Magnepan LRS... thoughts.

pearsall001

I'm half tempted to give these a shot. I've always wanted to listen to a pair of Maggie's but never had the chance. No local dealer.

The price is right but they are in such demand that it's a 6 month wait. They also come with a 60 day in home trial period.

The reviews are all exceptional but as we all know you have to listen in your room on your gear.

A total different animal from a box speaker for sure.

I am not looking to replace the KEF R3's... just curious that's all.

Nightfall

Probably depends on the music you like. Bach? Yes. Pantera? Maybe not.

pearsall001

I listen mostly to classic rock, vocals, smooth jazz, folk, oldies. I'll give something new a shot also. No head banging heavy metal though.

Emlyn

They will need plenty of space all around them to perform the way they’re intended. A couple fast subwoofers help them dynamically but they can be enjoyed by themselves for what they are. Just don’t expect low bass. Once the timing is dialed in with the room and listening spot they can be spectacular, fast, spacious, and very revealing of any weaknesses in the system or recordings. Like all Magnepans they will need a strong high current amp.

They are the kind of speaker everyone should experience.

Nightfall

I would love to hear a pair someday but I don't think they're the right speakers for me to actually own.

BlueFox

Exactly. I need a speaker that plays all types of music. My musical interests change over time as I get bored with one genre and move to another genre. Being retired I can’t afford to change speakers for each genre.

pearsall001

Emlyn wrote: »

They will need plenty of space all around them to perform the way they’re intended. A couple fast subwoofers help them dynamically but they can be enjoyed by themselves for what they are. Just don’t expect low bass. Once the timing is dialed in with the room and listening spot they can be spectacular, fast, spacious, and very revealing of any weaknesses in the system or recordings. Like all Magnepans they will need a strong high current amp.

They are the kind of speaker everyone should experience.

I definitely have the room, amp & sub. Very tempting 😏

pearsall001

Nightfall wrote: »

I would love to hear a pair someday but I don't think they're the right speakers for me to actually own.

If you never heard them how do you know?

Nightfall

Just based on my music preferences & what I've heard from other people.

You are right though, I could love them.

nooshinjohn

Give them a go. I had th eprevious MMG and also a set of MG20’s... I miss Maggie’s but just don’t have the room for them and with kids, they can be a bit wobbly...

maxward

Worth a try and the wait. 42 years with Magnepan here. Space behind them and perhaps some absorption and/or diffusion will be needed. Play with tweeters in vs out and toe-in. Mark the floor if they end up sounding best in some inconvenient location for you or your partner.

pearsall001

maxward wrote: »

Worth a try and the wait. 42 years with Magnepan here. Space behind them and perhaps some absorption and/or diffusion will be needed. Play with tweeters in vs out and toe-in. Mark the floor if they end up sounding best in some inconvenient location for you or your partner.

Wow...42yrs with Maggie's! I would think you know a thing or two about them.👍 What model are you currently listening to.

From what I've read the most important factors in having success with them is being able to bring them out in to the room at least 3'. No problem here.

Then you need a high current amp that can put out some horsepower into their 4 ohm load... got it covered.

Next up is a sub...some will say not necessary but for the most part a good sub is recommended. Check.

I've heard about listening with the tweeters inside & outside to see what sounds best to you in your room.

I haven't heard much about side wall placement though. Is it best to have them close to the wall or further out in the room.

I think I will go ahead and order a pair. My curiosity has got the best of me. 🤗🎶

pearsall001

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Give them a go. I had th eprevious MMG and also a set of MG20’s... I miss Maggie’s but just don’t have the room for them and with kids, they can be a bit wobbly...

Just me and the wife & 2 dogs. So no concerns there. I see that you can buy custom stands for all the models. I would imagine they will help stabilize them if you do have kids. Just to be on the safe side.

