Ralf11 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 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. Link to comment
Popular Post Ralf11 Posted March 27, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted March 27, 2017 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: The Computer Audiophile, Samuel T Cogley and duxservit 2 1 Link to comment
TubeLover Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Congrats on owning the 3.7i's! You have some truly magical speakers there. I wanted them SO badly, but at the end, my room came up a bit short. Now, let's talk amps. This is no simple task. JC Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 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: Link to comment
esldude Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 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: 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. Link to comment
Johnseye Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 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: 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. Audio System Link to comment
sphinxsix Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 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: Monkeyplanar 3.7.? Most monkeys can hear much higher frequencies than humans. Could be really good testers.. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 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... Link to comment
petaluma Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 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: 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. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 maybe flat panel tech was developed from the monoliths or MAYBE flat panel tech IS the monolith Link to comment
petaluma Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 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. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 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. daverich4 1 Link to comment
petaluma Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 LMAO. Nicely done! "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place". George Bernard Shaw. Link to comment
TubeLover Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Didn't The Who urinate on a giant early model Maggie speaker on the cover of Who's Next? JC Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 That looks like a Quad Link to comment
esldude Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 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 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. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 These guys have gone to a lot of trouble to treat the listening room, but It looks overdamped to me. I do like the amphitheatre type "openness" of the venue however... Link to comment
esldude Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 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. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 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"). Link to comment
petaluma Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 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. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted April 1, 2017 Author Share Posted April 1, 2017 Here is a similar setup - no ceiling and an open air "feel" That room does look to be overdamped however. I'd say back off on the sound absorption treatment. Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 Here is another listening setup - apparently the Monoliths sounded so good that people spent several days at the venue. Link to comment
NOMBEDES Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Dude, they do not have to be black. Maggie's have other color options. In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake ~ Sayre's Law Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 read the OP, dude ---------------------------------------------- Here is an installation in free space. Note how the lack of any reflecting boundaries has created a large red area behind the speaker.... Link to comment
Ralf11 Posted April 5, 2017 Author Share Posted April 5, 2017 Here the Magnolith Planar magnetic speaker is being used in a bedroom system. Note the gesture based remote control also. Link to comment
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