Magnepan Owners & Discussion Thread

[ghost4man]

56 minutes ago, andyr said:

 

Well, yes it does, Trev (as you well know!). 

 

But that's the low-end reinforcement from a pair of 15" subs.  Many big-Maggie owners extend their panels' response with cone subs.

 

The core of the system is still dem panels! 

 

Andy

 

As do many many many audiophiles irrespective of how high end their main speakers are.

[Guest Gary janezic]

Hi rj thanks.i herd Martin Logan prodigy’s and they are very good speakers I wonder why I haven’t looked into them.your probably right I don’t need nothin but us audiophiles are never satisfied no matter what we have.will look up your Clxs. If I was gonna go electrostatic I would prefer full range as well.cheeres mate gary

[buddyev]

2 hours ago, andyr said:

 

You posted, Russ:

 

"Spot on, Ozzie.  As they say in the classics - once you go flat ... [you never] some people don’t go back, while others find even greater happiness with boxes  "

 

I'm sure you're aware that the original quote (that I was bastardising) was ... "once you go black, you never go back"! 

 

Having never tried 'black (sugar)', I can't vouch for that endorsement.  All I know is ... whilst my 2nd system has cone speakers - my main system will remain Maggies.  In fact, as @djbcan attest, I have embarked upon an amp-enhancement project ... to make them sound better. 

 

Andy

 

Andy, c’mon it’s brown sugar. 

Oh alright, just between you and me, Maggies done right are excellent (But i will never admit that in public) 

I still prefer my boxes to my Maggies

 

 

[Big Dog RJ]

3 hours ago, Gary janezic said:

Hi rj thanks.i herd Martin Logan prodigy’s and they are very good speakers I wonder why I haven’t looked into them.your probably right I don’t need nothin but us audiophiles are never satisfied no matter what we have.will look up your Clxs. If I was gonna go electrostatic I would prefer full range as well.cheeres mate gary

Hey Gary, 

If you're interested in CLX's, let me know. I know two places where these are optimally set up and optimally driven with two different amplifier topologies. One system is Mr Kostas, drives them with Pass Labs class A solid state amp,  and the other system happens to be mine : driven with all tube amplification from Conrad Johnson, at its finest! 

The CLX's are in a different league, I was very lucky to get these just before the price hike... Now a pair of the CLX Art would be around 40grand.

I also know Kevin very well, if you want to contact him, mention my name and he'll look after you. 

Cheers mate and have a good one. 

RJ 

[Big Dog RJ]

This one's especially for you Gary! 

Cheers, RJ 

[Guest Gary janezic]

Hi rj I would love to hear your setup. I fort magnapans were the best and at a fraction of the price that’s what all reviews say.in what ways would you say the Clx art is better than the magnapan 20.7s? I only had a listen to Logan’s once thru McIntosh equipment and it sounded very good indeed. I think now I should definitely give Logan’s a listen before I buy magnapans.cheers gary

 

 

[Guest Gary janezic]

Just got the picture of your setup rj .they look beautiful to. Thanks mate.

[Madhawa Fernando]

Are Manepans really as good as they say? I mean i've heard people saying that they will compete with 6-7 figure systems 

[Big Dog RJ]

10 hours ago, Gary janezic said:

Hi rj I would love to hear your setup. I fort magnapans were the best and at a fraction of the price that’s what all reviews say.in what ways would you say the Clx art is better than the magnapan 20.7s? I only had a listen to Logan’s once thru McIntosh equipment and it sounded very good indeed. I think now I should definitely give Logan’s a listen before I buy magnapans.cheers gary

 

 

G'day Gary, 

You're welcome to come round for a listen, I'll gladly take you on a VIP tour!

I also spoke to Kostas, and he's willing to demo on his system as well, just if you wanted to experience both types of Amplification SS & tubes. 

 

Let me know when you're ready, and send me a PM

Cheers, RJ 

[Big Dog RJ]

3 hours ago, mrgtott said:

Are Manepans really as good as they say? I mean i've heard people saying that they will compete with 6-7 figure systems 

Yes Maggie's can very easily compete with the best out there, regardless of price. 

The majority of the cost goes into the ribbon elements and not the frame/materials used... They use true ribbons and Quasi ribbons throughout with powerful magnets. On the downside they still use cheap glues, staples, cheap fabrics and standard types of connections points along with regular caps and internal wiring. 

