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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.

128x128arafiq
troidelover1499
253 posts
 

This discussion is good for me too as I am considering the same thing. I am thinking about getting a pair of .7 or 1.7 and then using a PS Audio BHK 250 hybrid power amp to drive them. I am wondering if anyone here has this same combo, or a BHK 250 driving any Magnepan speaker. I think the wife will be OK with these smaller panels in our room.

I would love hear input on whether the BHK amp is good sounding and can supply enough juice for the speakers. I have been really impressed watching the Youtube vids on the amp and the designer Baskom King who evidently also has recently passed away. Still the reviews on the BHK250 seem to be really good.

I will also mention here that I posted the same question in the amplifier/preamp section, hope that is OK.

brandonhifi's avatar
brandonhifi
70 posts
 

I've owned the Magnepan 1.7i's for a year. I highly recommend them. Upgrading the fuses and tweeter attenuator to .999 silver parts had a dramatic improvement on sound quality. Tearing the entire crossover and magnetic steel binding post out and putting in the GR-Research crossover upgrade would be the ultimate quality you could possibly get out of a Magnepan speaker.

northman
253 posts
 

@troidelover1499, you might take a look at the forum on the PS Audio site. There are many threads about Maggies. They seem to have a good return policy and have often had fantastic trade-in discounts. I've never owned one of their amps so I can't comment on their "synergy" with Maggies, but lots of people love them. 

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

@arafiq , I have set up somewhere around 10 pairs of Magneplanars and own Tympany 3s way back. The sweet spot in the line is the 3.7i. It has significantly better performance than the lower models making it the best value. The 20.7 is by all means a better loudspeaker but it is not twice as good. 

Your room and intended set up are fine. You only need three feet from the wall. Tweeters should always be to the inside. I do not know where you heard they do not image. That is poppycock. Their image is larger more lifelike than point source speakers. It is crucial that you deaden the wall behind the speakers. I use 4" acoustic tile corner to the inside edge of the speaker, floor to the top of the speaker. Maggies are dipoles and this is much different and in ways easier than box speakers.

Maggies (3.7is) make bass down to about 40 Hz realistically. You do not need subs with them unless you really care about that bottom octave. You clean up the mid bass a little if you use subs. If you do not listen at high volumes I would stay away from subs. Doing subs correctly requires digital signal processing which many do not want to get into. Doing subs incorrectly is much worse than no subs at all. 

I own SoundLabs speakers. They are better than Maggies but harder to drive. It can't just be a powerful amp, it has to be the right powerful amp. Parasound JC 1+ and Atma Sphere MA 2s are known performers. You are usually looking for a huge Class A bruiser. The smallest model is about twice as expensive as the 3.7i and IMHO subwoofers and DSP are now mandatory for the best performance, more than tripling the expense. 

bigtwin's avatar
bigtwin
1,205 posts
 

@zgas-music I have a pair of Hegel H30s.  Don't think power will be an issue. 🤣

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