I just heard the future of Magnepan! We all win...

[jhaider]

If they do make but it is expensive, how well will it compete with the $30k Martin Logan's??

MartinLogan's combination of endfire array bass and built in ARC room correction is a lofty target for both sound quality and output..

 

[rotaryguy]

My approach to matching planar bass (in my case, Magneplanar Tympani 4 bass panels) is
mating these with a rotary subwoofer!
Coherence is achieved with a extended bass response down to 1 hz!!!!
The Tympanis are crossed over at 25 hz, 12 db slope.
The Tympani panels (modified) bolted together and the floor.
I combine the Tympanis with Martin Logan Summits (woofers not used).
These electrostatic speakers mate well with the Tympanis (dipolar radiation
pattern and once again coherency.
The Magnepan 30.7s bass panels would be better yet (I wish they were available
separately.
The Tympanis provide fantastic low frequency ambience down to 25 hz,
which in my opinion, the Maggies for condos, would fall short in this respect.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

Why in blazes would anybody want a rotary sub-woofer in a normal domestic environment? Even if it existed in recorded material, there's no content down there you'd actually 'want' to reproduce.

Is your objective to make everybody seasick?

Dave.

 

[josh358]

My approach to matching planar bass (in my case, Magneplanar Tympani 4 bass panels) is
mating these with a rotary subwoofer!
Coherence is achieved with a extended bass response down to 1 hz!!!!
The Tympanis are crossed over at 25 hz, 12 db slope.
The Tympani panels (modified) bolted together and the floor.
I combine the Tympanis with Martin Logan Summits (woofers not used).
These electrostatic speakers mate well with the Tympanis (dipolar radiation
pattern and once again coherency.
The Magnepan 30.7s bass panels would be better yet (I wish they were available
separately.
The Tympanis provide fantastic low frequency ambience down to 25 hz,
which in my opinion, the Maggies for condos, would fall short in this respect.

View attachment 45609

I'm not sure -- Wendell, who has run them side-by-side with the 30.7's, says the response is similar to the big panels. But like the panels, they're hard to spec since bass response is so room dependent and you can't do a completely meaningful gated measurement. I've seen measurements, but they're hard to interpret because of the room dependence. At the demo, everyone thought the woofers sounded similar to the panels, but there were no serious bottom octave fundamentals, e.g., pipe organ. So they do have output at 20 Hz, but that probably isn't the -3 dB point. (The - 3 dB point on my IVA panels is 25 Hz in my room and the 30.7 goes deeper, I'd say all the way to 20 Hz.)

 

[Sancus]

Even if it existed in recorded material, there's no content down there you'd actually 'want' to reproduce.

There's actually quite a few movies with meaningful infrasonic recordings(5-15hz), and chasing reproduction of it that you can feel isn't uncommon at all in home theatre. As far as music goes, probably much less common. I think there might be a recording of 1812 that has some for the cannons? Not sure. And there's some electronic music with it. But it's definitely not abnormal in home theatre. Just expensive and a pain to achieve.

 

[rotaryguy]

Why in blazes would anybody want a rotary sub-woofer in a normal domestic environment? Even if it existed in recorded material, there's no content down there you'd actually 'want' to reproduce.

Is your objective to make everybody seasick?

Dave.

There is a (lot) of content from movies, as well as pipe organ and electronic music.
The realism is awesome, and as far as getting sea sick, no one here has complained.
Recorded thunder has frequencies below 10 hz. I can, as well as many others have
commented how real it sounds and felt!!!!
Until one has experienced this combination of speakers, you would be amazed!!!!
The room is 29' long x 19' wide x 11' cathedral ceiling. ASC bass traps and midrange
traps and many other diffusors make a huge difference, as well.
Equipment cabinet is sand filled on a concrete foundation, isolated from any vibrations.
Center channel Martin Logan Logos, Goldenear Triton 2s for sides, and 4 Gallo Micros
for rears.
Please read Peter Moncrieffs article on the Rotary Sub in International Audio Review.
which fully explains why he calls this the Only Subwoofer.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

Please read Peter Moncrieffs article on the Rotary Sub in International Audio Review.
which fully explains why he calls this the Only Subwoofer.

Yeah, I'm familiar with how the rotary woofer works. It's been around for many years.

Dave.

 

[TLEDDY]

Why in blazes would anybody want a rotary sub-woofer in a normal domestic environment? Even if it existed in recorded material, there's no content down there you'd actually 'want' to reproduce.

Is your objective to make everybody seasick?

Dave.

Because it

Well, you're throwing some numbers out there and making some claims which are pretty subjective. And, if you're promoting high-passing the speakers to eliminate the bottom two octaves, then you've created an apples/oranges situation.
Most Magnepan users do not utilize subwoofers, and even they do, are not high-passing the main speakers effectively enough to reduce distortion appreciably.

