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What are some of the downsides of owning a Magneplanar .7 or 1.7i ?

Thinking of moving up speaker wise, and so am considering  the fabled Magneplanar speakers, that is, either the  the .7, or supposedly new 1.7i.   (BTW, I am not sure the Maggie .7 is necessarily an upgrade, and has less bass than my current box speakers...see below)

Besides "Maggies" having outdated speaker terminals that might be a struggle with banana plugs,, and they are generally power hungry, I am curious if anyone can honestly tell me of any other downsides of this design.  For the last 30 years, I have owned several traditional box design speakers. 

I currently have a pair of Golden Ear Technology model 7's....which I like and generally sound good However, I  would like to confirm what a planar design brings to the table in sound quality. I have read many times about the box-less sound  provided by this design, and its wide sound staging and low distortion. 

I think I have enough power with BAT VK-200 amp (100RMS) to drive the .7, but not sure that is enough to drive the MG1.7i. to higher volumes The pre-amp is a Conrad Johnson PV-14SE. 

The listening room area 12 X15ft, but opens into kitchen/dining area divided by a medium size couch. The rest of the space is approximately 12X18ft behind the sofa with a stupid counter island ( so I cannot move the sofa back any further.. The ceiling is 8 to 9 ft feet high ( not a cathedral ceiling, praise the Lord) . It is a bit of haul to the dealer I bought the Golden Ear T's from who also carries Magneplanar line.  All advice welcomed.    Thanks, SJ   

sunnyjim
douglas_schroeder
1,824 posts
 
corelli, the secret sauce to the Tekton speakers is the quasi line source array. There are some characteristics of sound reproduction which line sources and panels share. I'm not saying they are identical or that the one can reproduce the other, but they do overlap in some respects. Just as with panels one has to accept certain compromises in performance when approaching a line source. What they do, some can do exceptionally well. 

If you were to work with a fine traditional 3-way you would be confronted with the lack of coherence of the quasi-line source array. I know, I know, you think it couldn't get more clear, delineated. That's wrong, and you would hear it immediately with a great 3-way. But, you would lose some of the characteristics of the line source in the process. It's all trade-offs in speaker design. 

Now, corelli, if you want a very interesting experience, switch back and forth over time between the two, panel and line array. You will be shocked at how "wrong" in comparison the other sounds as you adjust to the one playing. It takes time to adjust to a new speaker technology when you have been using the other. But, once adjusted it sounds "right" to the ear. Then, when you switch back again you have to readjust. But, sure enough, over the next few days it sounds more and more "right" to the ear. It teaches one to pay attention to the more nuanced variables of sound production and how one technology cannot capture the essence of perfect sound reproduction. 


ps
411 posts
 
To the OP, there are NO disadvantages to Magepans. Only you can decide if they are for you.

Setting aside the tired notion of "how may angels might fit on the head of a pin" it seems to me that the aim of home audio, high end or otherwise, is to eventually stop farting around and simply enjoy the music. Case in point, today I hung a pair of the modest Audioengine A2+ speakers in my garage and spent hours listening to all kinds of music while working on various projects. Loved it! Absolutely no concern with any audiophile yada, yada, just the music. From Dvorak to Ornette Coleman, to Tom Petty and more.

Full disclosure: I don’t pretend to know nor have heard what "The Absolute Sound" is, even after decades of listening to many genres of music, live or reproduced.
YMMV.

cisgo
18 posts
 
I will second the vote for Spatial, especially if you have room or power concerns. I currently power a pair of M3 Turbo S with a first watt J2 (13 watt at 4ohm) and am quite pleased with the combo.
edincleve's avatar
edincleve
27 posts
 
Hi sunnyjim

I don't have anything to add about the Magnepan 1.7i's, but if you are even considering them, this is what is on their website, today:

We’ll pay you CASH to hear the Magneplanar 1.7i
That’s right!
Not only will we pay the freight both ways, but we’ll pay you $100 for your trouble if you are not impressed and want to return our Magneplanar 1.7is after a 30 day home trial. (We are that confident that you will want to keep them.)
Millions of consumers live too far from a Magnepan dealer to hear for themselves why they might want to own a full-range ribbon speaker. Now, we and the dealer are making an offer to these customers to bring the speakers to their homes.
This program is intended to encourage dealers to reach out to nearby markets or states where we have no dealers. The financial risk is too great for a dealer, so we are lowering their risk by offering to take back the 1.7is if necessary.
We and the dealer must both agree that 1.7is would be the right speakers for you (adequate amplifier, room size, etc.). We will ship the speakers directly to your continental USA location. The paperwork will be handled by the USA Magnepan dealer nearest you. The dealer and Magnepan incur certain costs and risks with this program. We and the dealer reserve the right to decline this offer if, in our judgment, the 1.7is are not the right model for your installation or you live near enough to the dealer for an in-store demonstration. First, call Magnepan and we will explain this program in more detail and determine if the 1.7is could work for you.
Offer expires on July 1, 2017.
http://www.magnepan.com/model_17

If you take them up on this offer, please let us know what your final decision is.

Enjoy!
limniscate
233 posts
 
I've owned the MMG, 1.7i's, 3.7's, and 3.7i's and would say that Magnepans need a lot of room behind them to really reach their full potential.  I'd say a minimum of 5'--preferable more.
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