Do you have a question for the Magnepan factory?

thunderbrick · « **Reply #20 on:** 27 May 2011, 02:05 am »

My question was entirely tongue-in-cheek, but one can dream, right?

josh358 · « **Reply #21 on:** 30 May 2011, 08:42 pm »

Thanks, Steve. You can tell Wendell that since the Mini Maggies were too small, I bought a pair of Tympani IVA's instead.

TitaniumTroy · « **Reply #22 on:** 24 Aug 2011, 10:26 pm »

I have a question for Wendell, first a disclaimer. I am only interested in general suggestions, I can see his eyes rolling now. As in we could never sell a speaker with this kind of modifcation, however Maggie fans on the forum are pretty HardCore so we don't care so much about the astethics for this mod. Plus what is a wing/baffle in size compared to the Tympani's, those are some large speakers.

The question is does he have any advise, regarding using wings/baffles with large Maggies's like the 3.6. Since they admit that they try different mod's and they use some boundary reinforcement techniques with the smaller speakers. They should have some general thoughts, guidelines etc... Again I don't need a full blown tech article, just a few basic do's and don't.

If Wendell prefers I can call him with this question, just thought it might be nice too share with the forum.

SteveFord · « **Reply #23 on:** 24 Aug 2011, 10:53 pm »

He's out and about for a bit so give me around a week for an answer.
I did ask earlier about this and they did experiment some with this.

TitaniumTroy · « **Reply #24 on:** 24 Aug 2011, 11:49 pm »

Thanks Steve.

How about one more question though, what about acoustic diffusion panels and DIY diffusors ? As in what type does works best with Magnepan, QRD's, Skyline's/PRD's, etc... Again just looking for some basic info. nothing too complicated.

richidoo · « **Reply #25 on:** 25 Aug 2011, 01:49 am »

I have a question. I listened to (Bill in WV's) Tympany's yesterday. I loved the bass and midrange. Much better than an underpowered very small Maggie I heard 5 years ago which was my only other Maggie experience. How do 3.7 and 20.1 compare to the Tympany in general. Can they play as low and loud as the Tympany? I assume the new ones are better in the midrange and upper octaves, but they are smaller, which is why I ask about the bass...
Thanks!
Rich

josh358 · « **Reply #26 on:** 30 Aug 2011, 12:50 am »

Quote from: TitaniumTroy on 24 Aug 2011, 11:49 pm

Thanks Steve.

How about one more question though, what about acoustic diffusion panels and DIY diffusors ? As in what type does works best with Magnepan, QRD's, Skyline's/PRD's, etc... Again just looking for some basic info. nothing too complicated.

You'd want to use QRD's behind the speakers (generally at the first reflection points), because they're lateral diffusers whereas skylines diffuse the sound both horizontally and vertically. So PRD's would spray sound on the floor and ceiling, which would obviate one of the main advantages of a line source, its vertical directionality.

Dipole line sources don't generally require ceiling treatment, in fact, theoretically, you don't want to eliminate the floor and ceiling reflections since they create a virtual infinite line source out of a finite one. Treatment of first reflection points on the side walls is optional -- dipoles don't put much energy there but depending on orientation some does reflect, so you may want to try treatment at the first reflection points. Absorption is generally better than diffusion there because typical QRD diffusers don't work well when you're that close to them. If you're sitting too close to the rear wall, you may want absorption there, again, it's too close to the listener for QRD's.

All subject to the caveat that different rooms benefit from different treatment, of course.

BTW, you can throw together some QRD's quickly and cheaply with styrofoam, then buy or make better ones if you like the results. There are QRD calculators online if you need the values.

josh358 · « **Reply #27 on:** 30 Aug 2011, 01:02 am »

Quote from: richidoo on 25 Aug 2011, 01:49 am

I have a question. I listened to (Bill in WV's) Tympany's yesterday. I loved the bass and midrange. Much better than an underpowered very small Maggie I heard 5 years ago which was my only other Maggie experience. How do 3.7 and 20.1 compare to the Tympany in general. Can they play as low and loud as the Tympany? I assume the new ones are better in the midrange and upper octaves, but they are smaller, which is why I ask about the bass...
Thanks!
Rich

Nope

The Tympanis have the best bass of any Maggie, by reputation (and my own experience) the best midbass of any speaker ever made.

Which is why I just scored me a pair of Tympani IVA's.

Once you get used to woofers that combine the clarity of planars with the slam and extension of all but a handful of dynamics, it's hard to settle for anything else.

Still, the 20.1 goes significantly deeper than the 3.7, from what I've read (I still haven't heard the 3.7 myself -- I understand it's magical).

SteveFord · « **Reply #28 on:** 31 Aug 2011, 12:00 am »

Here you go, from Wendell Diller, the hardest working man in stereo land:

The question is does he have any advise, regarding using wings/baffles with large Maggies's like the 3.6.
It is not very effective and looks terrible.

