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Which Stands for Magnepan LRS (and other models): Mye, Magnariser, Sound Anchor, etc

Just received my LRS, and I am smiling so far.  Having read many comments and forum discussions, I am working at getting the position and room right.  I am getting close, but expect a few more days of tweaking before I am there.

The theme of stands is constant in the forums for the LRS as well as the other Maggies.  I figure once the 60 day trial period runs out (probably sooner as I can’t imagine returning them), I will order stands as the next step.

My question is which stands?  First, price is not a concern, as all the stands I have seen are within a hundred bucks or so of each other.  The common candidates are:

Mye- probably the most mentioned.  Triangular base, strut to the top. Very different than others.
Magnariser- 3 models to choose from, each reporting different sonic qualities. All appear to rise the speakers up off of the floor, none have the top strut.
Sound Anchors- again, a bottom only stand.  I don’t see LRS specifically mentioned on their website, but I assume one is in the works, or another model fits.  I have not contacted them to confirm

So, does anyone have direct experience comparing the various stands with the LRS? (I suspect similar results with the MMG, .7 and 1.7, so comments on experiences with these their families are appreciated) Or does anyone have any technical/physics/engineering insights on the whole subject? 

and finally, with stands, does the room position set up change? Will I have to go through another round of finding the sweet spot? 

Thanks!
meiatflask
icanskate
36 posts
 
I should clarify that the oak platforms were 24” square & 2 1/2” high. 
K
mwinkc
368 posts
 
I retired my old smg’s because the sweet-spot was just too small, and the stands pointed them upwards. I just got tired of working to get in the sweetspot all the time. Then I lucked out... I found a pair of MMG’s with magnerisers already mounted on Craigslist.
I was (still am) in heaven.
The full height Quasi-ribbon tweeter cured the tiny sweet-spot problem and the stands kept the sound where my ears tend to be...not up near the ceiling.
If anything, the more vertical position helped open up the soundstage, as fewer sounds were directed at the floor, behind the speakers.
The vertical stands did not change the need to have some serious distance between the speakers and the wall. Like all Maggie's, they still want to be well away from the wall. 
The MMG’s are smaller & lighter than the 1.7’s...so I don’t worry about the lack of triangulated support. They do seem a little delicate, but so far my boxers have not bumped into them. I do move them from against the wall to their listening positions and back, every time I use them 1-2x per day...and have had no issues with the stands.
I’m guessing the LRS’ will be similar in weight to the MMG’s.
tlinkie
107 posts
 
Boxers are very sweet doggies.

(I assume you’re talking about your dogs and not your shorts.)

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Sound Anchors are OK but I do not think they make a set for the LRS yet.
You might have to wait a little. You want the middle of the long axis of the speaker aimed right at your head. Also, Draw a perpendicular from the middle of the speaker to the from wall. Get Acoustic Tiles like these
https://www.parts-express.com/sonic-barrier-fwp122-studio-acoustic-foam-wedge-panel-12-x-12-x-2-black-12-pack--260-547 and use double sided carpet tape to stick them to the front wall 2 wide and 6 high centered on your perpendicular. You may notice a slight drop in high frequencies but your image will improve quite a bit. 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,816 posts
 

One thing I like about the Sound Anchor stands for the Eminent Technology LFT-8b loudspeakers (like Maggies, a magnetic-planar dipole, though mounted on a woofer enclosure) is their 3-point design: the SA "stand" (a bit of a misnomer; is more a base) has a threaded hole on it’s underside for spikes at three locations. 3 points define a plane, all you need to support a speaker. With a 4-point design, if one spike is even slightly misaligned, the enclosure with not be stable.

The Mye stand for the LRS, like that of all the Mye Maggie stands, supports the 4’ tall panel not just at it’s base, but up about 2/3 of it’s height with struts, a good idea. And, the base is a tripod design---three locations on it’s underside for spikes or whatever. I installed Townshend Seismic Pods on my SA ET bases, and am sold on speaker isolation rather than coupling. That may seem to conflict with the last sentence of the above paragraph, but there is more to it than that, and this is not the time or place to discuss that subject.

The choice of stand will not require any repositioning: the speakers tonal balance will not be altered, only it's clarity, resolution, etc. If you haven't much experience with dipole planars, know that their distance from the wall behind them will drastically affect their sound. Generally speaking, the further from the wall the better. Most of us don't have a large enough room for a 10' distance, so 3' is often cited as a minimum, 5' being even better. Distance from the side walls is not critical, due to the dipole front-to-back cancellation creating a null to either side of the speaker. 

One thing that should be mentioned is the statement above regarding acoustic foam being attached to the wall behind the LRS. There are two ways to manage the rear wave of a dipole planar: absorption, and diffusion. If you are going the absorption route, a far better choice than the acoustic tiles mentioned are any of the many acoustic panels available containing Owens Corning 703 (GIK Acoustics being a popular one). For diffusion (the random "scattering" of the rear wave), an economical offering is the Gridfuser from, again, GIK. Absorption is a good choice if your listening room is too bright, diffusion good for a room tending towards the warm side of neutral.

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