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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
mclinnguy's avatar
mclinnguy
448 posts
 

So you have both the Harbeths and now the 3.7i’s?

It has been 15 years since I broke my 3.6’s in, I don’t recall what the tweeter did during break in, but I recall the bass was quite tight and lean until they did, then it got fuller and deeper as the panels loosened up. The old trick if you wanted to speed up the break in process was to put both speaker’s close together facing each other, and wire one out of phase, and play something like rap (god forbid).

I have upgraded everything else over the years, and keep upgrading everything else and the music keeps sounding better and better; I haven’t reached the limits of these speakers yet or my desire to change them to something else. And yeah, I enjoy Dream Theater through these planars too. wink If anything I will start to build a second system before I ever get rid of them.

I might add earlier this year I talked to a highly regarded US speaker manufacturer, and he uses a set of 3.6’s to voice his own "box" speakers- says from 200 Hz and up they are "perfect".

 

arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,666 posts
 

@mclinnguy: At the moment, I have both Harbeth and 3.7i’s. However, it will be financially irresponsible to keep both. I have to decide which one to keep.

I followed the link you sent me regarding the HK / LImage setup for the 3.7i’s. Not only does it look totally ridiculous, but it also goes against the Magnepan user manual which specifically asks to have some toe-in. I figured I had nothing to lose and decided to give it a shot anyways not expecting much. I pulled out the speakers about six and a half feet from the front wall (i.e. the wall behind the speakers), and exactly 14 inches from the side walls. And as instructed, I have zero toe in.

Let me tell you, the results are totally mind-bending. My room feels like it doubled in size. I don’t think I have ever had wider and deeper soundstage in this room. You often read about how you can walk into the soundstage and around the musicians. Well, that’s exactly what I’m experiencing. It is truly a spread out, three-dimensional soundstage with extraordinary imaging. Music emanates from the center to the far right and far left. I’m getting a much deeper soundstage with more than decent layering. More importantly, the harshness is gone, and bass is much deeper and satisfying. As a side benefit, the sweet spot has also widened where I don’t have to site smack in the center to get good imaging. Overall, I feel like I’m attending a live jazz concert in a decent-sized hall where the musicians are spread 20-30 feet across and 10-15 feet deep.

Over the years, I have owned several speakers ranging from $1000 all the way to $30,000. No other speaker has put a bigger grin on my face! This is ridiculously good! So yeah, the Harbeths will be gone soon.

Thank you for sharing the link. I would have never in a million years thought about trying that ’bonkers’ configuration :)

mclinnguy's avatar
mclinnguy
448 posts
 

My pleasure. Glad you are enjoying the bonkers setup.

For others wondering wtf, essentially it is a theory of coupling the speakers back wave to the room itself using the front wall, and what results is a wall of sound, a cathedral effect, and yeah, it can be quite an experience in soundstage. Diffusion like the quadratic diffuser I have on the front wall makes the imaging even more precise.

If you want more bass, push the speakers closer to the side walls, (same distance to the front wall). Less bass further away from the sidewalls.

 

johnto
1,023 posts
 

My 3.7i also sounded harsh on the top end until I had over 200 hrs on them. I also went from a Parasound Hint to a Pass 250.8 more power and current will always sound better. I experimented with different resistors and ended up with .57 I found out that anything over 1 seemed to suck the life out of them.

Enjoy happy listening

yyzsantabarbara
4,814 posts
 

After selling the LRS+ a few weeks ago I turned around and got a used Magnepan Mini for my new smaller office space.

A question for you Maggies owners out there? I was using the Audience FrontRow speaker cables with my LRS+, but I need more speaker cabling for the Mini since it has 3 panels.

I read a single post online from someone that seemed to know their stuff. That person stated that Maggies are not that dependent on speaker cables. The person also said to use 10 AWG or 12 AWG speaker cables. Is this something that others have noticed with their Maggies? What cables are you using?

I plan to do a shootout with the Schitt Aegir v1 monoblocks (70 @ 8) vs the Sanders Magtech (500 @ 8 | 900 @4). I have both in the house. I am hoping that for the Mini’s the Aegir will be good enough and I can sell the Magtech to raise cash. Anyone using Aegir monos with the Maggies?

@arafiq You should have a listen to the Diptyque panel speakers.

Shop New Diptyque - The Music Room (too bad they raised the prices)

before you get deep into the Maggies. There is an interesting YouTube video where one of the Maggi principles hears one of the Diptyque at an audio show. He was impressed.

 

 

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