what amps/subwoofers are you using for Magnepan LRS?
Just ran across this earlier... https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/magnepan-magneplanar-lrs/ Maybe that article prompted your question. If so, apologies. |
First system with the LRS was a Conrad Johnson PV10B with Muse 150 monoblocks. The bass was lacking, I added two REL T5i and was satisfied. Easy to blend in spite of all the nonsense about how "hard it is" to do that. Placed the subs directly behind along a side wall with the speakers about 3 ft off the wall and toed in with tweets outside. Second system with Bryston BP20 and MPS-1 and 4BSST. No subs used. Placement in a big room used an alcove to create two corners. Bass satisfying enough. OK it's not 100% integration with the subs but close enough. Use your room if you can. Bottom line just buy Bryston IMHO although the tube preamp was sweet with them. |
I’m in the market for an integrated amp in the $2k-3k range, and a couple of weeks ago I spent an hour auditioning the Rega Elex-R and the bel canto C5i, each playing on the Maggie LRS without a sub. That they were playing on LRS was purely a coincidence, but it’s relevant to your question so here you go. Of the two, I preferred the Rega. The bel canto probably had a bit more clarity and perhaps imaged a little bit better, maybe a little more revealing and maybe even a bigger soundstage, but I thought the Rega was more full-bodied, had more layers to the sound, had definitely better bass, and just had more of an analog sound that I preferred. I just connected with the music better through the Rega I guess. I was listening to Buddy Guy (blues), and the Rega dug deeper and sounded grittier, which is what that style of music calls for to my ears anyway. The room was a small listening room and listening to CD (Rega CD player), not sure about cables. I’m not sure if it was the Rega’s class AB versus the bel canto’s class D that gave it the fuller-bodied gritty presentation that I preferred, or something else. |
