The Magnificent Magnepan 30.7 speakers....wait, I don’t like planars!


Wendell Diller from Magnepan has been a very busy gentleman recently. Touring throughout the US, he has visited, or will visit, numerous locations to demo the new Magnepan 30.7 speakers. It takes a lot of determination and commitment to drive through the country and then to set up in the small towns and large metropolises, a speaker the size of the new 30.7.
Last night I had the very good fortune of hearing the 30.7’s for the first time...at a local high end store demo. Also, I had the pleasure of talking to Wendell and his wife about his voyage...and why he does it.
But first, the Magnepan 30.7’s are...IMHO, at the very top of a long list of planar speakers that have been brought to my attention. Having owned Maggie’s in the past along with Quads and Acoustat’s, my interest level in this type of speaker was not in any way high. Yet, here’s the thing, these new Maggie’s are not your father’s Maggie’s. Instead, we have a speaker that given the right size room ( and unfortunately this is the real determining factor...and crucial to make these work) is very near to the top of the chain in current SOTA speakers. Easily able to compete with competitors at the $100k level or above! Yet these guys are priced at $30k....which makes them by far the best $30k speakers on the planet, imho.
Anyone looking to replace a speaker with a max budget of $50k...and with the room to accommodate this speaker, needs to hear this speaker..
Unlike planars of the past, and most if not all others that are current, this model does one thing that Planars have never done before, at least that I have heard. That thing is Dynamics...and in spades. Bass control and power is on a par with some of the best large dynamic speakers on the market...along with NO discontinuity between the drivers. ( as was prevalent in the past with Maggie’s).
So, how many times have we gone into a demo with preconceived impressions based on past experience and been proven wrong....this time for me was one of those times...and for you, I suspect it will be the same thing.
If and when Wendell brings his van and his speakers to your neck of the woods, don’t miss out on a great opportunity to hear one of the worlds best speakers...at a price that will put most others to shame.

128x128daveyf
I've done an el cheapo version of the 30.7 by combining mini maggies with MMGs.  It gives me the clarity of the ribbons-- the mini maggies are in the center with a Forte class A amp.  And then the MMGs are on the wings with a PS Audio Stellar S300 class D amp.  So now I have a wide soundstage with a solid center, and dynamics are better thanks to the MMGs working with the DWM bass panel in the very center.  I don't pretend that this is as good as 30.7, or 20.7, or even 3.7, but it fits my budget right now.

I seem to recall others experimenting with stacking maggies for extra dynamics, moving more air.  And here's a guy trying out double maggies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzCpj3rASBM
Hi, Wendell--Glad to see you are still out there.  For the record, Wendell was with Audio Research for years and switched over to Magnepan for reasons only he knows.  I have some ideas, but...

Anyway, Mr. Jim WIney, formerly of 3-M, INVENTED Magneplaners and now his son runs the company.  To be fair, these are NOT "Wendell's speakers" as someone above posted.  Mr. Winey continues to have a team of engineers, etc., who "invent" each model.  Wendell is a salesperson, first and foremost, and a darn good one at that.  If you wish to know the factual history of Magnepan, (I know, today "facts" are considered to be 'relative'...) read this:

https://www.stereophile.com/interviews/103winey/index.html

OK, now that that is straight, I will once again state that, IMO, there is NO box speaker that reproduces sound as accurately as non-box speakers.  AND, once again, for all audio fans, your ROOM Is the most important element in the reproduction of sound.  You know that, but it seems like everyone is "surprised" when they make that comment.

When set up properly in a given room, and using very high quality electronics, there is little doubt that these speakers do a better job of reproducing recorded music accurately than boxes.  For those who do not have access to master tapes and a machine to play them, try a good turntable-arm-cartridge combo and a Lincoln Mayorga or other direct-to-disc record and see for yourself.

In my experience, not every room in every house, or even YOUR house, will work with Magnepan speakers.  I don't know why; a thousand audio engineers can post formulas and measurements that will explain this, I am sure.  All I know is that there were times when Maggies simply did not work in a customer's room no matter what techniques we tried.  Now, this was a while ago, so I am sure many improvements in room tech have occurred and some would have helped us back then with these issues.  Unfortunately, no one has invented a time travel machine yet (that we know of), so there is no cure for past issues.

Most audio people like music first.  See if you can find a dealer who has the system set up correctly and give it a listen.  Who knows, they may even have huge sub-woofers to provide the "gut punch" that many love with certain kinds of music.  With others, you will simply be transported into the MUSIC, and that's what its all about, right?

Cheers!
@joey_v 

Your comment is interesting. However, unfortunately that has never stopped any of the numerous other competitors from pricing their wares in the stratosphere...regardless of what goes into them, LOL.
Don,

I understand that the 30.7 has been selling well, to the delight of Wendell, who didn't know if they'd make any money off it or if it would just have valuable as a flagship. As I understand it, though, the smaller the model, the more it sells, naturally enough.

Tutetibiimperes, I understand that the room at AXPONA had no bass. Shows are a chancy environment for any speaker, which is why Magnepan didn't take the 30.7 there -- Wendell has heard too many other manufacturers' flagship speakers sounding sub-par at shows! Even his current strategy of taking them to dealers around the country means contending with unpredictable acoustics, but at least they aren't being shown in a tiny hotel room (there's apparently a shortage of good rooms at these events so manufacturers have to live with what they get).
@josh358 

That is exactly correct. The 30.7's require a very large room. Plus, they seem to also need acoustic treatment behind them to control the rear wave. Additionally, I think they probably truly benefit from at least bi-amping and probably quad amping. ( This has nothing to do wth the venue, but still). 
I think the problem with all speakers like these is that if you don't have the experience necessary to do the set -up and try and cram them into the wrong space, they are going to sound poor. Unlike a few other dynamic speakers that will sound ok if they are placed incorrectly, these babies will not.