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Magnepan .7 Alternatives

Looking for suggestions…Currently I have Magnepan .7’s and am generally happy but at times they just don’t do it.

I find these speakers to be schizophrenic, sounding great on some tracks and other tracks leaving me wondering what the hey !… I’d say probably 30-40% of the time I’m feeling this way. Either too much treble, not clear or not tonally balanced. I’m no expert but just my opinion, it often comes off as the midrange being pushed to it’s limit trying to be treble. I assume I feel that way being the speaker’s lack of accuracy, although what Maggi’s do they do well, just not an accurate speaker.

I experience this pretty much no matter what source or style of music I play, certainly a non forgiving speaker. Yes, I’ve played around with Toe-In, tried various resistors & jumpers…sounds great on everything I adjust, just not a consistent sounds great.

Lets get it straight, I’m not a “Magnepan Hater”, there’s certain qualities I truly love about my Maggi .7’s, the open sound, the transparency but hoping I may be able to find a speaker that’s not as finicky and can give me the open feel, transparency and clarity that I seek.

My set up consists of:

Odyssey Khartago Extreme Amp

Tubes4hif SP-13 Preamp

Bluesound Node

EAT B Sharp TT w/Sumiko Moonstone Cart

Pro-Ject Tube Box S Phono Pre

(2) REL - T5x Subs

 

Room dimensions: 11.5’ W x 12’ L

10’ Ceilings -

Listening Distance from Speakers

8.5’ - 9’

Carpet, Curtins, (4) 48” x 12”Acoustic panels on wall behind sofa facing my set up.

Not a fan of bookshelf’s and rather would prefer recommendations on

Floorstanders but will listen and research any suggestions you feel would work.

Note: I’m just starting my search, so don’t beat me up if I don’t go right out and purchase your suggestion as others have done in the past.

My Budget is around the $3k mark.

Thanks

🔊

128x128flasd
flasd's avatar
flasd OP
89 posts
 

My mistake … My Bluesound Node is the N130 not the 2i 

jjss49's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

So here’s my question, Can anyone recommend an inexpensive DAC that’s a step up above the Bluesound Node’s in the $300-$500 dollar range that I’d hear a significant difference with? That’s all I can swing right now, so I’d like hear your thoughts / suggestions

significant difference over node n130 at $300-500 price point for an outboard dac? don’t think its gonna happen

closer to a grand, particularly if bought used... yes, definitely...

drewdawg999's avatar
drewdawg999
52 posts
 

At that price point for a DAC, you’re squarely in Topping and SMSL territory. Looked down by many here, but I like them, they’re in my modest wheelhouse. Just got a SMSL DO100, an entry level DAC, but I must say it sounds mighty fine, fully transparent with shimmery highs and solid driving lows, as well as smooth midrange. Measures perfectly, if that means anything to you, probably around 30 dB higher in SINAD than what you have now. Listening through my MMGs with Airborne Magna Risers is an awesome experience, oodles of detail from top to bottom. A couple of recordings are bright or sharp, but that’s just bad mastering. Should be thankful to have a system resolving enough to tell the difference.

But with such a high resolution and high fidelity source, have to be careful that your preamp isn’t a bottleneck. I compared between going through my tube pre, a Rogue Metis, and straight into my amp through balanced connections, and it’s clearly better without the pre, which was a bit of a bummer for me. Not even using my good old buddy right now which has served me well for so many years, and my precious turntable isn’t hooked up either. Plan on alleviating that soon, the Topping Pre90 is on my Christmas list. But right now I’m in digital audio nirvana, something I thought wasn’t possible a short time ago. I would go for either SMSL DO100 or DO200 for best bang for buck. The DO200 adds MQA and some tone control presets.

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