Emlyn

The 1.7i model I have isn't particularly sensitive to side wall distance because the design calls for having a fairly aggressive toe in and having the speakers fairly close together. The front to back distance is more important, but having a couple feet to the sides and some distance behind the listening spot helps with the wrap around/enveloping effect too. Finding the ideal setup distance and angles can take a while. Even a couple inches difference in setup can have a significant impact. That's another reason for putting some kind of marking on the floor to mark their ideal spots.

jbreezy5

The LRS have very low sensitivity (83dB), from what I’ve read.

For the price, they would be a fun experiment.

TroyD

The MMG/LRS have traditionally been a gateway drug for Magnepan. They aren’t for everyone.....but assuming you have the space to accommodate a dipole, enough amp and are realistic about bass requirements and output.....they are the bees knees.

Emlyn

jbreezy5 wrote: »

The LRS have very low sensitivity (83dB), from what I’ve read.

For the price, they would be a fun experiment.

Sensitivity levels and demands on even a high current amp are no joke with Magnepans. I found them to be a more demanding load than the L800s when pushed to a good listening level. That's with running the 1.7i on a Parasound JC5. A Parasound A31 was plenty enough amp for them too though. I could have lived with them in a home theater setup with the LSiM making up the rest of the system but the L800s went on sale while I was waiting the few months in lockdown for the Magnepans to be built. So I ended up with both.



People often say that Magnepan speakers themselves may be relatively inexpensive but they cost a lot because people who buy them have either already invested in good gear (amp, preamp, and source!) or need to buy better gear soon after getting them.

TroyD

Well, think people who buy Maggie’s aren’t folks who walk into Best Buy and grab a receiver and head out the door.....that said, one of El Grande’s neighbors had an MMG home theater on a Denon 5.1 receiver and by all accounts sounded good.

The nice thing about the LRS....zero downside. Send them back if you don’t like them....credit to upgrade or there is a strong demand for them.

What’s not to love?

Put this way, if the L800’s aren’t a long term solution, I’m looking for a pair of 3.7i’s

jbreezy5

Emlyn wrote: »

jbreezy5 wrote: »

The LRS have very low sensitivity (83dB), from what I’ve read.

For the price, they would be a fun experiment.

Sensitivity levels and demands on even a high current amp are no joke with Magnepans. I found them to be a more demanding load than the L800s when pushed to a good listening level. That's with running the 1.7i on a Parasound JC5. A Parasound A31 was plenty enough amp for them too though. I could have lived with them in a home theater setup with the LSiM making up the rest of the system but the L800s went on sale while I was waiting the few months in lockdown for the Magnepans to be built. So I ended up with both.



People often say that Magnepan speakers themselves may be relatively inexpensive but they cost a lot because people who buy them have either already invested in good gear (amp, preamp, and source!) or need to buy better gear soon after getting them.

For @pearsall001 , he seems to have the equipment to not incur further cost. So for him, would be an affordable experiment.

Otherwise, yes, more $$$ outlay for those who aren’t ready to drive them.

heiney9

I have listened to small Maggies (MMG's) and large Maggies (1.3's ??). 4 things to consider, pickier about amp selection, very small sweet spot. Even moving your head a couple inches reduces the soundstage and they lack bass and dynamic scale (somewhat). They really aren't a rock speaker and aren't very forgiving of poor recordings. In both systems they were augmented with a sub for anything below about 48Hz.

They were one of the most transparent speakers I've ever heard when the recording emphasized the mid-range, like vocals and acoustic instruments. Well recorded vocal and acoustic music, they were sublime. Classical, light jazz, vocal, acoustic style of music are, IMO, what they excel at. I just didn't seem to hear the dynamic swings in some of the music we listened to even with a sub.

I always wanted a pair too, but I listen to a wide variety of music and I ultimately decided over 50% of my music collection would be better served with a more versatile speaker.

FWIW, my .02c

The 60 day in home trial sounds like a good deal to at least get your ears on them.

H9

pearsall001

Hey H9,

It's been awhile...glad to see you back in action.

I agree on taking the opportunity of their 60 day in home trial.

