Magnepan 20.7

Dpod4

Dpod4

New member
Joined
Apr 5, 2013
Messages
1,321
My local Maggie dealer came by and we set up new 20.7 speakers. Three "out of the box" comments:

1. These are heavy speakers. Much more so than my previous 3.7s. Once on bases though they are very easy to scoot around.
2. silver trim with white cloth is really nice. Glad I opted for it. My dealer was surprised saying he had never thought to do that color combo before but it was his new favorite and would be the next combo he ordered.
3. Even though wafer thin from the sides, these are ridiculously large speakers when facing them. Expansive. Mainly due to height.

When I first fired them up I was pretty disappointed. Muddy bass and shut in highs. Almost to point I wondered if something was wrong (my ears used to broken in S5 speakers that are ultra refined).

I let a burn in track run for a day and went back in. Better but still a bit jumbled and chaotic as if frequencies were fighting one another and sound stage was collapsed.

So moved them further from front wall (5-6 feet). Bingo things opened up. But still not even good for speakers that need breaking in.

Then I decided to sit in the chair behind my listening seat. 10x better. On all fronts. I was floored at bass depth and punch and dynamics. Instruments separated. Some delicacy and decay reintroduced.

So, this is going to be a project. My dealer assured me my room is plenty big but I have some modes that load the bass that muddles the mids which then buries the highs. My oldest brother noticed this when he visited and listened to my S5s telling me to get bass traps for corners. The 20.7 size exaggerates air moving and the modes. Just moving the speakers and seating position around was revelatory in how much room acoustics play into the equation.

Going to get a couple asc bass traps for the corners. Going to get rid of a HT riser that I think loads the room as well (large hollow carpeted plywood 12" high platform). And will sweat the laborious adventure of minor adjustments of the 20.7. Interestingly right now it sounds best with tweeter ribbons on the inside. On outside they sound disconnected a bit.

The one reason I wanted to buy the Maggies was I remember getting lost in the music more - something about the wall of sound feeling more like a live performance. I definitely heard that, and when I closed my eyes I forgot about the work that lies ahead. The other thing I noticed is the 20.7s have a high end that is more refined and delicious than any Maggie I had heard previously. If I can get room under control and get the 3 ribbons to work together and with the room I think I may have a keeper.

We shall see - the S5s remain tucked away for now. One of these days maybe my obsessive nature will subside and I won't create so much work for myself. For now I enjoy the challenge and the adventure.

Cheers
 
This will be fun to watch. Thank you Darrin. I am on the fence for another pair of speakers. Why? I don't know but don't need to rush into anything. Maggies are high on my list.
 
Congrats on your new 20.7's!!! These speakers do require careful setup. I found 6 feet from the front wall in my listening room to be the ideal distance when I owned 3.7's. Acoustic treatments on the front wall can really help, as the front wall is a primary reflection point due to the speakers' bipolar design. Once you get them dialed in...fasten your seatbelt. :D

Best,
Ken
 
Thx. I hear diffusers on front wall behind Maggies and absorption on rear wall is way to go? Here is a pic I just took from my security camera
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444588368.263301.jpg
 
Dpod4 said:
Thx. I hear diffusers on front wall behind Maggies and absorption on rear wall is way to go? Here is a pic I just took from my security camera
View attachment 13285
Click to expand...

I have owned many Maggies over the years, and based on your picture of the current set up in your room, I would recommend that you move them farther apart. The ribbons to the inside have always worked well in my various rooms, so no need to change that. Just spread them farther apart . I notice on your right wall you have a decorative screen, that sits close to the doors than enter your room. You might want to remove that temporarily so you would have more room to move the speakers farther apart. Don't worry about the side walls causing a major problem. I have used Maggies almost touching the side walls, and it will not impact their performance in terms of how a normal box speaker might be effected by a side wall. In fact the bass response might even be improved some what with close side wall orientation.
Cheers.........
 
Dpod4 ... is your reference to S5s the Magico S5s?? If so, I will pay close attention to this thread. I have always had Maggies and Magicos on the backburner as a potential new speaker choice. I guess I like speaker brands whose name starts with the letter M. :exciting:

Your Maggie experience gives me a bit of pause because I don't think my basement/soundroom has enough runway to properly set up the Maggies, even 3.7s.

Please keep us informed as break-in continues.

BIF
 
Dpod4 said:
My local Maggie dealer came by and we set up new 20.7 speakers. Three "out of the box" comments:

1. These are heavy speakers. Much more so than my previous 3.7s. Once on bases though they are very easy to scoot around.
2. silver trim with white cloth is really nice. Glad I opted for it. My dealer was surprised saying he had never thought to do that color combo before but it was his new favorite and would be the next combo he ordered.
3. Even though wafer thin from the sides, these are ridiculously large speakers when facing them. Expansive. Mainly due to height.

When I first fired them up I was pretty disappointed. Muddy bass and shut in highs. Almost to point I wondered if something was wrong (my ears used to broken in S5 speakers that are ultra refined).

I let a burn in track run for a day and went back in. Better but still a bit jumbled and chaotic as if frequencies were fighting one another and sound stage was collapsed.

So moved them further from front wall (5-6 feet). Bingo things opened up. But still not even good for speakers that need breaking in.

Then I decided to sit in the chair behind my listening seat. 10x better. On all fronts. I was floored at bass depth and punch and dynamics. Instruments separated. Some delicacy and decay reintroduced.

So, this is going to be a project. My dealer assured me my room is plenty big but I have some modes that load the bass that muddles the mids which then buries the highs. My oldest brother noticed this when he visited and listened to my S5s telling me to get bass traps for corners. The 20.7 size exaggerates air moving and the modes. Just moving the speakers and seating position around was revelatory in how much room acoustics play into the equation.

