The Magnificent Magnepan 30.7 speakers....wait, I don’t like planars!


Wendell Diller from Magnepan has been a very busy gentleman recently. Touring throughout the US, he has visited, or will visit, numerous locations to demo the new Magnepan 30.7 speakers. It takes a lot of determination and commitment to drive through the country and then to set up in the small towns and large metropolises, a speaker the size of the new 30.7.
Last night I had the very good fortune of hearing the 30.7’s for the first time...at a local high end store demo. Also, I had the pleasure of talking to Wendell and his wife about his voyage...and why he does it.
But first, the Magnepan 30.7’s are...IMHO, at the very top of a long list of planar speakers that have been brought to my attention. Having owned Maggie’s in the past along with Quads and Acoustat’s, my interest level in this type of speaker was not in any way high. Yet, here’s the thing, these new Maggie’s are not your father’s Maggie’s. Instead, we have a speaker that given the right size room ( and unfortunately this is the real determining factor...and crucial to make these work) is very near to the top of the chain in current SOTA speakers. Easily able to compete with competitors at the $100k level or above! Yet these guys are priced at $30k....which makes them by far the best $30k speakers on the planet, imho.
Anyone looking to replace a speaker with a max budget of $50k...and with the room to accommodate this speaker, needs to hear this speaker..
Unlike planars of the past, and most if not all others that are current, this model does one thing that Planars have never done before, at least that I have heard. That thing is Dynamics...and in spades. Bass control and power is on a par with some of the best large dynamic speakers on the market...along with NO discontinuity between the drivers. ( as was prevalent in the past with Maggie’s).
So, how many times have we gone into a demo with preconceived impressions based on past experience and been proven wrong....this time for me was one of those times...and for you, I suspect it will be the same thing.
If and when Wendell brings his van and his speakers to your neck of the woods, don’t miss out on a great opportunity to hear one of the worlds best speakers...at a price that will put most others to shame.

128x128daveyf
If I remember correctly, Wendell told me that the photo in the 30.7 ads showing the long haired listener was actually taken at one of their dealer events. The room was apparently 15' wide at this event...and would seem to show this in the ad.
Yep; and I was told by someone that attended that exact demo that overall the mid/bass was too fat, bloated, and ‘phasey’


I actually own Tympani IVa, I would like very much to hear these new 30.7.

Magnepan should mate them with Pass Labs XA or XS amplifier series ...

It is absolutely great that Magnepan decided to reintroduce a Tympani successor.
@effer,

If you get a chance to hear the 30.7’s, I think you will be very impressed...I was..and I don’t even generally like planars!
Only problem is that you will probably be looking to sell your Tympani IVa’s, LOL. Your idea about matching Pass Labs with these speakers is a good one, IMO.
Hey Efffer, I have a pair of IVa's as well! Mine are in a room that's only 13-1/2 feet wide -- it's been a challenge, but I can believe Wendell when he says that they work in a 14-1/2' wide room because the bass panel of the 30.7 are designed to go against the side wall, whereas the single panel Maggies are generally used about two feet out.

I'd love to try them with a Pass Amp too. As I understand it, the dealers are providing the amplification during the tour, so it's up to them, but when Wendell demoed them for Christ Martens at Magnepan, it seems he mated them with Audio Research gear:

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/magnepan-307-fourpanel-dipolar-planar-loudspeaker-system/