It's a 6 month wait... sheesh 🙄

Hopefully well worth it. One thing I really haven't heard is that they are tailored to certain music genres. I'm sure I'll find out in due time.

heiney9

pearsall001 wrote: »

Hey H9,

It's been awhile...glad to see you back in action.

I agree on taking the opportunity of their 60 day in home trial.

It's a 6 month wait... sheesh 🙄

Hopefully well worth it. One thing I really haven't heard is that they are tailored to certain music genres. I'm sure I'll find out in due time.

I'm always checking in, but I admit until recently audio hasn't been center stage. But, I'm back on the horse and have bought a couple new things for my office rig and am looking at revamping the main rig, slowly.

All I can say is in my experience with both well set-up systems with the proper gear and room treatments, there was big difference between Led Zeppelin, Black Keys, Rush, Joe Bonamassa, Tool to name a few harder hitting bands vs. Keb Mo, Jazz at the Pawn Shop, Leo Kottke, Indigo Girls, Al Dimeola, Adele, etc.

The harder rock oriented music just didn't have the same scale and impact vs a more conventional speaker. Was it "awful"? No, just very subdued and much less impactful. Personally, I gave up my quest to own a pair simply because, as I said before, over 50% of my music collection just wouldn't sound its best on Maggies. It's always a bit of trade-off with speakers.

Personal experience in your room is the best way to do it. As long as you don't mind the minor hassle of shipping/carting them back after the demo, I think that's the best way to go for something that is going to be a bit different in it's presentation.

Good luck and I look forward to your impressions if you decide to do it.

H9

tonyb

I might second Brocks thoughts on the Maggies, but, they do image like a mo-fo that's for sure.

maxward

“What model are you currently listening to.“

I’ve had 3.6Rs for about 9 years. MG IIBs before that. I got them circa 1980 at the store owned by Jim Smith (who wrote Get Better Sound). I tend to agree with @heiney9 regarding the types of music they favor. If I were more into hard rock, I’d probably have tried subwoofers a while ago. The true ribbon tweeter is definitely a huge improvement over the old speakers. I’d like to get some time with one of the current models with quasi ribbons.

heiney9

tonyb wrote: »

I might second Brocks thoughts on the Maggies, but, they do image like a mo-fo that's for sure.

Transparency and imaging is simply fantastic when in the sweet spot. Very, very seductive. That's what made me fall in love with them. Except not all source material excels on Maggies.

H9

EDIT: I haven't heard the most current line, so maybe they are a bit different than the MMG's and 1.2's I heard about 10 years ago.

pearsall001

Very interesting observations about the music genres.
Once they arrive (approx Sept) I will have 60 days to give them a vigorous workout.

Emlyn

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N6vZ6CoSeM&t=651s

nooshinjohn

pearsall001 wrote: »

Very interesting observations about the music genres.
Once they arrive (approx Sept) I will have 60 days to give them a vigorous workout.

If you can get a couple of fast, articulate subs that can use the high level outputs, you will be able to get a seamless blend. Doing so will give the little Maggie’s the ability to play any genre with a level of realism that will be amazing. You will end up sending them back however, and getting the MG 3.7’s instead.

maxward

Like a lot of things, the 3.7s have gone up. Up to $7995.00, unless The Absolute Sound got it wrong in the current issue.

pearsall001

nooshinjohn wrote: »

pearsall001 wrote: »

Very interesting observations about the music genres.
Once they arrive (approx Sept) I will have 60 days to give them a vigorous workout.

If you can get a couple of fast, articulate subs that can use the high level outputs, you will be able to get a seamless blend. Doing so will give the little Maggie’s the ability to play any genre with a level of realism that will be amazing. You will end up sending them back however, and getting the MG 3.7’s instead.

I have the sub covered...KEF KC62.

Nothing like putting the pressure on. Lol!

Let me at least get my ears on the LRS first to see if I like the presentation vs a box speaker.

This will be a lot of fun! 🤗

nooshinjohn

You will need two of the KEF’s...