20.7 owners?....UPDATE?

[Rayooo]

Originally Posted by audiot servant

So seems Ray and Greg have gone MIA... A definite happy pattern forming here... get the gear and disappear... As the Buddhists say gone gone gone goes the goer... into Nirvana we hope :-)

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

unfortunately in my case, no Nirvana or spiritual enlightenment as I've been sucked into work and pressing issues unrelated to music lately!

I did get around this evening to a few minor positioning tweaks.

But most of the evening has been spent listening to the new Mark Knopfler record!! (which just finally arrived today!)

[gclpc]

Yes...I'm distracted. I'm listening to Miles/Dexter/Sonny/Ike/Elton/Sting/J,P,G & R (a Mofi Box set I just acquired) and a zillion others....

Fortunately, I'm self-employed, and can work(?) at home...

[Rayooo]

Originally Posted by gclpc

Yes...I'm distracted. I'm listening to Miles/Dexter/Sonny/Ike/Elton/Sting/J,P,G & R (a Mofi Box set I just acquired) and a zillion others....

Fortunately, I'm self-employed, and can work(?) at home...

I really can't complain, I've been working from home for years....sometimes ya end up spending more work hours than in an office or....

I'm curious about what everyone would say is an expected break-in time for 20.7s. My rough estimate is that they got over the out-of-the-box-dulls in just a few hours. I can't say that I've noticed any major changes since, other than possibly a very gradual "blooming" taking place. (for lake of a better word)

I did some low volume level listening this morning, which of course maggies have never been known for, and I must say it was VERY enjoyable.
..not that my typical listening level is anywhere near LOUD.

[audiot servant]

I get to work from home a few days a week plus have had a 6 weeks break shortly after getting the 20.7s which has let me put on a fair more hours on than usual relatively quickly... and they have inspired a few gear upgrades (they have caused a re-evaluation on both cables and power) and also a lot of new music purchases.

I've really enjoyed the way they have opened up and improved over the hours and the sense of the panels just really freeing up is similar IME to the 3.7s... that is that there is plenty good from the start but things really gel from about 600 hrs on and there is more magic to be had past this.

Since they have been way nice from zero hour the most marked improvements have been in a livelier bass and dynamic tracking down low volume levels once you get to about 600hrs and then beyond that the atmosphere sets in more deeply and the separation between what is replay and the real gets spookily narrow. Sometimes the players seem almost like flesh and bone, I wasn't really expecting to be able to get this level of performance from my system.

Considering the kind of gear that both you and Greg have I can only figure you will be experiencing some genuinely phenomenal listening as time goes on... though the first few hundred hours are definitely a good teaser for what is to come and in reality it's been happy listening all along. With the 20.7s it seems the honeymoon period is a keeper.

Graham

[russell]

Originally Posted by Rayooo

I'm curious about what everyone would say is an expected break-in time for 20.7s

I've had mine for just over 5 months now and I've been driving them hard every day. I have noticed increased bass at all volumes and more fullness as a result. I would say they will change over a 5 month period (as mine have) and probably some thereafter - perhaps even noticable changes after 6 months to a year.

[russell]

I also wanted to mention one important fact that you may have read multiple times: Magnepans need room behind them. Mine are now 8 ft out from the front wall.

Let's be honest, most of us may not have the space or we simply don't want to ruin the "asthetics" of the room or move furniture or ... the list goes on. It's funny how many of us would not think twice about spending thousands on a different cable, etc only to achieve the slightest change in comparison to correct placement of our speakers.

I'll say it: Moving my Magnepan 20.7's is a real pain, not to mention adjusting them all over again with tape measure, laser, etc. Bottom Line: You will never get the most from your system until you truly devote your space to the Magnepans - they need space, a lot of space. I would definitely agree with at least 1/3 of the length of your room. If you are not prepared to do this, you may want to find another speaker that will work within your limitations.

[mgard]

Thanks for the update russell. I suppose that applies equally to the 3.7's? I have to move mine out from the wall each time I listen to them so I have never really got a good sense of what they sound like. I am still thinking about moving them to my finished basement. Then I could place permanently in one spot and have all the tweaking room I need. I also need to get some dedicated 10 Amp lines for my amps and sub woofers. And then there is the speaker cable and power cables.... I think I need a second job. It can only get better.

~Mike

[Rayooo]

Originally Posted by russell

I also wanted to mention one important fact that you may have read multiple times: Magnepans need room behind them. Mine are now 8 ft out from the front wall.

Let's be honest, most of us may not have the space or we simply don't want to ruin the "asthetics" of the room or move furniture or ... the list goes on. It's funny how many of us would not think twice about spending thousands on a different cable, etc only to achieve the slightest change in comparison to correct placement of our speakers.

I'll say it: Moving my Magnepan 20.7's is a real pain, not to mention adjusting them all over again with tape measure, laser, etc. Bottom Line: You will never get the most from your system until you truly devote your space to the Magnepans - they need space, a lot of space. I would definitely agree with at least 1/3 of the length of your room. If you are not prepared to do this, you may want to find another speaker that will work within your limitations.

Hi Russell

This is SO true! I recall back with my 1.6s spending probably a year fighting the idea about distance to the front wall. I hate to put numbers on such things, but due to my own "pigheadedness" I sat for nearly a year getting about 50% performance from the 1.6s. Fortunately one day on a whim I moved the 1.6s about 4 feet out and BAM it hit me like a brick! I run the 20.7s (as I did the 3.7s) about 6 feet out. I can literally move them closer and hear the soundstage collapse further with every few inches.

'wish I had a nickel for every time I've had the tape measure out to tweak positioning on Magnepans!

[SundayNiagara]

Originally Posted by russell

I also wanted to mention one important fact that you may have read multiple times: Magnepans need room behind them. Mine are now 8 ft out from the front wall.

Let's be honest, most of us may not have the space or we simply don't want to ruin the "asthetics" of the room or move furniture or ... the list goes on. It's funny how many of us would not think twice about spending thousands on a different cable, etc only to achieve the slightest change in comparison to correct placement of our speakers.

I'll say it: Moving my Magnepan 20.7's is a real pain, not to mention adjusting them all over again with tape measure, laser, etc. Bottom Line: You will never get the most from your system until you truly devote your space to the Magnepans - they need space, a lot of space. I would definitely agree with at least 1/3 of the length of your room. If you are not prepared to do this, you may want to find another speaker that will work within your limitations.

This is true regarding most speakers!

[russell]

Originally Posted by SundayNiagara

This is true regarding most speakers!

If so, then I need to change the last sentence of my post to the following:

If you are not prepared to do this, you may want to find another hobby that will work within your limitations.