[SteveFord]

Now that Christmas if behind us, we've got a New year coming up so new changes in the systems are in order, I think.
I'm going to upgrade all of the fuse holders in Magnepans, resurrect my MMGs and change the grill cloth on the 1.6s to black.
Some Magnestands or similar seem like a real good idea, too.
Then there's the home theater room which I need to get going on as well.
It's going to be a busy year.

[Bear Heath]

I'm hoping to be disciplined enough this year to not fritter money away on small items so I can get a new amp for my 1.6s. I have a ten year old Rotel RB991 and figure it doesn't make sense to trade up the Magnepan line until I update my amp

[BaMorin]

New amp planned for my 3.6's.  Not sure what yet. The old Ampzillas just don't like being repaired anymore. Open to suggestions. I have had an Anthem home.......yuck...just a loud amp, nothing musical about it. Had a mosfet type amp (SUMO)....eeek!!!!! that was bad.

[andyr]

New amp planned for my 3.6's.  Not sure what yet. The old Ampzillas just don't like being repaired anymore. Open to suggestions. I have had an Anthem home.......yuck...just a loud amp, nothing musical about it. Had a mosfet type amp (SUMO)....eeek!!!!! that was bad.

I heard 3.6s driven by a Parasound A21 at the Aussie Magnepan Importer's last year and was very impressed. 

Although IMO better sound would be achieved with a 2-way active setup ... thoiugh at considerably more cost.   

Regards,

Andy

[andyr]

Now that Christmas if behind us, we've got a New year coming up so new changes in the systems are in order, I think.
I'm going to upgrade all of the fuse holders in Magnepans, resurrect my MMGs and change the grill cloth on the 1.6s to black.
Some Magnestands or similar seem like a real good idea, too.
Then there's the home theater room which I need to get going on as well.
It's going to be a busy year.

"Magnestands", Steve are not just "stands" - they are the full package: hardwood frame, braced stands and series XO. 

Regards,

Andy

[andyr]

System upgrades - two:

1.  Build a new set of active XOs for my 3-way Maggies, just to try out all 6dB slopes (as PG uses, Steve).

2.  A new plinth for my LP12, made by Vince "Once Analogue" Hamilton.

Regards,

Andy

[SteveFord]

You're correct, I meant Mye stands or similar.

[Jazzman53]

I want to build and test a curved electrostat panel and if it sounds good, decide on building another pair of DIY hybrid electrostats.  I don't figure curved panels would sound better (if as good) as my current flat panels but they would have a much wider sweetspot, which is nice to have when guests come over.  Also, since I now have a spare 375W/channel Carver TFM-42 amp, I'm wanting to augment or replace my current sealed box 12" subwoofer with a pair of multi-woofer OB dipoles.   

[SteveFord]

Jazzman,
This is going to be a very basic question but I've always wondered why the electrostatics don't end up being the size of giant panels like the Magnepans do?  What's the reason behind a curved panel as opposed to just making them wider?

[Jazzman53]

Jazzman,
This is going to be a very basic question but I've always wondered why the electrostatics don't end up being the size of giant panels like the Magnepans do?  What's the reason behind a curved panel as opposed to just making them wider?to

If I'm not mistaken, the larger Magnepans are two way designs which use a narrow ribbon tweeter to acheive wider dispersion of the treble. 

Some full-range electrostats, like the old KH9's for example, are indeed quite large to produce acceptable bass with limited diaphragm excursion.  However, there is a price to pay for going large.  Unlike a conventional magnetic driver which behaves like a resistor, a stat panel (being two charged metal plates) is a huge capacitor that pushes back against the amplifier and causes huge phase shifts with each swing of porlarity and most of the amps' output is reversed back to the amp and dissipated as heat into the heat sinks.  Further, as panel size goes up, the increased capacitance pulls down the treble response.  To accommodate the higher capacitance, reduced  treble response and "beaming" that would otherwise occur with larger panels, some full range designs are two-way systems which use a crossover and a separate narrow tweeter section and a separate wider mids/bass section, independently powered.  Also, an electrostat's impedance drops as the frequency goes up; becoming vanishingly low (below 1 ohm) in the treble range.  The larger the panel, the more problematic are the phase shifts and falling impedance.  Some amps can't handle the large phase shifts and would go into supersonic oscillation and self destruct. 

