2. speakers
  3. 161384-106199

Planar speaker characteristics

I’m thinkIng of the possible advantages of going planar.  Here’s my situation:
I currently have Triangle Stratos Volante 260 speakers, and I love their sound. The issue with these are that they have poly switches in the crossovers that limit the volume they can achieve.  Rectification of this issue is a long story, I’ll spare everyone the details. Before I acquired these speakers, I briefly owned a pair of Magnepan MMG’s, and was quite impressed with them. Unfortunately, also at the time I didn’t have the amplifier power to drive them to potential, and after all, they are the smallest end of the Magnepan line.  After acquiring the Triangles, I also got a pair of Parasound JC 1’s.  As of right now, I really do love the sound of my system. But the memory of those Magnepan’s kind of haunts me, now that I have the power to drive a pair of the larger models. I’m thinking in the 3 something range. Can someone with Magnepan experience tell me what characteristics they love about their Maggie’s, and also what they don’t. What I love about the Triangles:  midrange detail and musicality, not clinical, but not too warm. The “jump factor” as a reviewer put it in a review of the Signature Deltas.  What I don’t like are the aforementioned volume issues, and that they are fairly lean in bass extension. High quality bass, but not as deep as I’d like. However, and this is an important however, the addition of a subwoofer has effectively solved that issue. What makes The Magnepan sound appealing, and also not?  Not interested in electrostats. Also, please try to stick to the question.  Not really looking for commentary on the Parasound’s. I love them, even as my greener sensibilities and my electric bill don’t. 
Much thanks in advance,

Dave
dprincipato
dprincipato OP
53 posts
 
MC, thank you for the link.  Despite the question be about the characteristics of Magnepan speakers, please expound on what it is that you love about the Tektons. I believe they are Moab?  Please excuse any hint of derision, it’s just that I asked about the characteristics of Magnepans, and though I have heard Teton Design speakers on occasion, they were not my thing, so to speak. So, I haven’t pursued them as a speaker of choice. But, I’m open to all perspectives...

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,226 posts
 
dprincipato, get a pair of 3.7I's and you will be in heaven for sure. I have set 2 pair up and I own JC 1's. You won't get the lowest bass but everything else will be first class. It is not the best speaker for playing over 100dB. You risk blowing a tweeter. Magnepan has a great tweeter replacement program. They send you a new tweeter and when they get the blown one back they credit you. They rebuild the blown one and repackage it. The frame and magnets are by far the most expensive part.
In spite of being a little fragile it remains one of the very finest tweeters on the market. Because of the controlled dispersion of a dipole panel imaging is more accurate and the sound attains a reality that can not be matched by enclosed dynamic drivers. 
If you have to have the lowest bass then put subs under them down the line. In the case of the 3.7i's subwoofers do not clean them up much and they do not add headroom because the speaker is limited by the tweeter. 
dprincipato OP
53 posts
 
Mijostyn, thanks for the response.  This is the kind of info I’m looking for, in addition to the sound qualities specifically. What are the characteristics that will put me in “heaven”?
russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 
This one is right up my alley. I have owned Triangle Celius and currently own a new pair of Antals. I have extensive experience with Magnepan MMGs, 1.6s, 3.6s and have a new set of .7s on order. I also have a Parasound A21, and have experience with the JC1s. My Triangle Celius 202s with tube amps were magical with a beautiful sound stage and bounce but they had the same limitations you describe, lack of powerful bass and a limit on volume. However, when matched with a pair of proper subs I was satisfied with what I was hearing, perhaps my best system to date. You should be happy with your system.
Magnepans offer a bigger and deeper soundstage but can be difficult to set up and get everything out of them. You should only consider the model 3.6/3.7 system or better. The true ribbon tweeter is perhaps the best in the world but it will have to be to compete with the Triangle tweeter. If you can get them set-up right (the right room with the right placement) the Maggies can be very good, set up wrong and you’ll be hating life. The big panel sound is hard to resist and that is where I have found the most joy but it may take some hard work to get the Maggies to the level of your current Triangle system.
helomech
1,525 posts
 
Get a pair of .7s — more balanced tonally and not as fragile. The downside to maggies is a lack of midbass punch/slam, however, the .7s suffer this much less than the other models for whatever reason, probably because they don’t have any crossover separating the bass and midrange. 
More to discover