Since they admit that they try different mod's and they use some boundary reinforcement techniques with the smaller speakers. They should have some general thoughts, guidelines etc... Again I don't need a full blown tech article, just a few basic do's and don't
Not recommended.

what about acoustic diffusion panels and DIY diffusors ? As in what type does works best with Magnepan, QRD's, Skyline's/PRD's, etc... Again just looking for some basic info. nothing too complicated. Both absorption and diffusers can work wonders.
We simply use cut-and-try.

I listened to (Bill in WV's) Tympany's yesterday. I loved the bass and midrange. Much better than an underpowered very small Maggie I heard 5 years ago which was my only other Maggie experience. How do 3.7 and 20.1 compare to the Tympany in general.

Note from me (Steve Ford): you'll need to get a little more specific to get a valid answer.

Can they play as low and loud as the Tympany? Yes

globalkiwi · « **Reply #29 on:** 31 Aug 2011, 11:21 pm »

Given that they've been out for over a decade now, are the 20.1's likely to see a revision (incorporating the 1.7/3.7 driver technology for example) in the relatively near future - or are there other things ahead of them in the development pipeline?

richidoo · « **Reply #30 on:** 31 Aug 2011, 11:54 pm »

Thanks for the answers! I will try to audition 20.1.

Quote from: globalkiwi on 31 Aug 2011, 11:21 pm

Given that they've been out for over a decade now, are the 20.1's likely to see a revision (incorporating the 1.7/3.7 driver technology for example) in the relatively near future - or are there other things ahead of them in the development pipeline?

good question

globalkiwi · « **Reply #31 on:** 31 Aug 2011, 11:56 pm »

Quote from: richidoo on 31 Aug 2011, 11:54 pm

good question

I know it's been asked earlier in this thread but it didn't really get an answer so I was hoping this time it might!

SteveFord · « **Reply #32 on:** 1 Sep 2011, 09:35 pm »

IF anything is happening with the 20.1s we won't know about it until after the dealers do.
IF being the operative word.
Same deal with any other future products.
So the answer is, who knows? Not me.
We can speculate but that's all we can do at the moment.
Steve Ford

P.S.
That's only understandable. IF something does occur I'll be sure to post it as soon as I can.

globalkiwi · « **Reply #33 on:** 3 Sep 2011, 03:10 am »

Thanks Steve, I know we can speculate (isn't that what BB's are for?!). I was actually hoping for a slightly less speculative response from the folks at the Maggie factory but I guess that's being unrealistic ...

SteveFord · « **Reply #34 on:** 3 Sep 2011, 09:31 am »

Something along the lines of "the dealers would lynch us" if they weren't the first to know about products was mentioned...

rw@cn · « **Reply #35 on:** 18 Sep 2011, 11:46 am »

What constitutes a decent sized room for the 20.x? I have a 20'X12' room, is this too small?

andyr · « **Reply #36 on:** 18 Sep 2011, 12:31 pm »

Quote from: rw@cn on 18 Sep 2011, 11:46 am

What constitutes a decent sized room for the 20.x? I have a 20' X 12' room, is this too small?

I would say a 20' x 12' room (with, presumably, 8' ceilings?) would certainly limit the sound you could get from a pair of 20s/20.1s ... however, you may still be able to get a decent sound from them.

But don't forget that, compared to, say, 1.6s or 1.7s - which are much more appropriate for that size of room - you will need considerably more amplifier power.

What you would have to do is listen to them nearfield, along the lines of:
* 6' 8" out from the front wall (1/3rd the room length)
* ribbons on the inside, with the panels 4' apart
* sit 6' 8" away.

Good luck,

Andy

rw@cn · « **Reply #37 on:** 18 Sep 2011, 12:37 pm »

Thanks. Looking to upgrade the 1.7s next year. I've had a lot of different speakers in the room, some of them quite big (Logan Prodigys for instance) and managed to get good sound from them. But the same Prodigys sounded much better in a friends larger room.

I am thinking that if I stick with Magnepan, the 3.7s should do well. I know how to make something around that sound sing in the room.

SteveFord · « **Reply #38 on:** 18 Sep 2011, 01:43 pm »

From Wendell:

20x ???? I assume you mean any speaker of that size.

Well, actually, from 200 Hz and up, the 3.7 and 20.1 are smaller than a 1.7. A floor-to-ceiling line source is the gold standard and it should be very narrow. Its the bass that makes the 20.1 and 3.7 so large.

The problem with small rooms is usually too much bass/midbass.

rw@cn · « **Reply #39 on:** 18 Sep 2011, 03:24 pm »

For Wendell.

20.x was a bit of a joke and also bit of whimsy. Assuming that the next upgrade will be to the 20 series.

I guess part of the confusion is what constitutes a small room. I've had my room characterized as both small and largish.

I do know that your MG 1 and 3.5 and Logan's CLS and Quest speakers sounded superb (in the room) while the Prodigy didn't seem to breathe and was bloated in the midbass but I never had the opportunity to try the 20.1