Speaker suggestions?

[Whart]

Maggies take alot of power. Is a VS 115 enough? My experience with older models from both lines- the ML is a hybrid right? and no doubt sounds like one, no matter how much tweaking you do. There is magic in electrostats though that is pretty impossible to duplicate in the midrange. The maggies will come close, and if you feed them properly, can give you a similar level of openness, they may also sound a little more coherent since they are all of a piece (no dynamic woofer with those, right?) Somehow, and this may be my prejudice, but if I were going to be playing loud alot, I'd probably opt for the maggie, and if I wanted more info at low volume, the electostat. Of course, it also depend on your room, and set up, as well as the amp and the rest of the chain upstream.
Do you have a dealer of both products in your 'hood that would let you do a home trial? Obviously ideal.
And, the easiest way around the budget issue is to buy used, but preferably from an authorized dealer who can stand behind a limited time warranty.
Good luck. When ARC and Magnepan first started, they shared alot of marketing resources, and perhaps more. I remember that dealers of one used to carry both lines and a visit from the Minnesota home office, especially when William Zane Johnson was in his prime, was a thing to be feared!
They are all good products. Used Quad might be worth considering too, with the same caveats.

[Sperandeo]

I had Magepan MMG's and have just upgraded to Magnepan 1.7's. Before deciding on the 1.7's I went to my dealer and I spent 3 hours deciding what to go with. I have read wonderful things about the Martin Logins so I really wanted to spend time with both. I was not planning on upgrading again for a long time.

I sat with the Martin Logans and the with the Magnepan's, both sources and songs played were identical. I just seem to prefer the overall sound signature of the Magnepan's, especially in the higher frequencies.

[tsv_1]

Originally Posted by Sperandeo

I had Magepan MMG's and have just upgraded to Magnepan 1.7's. Before deciding on the 1.7's I went to my dealer and I spent 3 hours deciding what to go with. I have read wonderful things about the Martin Logins so I really wanted to spend time with both. I was not planning on upgrading again for a long time.

I sat with the Martin Logans and the with the Magnepan's, both sources and songs played were identical. I just seem to prefer the overall sound signature of the Magnepan's, especially in the higher frequencies.

Just curious... which ML model were you auditioning along side the 1.7s? Maggies are certainly wonderful speakers btw!

Cheers

[AndyPandy]

Well my pick would be the RAAL tweeter Ascendacoustic Sierra Towers for $2600.

Sierra Tower Bamboo Loudspeaker

You have a 30 day home trial so no harm done if you don't like them.

[Sperandeo]

Originally Posted by tsv_1

Just curious... which ML model were you auditioning along side the 1.7s? Maggies are certainly wonderful speakers btw!

Cheers

The ML were the Theos.

[Olskool]

You guys are awesome! You've given me a few things to consider here. It seems Maggies and Martins are crowd pleasers for sure with this group. Interesting to note the guys from B & W threads have yet to respond. Today I visited a local B&W store and while the salesman was very nice and knowledgeable I was unable to get more than a few minutes with him and could not review the choices for which there were more than 5 or 6 models on display. Andy, I'll have to give the Sierra Towers a look although I am not familiar, which isn't saying much because I'm not familiar with quite a few of the equipment call outs discussed on AA.

I wonder if the 1.7's will work from a pure fit in the room perspective; they look fairly imposing. I think it would require a sub woofer since I like abundant (but not over cooked) bass response. The Martin's might work better in terms of size in the listening room space. Correct me if I'm wrong but is the relationship of Magnepan to Martin Logan like the Lexus LS 460 vs. the Toyota Camry Avalon - both solid quality but the LS is more luxurious and high end? I also understand the dispersion characteristics of Martins might be characterized as restricted if you don't have good side and back room for them? I listened to some ML's at Best Buy and the salesman mentioned the dispersion. It may be a while before I make a move on speakers but will let you know about the research along the way. Thanks again.

Larry

[bzr]

Originally Posted by Olskool

You guys are awesome! You've given me a few things to consider here. It seems Maggies and Martins are crowd pleasers for sure with this group. Correct me if I'm wrong but is the relationship of Magnepan to Martin Logan like the Lexus LS 460 vs. the Toyota Camry Avalon - both solid quality but the LS is more luxurious and high end? I also understand the dispersion characteristics of Martins might be characterized as restricted if you don't have good side and back room for them? I listened to some ML's at Best Buy and the salesman mentioned the dispersion.

Larry

Hey Larry, now not wanting to start a flame war here, I mean no disrespect to any Magnepan owners, but, here goes.

The analogy to Lexus & Toyota is not right, at all. The reason being that they are two totally different speakers. Another reasoning is the gear that drives them, the room , the cables etc etc. With the right amount of grease & toil you could make each sound very similar under certain conditions & my money would go with the Magnepan 1.7's & a very good power purifier/source for what you ask.
For me the difference was realised between 2 very good stores, one the importer of Magnepan into Oz & the other an adequate store of top notch hi-fi gear in Sydney. For me the decider was the ML's hands down, the reason being was that the audition just gave me that feeling that with the music I was using for the moment, I could close my eyes & almost feel the lead singers presence not ten feet in front of me in a deserted club. The speakers were the Magnepan 3-7's & ML's Summit X, not a good comparison price wise! My advice is if you can't get a home demo take all your gear into a store & start the journey, good luck!

[Whart]

FWIW, years ago, in Paris at a small boutique hidden on a cobblestone alley on the Il St. Louis, I heard what was then the ML flagship product, driven by the large Jadis amps. If you were going to make car analogies (and I agree with our friend from Oz, the one you made here is not apt to these products), then the ML- at least the set-up I heard (circa 1990?) would have to be more like Bugatti and then perhaps the real ones, not the ugly supercar sold under that banner today.
You really should listen to these things in your house, in your system. My biggest concern is that you might not have enough amplfier power to drive the Maggies. And yes, placement is critical. Given the way a dipole works, you have to get the speakers out into the room to achieve the magic that they are capable of. Both companies make good products but I can't be more specific about models, since i haven't listened to the offerings of either company in years.
Have fun. Planar speakers can be quite addictive, and can give you a slice of reality that is startling.

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by Whart

FWIW, years ago, in Paris at a small boutique hidden on a cobblestone alley on the Il St. Louis, I heard what was then the ML flagship product, driven by the large Jadis amps. .

That would have been the M/L 'Statement's'........

MartinLogan | Statement

FWIW....it would take more than a 'small boutique' to do them justice !!

With respect to the discussion at hand I firmly believe that the Maggie 1.7 matched with the right amp(s) and proper sub are one of if not the best speaker systems at their price poiint and for that matter well beyond it !

[Whart]

It was quite an elegant store, but it's been years- have no idea if it even still there. The french have made some wonderful hi-fi equipment over the years and the owners were very gracious in letting me visit and listen, even though it was obvious I was not going to take a pair of those things back with me on the plane.
I have always liked Maggies- huge bang for the buck and life sized images, with enormous transparency and seemed to work well with big SS amps that were not the most expensive or exotic. A real world speaker and a company that has stayed very true to its origins.

Postscript: I just looked up the store, it is still there, although they moved locations, and they are still ML dealers.
ICI: http://www.presence-audio.com/index....p3?p_idref=223