Magnepan .7 Alternatives


Looking for suggestions…Currently I have Magnepan .7’s and am generally happy but at times they just don’t do it.

I find these speakers to be schizophrenic, sounding great on some tracks and other tracks leaving me wondering what the hey !… I’d say probably 30-40% of the time I’m feeling this way. Either too much treble, not clear or not tonally balanced. I’m no expert but just my opinion, it often comes off as the midrange being pushed to it’s limit trying to be treble. I assume I feel that way being the speaker’s lack of accuracy, although what Maggi’s do they do well, just not an accurate speaker.

I experience this pretty much no matter what source or style of music I play, certainly a non forgiving speaker. Yes, I’ve played around with Toe-In, tried various resistors & jumpers…sounds great on everything I adjust, just not a consistent sounds great.

Lets get it straight, I’m not a “Magnepan Hater”, there’s certain qualities I truly love about my Maggi .7’s, the open sound, the transparency but hoping I may be able to find a speaker that’s not as finicky and can give me the open feel, transparency and clarity that I seek.

My set up consists of:

Odyssey Khartago Extreme Amp

Tubes4hif SP-13 Preamp

Bluesound Node

EAT B Sharp TT w/Sumiko Moonstone Cart

Pro-Ject Tube Box S Phono Pre

(2) REL - T5x Subs

 

Room dimensions: 11.5’ W x 12’ L

10’ Ceilings -

Listening Distance from Speakers

8.5’ - 9’

Carpet, Curtins, (4) 48” x 12”Acoustic panels on wall behind sofa facing my set up.

Not a fan of bookshelf’s and rather would prefer recommendations on

Floorstanders but will listen and research any suggestions you feel would work.

Note: I’m just starting my search, so don’t beat me up if I don’t go right out and purchase your suggestion as others have done in the past.

My Budget is around the $3k mark.

Thanks

🔊

128x128flasd

It's been said many times before: Harbeth. I use the Bluesound Node with a outboard DAC, configure Bluesound to disable it's DAC/clock when doing so.

I am very acquainted with Maggies as an owner (MG3s, similar to today’s 3.7i) and a retailer. As others have said your room is too small to adequately play any Magnepan model. Get some direct radiators with 6.5 or 7” bass/ midranges on stands. People enthuse about Philharmonic Audio BMR monitors. Other options abound. Also, get a Wellfleet stylus and keep the Moonstone around for yard sale records. Your electronics seem to be solid.  

Hello flasd!  The Maggies are telling you the truth. If the music sounds bad, it's because the music was badly recorded. Although dynamics are a bit compressed with Maggies, the details are what they are famous for. I'm on my third set of Maggies and a friend brought over his favorite CD. It sounded terrible. Genuinely unlistenable. It was a "rock" recording of a famous band. We were shocked! I immediately played some known good music and it was fine. Bad recordings will sound bad on really good systems. Be proud of those Maggies and get  few well regarded CDs as "proof."  Happy Listening.

I have had Eminent Technology LFT-VII(a) upgraded to (b) and thanks to your question will be up grading to (c) shortly, for better than twenty years. I am still extremely happy. One of the best deals ever. Why they are not more popular? Remember, audio is only half the battle, marketing is the other. Next time you read a review take note of the prominent full page ad that happens to be published in the same issue. It is a business after all.