|   The pros and cons of Magnepan??? | RGA
Jul 28, 2002 12:08 AM | | I have never heard one of these speakers but I must say my curiosity has been peaked. Through reading the literature, it would seem they are the poor man's electrostat...largely getting away from the boxy sound to the crisp neutral detail and openess of some of the electrostats.
While speakers are a compromise this company seems to offer a lot for pretty low dollars. Other than having a pretty difficult loads and low sensitivity, any thought about this company. http://www.magnepan.com/ |
| Well, first of all they are very transparent... | Jimmy C
Jul 28, 2002 2:36 AM | | ...if you listened only to small ensemble or strings, this is the speaker. Very detailed and clear - owners say they have heard things on the recording they never knew existed.
The downside would be a lack (relative to a box) of dynamics. The Maggies are very fast, some say hard to integrate a sub. Since they are shaped like a door, you need some room - and no cats. If I had money lying around, I would probably get the MMG just to have fun. I would agree - value is pretty f'n good. |
| re: The pros and cons of Magnepan??? | StevenSurprenant
Jul 28, 2002 7:31 AM | | I've owned Quad electostats and have auditioned most of the maggies. Electrostats are better, but for the price, the maggies are very good. However, keep in mind that your amp has a great deal to do with how they sound. I have listened to the same pair of maggies in two different stores with two differnt amps and one blew me away, while the other was just OK.
They also seem to have less dynamics than the Quads, but they did soundstage very well. That is their greatest strength.
You might want to compare them with Linn Especk ($2,500) or Linn Ninka ($1,500). I prefer these over the Maggies. However, the MMGs are much cheaper. The Linn speakers might be less amp sensitive.
http://www.linn.co.uk/spec_sound/products.cfm?range=Loudspeaker#156
Either way, they are both very good choices... |
| re: The pros and cons of Magnepan??? | Oscah
Jul 28, 2002 8:02 AM | | Steven: I've heard much of the Linn line and am astonished how underappreciated they are. In addition to sounding great, some models have the capacity for triamplification.
RGA: Every time I think about trying out Magnepan or Logan's, I cringe at the thought of having to buy more amplification. We all know the cost of a good (Classe, Levinson, Pass) 200+ watt amp. That said, have you given any thought to a ribbon based speaker? VMPS (VPMS maybe?) is getting a lot of good press and are said to improve upon the openness, speed, and accuracy of electrostats, while having the sufficient low frequency response of a box speaker. Interesting.... |
| Actually, | RGA
Jul 28, 2002 9:52 PM | | I'm not looking to necessarily buy. The NEW ML electrostats I like because they have figured out how to integrate their bass drivers better than past models. The Quad ESLs were useless for anything other than strings...andy kind of rock or really anything dynamic with bass sounded horrible to me. still if strings are your gig I found nothing better....The MLs do both...but cost big money.
I will listen to the Linns on my next trip to http://www.soundhounds.com/ Just check out all the stuff they carry. Even have Wharfedale(among others) though not listed.
Frankly, The best boxed speaker I've heard under 3kCDN is the Reference 3a MM De Capo...trouble is it's 3k. So the ML Aerius i goes for that but it's really the only ML for 2 channel use that doesn't enthuse me.
I've heard nothing that really approaches the MM De Capo...but seeing the Magnepan and thinking ML...and of course a price that is around 1kCDN or less...it caught my eye. |
| Actually, | StevenSurprenant
Jul 29, 2002 9:25 AM | | I used a sub with my Quads and they rocked!
The only real downside of the Quads were that you could damage them if the bass content was too great.
Of course, it goes without saying that your upstream equipment has a great deal to do with how they sound.
If I hadn't invested in better equipment, I would have agreed with your assesment about them not being dynamic.
I was using a Levinson amp and they came alive. Also, switching to Nordost wires helped.
I since have downsized my speakers and went with a pair of B&W 601 S2 speakers. At first I was using a Carver amp, but I switched over to the Levinson. It put the WOW factor into the sound. Dynamics, soundstaging, and claity all increased.
If you check out the Linns (Espek) let me know how they compare with the Reference 3a MM De Capo's. I have never heard the Reference 3a MM De Capo's, but I gather that they are one of the best speakers.
When I was thinking about upgrading speakers I listened to the B&W 805s, but there wasn't enough difference between them and my 601s to justify the $1,500 difference in price.
So the search continues. Right now, the Linn Espeks are on top of my list, but I am holding out until I hear the Reference 3a MM De Capo's |
| Actually, | RGA
Jul 29, 2002 7:51 PM | | Just remember the MM De Capo is their entry level product and it is a standmount. One thing I've liked about them is the ease of taking low powered tube amps and fitting in nicely even in not so great rooms with not so great stands.
I think if you upgrade from B&W 600 series you either upgrade to the CDM 1NT or 7NT or jump right up to the 801 or 802. The MM De Capo is a fair improvement over the 805. |
| re: The pros and cons of Magnepan??? | Woochifer
Jul 29, 2002 12:18 PM | | The Magneplanars are very nice speakers, but they can be high maintenance and don't necessarily work well with all sources. The soundstage on the Maggies is very spacious and seamless, and compared to stat or ribbon speakers, they're reasonably good with percussive sounds. Overall, they have a very open sound with excellent detail and realism in the midrange. An excellent performer for their price points.
Is there a downside? Yup, there is, which is why I had to drop them consideration fairly early in my speaker hunt. First, they are difficult to drive. I had them hooked up to 200 wpc Adcom separates, and they were straining at moderately high volumes. The Vandersteens that I auditioned with that same pre/pro combo showed no signs of strain at all (although they did have other issues).
Second, the Maggies are very finicky with room placement. You need to have a wall behind them and you need at least 3' of space behind the speakers. If you don't, they won't work too well. Also, even though you still get a very spacious sound off-axis, the imaging outside of the sweet spot breaks down quickly.
Third, even though they have startling detail with acoustic instruments and vocals, the Maggies are not especially punchy with amplified instruments and the bass on their lower level models does not extend very far. This is pretty much the same problem you get with a lot of stat or ribbon speakers, and in actuality the Maggies are a LOT better with amplified instruments than ribbon speakers. I've heard that Maggie owners frequently pair them with subwoofers, and Magnepan's home theatre system uses a dynamic driver subwoofer with an Outlaw ICBM bass management module.
Still, with the MMG mail-order only models listing for $550USD a pair, they might be worth looking into. |
| re: The pros and cons of Magnepan??? | RGA
Jul 29, 2002 10:29 PM | | The placement would be the big killer for me. 3 feet into the room is to much for my apartment...plus if you need to buy the big power amp and the subwoofer...the saving goes out the window. Enter Reference 3a De Capo....no sub no new amp required. |
| One more note... | Woochifer
Jul 30, 2002 10:14 AM | | should've mentioned that the model I auditioned was the 1.6 and I took a quick listen to one of the higher end models. Supposedly, the MMG is less taxing on amps, but it's still a 4 ohm nominal load and even leaner in the bass than the 1.6. Even though it's possible that the MMG doesn't require as much space behind the speaker, you really won't know until you start to position them in your room. You can lose a lot of the soundstage and openness if you're too close to the wall since those Maggies are dipolar designs. |
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