[medium jim]

I read all of the reviews for non-planar type speakers and wonder "What am I missing?" 

The usual buzz words are Soundstage, Dynamics, Clarity, Detail, Slam and so on. 

Funny thing is that I get all of that with my Maggie's paired with a duet of subs.  Above all of that is the intimacy, yet largeness, the ability to remove the walls and leave one with a sense of live performance as all the instruments are in the right place and size. 

There isn't anything that I throw at them that phases them, put on some Bartok, Bach, and the detail, both micro and macro is evident as is the incredible feeling of being live. Same for Diana Krall, Kenny Burrell, or Jimmy Smith, the presence, scale, clarity and focus is staggering.  Hit them with Pearl Jam, Al DiMiola, Frank Zappa and the dynamics, slam, nuances are at attention and there.

What am I missing?   Nothing! 

All of this reinventing the Cone Speaker is like reinventing the wheel, as Magnepan got it right over 40 years ago as did a few other companies and deliver the product to the end user at a price point where it is attainable.  Where else in the huge and growing field of speaker makers can one get a true audiophile speaker for $600 that sounds close to their flagship model that still under 15K?  The branch didn't fall far from the tree. 

My 2.5's are 25 years old and still sound new and will in another 25 years.   I'm proud to be a Magnepan owner!

Jim

[J. Royce Baron]

Jim you’re missing the Crown Royal to elevate your experience all the way to the 20.7’s   

[medium jim]

Jim you’re missing the Crown Royal to elevate your experience all the way to the 20.7’s   

Maybe, but some Royal Crown Revue would sound good on them!  I guess what gets me is that there are so many guys making cone speakers and using planar tweeters or other, but nothing to my ears capture me on all types of music like a good pair of planars.

Some cone type speakers might do this or that better on individual genres of music, but only a few of the real expensive ones can hang with a good pair of Magnepan's or other planars.


Jim

[jaylevine]

I read all of the reviews for non-planar type speakers and wonder "What am I missing?"

I've auditioned several dozen speakers in the past three years--nothing comes close in the mid-range and upper end to my Maggies (3.7s now, previously 1.7s). That said, I heard a pair of top of the line Totem Acoustics two weeks ago in a good listening room and have to say they were very nice all around. Super coherent, tight bass, wonderful soundstage etc...all of the right buzz words.

Did they sound 'better' than my Maggies? Don't really know, didn't hear them side by side in the same room. I do know they sounded great, were under 10K (less then the cost of my speakers, mye stands and two subs) and probably don't require as much fooling around with placement and room setup. And they definitely didn't need a sub-woofer, which I do run at 30HZ cutoff (2 RELS) with my Maggies. Add to that DSPeaker room correction for the subs and if nothing else the Totems would be less hassle. Even you note the set-up challenge in your profile......

Still, I do love the sound of the Maggies for the kind of music I enjoy (vocal and jazz mostly--Maggie sweet spot IMHO).

[SteveFord]

I've heard some small PSB monitors in a small room and they sounded really good.
I didn't buy them but they're certainly worth a listen to if you're cramped for space and don't have the money for the Mini Maggie system.
You'd need a sub, of course.

[medium jim]

Sure, Maggie's require some setup to get them in their happy spots. Sure, in some applications cone speakers will be a good choice.  But as noted, the midrange and highs (true ribbons) on Magnepan's are top cabin. All if that aside, it's the life sized (some would say larger than life sized) soundstage that is three dimensional coupled with the speed that creates beautiful note bloom and decay....

Jim

[jaylevine]

We are in violent agreement on what the Maggie's do well

There are day however, not many I admit at this stage of my life, but some, when I throw on "Are You Experienced" or Al Cooper's "Super Session" on the music server and turn up the volume and say to myself (under my breadth so my wife doesn't hear), that I wish I also had a big pair of 'box' speakers.

[Quiet Earth]

Jim,

What you're missing is the freedom and ability to own a good sounding power amplifier. Right now you're stuck with the monotonous sound of owning big watts, as your music is homogenized in an attempt to drive a load that never had an audio power amplifier in mind in the first place.

Single digit watts are where the magic lives. Speakers that are made to take advantage of those precious watts will always sound better.

[medium jim]

Jim,

What you're missing is the freedom and ability to own a good sounding power amplifier. Right now you're stuck with the monotonous sound of owning big watts, as your music is homogenized in an attempt to drive a load that never had an audio power amplifier in mind in the first place.

