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Classical music, symphony AND planar speakers

Does anyone like this combo? ie Martin Logan, Magnepan, $5 k or less?
Maybe it is the same person with a different name on several other forums that says they don’t sound good together, IDK

OTOH I have heard that solo acoustic?instruments, voices, and small groups are rendered well or with a distinct realism.
recluse
kenrus
28 posts
 
I have a pair of slightly more expensive Martin Logans with a McIntosh receiver. I have a smaller room than you, but the Martin Logans sound great on all kinds of classical music, including symphonic and big orchestral pieces. They fall down a little bit on big organ music, but still aren’t that bad. 
frogman
7,373 posts
 
Orchestral music not good with planars?! What planet does that person live on? The best rendering of a realistic orchestral soundstage “spread” and scale that I have ever achieved with the speakers that I have had in my system has been with planars. Scale wise, it was my modified Magneplanar MGIIIA. For even more tonal realism, albeit on a much smaller scale it is my Stax F81 electrostats. To my ears, no contest,  compared to all the more conventional speakers that I have owned.  All driven by tube monoblocs.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,510 posts
 

I’m with @frogman. My first audition of the Magneplanar Tympani T-I (three panels per side) in 1973 included Boult’s version of Holst’s The Planets on EMI. Never before had I heard the full depth of the orchestra reproduced: the percussion section sounded further away than the wall behind the Maggies, and raised above the rest of the instruments (the section is often on risers). When I opened my eyes at the end of Jupiter, I was actually startled!

Large panels also reproduce the size of a grand piano, pipe organ, drumset, upright bass, and other large instruments like no box speaker I have ever heard. And singers mouths are reproduced at a lifelike height. Almost all box speakers make music sound miniaturized to me, like the figures and furniture in a doll house. And, like the music is coming from two bricks removed from a wall separating the performers from myself. Panels sound like the wall has been torn down. Wide open, free from any and all physical restraints.

brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
I used Magnepans for about 25 years, including SMGa, 1.6QR, and finally 3.7Rs.  I listen to a lot of orchestral, probably 50-60% of my listening time goes to orchestral.   I moved on to a pair of traditional dynamics about 6 years ago.  One disagrees with @frogman on reproduction of classical music at one's own peril, and I will not do so.  If I listened only to orchestral music, I'd probably stick with Maggies.  But I don't.  I don't want to hear the Bach sonatas and partitas for violin coming through a pair of speakers that make the violin sound like it is 12 ft wide.  Solo vocals are likewise unnaturally large.  String quartets are problematic in this respect-With most Maggies, the transition from the midrange to the tweeter is not seamless.  My floor standers present the violins in a quartet as point sources.  In a good recording, I can hear the first and second violins separated in space.  Never got that with any of the Maggies.  All that said, on Friday, I will be the proud owner of a pair of Quad ESL-57s.  This path was suggested to me 10-12 years ago by guess who?  @frogman .  Bet anything he doesn't remember that.   But the Quads will not replace my floor standers.   I will use them on those genres where they really shine, and use my floor standers where they have a better presentation. 
recluse OP
268 posts
 
Wow,

Thanks for everyone's thorough input and universal recommendation.

It seems from google the Maggie followers are more numerous. Now I just need to look for Maggie distributors with in home trial period. Any ideas, I guess in the southeast US,  since shipping might be monstrous?

Thanks again
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