2. speakers
  3. 165605-2383

Maggie LRS so ridiculously good

I ordered a set of the LRS just to be able to say I have lived with Maggies at least once.  I've had a lot of speakers and some big dog expensive ones like Kef Blade and Revel Salon 2 to name a couple.  These 650 dollar LRS bring as much enjoyment as anything I've ever heard in so many ways.  They don't love hard driving music for sure but for quiet listening or mellow type music they will give you transcendent moments.  I swear they are breaking in or something and becoming a little more dynamic than when brand new.  These have to be one of the greatest hifi bargains of all time.  My 30 watt Pass 30.8 drives them well.  I had 3.6 maggies many years ago and I snubbed them, thought they were so compressed sounding but maybe I was wrong or not using the right amp.  These are just wow and so impressive what you can get for the money.  I have a feeling a killer amp is a big part of the equation with these but even with a Naim Uniti Atom in a smaller space these are still awesome.  This has to be the ultimate apartment speaker for someone who can't turn it up very loud and likes to listen late and night, you can really enjoy these at very low levels.  Anyway I just wanted to put my enthusiasm on public record, if you are thinking of pulling the trigger do it and also give them some time don't write them off to quickly.  I wish I had a separate space so I could always have a set of maggies ready to listen to when the mood and music was just right.  
ejlif
scchengmus
93 posts
 
(Sorry for typo: “tweak” not “tweet”)

Experimenting with stand upgrades such as MyeStand or Magna Risers is another tweet

ejlif's avatar
ejlif OP
1,377 posts
 
As far as other current speakers I have.  My main use speakers for a little while now has been Klipsch forte III with Decware Zen triode amp.  I also have the Zu Dirty weekend (another incredible speaker for the money) I just sold My Kef Blade 2.  The Blade 2 while having much bigger bass and being more refined in many ways just left me cold mostly which seems crazy given the huge price difference.  These maggies though wow I think they must have improved with break in because they seemed so anemic and no good with anything remotely dynamic and loud.  If slamming sound is your thing maybe the Dirty Weekend or a Klipsch.  The LRS is so transparent and smooth perfect tone.  I have these hooked up to a Pass 30.8 amp being fed by DCS Rossini DAC and clock so electronics are way off probably what you would normally pair with a 650 speaker but that is what I have for now.  I did try with Naim Uniti Nova and Atom and those work pretty good too.  The 80 watt Nova runs out of steam way before the 30 watt Pass amp.  

The LRS are so light and easy to move, if you had a system with a good amp you could keep them in a closet and pull them out on an occasion.  I'm doing that now and I have no desire to put them away anytime soon. I know they aren't my end all be all speaker but just had to share my enthusiasm. Amazing you can buy this factory direct (same goes for Zu dirty weekend) made in the USA for such a low price.  Decware too. These USA companies are killing it and we don't have to pay prices that would be much much higher if sold through the normal dealer supply chains.  
keegiam
731 posts
 
This thread is tempting me to try my first new speaker in 28 years.  With the Magnepan 60-day trial offer, what's the risk?
Do you think my 175 wpc Classe would drive the LRS well enough?  My room is only 11' wide by 14' deep, but the rear wall is mostly open with another room beyond.
pkatsuleas
278 posts
 
keegiam, I think it's more important how the amp does with 4 ohm or below loads than how many watts.  I've tried my McCormack dna .5 and Rogue Atlas Magnum 3 tube amp (each 100 watts) with good results.  But, my Hegel H360 is the best combination.  420 watts into 4 ohms and damping factor of over 4000 does the trick very nicely.    

As mentioned, they are not the best for slam or rock concert levels.  But get plenty loud for me.  They excel with drums, voices, guitar, horns, air.  I will most likely be picking up a REL sub in the near future to help flesh things out.
ejlif's avatar
ejlif OP
1,377 posts
 
Yeah I think you'd be fine with the Classe amp.  I'm running a 30 watt amp in an 18x26 room that opens to an upstair and it get loud enough for me.  You aren't going to get super loud kick ass sound out of these but what they do well is pure magic.  Since mine have broken in they seem to be opening up more and not as closed and compressed sounding as when brand new.  Give them a chance when you get them don't write them off to soon

More to discover