[rollo]

 I was a Maggie owner for 20 years. Used Audio Research DR 250 servo amps. Great sound. Recently had a pair of GTAudio Works panels in the house for a week. In comparison to the Maggies the GTAW had more presence, slam, bass, detail, accuracy, clarity and a toe tapping personality. Seamless comes to mind as well. IMO the GTAW speakers will give Maggies a run for their money. For me personally the GTAW take the cake. Never thought I would say that but there is a new kid on the block to be heard.
      Maggies are the speakers to beat. A classic design that has held its own for a long time. If you like Maggies give the GTAW a listen. Ya never know until ya try. So impressed we will be showing them at Capitol Audiofest. WE are not dealers.


charles

[SteveFord]

Here's what I'm thinking for the Stax and the flea powered amps:
http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wee.html

They say for use with amps greater than 3 Watts to if you have a real bruiser of an SET (relatively speaking) this might do the trick.
If it's anything like the Stax converter box that I have with the Sigmas you're going to get the exact same sound in the head phones as what the components deliver to a set of high quality speakers. 

Rollo,
For the GTAW, how did the soundstage compare to your old IIIAs?

[josh358]

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?

I don't know about 8 ohms, but you can find high efficiency planars. The Wisdom LS-4 for example is 100 dB efficient. Check out Graz's offerings as well. You'll pay through the nose for the privilege, though, because the efficiency is achieved with neodynium magnets. You could always build your own with the BG Neo drivers. Use Maggie DWM's for the bass, it doesn't matter if you put a big amp on them.

[josh358]

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

That's my sense of planar bass as well (and midrange and treble).

Not sure how you could make a full range planar magnetic. In ESL's, you have the big Sound Labs. I suppose you could make a similarly faceted planar but I'm not sure it would sound very good.

[andyr]

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

And if you took that 3.6 XO and rejigged it slightly, to give slightly different -3dB roll-off points, you could (according to my simulations in lspCAD) reduce that 9ohm resistance peak to about 6ohm - which would make it even more amplifier-friendly!    I wish someone would publish these specs for the 3.7, as I suspect Magnepan has achieved this, with its all-6dB series XO.


Regards,

Andy

[Letitroll98]

I was a Maggie owner for 20 years. Used Audio Research DR 250 servo amps. Great sound. Recently had a pair of GTAudio Works panels in the house for a week. In comparison to the Maggies the GTAW had more presence, slam, bass, detail, accuracy, clarity and a toe tapping personality. Seamless comes to mind as well. IMO the GTAW speakers will give Maggies a run for their money. For me personally the GTAW take the cake. Never thought I would say that but there is a new kid on the block to be heard.
      Maggies are the speakers to beat. A classic design that has held its own for a long time. If you like Maggies give the GTAW a listen. Ya never know until ya try. So impressed we will be showing them at Capitol Audiofest. WE are not dealers.


charles

Ya know, a lot of people expressed that opinion about the GTAudio Works speaker, but I just didn't get it.  Granted I only heard them at CAF last year and didn't attend the home showing.  At CAF they sounded like a nice speaker, nothing bad at all, but I didn't hear anything special or groundbreaking.  Of course I wouldn't form a final opinion based on a short time at an audio show, so I'll be interested in hearing how you have them set up to get a second opinion from myself.

Sorry for the sidetrack, back to maggie resistance plots.

[andyr]

Ya know, a lot of people expressed that opinion about the GTAudio Works speaker, but I just didn't get it.  Granted I only heard them at CAF last year and didn't attend the home showing.  At CAF they sounded like a nice speaker, nothing bad at all, but I didn't hear anything special or groundbreaking.  Of course I wouldn't form a final opinion based on a short time at an audio show, so I'll be interested in hearing how you have them set up to get a second opinion from myself.

And according to their spec-sheet - their ribbons are only rated to 28KHz (not 40KHz)?  So their HFs won't be as good a s a true-ribbon Maggie. 


Regards,

Andy

[Rclark]

 Given the experience I've had so far with Magnepans, and extrapolating that into what I think 20.7's with top spec amps would be like, then I would have to think that would be an absolute ultimate speaker system, as good as it gets.

I'm not convinced that a cone, or even a servo sub OB solution would be as good as a big planar given good power. Maybe SPL could be higher, but I think several square feet of weightless material has the edge over a comparatively small paper cone or cones. I think the only possible advantages for cones are midbass punch (and I haven't heard big panels with big power, maybe they have it), and ultra low end extension. But for music, I would have to think a 20.7 with a 20.7 among amps to match would be pretty satisfying and very realistic sounding. Big, full bodied, room filling sound.

 But there are cone based or hybrid planar speakers out there that are very intriguing and I have no doubt that given their proper care and feeding, room tailored to their needs, that they can sound very good too.

[medium jim]

And according to their spec-sheet - their ribbons are only rated to 28KHz (not 40KHz)?  So their HFs won't be as good a s a true-ribbon Maggie. 


Regards,

Andy

True, nothing like true ribbon maggies!

Jim

[andyr]

True, nothing like true ribbon maggies!

Jim

And yet rollo said this:

I was a Maggie owner for 20 years. Used Audio Research DR 250 servo amps. Great sound. Recently had a pair of GTAudio Works panels in the house for a week. In comparison to the Maggies the GTAW had more presence, slam, bass, detail, accuracy, clarity and a toe tapping personality. Seamless comes to mind as well. IMO the GTAW speakers will give Maggies a run for their money. For me personally the GTAW take the cake.

