Magnepan 20.7

RonR said:
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!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Speakers are about 6 feet apart and 10 feet from listening position



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In my case I definitely prefer the tweeters on inside, although maybe due to my room being too small.
With inside tweeters I experience absolutely uncanny center focus along with a sense of depth and at the same time maintaining very good image width.

It did also did quite a bit of time for these things to break-in. I didn't listen for long periods at first, I recall estimating at least a couple hundred hours before I felt they had stabilized.

Mine are around 6 feet apart, at least 5 feet from the wall behind the speakers and nearly 10 feet from listening position.
I have a bit of damping behind speakers as well as behind listening position. mine are pretty close to side walls but they don't seen to mind at all.
 
Darrin, I remember when you had your Maggie 3.7's. Your comments encouraged me to get my 3.7i's. Congratulation on the 20.7's. I have not had the privilege of listening to a pair but everyone that has them loves them. It is amazing how a few inches one way or the other can make them snap into musical bliss. For what it is worth, currently the 3.7's are 6 foot out from the front wall and 6 foot apart. Ribbons on the inside. I sit about 8 foot back. Keep us posted on your progress.

~Mike
 
I just posted this on another site that needed some Maggie love and revival (Steve Hoffman forum); thought I would cut and paste here if that is OK?

I have had my Magnepan 20.7s now for a couple of weeks. They replaced my Magico S5 speakers. Before offering my initial impressions here is some context - when I was a teenager my older brother (a true audiophile) helped me assemble my first system: Empire 698 turntable with Grado cartridge, into NAD preamp, with modified Hafler amp powering my first pair of Maggie MGII-C speakers. Looking back, the room acoustics were spectacular -- converted garage (cement floor with 1970s gold shag carpet on top) that had wood beams in ceiling, some walls that were jutting to create non-parallel effect, large book case for diffusion and a burlap type wallpaper so not highly reflective surfaces). I remember listening to Rickie Lee Jones Pirates' "Woody and Dutch" and that was the moment I became addicted to audio. A few years ago I heard my older brother's system (20.1s with all ARC gear and Linn table) and decided to get back into audio. Cycled through a lot of equipment but reference analog system currently is Spiral Groove SG1.2 table with Goldfinger Statement cartridge into ARC Ref 2SE phone preamp into preamp (was Air Tight Ref 2001, now waiting for delivery of ARC Ref 6) into Jena Labs modified Marantz MA9S2 monoblocks (beat my Constellation Centuar even the MA9s were in stock form). Cabling is Cardas Clear/Beyond. Last note...before my Magico S5 speakers I had the Magnepan 3.7s. S5 were in a different league -- more refined and close to the same size soundstage. Fast forward...I sold the S5s and replaced with the Magnepan 20.7s....biggest fear was if I was stepping down in dynamics, refinement and bass. I also have a pair of TAD CR1s, which simply put would be the love child produced if a pair of 20.7s married a pair of Magicos.

20.7 Initial Impressions:
- More refined and coherent than any maggie I have heard.
- Could have to do with my room dimensions and lack of right corner bass treatment but the 20.7s have almost overwhelming bass impact and extension. And my 20.7s are not even close to being broken in. Anyone thinking Magnepans don't reach deep enough or hit hard enough with lower registers, has not listened to the 20.7s. With my 3.7s I had to supplement with a Velodyne DD-15+ sub. With my 20.7s it is comical to even consider using a sub in my room.
- The midrange and treble is so refined and smooth, it is the most nonfatiguing natural sounding speaker I have listened to...when listening to it I keep thinking about a live nonamplified performance.
- May have to do with placement and the Jena modified mono amps, but the 20.7s are filling my room with holographic sound. No longer a 2D striving for moments of 3D.
- By a country mile, the 20.7s are DYNAMIC. Across the entire frequency range. My TADs are clearly more dynamic with midbass thrust, but the Maggies are coherently dynamic (macro and micro) across all frequencies at the same time.
- The combination of bass extension and the slam / dynamics power of the 20.7 create a Maggie experience I haven't had before.
- As always, placement is chore...still trying to dial that in so there is a seamless natural soundstage left to right. TAD CR1s nail this with much more ease.
- 20.7s require a big room. I am still not sure if my room is going to be big enough (15x20 with 10' pitched ceiling) to really let these speakers take their shoes and coat off and settle in.
- The TAD CR1s are probably the BEST speaker I have ever heard....most resolving without glare or etch...most see-through fast transient dynamic slam hear everything take breath away experience. 20.7s (not broken in) are not on that level of low listening level see-through quality, but are a different experience > table next to the stage at a jazz club fall into the music happening all around you. Remains to be seen, but the TAD CR1s sound awesome at any level volume. With the 20.7s I feel I have to turn them up beyond a background listening level to enjoy them (caveat....I am 50 so my ears are the same age). So I am trying to decide between the TADs and the Maggies, but they both do things wonderfully differently. One is the perfect pair of comfortable jeans, and the other is the perfectly tailored suit. Perfect world both stay. The fact a $14k speaker easily holds it own with $40,000 speakers is amazing. Hats off to Magnepan for delivering what must be the most bang for the buck in high end audio, and for helping me relive that moment when I was a teenager listening to Woody and Dutch.
 
Darrin,

A most enjoyable read. Thank you for taking us back in time when you first began in high end audio. I have fond memories like that too sitting in my 10 by 12 foot bed room at 17 years old listening to McIntosh ML-1C's and an MA 6100. A very nice description of the sound you are hearing form the TAD's and Maggies. To bad you couldn't bump out the walls of your sound room and keep both. :rolleyes:

~Mike
 
20.7 and CR-1s - the two speakers I'd love to audition. As you say, the price difference is significant (without even considering matching gear).

Have fun choosing :¬)
 
I am thinking I keep both - am worried the speakers not being used though can harm the sound of the ones playing? Drivers or Mylar moving
 
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