Single digit watts are where the magic lives. Speakers that are made to take advantage of those precious watts will always sound better.

You are right, what in the hell are all of us planar owners thinking of anyway

Jim

P.S.  There are no absolutes in the audio world and I'm not saying there aren't conventional type speakers that don't sound as good as planars, just that I feel that planars are the best blend of all the ingredients and excel on all genres of music and are affordable when compared to others.

[Quiet Earth]

I like planars. They have a special sound. I wish someone could make one that was 8 ohms nominal and 93dB efficient. I could drive that with my flea watt amp. Maybe planar headphones?

[medium jim]

I like planars. They have a special sound. I wish someone could make one that was 8 ohms nominal and 93dB efficient. I could drive that with my flea watt amp. Maybe planar headphones?

The first generation of Magneplanars were 8ohm and were around 89db sensitive. Stax headphones are pretty much planars.

Jim

[Davey]

Everybody get Klipschorn's! 

All speakers have trade-offs.  Maggie's trade-offs are well known but they average out to something better than 90% of what's out there.

Your speaker selection dictates your amplifier selection.....not the other way around.    Any other approach is just silly.

Cheers,

Dave.

[*Scotty*]

Whats the problem with this impedance curve. It looks as friendly to amplifiers as you are likely see.
From the Aug 31,2000 Stereophile review of the Magneplaner 3.6/R

Fig.1 Magnepan MG3.6/R, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)
Scotty

[Quiet Earth]

Your speaker selection dictates your amplifier selection.....not the other way around.    Any other approach is just silly.

Not really. I disagree for this reason: You have very little choice (if any) of a good sounding powerful amplifier when you choose an inefficient speaker. At least when you choose a good sounding low wattage amp, you have many options for efficient speakers that sound good.

I know you will disagree with me, and I am definitely in the wrong circle with my opinion........ ,  so we can agree to disagree. 

[SteveFord]

Quiet Earth,
You really need to pick up some Stax earspeakers - I think you'll like them as much as I do.

For amps, big VTLs have the magic to my ears.

[kevin360]

Steve, what Stax earspeakers (they don't call them headphones, Jim) can be driven by a flea watt amp? Mine can't.

FWIW, I think speakers vary far more in sound qualities than well designed amplifiers and there are some fabulous big-watt amps (just my opinion, of course). For me, the speakers come first and then I select an amp that's appropriate.

[rooze]

I guess we don't all 'hear' in the same way. People come round to my pad and listen to planars and just don't get it. I go round to their pads and listen to their box speakers and I don't get it.
I have a fake Kandinski hanging on my office wall and the wife hates it. She much prefers the Hamilton Dairy Cow serigraphs.

[bpape]

The only thing is the joy of panel bass.  Larger planars' bass is something that's hard to describe.  Imagine as tight, clean, fast, nimble, etc. as the mids/highs are compared to cones/domes but in the bottom end.  The next step from there is a true full range planar with no crossover but still capable of going down into the high 20's to low 30's. 

Bryan

[drummermitchell]

I first auditioned a friends 3.6's last fall in my room with my Bryston 28's using Vac sig MKII pre and a BP-26 pre.
Didn't take but a few minuets into a few tracks to hear what was buried underneath my box speakers.
I was totally impressed how back up singers now had their own space and also you really couldn't hear them at all,until the 3.6's opened everything up.
Even kick drum took on a whole new identity which is superb sounding.
Comparing my box speakers(Revel 50a's) reminds me of pizza(box food).
Box food is pretty bland compared to pizza that is home made,where smell and especially each bite explodes with a multitude of flavors.
Compare spices you buy in a bottle and then try fresh(major difference).Tons of macro and micro details pop out of the Maggies,that if you never listened to them you would never be the wiser or knew what you were missing.
Since auditioning the 3.6's last fall,they stuck in the back of my mind so much that yesterday I bought a pair of 3.7's.
Also reminds me of the difference between a world class sound engineer and a road house sound man,HUGE DIFFERENCE ..

[medium jim]

Steve, what Stax earspeakers (they don't call them headphones, Jim) can be driven by a flea watt amp? Mine can't.

FWIW, I think speakers vary far more in sound qualities than well designed amplifiers and there are some fabulous big-watt amps (just my opinion, of course). For me, the speakers come first and then I select an amp that's appropriate.

Crap, now I know why my membership to the Stax club wasn't approved

Jim