So it would appear rollo is not interested in HF extension?    The specs of the DR 250 amp says a -3dB point at 60KHz so, certainly, he should've had a nice HF experience with Maggie true-ribbons ... so maybe his Maggies have mylar-based tweeters (he didn't say) - in which case, they would not be better than the GTAudio Works HF response.


Regards,

Andy

[medium jim]

Andy:

As you know, before I got my 2.5's, I had a pair of 1.6's and while they were most enjoyable, the quasi ribbon was not what I was seeking.  Not that is wasn't good, it was. 

Jim

[rollo]

Here's what I'm thinking for the Stax and the flea powered amps:
http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wee.html

They say for use with amps greater than 3 Watts to if you have a real bruiser of an SET (relatively speaking) this might do the trick.
If it's anything like the Stax converter box that I have with the Sigmas you're going to get the exact same sound in the head phones as what the components deliver to a set of high quality speakers. 

Rollo,
For the GTAW, how did the sound stage compare to your old IIIAs?

Good question for me since I am a sound stage freak. Width was outside both speakers at least 4ft or more. They just disappear. Depth was uncannily real. You can tell the orchestra is in the pit and the opera singer way way back. Height was very good matching the Pipedreams. Scale equals the Pipedreams and Maggies. Separation of instruments with plenty of air around them. One can hear the room or vocals from a sound booth. That is with the tweeter on the inside. Overall equal the Pipedreams and better the Maggies. The Pipedreams IMO are the sound stage ref. The GTAs did not disappoint at all.
     The biggest asset is slam, dynamics and presence. If one is a rock fan blast away. The Arions fed into its 4ohm load produces 1000W/ch. The B&G set up I was so enamored with at 18,500 did not win out by much. A smidgen in clarity but that's it. Price wise the GTA is Kaboom for the buck.
     Hey maybe I could talk Greg into going to PA with me to visit you with his speakers, the Arions and BSG QOL. We can have some fun. You game ??


charles
 

[rollo]

And yet rollo said this:

I was a Maggie owner for 20 years. Used Audio Research DR 250 servo amps. Great sound. Recently had a pair of GTAudio Works panels in the house for a week. In comparison to the Maggies the GTAW had more presence, slam, bass, detail, accuracy, clarity and a toe tapping personality. Seamless comes to mind as well. IMO the GTAW speakers will give Maggies a run for their money. For me personally the GTAW take the cake.

So it would appear rollo is not interested in HF extension?    The specs of the DR 250 amp says a -3dB point at 60KHz so, certainly, he should've had a nice HF experience with Maggie true-ribbons ... so maybe his Maggies have mylar-based tweeters (he didn't say) - in which case, they would not be better than the GTAudio Works HF response. You could hear the difference in skin tone and th rattle of the snare. My Maggies never could do that. The GTA tweeter is no slouch. A double ribbon made in house.
   I do not want to get into a pissing contest with Maggie lovers. I love them as well. However a product has come along to challenge them in every category.
 They have come a long way since I heard them last year at capitol Audiofest. The Sony CDP and older Bryston was not a good set up. I'm sure Greg at GTAW would be happy to bring them over to compare to Maggies. A direct comparison in one room is the only way to tell not specs.



charles
   


Regards,

Andy

   Sorry I messed up this post. Anyway the tweeters in my Maggies are 3.6 tweeters. They were set up by Scot Markwell, Harry Pearsons former set up man and reviewer for the Absolute Sound. My system was considered one of the best Maggie set ups around according to them. Harry's set up was the one.
   That is beside the point. Extention is not an issue. Decay of notes and harmonics, air is there. Not bright or lean. I am speaking from hands on experience not hype. The GTA2 is the one to hear these days that's all i am trying to convey here. Only you can determine if you like either one more, not me.
    I am sure Greg would be more than happy to bring them over for a comparison. The only way to tell.


charles

[Quiet Earth]

What a wonderful place for people to pedal their wares.

[medium jim]

What a wonderful place for people to pedal their wares.

+1

Jim

[rw@cn]

What a wonderful place for people to pedal their wares.

Free market. 

[Letitroll98]

I believe Charles said he wasn't a dealer for GTAW, therefore can post opinions on the speaker as he sees fit, unless I missed something.

[Quiet Earth]

Yes, you missed something. But thats because everyone on AudioCircle seems to be selling something these days. Or blogging, or e-zine trafficking, or starting up. So, you just don't notice the advertisements anymore. Almost like T.V.

Don't mind me ...... I'm just having a bad-commercial day.

I saw/heard those Wisdom Audio speakers at C.E.S. 2012. Big industrial looking things with air-conditioner sized/looking subwoofers behind them. Not sure who would want those in their home. Maybe the technology will trickle down to MMG size and more people will want to buy them.

Maybe someday. 

[GT Audio Works]

I believe Charles said he wasn't a dealer for GTAW, therefore can post opinions on the speaker as he sees fit, unless I missed something.

correct.. Charles is not a dealer. I am direct ..no dealer network.
But I should not be interjecting my comments on this thread..will stay on manufacturers postings  unless I am posting things not related to GTAW...Greg

[medium jim]

correct.. Charles is not a dealer. I am direct ..no dealer network.
But I should not be interjecting my comments on this thread..will stay on manufacturers postings  unless I am posting things not related to GTAW...Greg

But didn't you thank Charles for lending his home and stereo in the development?

Jim