martin logan vs magnepan sound

beware of hybrid speakers. i have heard bg speakers. they sound like two different speakers. there is a loss of continuity because of the difference between cone and panel.

i have observed this phenomenon with martin logans, vmps, innersound, soundlab and other hybrid speakers.

there is no free lunch. if you have dissimilar drivers, they sound like dissimilar drivers.

i forget to mention the smaller stand mounted speakers which have ribbon tweeters.

perhaps the best integration i have experienced is one of the floor standing piega speakers. i don't recall the model number.

i advise anyone considering a hybrid to listen carefully.
do not buy such a speaker without auditioning a pair prior to purchase. make sure your listening room has a level floor.

I had both ML CLS IIz and now the 3.6 Maggies. I would always go for the Maggies for sheer power and substance, the CLS couldn't handle big scale music. The ML hubrids are not good but I heard the new line is exceptional.

The Maggies need some mods to get their full potential, it's sad how they leave the factory.

I'd buy a pair of small maggies on audiogon they sell here for about 4-5 hundred give or take 50 bucks live with them for a year or so then if you like them you can sell them for pretty much what you paid for them, then buy the 1.6 or 3.6 or jsut keep the small maggies they are great,if you don't care for them again you can sell them very easily,hopefully you have a sub because you will need it if you like deep base.Martin logan's well I had a pair for 14 years and just sold them,great speaker,too reveling your source better be really very very good same for your amp and wires,or it will sound harsh,and they can be difficult to sell used.All in all both are great speakers only the maggies are easyer to buy and sell,plus diafram repacement is very expensive on the Logans,cost me $700 for my old Aerius to be rebuilt! Just another thing to look out for if buying a used Logan.You should be able to drive the small pans with a low powered tube amp like the 35 watt Primaluna and also the samller logans. But the bigger speakers need more power like 80 or 100 tube watts,good luck,Nick

What about ML WITH Magnepan? This is the experiment I try for the moment.
I have a pair of ML Ascent i since 3 years and two pairs of MG MC1 i was using for my defunct surround system. I fixed one MG one each side of each ML, hooked speaker cables direct on the ML. That makes two small Maggies for one ML, like 2 ears. Looks nice in fact.
The whole thing is driven with one Mc 275 tube amp.
I was really surprised with the result. In fact we have the advantages of both planar and electrostatic and together they are synergistic. Huge soundstage, and the gap between cones and panels of ML is filled with the MG. Sound is sweet, thight, focus, reminds me of Magico speakers.Trebble are much less rolled off. Very coherent. I have now to replace the MG capacitors and wires. I use a sub.

They definitely sound different.

I tend to like Maggies better. I'm not a big fan of the ML hybrid design. The overall presentation just never sounds quite right or convincing to me, but that may just be my taste.

I had Maggie mg1.3c's for 20 years.

Maggies, like most good speakers, are easy on the ear. They sound better and better over time during extended listening sessions.

With the dynamic bass drivers, the MLs move more air resulting in more impact and dynamics with the bass than comparable maggies, perhaps.