Life After Your Magnepan’s

audiokinesis2 I think your reply describes the Maggie situation very nicely.  I bought the LRS and they sound better with 500 watts Bryston 4BSST vs. the older Muse 150 monoblocks that put out 250 watts both at 4 ohms.  Actually the tube preamp really made them work with the Muse but I use the Bryston BP20 with the 4B.  Anyway moving them upstairs into a space that I can make the back reflection really "work" and amplify the bass at the same time, it's amazing.  Bass not as deep as with the two REL T5i used with the Muse, but sound overall is more stage like and coherent with the Bryston.  I have them facing windows covered by a light filmy curtain which is a plus to block out some light and provide privacy, but also mainly really disperses the sound well.  I put a thick curtain in front of them to minimize first reflection.  They really do well although ultimately don't go deep enough for my tastes or hit you in the gut but as to filling that huge room it's pretty darn impressive.  For 715 bucks to my door I like them. 

Hello gammonit_2000,

     I agree completely, the LRS are excellent and might be the biggest audio bargain in decades.
I’ve used four different models of Magnepans in my systems during the past forty years and I had the best results with high powered solid state class AB and D amps, it seems like the higher the better and I’m currently using a pair of 1,200 watt class D monos. On another thread here, however, a member said he was driving his new pair of LRS with a 40 watt VTA tube amp with very good results, which really surprised me.
     I don’t think there’s any doubt that the Magnepan’s dipole operation contributes to their open and airy sound quality but I don’t think it contributes much to the bass performance. The last two pairs of Magnepans I’ve owned, the 2.7QR and 3.7i, have had excellent bass quality (fast, detailed, natural and seamlessly integrated) but only have bass extension down to about 35 Hz, which results in a lack of bass impact, heft and realistic, natural sounding bass dynamics.
     The Audio Kinesis 4-sub DBA not only provided excellent bass quality (fast, smooth, detailed, natural and seamlessly integrated) on both Magnepan models but also provided bass impact, heft, realistic and natural sounding bass dynamics along with bass extension down to 20 Hz +/- 3db.
     Since the Magnepan LRS only have bass extension rated down to 50 Hz, I’m certain their overall performance would be greatly enhanced with the addition of, ideally, the $3K AK 4-sub DBA Swarm system but also significantly enhanced with the addition of virtually any pair of good quality subs one prefers.
     I realize that some prefer not to use subs but I also realize that sometimes we just don’t know what we don’t know, or even dare to try.
     Total price of a pair of LRS with an AK 4-sub Swarm DBA would be about $3,700, with two good quality subs it could total only about $1,900. With either available with 30 day in-home free trial periods, there’s a big upside with really no downside with both except a bit of time.

Enjoy,
Tim 

I am working on a multi-sub solution.  I’m going to try three SVS Series 4000 subs arranged in a “swarm” configuration.  The SVS subs are extremely adjustable allowing for simultaneous correction of both peaks and dips.  

Hello stickman451,

     Here are a couple of articles that a site that discuss 3-sub bass arrays that might prove useful:  

https://mehlau.net/audio/multisub_geddes/

  I know 3 subs can be effective as 4 if positioned and configured properly.

Good luck,
     Tim

Put simply, there IS  no life after Maggies.