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Thinking of Magnepan ... finally!

Until recently, most of my amps have been tube-based with the exception of a few great SS integrateds thrown into the mix for fun. That's probably the main reason I have stayed away from Magnepans (or other speakers of its ilk) thus far. Now that I have an Aavik U-280 integrated amp that can do 300 watts @ 8 ohms and doubles to 600 @ 4, I would love to scratch that itch finally. Keep in mind that I do not intend to get rid of my other speakers (Joseph Audio Perspective2 Graphene, Harbeth SHL5+, Fritz Carrera BE) since I love them all for different reasons. The Magnepans will be rotated in the main listening room with Joseph Audio Perspectives. One thing I like about Maggies is that they are relatively lightweight so I can move them to the closet without breaking my back when not in rotation.

Since I've never owned Magnepans before, I have a ton of questions and doubts. So here we go ...

Bass (or the lack thereof) -- I've been told that the Magnepans are very light on bass and definitely require at least on subwoofer. Is this true in all cases? Anyone using them without subs and happy with the performance? TBH, I really would prefer that I don't use subs but not set in stone for sure.

Breathing Room -- my room is 20' x 15' with 12 foot ceilings. The speakers will be placed along the short wall (15'). I can pull them out by about 4.5 feet from the front wall and 3 feet from the side walls. Seating distance will be approximately 8 - 9 feet. Is this good enough or do you think more distance, especially from the front wall, is required to truly enjoy the speakers?

Mods -- I've also heard that the stock components (crossovers, fuses, etc.) and stands are suboptimal. Is this true? If so, what are the minimum requirements to bring the speaker to a higher standard and at what cost? 

Value -- For someone who is just starting out with Maggies, which model is a good entry point? I know that LRS+ is a good value, but my other speakers are very very good, so I want to do justice to the Maggies as well. But at the same time I don't want to spend more than I need to. Where do you think the sweet spot lies, i.e. which model(s)? I will be looking for used only since I've already spent way too much on other speakers.

Imaging -- I've also been told that imaging on Maggies is not that great. I have never heard Maggies before so I have no idea if this assertion is true or not. Your thoughts?

And finally, I want to hear from folks who love their Maggies. What is that you love most about the speakers? What qualities do they bring to the table that no other speaker does? Are there magnetic planar speakers from other brands that I should also be considering? Keep in mind they have to be readily available in the used market. So please don't suggest something that doesn't meet this requirement.

However, to bring some balance to the feedback, I would also love to hear from those who tried Magnepans and moved on to something else. Why? What was it that you didn't like about them? What did you move on to?

Thanks in advance and a sincere request: Please keep it civil ... no need for haters of Magnepan to use this as an opportunity to diss the brand.

128x128arafiq
gumbedamit
97 posts
 

There are a few things I could tell you. See if you can find a place to audition before you purchase.  I've owned several models,  2.5R's up to 20.1's, one thing I would say is none of them were lacking in bass. Maggie's have a different take on bass, fast and natural.  I've never used a sub, the natural sound is part of what makes them what they are. You didn't mention a budget,  $2500 should get you a good deal on a pair of used 3.6's....

Enjoy the Music

Ag insider logo xs@2x
jallan
255 posts
 

Whenever I have listened to 3.6’s, I did not feel the need for a subwoofer. I would consider matching 3.7’s with a set of Schiit Tyr’s. 

keppertup2
3 posts
 

I have been listening to my MG IIIa's since 1988.  Peter Gunn generously advised me to screw as much natural wood to the back of the particle board frames as possible to absorb vibration and he shared the schematic for his crossover.  I installed 36' of 2"x3" studs per speaker and built his crossover ($900 in parts).  Major improvements.  

Recently, Peter advised me to place a screen behind my listening position to enhance bass response.  I constructed a frame to hold a 2'x4' piece of plywood covered with 2" of Rockwool that is mounted horizontally 34" from the floor and another piece of 2'x4' plywood covered in Rockwool that hangs over the listening area at a 30 degree angle.  I had been using an 18" sub with a low pass of 35hz.  The sub is no longer necessary, unless you want sub 25hz support.  The over all sound is cleaner without the sub.  The overhanging panel helps eliminate sound bouncing from the ceiling.  It's like having a folded horn located behind you.  

My room is 35'x25'x14' (tray ceiling).  I installed a diffuser on the middle of the front wall and the sound stage bloomed.  The Maggies are powered by a Devialet 220.  The Devialet replaced a Pass Labs 250.5.  The amp is connected to the speakers via sixteen 5' 0 AWG copper cables.

I highly recommend you consult Peter Gunn and consider buying one of his modified 1.6 QR's.  Unfortunately, Peter does not modified the bigger models due to shipping constraints. 

An Audiogon poster, b4icu, recommended the speaker cables.  Shocking results as I added one cable at a time.

I have had many box speakers.  They sound good, but they don't have the magic.

Good luck.

tweak1
3,552 posts
 

My first foray into Open Baffle (OB) speakers was with Accoustat 2 + 2s with both their servo OTLs and the Medallion interfaces. The OTLs blew away the interfaces, but, they were very unstable... fast forward through many box speakers, I "finally" succumbed, and bought a used pair of Magnepan 3.5Rs, which I had to send to the factory due to bass panel delam. Over time, I blew about 6 ribbons before throwing in the towel, but I really loved the huge sound stage they threw (as did my OB 2+2s).

These days there are a goodly number of OB designs which, unlike maggies, are very easy to drive and are nowhere near as wide or tall. In your room EP 2.+ or 3.4 series would do extremely well and typically can be had on the used market for < 50% off. Why? Most people selling them do 2 very important things wrong

* they use the crappy supplied jumper wire

* they leave the outboard XOs on the speaker bases, which shake like crazy.

See my Virtual System which 3.4s

hth

bubba12's avatar
bubba12
429 posts
 

If a person is the type that has a few pairs of speakers then one of those should be Magnepan. They definitely present the music in a different way. I happen to love the sound. 

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