Big thanks to Jay for letting me visit to hear the .7! I really enjoyed it....even the non audio discussions.
Jay has them in a very nice, simple setup; a Mac Mini (optimized for playing music) connected to a DAC which was connected to the amp (class D I believe, 400 wpc). Having recently completely disassembled my combo audio/HT system ( I swear there must have been 5 miles of cables!), I can really appreciate the appeal of keeping it simple!
Overall, the sound from them was very clear and detailed. Well recorded voices and piano stood out to me as absolutely superb! Music with small assembles sounded superb as well. I can see wanting a pair just for these qualities. Performance with large orchestral works was mixed, especially with the entire orchestra going full tilt. Perhaps a bigger panel would be better suited for this.
The .7’s detail/high resolution is a double edged sword. Great recordings sound great, stunning even. Sub par recordings, not so great. They certainly aren’t very forgiving speakers. Bad recordings have nowhere to hide.
Perhaps they are too small for the room they are in (Jay mentioned earlier he intended to use them in a smaller room), but they were pretty bass shy. Keep in mind I’m use to a system that includes a large sub with 3 15” drivers (sealed cabinet, 4000 watt amp) that can provide as much bass (extension down to 8hz) as I’d ever want, and most any music recording would call for. A sub would be a must for me with the .7. Of course, what bass was there was very clean.
As Maggie’s are known for, there’s a complete absence of any “box sound”. That lack of a box sound can be very addictive. I remember back in the early 80s when I was looking to replace pair of SMGs (wanted better bass/output capabilities), I found it difficult to find a box speaker that’s didn’t sound like a box. I ended up replacing them with the ADS L1290, which I enjoyed greatly over 25 years.
If money weren’t a factor (not that they are particularly expensive), I could see getting a pair to use with recordings with which they excel. But finances and space dictate I have something that that can do most everything well (my Soundfield Audio Monitor 1 fits the bill nicely).
Thanks again Jay!