 

BUT this is where it gets very interesting and can be a fun project. You can highly modify the crossovers to the best quality parts, such as Munford caps, Litz wiring etc, the frames can be further solid using aluminum frames rather than wood. They can also be heavily braced at the back, because the majority of Maggie's flap around while music plays... Bracing them with solid materials increases dynamics and focus in imaging.

 

When we had our Maggie's, we got rid of those silly L shaped feet that they've been using since the age of the dinasour... We anchored the panels to the ground with spikes, this improves the overall performance by a huge margin! 

 

So as you can see, Magnepan has not focused on these areas, hence if they do you're not going to get a pair of MG20 for under 20 grand, no way! 

If Magnepan did address these areas with much higher quality materials, the average cost of the MG20 would be around 30 grand starting... Just look at the size of that panel... 

 

All Maggie's we had were driven with either CJ premier 8 monoblocks, VTL Wotan's and the Manley reference 350 monoblocks. Later on I used a CJ premier 11A on a pair of MG3.5/r and it was the most musical panels I had at the time with just 70w of pure class AB driving the panels full range. Just beautiful! 

 

So yes, Maggie's can very easily compete with anything out there, IF properly set up and optimally matched with the right amplification. 

Cheers, RJ 

[andyr]

5 hours ago, mrgtott said:

Are Magnepans really as good as they say? I mean i've heard people saying that they will compete with 6-7 figure systems 

 

1 hour ago, Big Dog RJ said:

Yes Maggie's can very easily compete with the best out there, regardless of price. 

The majority of the cost goes into the ribbon elements and not the frame/materials used... They use true ribbons and Quasi ribbons throughout with powerful magnets. On the downside they still use cheap glues, staples, cheap fabrics and standard types of connections points along with regular caps and internal wiring. 

 

BUT this is where it gets very interesting and can be a fun project. You can highly modify the crossovers to the best quality parts, such as Munford caps, Litz wiring etc, the frames can be further solid using aluminum frames rather than wood. They can also be heavily braced at the back, because the majority of Maggie's flap around while music plays... Bracing them with solid materials increases dynamics and focus in imaging.

 

When we had our Maggie's, we got rid of those silly L shaped feet that they've been using since the age of the dinasour... We anchored the panels to the ground with spikes, this improves the overall performance by a huge margin! 

 

So as you can see, Magnepan has not focused on these areas, hence if they do you're not going to get a pair of MG20 for under 20 grand, no way! 

If Magnepan did address these areas with much higher quality materials, the average cost of the MG20 would be around 30 grand starting... Just look at the size of that panel... 

 

All Maggie's we had were driven with either CJ premier 8 monoblocks, VTL Wotan's and the Manley reference 350 monoblocks. Later on I used a CJ premier 11A on a pair of MG3.5/r and it was the most musical panels I had at the time with just 70w of pure class AB driving the panels full range. Just beautiful! 

 

So yes, Maggie's can very easily compete with anything out there, IF properly set up and optimally matched with the right amplification. 

Cheers, RJ 

 

As RJ says - they are value for money ... but you can increase their performance significantly if that's the sort of thing you like to do. 

 

Such as:

• modify the XOs using better-sounding parts.
• better still - rip out the passive XOs and go active.
• replace the MDF frames with hardwood (I've never heard any aluminium-framed Maggies, so I can't comment as to whether this tweak sounds better than hardwood frames).
• and brace the frames, to stop them reacting to bass transients.

And, as RJ said - suitable amplification is key. 

 

Attached is a pic of my hardwood-framed, braced, spiked, 3-way active 'Frankenpans'.  (The big black box contains the 3-way active XO and 3 monobloc amps.)  It's an old pic - I have since:

1. replaced the analogue active XO with a miniDSP unit
2. replaced those wooden stand-bases with steel U-bases, and
3. added a pair of subs.

 

EDIT:  But much as I love them ... some people (eg. @Ittaku  !) feel they lack something they want - dynamics, I suspect.

 

Andy

 

Edited November 28, 2018 by andyr

[ghost4man]

G'day Gary, 
You're welcome to come round for a listen, I'll gladly take you on a VIP tour!
I also spoke to Kostas, and he's willing to demo on his system as well, just if you wanted to experience both types of Amplification SS & tubes. 
 
Let me know when you're ready, and send me a PM
Cheers, RJ 

Stick with solid state. I know Maggie owners who have persisted with Class A and achieved great results but I just think you need the heavy juice that can only come with a good Class A/B.

