Because of the limited bass output of the LRS, Magnepan has been asked for their opinion on the subject of adding a subwoofer or two to the loudspeaker. In a post today on The Planar Speaker Asylum, Wendell Diller's PSA spokesperson Josh related the following info on that subject:
Wendell (and therefore presumably Magnepan) is of the opinion that a "normal" subwoofer (sealed, ported, or infinite baffle) simply can not be successfully integrated with any planar loudspeaker, even if implemented in a "Swarm". There are technical reasons why this is so, but you can read all about that elsewhere. This is not a new thought; plenty of long-time planar speaker owners have felt that way for decades.
What IS news is that Wendell is recommending one sub design---and one sub design only---for use with any Magneplanar: an OB/Dipole. I've posted about the Rythmik Audio/GR Research OB/Dipole here on Audiogon many times, and it is remarkable. Unfortunately, a pair of them costs far more than does a pair of LRS! And then there is the fact that it is available only as a kit, and you can't hear one before buying, requiring a leap of faith. So does the LRS, right? ;-)
