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Giant Black Things in my Living Room


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I have been a fan of Magnepan speakers ever since they ousted my pair of Vandersteens in the mid-1990s after a several month long comparison.  

After 22 years, I decided to upgrade my 1.5QRs but the dealer wouldn't let me test the 3.7i speakers at home.  So, I kept trying to find a different brand - maybe dynamic speakers would work better in my difficult listening room or provide better bass and sound for rock music at the same price.  No real luck there but I did find a used pair of 3.7i speakers for 30% off.  I'd wanted the cream or off-white cloth so it would blend into the background and not be so obvious.  For the side rails I'd wanted oak again or maybe cherry which would look nicer.  Instead, these 2 ft. by 6 ft. panels are black on black and they seem HUGE.

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1 minute ago, Ralf11 said:

Thanks - I am using my old Sunfire right now.  I have been watching @Johnseye comments on amps in his Ref speaker thread, and am going to start an amp thread separately soon.

 

But first I am going to let my relative finish their listening evaluations:

 

 

monolith with monkeys.jpg

HA, seems like monkey see monkey do to me.

 

Congrats on those.  Your Sunfire should do well on them.

 

Should the tweeter ribbon go inside edge or outside edge?  I have heard both ways be best depending upon the room. 

And always keep in mind: Cognitive biases, like seeing optical illusions are a sign of a normally functioning brain. We all have them, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it is something that affects our objective evaluation of reality. 

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7 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

Thanks - I am using my old Sunfire right now.  I have been watching @Johnseye comments on amps in his Ref speaker thread, and am going to start an amp thread separately soon.

 

But first I am going to let my relatives finish their listening evaluations:

 

 

monolith with monkeys.jpg

 

Looking forward to hearing your impressions of your new Maggies.  How do they compare to your 1.7's?  Did you audition any other speakers in your evaluation?  Also looking forward to your amp audition.

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On 27.03.2017 at 8:13 PM, Ralf11 said:

  Here is a group of beta testers evaluating spatial dispersion of an early version of the speaker:

 

 

monolith Africa Maggies.jpeg

 

Monkeyplanar 3.7.? Most monkeys can hear much higher frequencies than humans. Could be really good testers..

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IIRC, theses new 3.7i's are rated to 40 kHz so these are xlnt test subjects.

 

The old ones were 1.5QRs (not 3.7s) and the main difference I hear is a LOT more clarity in the sound.  Also more speed, and more LF extension.  I am going to hook one of the 1.5QRs back up and set the pre-amp to mono, then do a test where I walk back & forth (a la @Jud ).

 

The only really extensive listening tests of others was 3.7i vs. 1.7.

 

BTW, I have some of the worst listening room layouts one can imagine.  But I like having big picture windows... and it would really be nuts to try and move them.

 

More to come...

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On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 11:13 AM, Ralf11 said:

Like a few other brands Magneplanar has pursued a single unitary vision for several decades, refining it every few years.  And I have ot say the latest version does sound great.  

 

Magnepans have a storied history of development and refinement.  Here is a group of beta testers evaluating spatial dispersion of an early version of the speaker:

 

 

monolith Africa Maggies.jpeg

It's full of stars.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So flat panel tech was developed from the monolith.....cool

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place". George Bernard Shaw.

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5 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

maybe flat panel tech was developed from the monoliths

 

or MAYBE flat panel tech IS the monolith

My mind has officially just been blown! :-)

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place". George Bernard Shaw.

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Yes -- very ...ah... spacey.

 

But for all its advanced technology (what with radio beams to Jupiter and all), the Monoliths are relatively inefficient at converting electricity into acoustic energy.  Magnelith, the company in Magnasota that builds them, says they are just 86 dB, 500Hz, 1 meter, 2.83V.  I guess that is A-weighted.

 

Here we see an unfortunate listener attempting to drive one with an early version of the "First What" amplifier.  The SPL is so low he had to fashion that hearing trumpet in his hand out of a leg bone.

 

ape bone monolith low efficiency.jpeg

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4 hours ago, TubeLover said:

Didn't The Who urinate on a giant early model Maggie speaker on the cover of Who's Next?

 

JC

 

Image result for who's next album cover

The Who were big time wankers.  We don't know that what you see is piss.  It definitely isn't a Maggie or a Quad.

And always keep in mind: Cognitive biases, like seeing optical illusions are a sign of a normally functioning brain. We all have them, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it is something that affects our objective evaluation of reality. 

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On 3/28/2017 at 4:43 PM, sphinxsix said:

 

Monkeyplanar 3.7.? Most monkeys can hear much higher frequencies than humans. Could be really good testers..

http://science.ehc.edu/~shopp/JCP102.pdf

 

You might be onto something here.  Monkeys to test audio gear.  Hearing to 45 khz.  They can't have human biases.  We just use them as test subjects.  Like if the monkeys don't react to differences in DSD vs 96 khz PCM, we can be sure humans couldn't really hear a difference. We will need some of those 'research grade' Maggies however. I wonder if I could interest some audio companies in helping me set up a testing shop for them.  Be providing a public service I would.

And always keep in mind: Cognitive biases, like seeing optical illusions are a sign of a normally functioning brain. We all have them, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it is something that affects our objective evaluation of reality. 

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I think there are plenty of monkeys listening to high-end audio systems already (trading in their monkey chow on magic cables, etc.)

 

BTW, monkeys are certainly subject to certain human biases, and so are birds.  when I was teaching undergraduate biology course, I used ot have a slide I'd show of a frigate bird sitting on and incubating a large red ball.  It had abandoned its own egg to incubate a bigger, redder object...  So there is a general bias for larger size (sometimes called "The Mae West Effect").

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21 minutes ago, esldude said:

http://science.ehc.edu/~shopp/JCP102.pdf

 

You might be onto something here.  Monkeys to test audio gear.  Hearing to 45 khz.  They can't have human biases.  We just use them as test subjects.  Like if the monkeys don't react to differences in DSD vs 96 khz PCM, we can be sure humans couldn't really hear a difference. We will need some of those 'research grade' Maggies however. I wonder if I could interest some audio companies in helping me set up a testing shop for them.  Be providing a public service I would.

I'd be very careful if you used real music during testing. If you fire up for example "Afternoon Delight" PETA will be all over your ass for cruelty to animals......

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place". George Bernard Shaw.

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