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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

Showing 1 response by hoosierinohio

hoosierinohio
144 posts
 

I had some 3.5R's and loved them.  I found them as power sensitive as a rock.  You are right about the power.  As such, there is a definite improvement with these speakers with as good of speaker cable as you can afford. 

Bass - I ran mine with a sub and found them a bit bass light without.  I believe this is a personal opinion. 

Breathing Room - my room was smaller than what you are running yours in.  You have ample space.  The more you can pull them from the back wall the better.  My sweet spot was about 4' from the back wall. 

Mods - I ran their crossovers and found them good enough for me.  The big improvement I found was with heavier/better speaker cables.  These are power hungry speakers that have to be fed. 

Value - have you considered used?  I believe there is a long waiting list for the LRS.  You might find some 3.6 or 3.7.  Even 3.5's if they are mint.  The large wear piece is the ribbon tweeter, that can be replaced.  The ribbon tweeter can take you places that I don't know that the LRS is able. 

Imaging - once positioned correctly, these can take you to places of audiogasm.  You can close your eyes and they can be very 3-D.  They are very exact and play everything.  You can hear people talking in the background of recordings.  Piano becomes a real audio treat.  Of all the speakers I've had the Maggies went to a whole new level with Dire Straits Love Over Gold. 

I sold these speakers about 10 years ago.  I do miss their sound but moved a different direction about as 180 as it gets.  Maggies play everything and I found this can be fatiguing.  All speakers have a certain sound that they do well.  What I now listen to is, low wattage SET with high efficiency Altec Lansing 16 ohm, VOTT's.  These were true NOS as I bought used, but unassembled  in boxes as they sold in 1959, when the person originally bought them.  The enclosed wire, to link the horn tweeters to the crossover was a very light gauge 3 wire.  While I did upgrade from the factory original, I have found that speaker wires play virtually no roll in driving these.  Very opposite from the Maggies. 

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