I'm on the tail end of a Holton Precision Audio build to deliver 800 wpc into 4 ohms and unconditional stability into a 2 ohm load. It will drive 1 ohm loads as well with ease I'm hoping. But then again I have a massive 3.0 KVA toroidal transformer to do the driving and with a weight of nearly 50 kg this amp is not shy.

[Big Dog RJ]

4 hours ago, andyr said:

 

 

As RJ says - they are value for money ... but you can increase their performance significantly if that's the sort of thing you like to do. 

 

Such as:

• modify the XOs using better-sounding parts.
• better still - rip out the passive XOs and go active.
• replace the MDF frames with hardwood (I've never heard any aluminium-framed Maggies, so I can't comment as to whether this tweak sounds better than hardwood frames).
• and brace the frames, to stop them reacting to bass transients.

And, as RJ said - suitable amplification is key. 

 

Attached is a pic of my hardwood-framed, braced, spiked, 3-way active 'Frankenpans'.  (The big black box contains the 3-way active XO and 3 monobloc amps.)  It's an old pic - I have since:

1. replaced the analogue active XO with a miniDSP unit
2. replaced those wooden stand-bases with steel U-bases, and
3. added a pair of subs.

 

EDIT:  But much as I love them ... some people (eg. @Ittaku  !) feel they lack something they want - dynamics, I suspect.

 

Andy

 

That's some serious bracing gear you got going there. This should result in a real stunning performance indeed! 

Good stuff mate, always nice to see a proper set up of panels optimally placed, which should deliver dynamics, precision imaging, sonic transparency, and a wonderful expansive soundstage. 

Cheers and enjoy, RJ  

[andyr]

17 hours ago, Big Dog RJ said:

That's some serious bracing gear you got going there. This should result in a real stunning performance indeed! 

Good stuff mate, always nice to see a proper set up of panels optimally placed, which should deliver dynamics, precision imaging, sonic transparency, and a wonderful expansive soundstage. 

Cheers and enjoy, RJ  

 

Well, thank you, RJ.    Yes, my 'Frankenpans' do deliver all of what you suggest - however:

1. I don't think the Maggie mid-range is quite as transparent as a good stat, and
2. dynamics is certainly less than, say, a good horn system. 

 

Certainly, dynamics was vastly improved by the hardwood frames - and:

• fixing the drivers firmly to the frame far better than the staples do!  
• bracing & spiking the frames, and
• going active

… but I'm at the limit of the improvement - for this aspect, anyway.

 

I can improve the mid-range - substituting BG ribbon drivers (6 a side) for the T-IVa mid-range panel - but this comes at quite a cost!    So I may never do this.

 

Andy

 

[Big Dog RJ]

Yeah understood Andyr, 

 

There comes a point where you've done almost everything possible in terms of improvements and sometimes it seems very time / cost consuming but at the end it's worth it! 

 

I've always adopted a policy where we must enjoy and appreciate the system / components the way they were intended and designed by the designer... But then again a few tweaks could evolve into big improvements.

 

Would be nice experience to have a listen to your Maggie's. 

Cheers, RJ 

[Wimbo]

Seeing you are both in Melbourne. A GTG at both places sounds like an idea.

[Big Dog RJ]

Yeah, that's a definite; Gtg's are always welcome. However, minor issues:

1. I Only have two days off - Sun & Mon

2. We currently live in a shoe box, hence auditions are usually kept to minimum numbers, ideally 1-2, Otherwise the kitties get stressed...

3. Most "serious" listening sessions happen only at night, 99.99% after midnight till 4am, sometimes goes overtime to around 4:30am.

 

I can arrange something around these hours, perhaps something in the arvo to suit most normal human beings but it's a challenge. Those are the only two days. The mansion is still being built. Taking forever since two years now, once that's completed I plan to have not only gtg's but also invite the designers themselves, Hooray!

 

Cheers to all, and let me know who wants to come around. I can make you some hot pork curry! Oink oink

RJ 

[ghost4man]

@Big Dog RJ

 

Have a look at these mate. These are what one would call the rich man's magnepan. 

 

 

[Big Dog RJ]

Yeah, I've seen these before, supposed to be in a class of their own. Not sure how they really perform though, need to demo on my next trip to either Thailand or Spore. 

 

That CD player looks like something in which I would put some sausages into for a cook! 

