3.7s have a tweeter to die for. It's a big panel and can push some air. Sub or no sub they sound great.
Thinking of Magnepan ... finally!
Until recently, most of my amps have been tube-based with the exception of a few great SS integrateds thrown into the mix for fun. That's probably the main reason I have stayed away from Magnepans (or other speakers of its ilk) thus far. Now that I have an Aavik U-280 integrated amp that can do 300 watts @ 8 ohms and doubles to 600 @ 4, I would love to scratch that itch finally. Keep in mind that I do not intend to get rid of my other speakers (Joseph Audio Perspective2 Graphene, Harbeth SHL5+, Fritz Carrera BE) since I love them all for different reasons. The Magnepans will be rotated in the main listening room with Joseph Audio Perspectives. One thing I like about Maggies is that they are relatively lightweight so I can move them to the closet without breaking my back when not in rotation.
Since I've never owned Magnepans before, I have a ton of questions and doubts. So here we go ...
Bass (or the lack thereof) -- I've been told that the Magnepans are very light on bass and definitely require at least on subwoofer. Is this true in all cases? Anyone using them without subs and happy with the performance? TBH, I really would prefer that I don't use subs but not set in stone for sure.
Breathing Room -- my room is 20' x 15' with 12 foot ceilings. The speakers will be placed along the short wall (15'). I can pull them out by about 4.5 feet from the front wall and 3 feet from the side walls. Seating distance will be approximately 8 - 9 feet. Is this good enough or do you think more distance, especially from the front wall, is required to truly enjoy the speakers?
Mods -- I've also heard that the stock components (crossovers, fuses, etc.) and stands are suboptimal. Is this true? If so, what are the minimum requirements to bring the speaker to a higher standard and at what cost?
Value -- For someone who is just starting out with Maggies, which model is a good entry point? I know that LRS+ is a good value, but my other speakers are very very good, so I want to do justice to the Maggies as well. But at the same time I don't want to spend more than I need to. Where do you think the sweet spot lies, i.e. which model(s)? I will be looking for used only since I've already spent way too much on other speakers.
Imaging -- I've also been told that imaging on Maggies is not that great. I have never heard Maggies before so I have no idea if this assertion is true or not. Your thoughts?
And finally, I want to hear from folks who love their Maggies. What is that you love most about the speakers? What qualities do they bring to the table that no other speaker does? Are there magnetic planar speakers from other brands that I should also be considering? Keep in mind they have to be readily available in the used market. So please don't suggest something that doesn't meet this requirement.
However, to bring some balance to the feedback, I would also love to hear from those who tried Magnepans and moved on to something else. Why? What was it that you didn't like about them? What did you move on to?
Thanks in advance and a sincere request: Please keep it civil ... no need for haters of Magnepan to use this as an opportunity to diss the brand.
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I own a pair of 1.6 Maggies. Imaging is gorgeous when placement is right. Spend the time to tweak the placement and you'll be happy. Bass might be a tad light, but not overly so. As someone else stated, unless you're looking for that "pistonic" bass, the Maggies are very realistic in the bass. Mine are powered by a pair of Schiit Vidars in monoblock mode (Freya S preamp, balanced out to the Vidars) and I can get them to levels that are uncomfortable to listen to without problems |
I'm not a big Maggie fan but I had a friend who was involved in speaker design including the Pipe Dreams speakers who I trusted alot. And he told me he thought the Maggie real ribbon tweeter in the bigger Maggies was as good a tweeter as there was. And he would have liked to have been able to use it in his speakers. |
Everyone should at some point in their lives own a Porsche, preferably a soft top. Any one, doesn't matter. Then, drive it as intended. Use good fuel, don't lug it. It's not a Mustang, not a throbbing V8 Corvette. But until you own one you can't understand the attraction. Magnepans are the same. You have the room, the power, so go for it. Depending on your budget, the 1.7i is the sweet spot in the line. For some, $3k a pair is aspirational, for others, entry level. Nevertheless all Magnepans are capable of things no box speaker can do. And like Porsche owners and boat owners, if you sell them, you will always say "I'm between sets for right now." I've had Magnepans since the mid -70s, and right now have a pair of LRS I cycle in place of my Monitor Audio S300 7G and Kef LS50/Sub setup. My room is not 'Maggie Fiendly' - I can't get them out far enough - but I can still appreciate what can do in that space. Maggies demand more than most speakers, but return it with interest properly set up. But you must find out for yourself. |
I’m very jealous you have such a great diversity of wonderful speakers to listen to, and adding the Maggies seems like a no brainer. This doesn’t pertain to Maggies but more to making your life easier switching them with the awesome Perspectives. These Herbie’s Gliders not only will make moving the Perspectives much easier, they may actually improve the sound versus using spikes — win win! And they’re relatively cheap so surely worth a try. Just an idea FWIW… https://herbiesaudiolab.com/products/threaded-stud-glider Hope this helps, and best of luck with the Maggies. |
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