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Magnepan needs your help

Magnepan needs your help.

Are you willing to publicly give your feedback of Magnepan’s proposed new speaker concept? Below are the cities and dates of select cities for the first tour to hear public opinions. Instead of filling out focus group forms or giving information to Magnepan’s representatives at the demonstration, Magnepan is encouraging public debate. (Negative feedback can be just as valuable as positive feedback.)

If you are interested in hearing this speaker concept, it is critical that your dealer have your contact information. Winter storms could cause a delay of the tour.

Chicago-- Quintessence Audio, Wednesday, December 11th
Toronto-- Audio Excellence, Saturday, December 14th
Pittsburgh-- Butch’s Sound and Vision, Monday, December 16th
Northern New Jersey (Verona)-- Audio Connection, Wednesday, December 18th

- Wendell Diller, Magnepan
josh358
josh358 OP
286 posts
 
They already know how they sound and several reviewers have already listened and confirmed that it equals the sonics of the 30.7. Here's the second report and it sounds killer:

https://www.hifiplus.com/articles/coming-soon-maybe-magnepans-compact-307-for-condos/ 

So it isn't a finished project and the tour it isn't about drumming up sales. This speaker is a significant departure for Magnepan, so they want to find out whether customers and dealers are interested in buying or carrying it and to solicit opinions on things like cosmetics, which is why Wendell is asking everyone who attends to post their impressions online. It's more like a focus group than a sales tour. Then the reactions will help them make a decision on whether to proceed with the project before they invest in the industrial design and production engineering.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,413 posts
 
Thanks for the link to the HiFi Plus article, Josh. It confirms the design I anticipated and described on your thread over on the Planar Speaker Asylum, right down to the 6.5" woofers! Good to hear the subs will be self-powered, and I imagine a "shelving" circuit (6dB/octave boost at some frequency) will be built in to compensate for the dipole cancellation, as it is in the GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole Sub.
josh358 OP
286 posts
 
I was thinking you could get some *real* slam by adding a couple of those GR Research subs. :-)
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,413 posts
 

Josh, a pair of the 12" woofers is plenty punchy for me, but I don’t prioritize reproducing the hyped-up bass heard in Pop recordings. The planar bass produced by the Tympani-model Magneplanars (and now by the new 30.7) has long been my standard, and the OB/Dipole Sub comes the closest to that I’ve ever heard.

There are some DIYers (and pro speaker companies) using three, four, six, or even eight OB woofers per side! That is useful in a larger room, but a single pair per side is plenty for me. The eight 6.5" woofer per side (four on each of the two baffles of the W-frame, I’m presuming. Oops, I’ve said too much already ;-) in the new hybrid Maggie will grab about the same amount of air as will a pair of 12’s, I believe. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m mistaken!

And, the 8 woofers won’t have to travel as far to do it, leading to at least the possibility of less distortion. But then, the GR Research/Rythmik sub employs servo-feedback, so all bets are off. If this hybrid planar/OB sub makes it into production, planar lovers will finally have available a speaker with deep bass without needing huge panels to produce it (Tympanis, Sound Labs, etc.). And that bass will be very different from that produced by standard subs: not as "plump"---no added fat; the texture of stringed instruments (upright bass, cello, piano) more audible, as are the end trail of notes, etc. And the balance between speakers and subs will remain stable when listening distance changes. Plus lots more! --- Eric.

josh358 OP
286 posts
 
Exactly! It's like a dream come true for planar owners -- I'm imagining my IVA's now with a tiny sub rather than 36 inches of bass panels.

As you say, the current sub has about the radiating area of two 12" woofers. I've heard others say the same thing you have about the GR Research dipoles, that the number you need depends on the size of your room. Wendell demoed these in Magnepan's listening room, which is actually a pretty sizable room -- just not huge. I can imagine versions of this with stackable woofers, as with the GR's, so you could adapt them to larger rooms.

I think Magnepan may have a real winner here -- I don't know how many times I've heard people say that this or that Maggie is just too big.
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