[Brandon B]

I actually prefer the maggies for HT because of their presentation.  To me, movies are a "large" source, same as an orchestra or a piano, and so they just sound more right to me than my box speakers.  My HT has a 120" screen, which they flank.

[ajzepp]

I actually prefer the maggies for HT because of their presentation.  To me, movies are a "large" source, same as an orchestra or a piano, and so they just sound more right to me than my box speakers.  My HT has a 120" screen, which they flank.

Same here...I had them flanking a 133" screen at my house, but I recently moved into an apartment and had to downsize the screen a bit (to 100"). 

Last night was yet another of the hundreds of examples of why I love Maggies for HT...a lady friend and I were watching Frozen, which is a low budget suspense flick about being stranded on a ski lift. This was the first time she'd ever seen anything resembling a planar speaker, and she made several comments during the movie about how she could hear every single detail, even those sounds that were off in the distance, and how it created such an immersive experience. I understand what Josh is saying about how you need a sub for the impactful bass scenes, but for HT I always felt my SVS PB13 Ultra blended just fine. Im now running the 3.6s full range so as not to disturb the neighbors with bass vibrations, and honestly it's very satisfying.

[josh358]

I had a weird idea a few weeks ago. What if Magnepan were to come out with a 100" diagonal planar sub with an acoustically transparent screen on the front? You'd have to mount it 3' out from the wall. Offer different sized AT screen options in conjunction with a screen manufacturer, so you could use it in any home theater installation. You could even make a motorized retracting screen using hinged Tympani-style panels mounted laterally.

[ajzepp]

I had a weird idea a few weeks ago. What if Magnepan were to come out with a 100" diagonal planar sub with an acoustically transparent screen on the front? You'd have to mount it 3' out from the wall. Offer different sized AT screen options in conjunction with a screen manufacturer, so you could use it in any home theater installation. You could even make a motorized retracting screen using hinged Tympani-style panels mounted laterally.

   I'd buy it! 

[Brandon B]

It would work, but I don't think the sales would justify their development costs.

Easier to go with a microperf screen and a multidriver IB.

[trout2]

Ah yes, the famous Magneplanar haze.  I've never been bothered by it, but you can clearly hear it, especially in direct comparisons like your set up.  It's like within the finely detailed presentation, there's a little bit of fog between the notes.  I noticed it again last year when for S&G I switched my PSB home theater speakers for the stereo system's Maggies.  While playing music in the stereo room I never hear the haze, but when playing film tracks in the HT room (ok, living room) it became bothersome.  Perhaps someone might offer a technical reason for the haze.

The main cause for the haze is the cheap mdf frames that Magnepan uses. Remove the mdf, replace it with hardwood and the haze goes by-by. Mye Stands also help with this. The dynamic range is also increased by these two improvements which negates the vibration of the speakers.

[josh358]

It would work, but I don't think the sales would justify their development costs.

Easier to go with a microperf screen and a multidriver IB.

Unless they leveraged one of their existing designs -- the Tympani IV bass panels, say, or the new Tympani.

Another possibility might be AT projection screen options for their existing floor standers.

Re the IB drivers, I've never heard the quality of bass from dynamic drivers that I have from the old Tympanis. Or from anything, come to think of it. Not saying it isn't possible, but the persistent failure of anyone to successfully mate dynamic woofers with planar or electrostatic panels suggests that it's still a difficult proposition, above the bottom octave, anyway.

[Letitroll98]

Ah yes, the famous Magneplanar haze.  I've never been bothered by it, but you can clearly hear it, especially in direct comparisons like your set up.  It's like within the finely detailed presentation, there's a little bit of fog between the notes.  I noticed it again last year when for S&G I switched my PSB home theater speakers for the stereo system's Maggies.  While playing music in the stereo room I never hear the haze, but when playing film tracks in the HT room (ok, living room) it became bothersome.  Perhaps someone might offer a technical reason for the haze.

"Mylar sound" -- resonances in the mylar/metal sandwich. If you lightly tap the diaphragms with the socks off, you'll hear the sound. Electrostats have their own version, in my experience at a higher frequency, and so, depending on diaphragm material and damping, do cones, frequently at a lower frequency.

The main cause for the haze is the cheap mdf frames that Magnepan uses. Remove the mdf, replace it with hardwood and the haze goes by-by. Mye Stands also help with this. The dynamic range is also increased by these two improvements which negates the vibration of the speakers.

Thanks for the responses guys, both very plausible scenarios from a little different angle.  Josh, I have often heard what you are talking about as I'm pretty clumsy and have rapped the mylar more than once both on purpose and by accident.  Thinking back on it that sound does resemble the haze.  And trout, it makes perfect sense that one of the benefits of modding the frames would be reducing that "mylar slap" and one of the reasons you have increased clarity and dynamics with that mod.  Both posts dovetail perfectly to make a whole and complete explanation, great work.