[andyr]

4 hours ago, Big Dog RJ said:

Would be nice experience to have a listen to your Maggie's. 

Cheers, RJ 

 

NP, RJ. 

 

37 minutes ago, Big Dog RJ said:

Yeah, that's a definite; Gtg's are always welcome. However, minor issues:

1. I Only have two days off - Sun & Mon

2. We currently live in a shoe box, hence auditions are usually kept to minimum numbers, ideally 1-2, Otherwise the kitties get stressed...

3. Most "serious" listening sessions happen only at night, 99.99% after midnight till 4am, sometimes goes overtime to around 4:30am.

 

OK, well we should be able to organise this quite easily. 

 

I am available on Sundays & Mondays.  So you could come over to my place, say, either Mon 3rd arvo ... or Mon 10th arvo.  I'm in Richmond, btw.

 

But, sorry, I can't cope with a listening session (at your place) that starts at midnight! 

 

I listen to vinyl generally - but I do have a CDP.  I'm assuming you generally listen to digital - so you could bring over some CDs you're familiar with - or if you're a download guy, then I can play thumb-drive files through my Sangean WFT-3.

 

Andy

 

[sir sanders zingmore]

8 minutes ago, andyr said:

 

NP, RJ. 

 

 

OK, well we should be able to organise this quite easily. 

 

I am available on Sundays & Mondays.  So you could come over to my place, say, either Mon 3rd arvo ... or Mon 10th arvo.  I'm in Richmond, btw.

 

But, sorry, I can't cope with a listening session (at your place) that starts at midnight! 

 

I listen to vinyl generally - but I do have a CDP.  I'm assuming you generally listen to digital - so you could bring over some CDs you're familiar with - or if you're a download guy, then I can play thumb-drive files through my Sangean WFT-3.

 

Andy

 

That's all well and good, but you seem to be leaving out poor @Gary janezic who, after all, was the one who started this thread

 

Edited November 29, 2018 by Sir Sanders Zingmore

[andyr]

47 minutes ago, Sir Sanders Zingmore said:

That's all well and good, but you seem to be leaving out poor @Gary janezic who, after all, was the one who started this thread

 

AIUI, Trev - he's got a gig with some 20.7s.    (So he's right!)

 

Andy

 

Edited November 29, 2018 by andyr

[Big Dog RJ]

41 minutes ago, andyr said:

 

NP, RJ. 

 

 

OK, well we should be able to organise this quite easily. 

 

I am available on Sundays & Mondays.  So you could come over to my place, say, either Mon 3rd arvo ... or Mon 10th arvo.  I'm in Richmond, btw.

 

But, sorry, I can't cope with a listening session (at your place) that starts at midnight! 

 

I listen to vinyl generally - but I do have a CDP.  I'm assuming you generally listen to digital - so you could bring over some CDs you're familiar with - or if you're a download guy, then I can play thumb-drive files through my Sangean WFT-3.

 

Andy

 

No not really mate. Most of my recordings are about 60% digital and 40% vinyl. I love the vinyl rIg but due to our shoe box, the bass notes are so heavy the whole house shakes compared to digital... The gain on the Rega is only set to medium, and it's still very loud, effortless dynamics. If it was set to high gain, I would have blown the roof off! 

I'm still collecting LP's, about 1-2 each week. Need to visit that LP store located next to Selby acoustics. 

I'll send you a PM when I'm ready, we'll exchange numbers first and in contact. 

Cheers mate, RJ 

Edited November 29, 2018 by Big Dog RJ

[Guest Gary janezic]

Hi everybody I purchased a pair of magnapans 1.7i to play it safe.i wanna find out how they sound in my room with my equipment. I had a listen to Peters 20.7 they were good but sounded different to what I expected,completely different sized room and acoustics.should I like the sound of these in my room I will purchase a pair of 30.7s.cheers gary 

[Big Dog RJ]

24 minutes ago, andyr said:

 

AIUI, Trev - he's got a gig with some 20.7s. 

 

Andy

 

Not to worry about Gary, I already mentioned to Gary when he's ready to send me a message and I'll get in touch... 

My good mate, Kostas who drives his CLX's with Pass Labs is also waiting for contact from Gary, so the ball is in his court. If there's a will there's a way. 

I'm sure Gary will be listening to some Maggie's mighty soon! 

Cheers Gary if you're there? 

RJ