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Thread: Electrostatic/Planar Speakers

  1. #11
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

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    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ninanina View Post
    Thanks for replies

    Do you have a pair Grant ?

    The ones I have in mind are pretty old and are not the biggest ones, I think they are about 5' tall and about 20" wide. Which one did you have Alan?

    I read that Maggies like a lot of power, I have about 80w but I don't listen at high volumes and I have no problem with size as it's only me to please
    It's not really about volume, it's about control. When powered with a really high current amp, everything snaps into place: transients are razor sharp, bass textures are clearly defined, and drums sound tight and weighty. With a lesser amp you will get a sweet sound with impressive midrange, but they can deliver so much more. Which amp do you have?

    Geoff

  2. #12
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: Sunny Portsmouth

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sherwood View Post
    Maggies are great. I am on my second pair, the 1.7s. Two feet from the rear wall is pushing it, but as they are only a couple of inches thick that is about the space that most speakers take up anyway. A bit of wall treatment can help, but they radiate equal amounts of energy backwards as they do forwards.

    The only caution is that they are monstrously difficult to drive. Yes, they will sound good with decent amps, but they just soak up power like a sponge. Very few amps can really get the best out them but with a good match they are awesome. Speed, superb imaging, detail and, yes, real bass slam.

    Geoff
    Thanks Geoff
    I could possibly bring them out further into the room when being used and I did think about some rear wall treatment as well. Do you think 80w of Naim would drive them? baring in mind I don't listen at high volumes at all as I love my neighbours and actually I just don't like loud music at home
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

  3. #13
    Join Date: Aug 2012

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sherwood View Post
    Which amp do you have?
    I have the Naim Supernait 2 or XS2 80w and 70w respectively

    I actually don't know what a "high current amp" is and whether the Naim's are such
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

  4. #14
    Join Date: May 2016

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    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ninanina View Post
    I have the Naim Supernait 2 or XS2 80w and 70w respectively

    I actually don't know what a "high current amp" is and whether the Naim's are such
    I doubt that the Naim amps would be a good match, but sometimes an unexpected pairing does work. Is there any possibility that you could demo the speakers with your Naim amps?

    Geoff

  5. #15
    Join Date: Aug 2012

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sherwood View Post
    I doubt that the Naim amps would be a good match, but sometimes an unexpected pairing does work. Is there any possibility that you could demo the speakers with your Naim amps?

    Geoff
    To be honest I never go to dealers, or even home dems, and listen to anything these days as it always sounds completely different at home anyway. The cheap Maggies I have an option on does not present much of a risk to 'buy and try' to be honest

    Can anyone explain, in simple terms , what a "high current amp" is ?
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

  6. #16
    Join Date: May 2016

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    I'm Geoff.

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    A high-current amplifier is one that can deliver enough current to drive low-impedance loads. All Maggies are low impedance designs and just seem suck up current like a sponge.

    Although some of the newer digital amps and their like can work well with Maggies, typically they require big amps with meaty power supplies that can maintain their power output down to 2ohms.

    Geoff

  7. #17
    Join Date: Aug 2012

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sherwood View Post
    A high-current amplifier is one that can deliver enough current to drive low-impedance loads. All Maggies are low impedance designs and just seem suck up current like a sponge.

    Although some of the newer digital amps and their like can work well with Maggies, typically they require big amps with meaty power supplies that can maintain their power output down to 2ohms.

    Geoff
    Thanks Geoff for explaining that one

    How does one know if you have a "high current" amp? I have the specs of the Supernait 2 and apparently it has a rather 'oversized' transformer if that makes any difference

    Has anyone heard both electrostats and Magneplaners and care to describe the difference in sound?
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

  8. #18
    Join Date: May 2016

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    Very difficult to generalise. Both designs sound very different to box type speakers because they do not have the colouration that comes with box designs. Both types share good imaging, a sense of speed (i.e. fast transient response); natural tone and a soiid mid range. Their limitations are typically in terms of low bass output, although the quality of bass is good with accurate portrayal of texture. I would say that ribbon designs have the advantage in terms of a wider hotspot for imaging and perhaps a weightier sense of midrange presence. Electrostatics may have the edge on deeper imaging but this can often only be appreciated in a narrow listening zone. Of course, each type has many different manifestations. Suffice to say I could live with Quads, Maggies, Martin Logans and a range of other designs. There is something about live acoustic music on all these speaker types that is hard to achieve with box designs.

    Geoff

  9. #19
    Join Date: Aug 2008

    Location: Suffolk, UK

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    I'm Paul.

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    I used to have Martin Logan Aeon I and they sounded absolutely amazing... when they were in the middle of the room, a good 6 ft away from any walls. They didn’t really image well any closer to the walls, though they did retain that transparency that you only get with panels. I don’t know about Maggies but you have to be careful with used MLs as the conductive polymers on the panels break down after several years and you have to replace the panels in pairs and it is not cheap.
    ~Paul~

  10. #20
    Join Date: Aug 2012

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    Absolutely Geoff. I never found the 57's lacking in low bass to be honest as I am not a bass freak My current LV's don't have a lot of low bass either but I don't miss it...

    I remember the 57's sounding so very good when I had them, actually they were so good that I never wanted to part with them but I just could not fit them into the new room... mind you I made a fortune on them when I sold them, I think they were shipped to someone in Germany

    The 57's were 'special' and the only other speaker I've heard that impressed as much was the Klipsch La Scala

    While I love my LV's I have an 'itch' to try another planar type speaker. It might be that a planar speaker won't work in my room but I'm excited to try it out
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

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