Rogue Angel, Magnepan is a giant among high end manufacturers. I suspect the reason you're seeing so many for sale is that they sell so many.
Like any other speaker, planars have both advantages and disadvantages that suit them to a particular type of listener. I've been an unabashed planar fan ever since my friend scores an old pair of KLH-9's in college. I was taken by their realism on acoustical music, something I'd never heard from dynamics (and still, I confess, haven't).
Planars also have very high bang for the buck. The most expensive part of a speaker is the cabinet and planars don't have one!
However, dynamics have their own virtues. They have higher wife acceptance factor, many fit in small spaces, and they can often play *louder* than planars.
The LRS is an amazing speaker -- I've never heard anything close for $650! Steve Guttenburg compared them to $2000 speakers. But as the smallest, entry-level Maggie it isn't going to work in a large room without a sub and I think you'd want a sub for rock as well. And it isn't going to cruise at 120 dB like a Wilson, or 110 dB like a big Maggie would. So it should be considered with those limitations in mind, as well as the 50 Hz low frequency limit -- surprisingly sufficient since most fundamentals are above that but you will hear the difference of more extended LF response.
What planars will do in general is give you a more realistic rendition of acoustical instruments. On the bigger ones, that can be spookily realistic.
Anyway, you're exactly the person the LRS is designed to reach! The LRS is an "appetizer," as Magenpan puts it. They sell them at not much more than cost and they have a generous return policy. The reason they sell them without making money off them is that they know that a certain percentage of people who buy them will fall in love with the planar sound and buy their bigger models.
Of course, a lot of people will just stick with the LRS, and they get a great bargain.
But I wouldn't hesitate to try them -- they're wonderful speakers and that's exactly what they want you to do (and while they hope you'll move up, they don't mind if you like and keep them). The main issue seems to be your amp. I wonder if you could get a loaner to try them with? You could listen with your VTL to get an impression of the sound, but you'd have to play them at background music levels and won't be able to test their dynamics.
Like any other speaker, planars have both advantages and disadvantages that suit them to a particular type of listener. I've been an unabashed planar fan ever since my friend scores an old pair of KLH-9's in college. I was taken by their realism on acoustical music, something I'd never heard from dynamics (and still, I confess, haven't).
Planars also have very high bang for the buck. The most expensive part of a speaker is the cabinet and planars don't have one!
However, dynamics have their own virtues. They have higher wife acceptance factor, many fit in small spaces, and they can often play *louder* than planars.
The LRS is an amazing speaker -- I've never heard anything close for $650! Steve Guttenburg compared them to $2000 speakers. But as the smallest, entry-level Maggie it isn't going to work in a large room without a sub and I think you'd want a sub for rock as well. And it isn't going to cruise at 120 dB like a Wilson, or 110 dB like a big Maggie would. So it should be considered with those limitations in mind, as well as the 50 Hz low frequency limit -- surprisingly sufficient since most fundamentals are above that but you will hear the difference of more extended LF response.
What planars will do in general is give you a more realistic rendition of acoustical instruments. On the bigger ones, that can be spookily realistic.
Anyway, you're exactly the person the LRS is designed to reach! The LRS is an "appetizer," as Magenpan puts it. They sell them at not much more than cost and they have a generous return policy. The reason they sell them without making money off them is that they know that a certain percentage of people who buy them will fall in love with the planar sound and buy their bigger models.
Of course, a lot of people will just stick with the LRS, and they get a great bargain.
But I wouldn't hesitate to try them -- they're wonderful speakers and that's exactly what they want you to do (and while they hope you'll move up, they don't mind if you like and keep them). The main issue seems to be your amp. I wonder if you could get a loaner to try them with? You could listen with your VTL to get an impression of the sound, but you'd have to play them at background music levels and won't be able to test their dynamics.