Full range ESL's require a lot of power and are more complex and much more expensive ($$$) to build so most DIY'ers opt for simpler hybrid designs using woofers for the low end crossed over at 300 hz or lower to a smaller, more easily driven electrostat panel.

Some hybrid flat panel designs are 3-way designs which use a separate narrower tweeter section in the stat panel to achieve wider dispersion.  But that requires placing a crossover point at the most audible place in the bandwidth.  Martin Logan uses curved panels with no upper frequency crossover points to achieve wider treble dispersion (hence, a wider sweet spot).     
 
I believe the cheapest and least objectionable way to get a wider sweet spot is Martin Logan's approach.   
         

[andyr]

If I'm not mistaken, the larger Magnepans are two way designs which use a narrow ribbon tweeter to acheive wider dispersion of the treble. 

You are mistaken.   

The larger Maggies - that is to say the III/3.X line and the 20/20.1 - are 3-way.  Yes, they have a narrow ribbon tweeter but also a mylar-based mid driver and bass driver.

Regards,

Andy

[95Dyna]

1.  ML Summit X's
2.  Sennheiser HD800's and to be determined headphone amp
3.  Dust cover for VPI classic

[Jazzman53]

You are mistaken.   

The larger Maggies - that is to say the III/3.X line and the 20/20.1 - are 3-way.  Yes, they have a narrow ribbon tweeter but also a mylar-based mid driver and bass driver.

Regards,

Andy

Thanks... I knew there was a ribbon in there somewhere   
Anyway, my point was that the Maggies aren't nearly so directional as a large flat single membrane  electrostat because the Maggies emit their treble from just the narrow ribbon driver which has fairly wide dispersion. 

[andyr]

Thanks... I knew there was a ribbon in there somewhere   
Anyway, my point was that the Maggies aren't nearly so directional as a large flat single membrane  electrostat because the Maggies emit their treble from just the narrow ribbon driver which has fairly wide dispersion.

Yes, absoloootely.    A mate of mine has great sound with a pair of those WA statics (coupled with a pair of subs!) but his system does suffer from "head in a vice" sweet spot, compared to my Maggies.

Regards,

Andy

[SteveFord]

Thank you for the explanation, now I know.
It does sound like the curved design would be the way to go.
I believe you referred to yours as the world's biggest headphones some time back?
I've got to get my Stax headphones going again.  Another system upgrade.

[Jazzman53]

Thank you for the explanation, now I know.
It does sound like the curved design would be the way to go.
I believe you referred to yours as the world's biggest headphones some time back?
I've got to get my Stax headphones going again.  Another system upgrade.

I've not heard Stax ES headphones but I know that many consider them to be the finest headphones on the planet. 

It was my friend Jason that described my flat panel electrostats as "remote headphones".  They sound like headphones because of what you don't hear.  That is; the flat panels are so directional that you don't hear the hundreds of time/phase-shifted reflections off room surfaces that you get with wide dispersion speakers.  So transients are sharp and crisp and imaging is not confused.

Line source electrostats certainly have their problems (head in a vice being one) but they lend themselves well to DIY and since they have the lowest moving mass of any driver short of plasma, you get unmatched accuracy, transient speed and a coherent wavefront for scary-real imaging.   

             

[jtwrace]

I've not heard Stax ES headphones but I know that many consider them to be the finest headphones on the planet. 

       

As a Stax owner I can say they're really good.  I will say that I own some in ear headphones that rival the Stax though.  Best part, cost much less.

[jk@home]

This winter I'm going to build/add (some sort of) dipole subwoofers to my MMGs.

Already have the drivers, 4- AE IB15s. Just need to decide whether to go I, W, U or H frame.

And room treatments, need lots of room treatment.

[eclein]

As a Stax owner I can say they're really good.  I will say that I own some in ear headphones that rival the Stax though.  Best part, cost much less.

What would they be by chance?? I'm looking for some..

[TONEPUB]

A pair of ARC REF 210's.  Tubes for the winter, SS for the summer!