, (which I suspect is because the dipole pattern cancels that resonance). And they are magical on inner detail, revealing vocal harmonies obscured my many speakers. The thing that sold me is how my wife noticed how they articulated the eight vocal parts in Mendelssohn’s cantato, "Elijah."

There is *so* much I like about the Maggies: the lack of boxy coloration, the effortlessness, the way sound and images hang in 3D space, inner detail, and the way they scale up and down with the music and ensemble size. There’s something magical about combining a line source with lots of radiating area. Plus the Maggie diaphragm weighs less than the air it’s moving.

I really don’t think the Magneplanars are *that* demanding of amplification; it just has to be the *right* amplification. The Absolute Sound’s rave reviews of the 1.7 were done with a Rogue Cronus Magnum with the internal jumpers set to 4 ohm output. My auditions were powered by a $1500 NAD C 376BEE integrated amp and it was a *really* good combination. It’s also reputed to have a good phono preamp. I'll admit I wouldn't mind a 250 wpc Bryston if I could afford it, but I really can't complain about my MAGI hand-wired tube preamps and vintage Perreaux PMF1150B power amp.

Speaking of... I particularly love the way my 1.7s caress my LPs. They invariably put a smile on my face or bring me to tears, or feel hopeful and triumphant--whatever the music calls for. Tone quality and timbre are spot-on, and the radiating pattern fills the room like live music.

To be fair, I *do* use a couple of small, very fast subwoofers to fill out the 35-50 Hz. section. A Magneplanar DWM panel with a pair of .7s would probably be about perfect.

Although the frequency range of the .7s would be about the same as a 6" 2-way mini-monitor, the .7s would have an advantage in scaling up and down--from solo to full orchestra--over most mini-monitors, and the DWM is a made-to-order solution to getting more and lower bass extension to properly energize the listening are.
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