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

@arafiq

despite my often finding @secretguy 's commentary here cynical, spiteful and crass, in this case i agree with everything he is saying about the maggies

as you know, there is much much written here on a-gon about maggies big and small, old and new - i trust you have read through those posts carefully

my short advice is you must try them in your home, as much as share my thoughts here, i would be the first to admit that others’ words cannot convey what these speakers can do, especially when one’s prior reference are speakers such as harbeths fritz's other nice box speakers...

maggies are very very special speakers when given a room environment (and amplification) in which they can shine -- they have a level of beauty, fullness, coherence, wholeness and purity/clarity of sound that is a simply level (or two) above

i would say start with a nice used set of 1.7i, get them on magna riser stands (many used sets are sold with them) outlay is quite reasonable,resale not difficult,  try with and without subs (which i think you already have) - done right current gen maggies do not lack bass... though they don't produce the kind of pistonic woofer midbass in your chest 'punch' that some rock/edm listeners want

... and like pretty much ALL speakers extant, a pair of rels underneath bring them to a significantly higher plane of performance

get the speakers don’t worry about trivia like mods etc etc (those are minor and easy).... you’ve got a good amp for them now, as impassioned as i know you are in this hobby, experiencing maggies is a bucket list thing for you... one which might open a door to a new level of musical pleasure

 

Room treatment makes or breaks any listening room. 

Audio Research Uses Maggies in the room they use to verify all is well with every item they build. See the youtube video where Michael Fremer takes the tour.

Room treatment will allow you to use Maggies.

My room is treated all four walls and the ceiling.

It sounds fabulous. See my pictures.

Tom

I have found replacing the jumpers and fuses to be quite helpful and inexpensive..Magnepan is now offering upgrade stands for some of their models ...

3.7s have a tweeter to die for. It's a big panel and can push some air. Sub or no sub they sound great.

I own a pair of 1.6 Maggies.  Imaging is gorgeous when placement is right.  Spend the time to tweak the placement and you'll be happy.

Bass might be a tad light, but not overly so.  As someone else stated, unless you're looking for that "pistonic" bass, the Maggies are very realistic in the bass.

Mine are powered by a pair of Schiit Vidars in monoblock mode (Freya S preamp, balanced out to the Vidars) and I can get them to levels that are uncomfortable to listen to without problems