After the thrill is gone

@inscrutable , If the thrill is gone you bought the wrong speaker. I have done that at least 20 times. I start hearing the problems and then run into ones I can't fix. If I can't live with those problems the speaker goes. 

I have been through every type of speaker you can imagine. The two most frustrating where the Magnepan Tympani IIIs and the Apogee Divas. Both speakers were at once compelling and fatally flawed. To put it in perspective I have not owned a boxed speaker since the late 70s. The last ones were Allison 1s. As I became more convinced that the single biggest problem with sound was the room you were trying to make it in I became more enamored with the acoustic advantages of line source dipoles and have not owned anything but since those Allisons.  I now own Sound Labs 645-8s and the thrill will never be gone. Every time I turn them on I am in wonder. I honestly do not believe there is a better speaker for me or for anyone for that matter. It is not that they are perfect, they are not but, the problems they do have are easily overcome and the end result is you are no longer listening to the room or the loudspeaker. It is almost if they do not exist. 

@jjss49 ya know, tried to update the other day and didn’t see how without creating a new one. Will have to look again. [edit: just updated]

Two equipment updates … set up my VPI Classic 1 w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC Star through Lehmann Black Cube SE (that’s probably next on list, leaning to SoundSmith MCP-2 MkII) and Marantz SA-KI Ruby. The Plinius was completely refreshed and power supply boosted a bit by Ralph Abramo (Vince Galbo successor).

Have not yet done anything to the room. Been preoccupied with health issues and getting my work/woodshop set up.

which maggies? you certainly have good gear... definitely get the room and speakers set up properly... doesn’t seem to me new conventional driver speakers should be on the radar for you given the other priorities

good health comfy house and home first!

good luck

@jjss49

 

which maggies? you certainly have good gear... definitely get the room and speakers set up properly... doesn’t seem to me new conventional driver speakers should be on the radar for you given the other priorities

good health comfy house and home first!

good luck

Thanks.
I’ve been thinking 1.7i, but debating with myself about biting the bullet “buy once, cry once” and get the 3.7i. Will be listening to both in a few weeks, and if the immediacy/dynamics aren’t as disappointing as they have been for some/others, will pick one and move on  

@inscrutable 

I hope your health continues to improve!

There's a lot to be said for Magnepans, however, in my limited experience, subs make all the difference. I'm running 3.7i's with a pair of Rythmik F12 subs w/ XLR3 "plate amplifier" and the Rythmiks were fairly easy to integrate. 

The difference was not subtle. I went from being able to hear the bass to actually feeling it. It added a texture that is hard for me to put into words. The bass really isn't really obvious, however, until I turn it off -- if that makes any sense at all.

I added the subs one at a time about six weeks apart. The first sub was impressive, adding a second was an even bigger improvement and not just by double. 

Of course, that's with my ears, my room, my system. ymmv.

I had my destination system.

But never forgot the “decade of joy” I had in the ‘90s with Quad ESL 57s.

Then Kent McCollum of Electrostatic Solutions came to the fore as the preeminent 57 rebuilder. Among other significant differences is that the Mylar he uses in 2 microns instead of 13 microns. They play louder with more bass and treble.

Now, my system is built around ESS 57s.

Couldn’t be more different. I do miss the big dynamics. But what the Quads do with voices and small scale is nothing short of magic. Records that were very good on the big dynamic speakers are now sublime. 
Years ago when I lived with 57s, I ultimately wanted to hear the dynamics and sold the Quads. But they have again grabbed my ears. They draw you into the music in a way that no other speaker can, IME. Instead of the music coming at you, they draw a picture of the real thing as they pull you in. The more I hear them, the more I love them. I don’t think I have the right amp match, so bigger scale is clipping.

Am going to try a Quad 405 amp. Pretty long in the tooth, but said to be THE perfect match. Matching the 57s, he 405 rolls off the highs and limits the bass to 40-45 Hz. Which is what the 57s do.
Guess the audiophile bug again. The thrill was not really gone. I may keep the old speakers and rotate them. But laid back Quad sound does fit my music preferences.