flyz51
dipolar since 1990
We are visiting my sister this weekend, so I got away for a few hours to poke around and window shop for new equipment and hunt for records. First thing I did was head to the Magneplanar Dealer where I bought my SMGa's in the early 1990's (Audio Consultants in Hinsdale, IL). I haven't listened to any current production Maggies since the mid 90's, so this was a chance to assess both the current state of my speakers and see what I may have to spend in moving up to a different model.
The salesman at the shop was extremely helpful after I explained how I was a former customer and just starting to explore upgrading my current speakers. He asked what I used to drive my system at home before setting me up with an NAD disc player/integrated amp combo that was similar to that (though maybe a tiny bit better than the home system). He hooked up two sets of speakers, the MG 12 and the recently launched MG 1.7 with the new full quasi-ribbon drivers, loaded & fired up the first of my discs, showed me how to operate the A-B switch to toggle between the speakers, handed me the remote volume control and left me (mostly) alone for well over half an hour.
Three things stood out in my listening session:
1) The MG 12's put out a much larger and spacious sound field than my SMGa's even the panels basically the same size. The much larger 1.7's even more so again.
2) The current models also seem a lot faster and more open dynamically than my SMGa's with the 1.7's again taking the honors.
3) Magnepan is still one of the best bargains in quality sound. The MG 12's are about double the outlay of what I dropped on the SMGa's some 17 years ago.
One comforting thought lingered afterwards, my aging SMGa's still sound very good despite their years and heavy use. I'll probably get a new set sometime in the next couple of years before giving the SMGa's a makeover, but I'll never get rid of them (they're already promised to my youngest son). Given the whispered expectations that the newest panel technology of the 1.7's will spread to the other models, I'm willing to be patient. If I don't wait, it will probably be for a pair of the MG 12's, more for size/room compatibility than money considerations (though that does enter into the equation).
SACD's used in my listening session, for those that want to know:
1) Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 4, Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony, RCA Living Stereo SACD reissue. ,The opening movement is a marvel of orchestration that runs from tiny ensemble, sleigh bells with strings to full orchestra. This is a dynamic recording of most enjoyable music.
2) John Hiatt - Master of Disaster,New West Records.One of my favorite singer songwriters backed by the North Mississippi Allstars in remarkable recording produced by the late Jim Dickinson. Listened to the title track.
3) Larry Coryell Organ Trio - Impressions, Chesky Records. An audiophile label I've been very fond of for a long, long time. Wanted to hear the how the Maggies handled the Hammond B3 sound; answer - very well indeed.
4) Yo Miles! - Upriver, Cuneiform Records. An electric period Miles Davis tribute band organized by guitarist Henry Kaiser and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, this is a searing recording with massive sound. I wanted to hear how the panels handled the low frequency pedal point bombs that anchor the opening of Go Ahead John. They never got congested and kept the dense percussion stew underlying the soloists distinct and well spaced. This one had the salesman come in and ask what I was listening to.
5) Flanders Recorder Quartet - Banchetto musicale, Aeolus Records
Just because I had to include some early music and to see if the maggies could better resolve this closely blended ensemble recording. It literally sounds like a small organ instead of four recorders. Answer was yes and no, the voices were a bit better separated - but it appears that the blended sound was a primary aim of the engineer.
Next time I go, there will be vinyl too, the journey has just resumed
The salesman at the shop was extremely helpful after I explained how I was a former customer and just starting to explore upgrading my current speakers. He asked what I used to drive my system at home before setting me up with an NAD disc player/integrated amp combo that was similar to that (though maybe a tiny bit better than the home system). He hooked up two sets of speakers, the MG 12 and the recently launched MG 1.7 with the new full quasi-ribbon drivers, loaded & fired up the first of my discs, showed me how to operate the A-B switch to toggle between the speakers, handed me the remote volume control and left me (mostly) alone for well over half an hour.
Three things stood out in my listening session:
1) The MG 12's put out a much larger and spacious sound field than my SMGa's even the panels basically the same size. The much larger 1.7's even more so again.
2) The current models also seem a lot faster and more open dynamically than my SMGa's with the 1.7's again taking the honors.
3) Magnepan is still one of the best bargains in quality sound. The MG 12's are about double the outlay of what I dropped on the SMGa's some 17 years ago.
One comforting thought lingered afterwards, my aging SMGa's still sound very good despite their years and heavy use. I'll probably get a new set sometime in the next couple of years before giving the SMGa's a makeover, but I'll never get rid of them (they're already promised to my youngest son). Given the whispered expectations that the newest panel technology of the 1.7's will spread to the other models, I'm willing to be patient. If I don't wait, it will probably be for a pair of the MG 12's, more for size/room compatibility than money considerations (though that does enter into the equation).
SACD's used in my listening session, for those that want to know:
1) Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 4, Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony, RCA Living Stereo SACD reissue. ,The opening movement is a marvel of orchestration that runs from tiny ensemble, sleigh bells with strings to full orchestra. This is a dynamic recording of most enjoyable music.
2) John Hiatt - Master of Disaster,New West Records.One of my favorite singer songwriters backed by the North Mississippi Allstars in remarkable recording produced by the late Jim Dickinson. Listened to the title track.
3) Larry Coryell Organ Trio - Impressions, Chesky Records. An audiophile label I've been very fond of for a long, long time. Wanted to hear the how the Maggies handled the Hammond B3 sound; answer - very well indeed.
4) Yo Miles! - Upriver, Cuneiform Records. An electric period Miles Davis tribute band organized by guitarist Henry Kaiser and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, this is a searing recording with massive sound. I wanted to hear how the panels handled the low frequency pedal point bombs that anchor the opening of Go Ahead John. They never got congested and kept the dense percussion stew underlying the soloists distinct and well spaced. This one had the salesman come in and ask what I was listening to.
5) Flanders Recorder Quartet - Banchetto musicale, Aeolus Records
Just because I had to include some early music and to see if the maggies could better resolve this closely blended ensemble recording. It literally sounds like a small organ instead of four recorders. Answer was yes and no, the voices were a bit better separated - but it appears that the blended sound was a primary aim of the engineer.
Next time I go, there will be vinyl too, the journey has just resumed