Going to get a couple asc bass traps for the corners. Going to get rid of a HT riser that I think loads the room as well (large hollow carpeted plywood 12" high platform). And will sweat the laborious adventure of minor adjustments of the 20.7. Interestingly right now it sounds best with tweeter ribbons on the inside. On outside they sound disconnected a bit.

The one reason I wanted to buy the Maggies was I remember getting lost in the music more - something about the wall of sound feeling more like a live performance. I definitely heard that, and when I closed my eyes I forgot about the work that lies ahead. The other thing I noticed is the 20.7s have a high end that is more refined and delicious than any Maggie I had heard previously. If I can get room under control and get the 3 ribbons to work together and with the room I think I may have a keeper.

We shall see - the S5s remain tucked away for now. One of these days maybe my obsessive nature will subside and I won't create so much work for myself. For now I enjoy the challenge and the adventure.

Cheers
Click to expand...






Welcome to panel speakers my friend , you are going to know your room like never before, 1/2 an Inch at a time ... :)
 
a.wayne said:
Welcome to panel speakers my friend , you are going to know your room like never before, 1/2 an Inch at a time ... :)
Click to expand...

a.wayne .... I do not doubt your comment. And that is a "no buy point" to me. Beyond a certain point, I just want to listen to music ... not put my head in a vice or discover my room a half inch at a time.:skeptical:

Regards,

BIF
 
Bifwynne said:
Dpod4 ... is your reference to S5s the Magico S5s?? If so, I will pay close attention to this thread. I have always had Maggies and Magicos on the backburner as a potential new speaker choice. I guess I like speaker brands whose name starts with the letter M. :exciting:

Your Maggie experience gives me a bit of pause because I don't think my basement/soundroom has enough runway to properly set up the Maggies, even 3.7s.

Please keep us informed as break-in continues.

BIF
Click to expand...

Hi yes. I have had the Magico S5 for about 2 years. Will get everything set up and give my listening impressions between the two.
 
Darrin - I have owned five pairs of Maggies, I would suggest moving the tweeters to the OUTSIDE and further apart.
 
First, congrats, Darrin! Will be interested how this evolves and any feedback you can share. My brother-in-law has the Maggies 3.x(?), and he loves them!




Bifwynne said:
Dpod4 ... is your reference to S5s the Magico S5s?? If so, I will pay close attention to this thread. I have always had Maggies and Magicos on the backburner as a potential new speaker choice. I guess I like speaker brands whose name starts with the letter M. :exciting:

Your Maggie experience gives me a bit of pause because I don't think my basement/soundroom has enough runway to properly set up the Maggies, even 3.7s.

Please keep us informed as break-in continues.

BIF
Click to expand...


Hi Bif,

Curious, what are the setup requirements for Maggies? Or they are just sensitive to placement in the room?
 
socfan12 said:
First, congrats, Darrin! Will be interested how this evolves and any feedback you can share. My brother-in-law has the Maggies 3.x(?), and he loves them!







Hi Bif,

Curious, what are the setup requirements for Maggies? Or they are just sensitive to placement in the room?
Click to expand...



Not sure. I seem to recall that I spoke with someone in the business (maybe ARC or a dealer) and they said Maggies need about 5+ feet behind them and a lot of runway in front. I simply don't have the space. This is a dealer question.

Hopefully, you'll fall in love with your Maggies after you run them in some more.

Btw, did you mention whether you road tested the 3.7s??

BIF
 
socfan12 said:
I think that question would be direct to Darrin. But thx for the info!
Click to expand...

Yes I had the 3.7 before the Magico S5. S5 definitely better in bass and in refinement. Didn't go to 20.7 from 3.7 because of WAF. But just bought my wife a 2015 Targa4S and Macan so WAF became very accommodating. The 3.7s worked great in the room about 4 feet out from front wall. Not a lot of bass but good enough. The20.7s are moving a lot more air at all frequencies.
 
Excellent . Lot of people going full circle these days including myself as well. Enjoy it in good health.


Mike . When I had the Maggies I always preferred the tweeter inside with better result. I think you are the first one to recommend them to be outside. What did you find when you had them outside ?
 
Mikes on the money. Y'all need to get out some more... ;) :D Darrin, drapes with sound absorbing Bumpf or backing are very good for the 20.7's







 
Dpod4 said:
I hear diffusers on front wall behind Maggies and absorption on rear wall is way to go?
Click to expand...

Congratulations on your fantastic new speakers! I enjoyed MG-IIIAs for a couple of years and I have enjoyed MartinLogan speakers for the last 25 years, so I have used panel speakers continuously for 27 years. I am sure I would love the 20.7s!

It all depends on the room you are starting with, but, in general, I have found that for my speakers in my rooms I like absorption behind the listening position.

If you have the flexibility to pull the panels as far into the room as is dictated by your listening for optimal depth and "sound staging" then I prefer to leave the front wall moderately reflective (i.e., plain drywall). I think that optimizing the timing of the reflected wave by adjusting the distance of the panels to the front wall is what affords you the ability to get some of the "magic" from panel speakers. (I have MartinLogan Prodigys 8' in front of the front wall, in a 25' long room.)

If you cannot pull the panels as far into the room as you would wish to, then, and only, then, do I endorse absorbing some or all of the back-wave or experimenting with diffusion of the back-wave.

I also, in general, like a carpeted floor to dampen floor/ceiling reflections.

It is hard for me tell from the photograph but it looks like your listening chair is pretty close to the speakers. What is the distance between your tweeter ribbons currently and what is the distance from the panels to your chair?

I, too, look forward to reading about your process and your progress!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top