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Magnepan Sweet Spot

For the last year, I have been listening to my set of Magnepan Tympani IVs.  They are great at creating a wall of sound, and picked up substantial bass and detail when I acquired a Parasound A21.  However, I have failed to create the sweet spot I have experienced with other maggies I have owned.  Between this failure and the size of the Tympanis, I am considering selling them and looking at other Magnepan models to achieve the sweet spot. I have always loved the Magnepan clarity and detail, and do not need thumping bass.

The current Tympani arrangement has them at one end of a 22x12 room (12' wall behind them).  If I change them out, I think I will rotate the setup, so that the listening chair will be at one end of the 12' wall and the speakers 3' - 5' away from the other wall.

Given this setup, which of the Magnepan line should I consider to achieve that sweet spot??  I have MMGs but would probably get the LRS if I chose that size speaker. 

Heresy though it may be, if I turned away from the Maggies, what speakers would achieve similar results for about $2500 used?

kythyn
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
mijostyn, wrong. You seem to have the classic knee-jerk reaction that Maggie fans have when any criticism of the sound characteristics are mentioned. You will note that I have used and own a panel speaker, so I hardly consider their sound quality inferior. I will say I feel the performance of electrostatic speakers is superior holistically to that of magnetic planars. 

I did not say that I felt other types of speakers are more realistic. I pointed out to the OP that changing to a smaller panel will not resolve the issue. The reason I shared this with the OP is that they seem to not be aware of this.

That's my one clarification. As I said, I'm not going to continue with a debate about it.  :) 
erik_squires
16,009 posts
 
Do you have any diffusion between them?
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,468 posts
 
Douglas, then I will debate it with myself. I use ESLs but that does not keep me from supporting Maggie owners. Having set up quite a few I am very familiar with them. I challange you to find another review of any Magnepan speaker that says they can not image. It might be a different image (larger) but an image none the less. Having had Tympani's back in the early 80's I can vouch for the fact that because of their hinged multi panel design they can be daunting and harder to get right than any dynamic or horn speaker and a lot of people have trouble with them myself included. It took me over 6 months to be happy with their sound if I remember correctly. I sold them after three years because I was moving from Alabama back to New England home of Apogee Acoustics and a brand new pair of Diva's a speaker more problematic than even the Tympani's.
don_c55
1,025 posts
 
For around 2500 you can find a nice magnepan 3.6.

They image better than the six panel tympani line.

I have listened to  the six foot Magnepans every nite since the 70’s and they sound great in the right room.

The reviewer from the weirdest audio website on the internet does not know what he is talking about IMO.
gammonit_2000
83 posts
 
Dear OP,
Putting your speakers on the far wall may not be the best plan.  If I saw your room I could probably place them properly along the long wall (pun intended).  That's how I have set the LRS up to great advantage and sound quality.  But, they are maybe 8 ft apart in both cases.  I use the room and reflectivity.  The more recent placement I have also used filmy floor to ceiling length curtains behind which has been amazing at dispersing the sound.  They were there already but I aimed them that way.  Once again, long wall, but on the end of the long wall facing the short wall.  Sitting in the knock out and way off the corner and the other corner created by the depth of a coat closet.  Also sorry but I doubt your amp will do what my Bryston 4BSST can do with the LRS or any other Magnepan for that matter but then again not having heard it I may be incorrect.  I had fed the LRS with 250 watts a side b4 and now with 500 they just sing.  Bryston is the real deal.  Buy one and sell that other thing.
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