I also presume your -50db claim is regards harmonic distortion. I think IMD is by far the most significant distortion mechanism at work here. This is especially significant with the lower-priced Magnepan models since the QR tweeter sits on the same diaphragm as the woofer transducer and the crossovers are low-slope designs. The mechanical coupling between adjacent drivers in Magnepan systems is far more effective than on any other speakers I can think of.

Anyways, back to the focus of this new system. I've long been an advocate for mating dipole woofer systems (with conventional drivers) to Magnepan speakers for bottom two-octave duties. And it was easy to implement (analog) well....even in the pre-DSPbox era. I'm surprised that it's taken Magnepan this long to make an attempt in this direction.

Dave.

 

[TLEDDY]

Because it

Is there!

 

[Deleted member 2944]

Is there!

Wonderful insight. Thank you.

Dave.

 

[David Harper]

Thanks to Titanium Troy’s timely tip, I joined Magnepan’s focus group in Pittsburgh, where Wendell Diller’s road show (V2.0) introduced a new Prototype.

Tall, svelte and surprisingly unobtrusive panels played a diverse selection of music that sang through the challenging acoustic conditions of a glass enclosed modern apartment. Sound enthusiasts or not, everyone at the demonstration was impressed.

Takeaway 1: The experience blew me away. Magnepan’s New Bass Solution (NBS) IS this company’s bass blueprint for the future.

The Prototype projects a stunning, detailed, and realistic three-dimensional musical soundstage with seamless bass generated from a small triangular box - 6” per side and 36” high. It has the best speed, snap, accuracy, and depth I’ve ever heard from planars in my 45-year love affair with music.

They are both beautifully musical and amazingly analytical; starkly revealing the enormous production differences between every.single.piece.of.music.demo’d.that.evening!

I walked in asking, “Can they really substitute their flagship 30.7’s accurate and grand bass panels with a tiny triangular box, without shortcomings?”

I walked out, with a definitive, “Yes!” - impressed that not only that they had pulled it off but realizing I had just witnessed the obsolescence of large bass panels.

Additionally, the sonic improvement goes beyond the bass. In reducing the original 30.7 drivers to a single panel with NBS substituting the bass panels, this Prototype fully outperformed the original.

Takeaway 2. NBS is fundamentally TRANSFORMATIVE to Magnepan. It will make their products more appealing and competitive.

First, NBS provides a whopping 70% reduction in size – planars go from overwhelming to more welcoming in our homes. It’s also less sensitive to positioning and room size giving us more flexibility in how we enjoy it at home.

Second, NBS delivers improved power handling, reducing the need for expensive amplifiers. The Prototype was effortlessly driven by Magnepan’s new MAC amplifier (150W/8 Ohm and 300W/ 8 Ohm), soon to be available at about $3,600.

Third, NBS saves money. Manufacturing and shipping huge panels is expensive - NBS isn’t. So Magnepan gets improved margins, their dealer base gets reenergized, and consumers get more value.

Fourth, NBS is so compelling I would be surprised if Magnepan didn’t soon revamp their 20.7, 3.7i, and 1.7i offerings.

Magnepan deserves to be congratulated for innovating new products.

They’ve pulled this off before. Two decades ago they dropped their original mylar tweeters in their higher end speakers for something new—their patented ribbon tweeter! It remains to this day one of audio’s superb highs

A few humble suggestions for Mangepan

1-It’s time to name this great speaker something more than “30.7 for Condos”.

2-Stick to your Value(s). Literally. Magnepan consistently wins best-in-price-class honors from the LRS to the 20.7. Please continue this in pricing your new NBS line.

3-If you need more focus groups, invite the participants to MN. Your NBS works. Let’s focus on getting the new speakers to market as soon as possible.

***

I keep hearing that HIGH END AUDIO is dying with the baby boomer generation.

If so, it’s certainly not because the market as a whole is shrinking. Audio is actually bigger today than ever, it’s just that high-end’s share of it is dropping.

Brand, brand character, product quality, convenience, relevance, positioning and experience drive today’s consumer. I’m not confident many high-end manufacturers are playing at that table.

Magnepan is about to shed major size and performance handicaps and introduce a great new speaker. I would love to see Magnepan seize this fantastic opportunity to increase its “top of mind” and market share. Because now they CAN.

nonsense. hyperbole. a glorified overpriced subwoofer. The future of Maggie is the LRS. Magnepan's LRS is ,at it's price point, the best speaker in the world. This new one doesn't even compete. The LRS,coupled with a good sealed subwoofer, blows this new speaker away on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Marketing copy notwithstanding.

 

[josh358]

nonsense. hyperbole. a glorified overpriced subwoofer. The future of Maggie is the LRS. Magnepan's LRS is ,at it's price point, the best speaker in the world. This new one doesn't even compete. The LRS,coupled with a good sealed subwoofer, blows this new speaker away on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Marketing copy notwithstanding.

Out of curiosity, have you actually heard it?

I love the LRS and no doubt, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, the LRS gives you more bang for your buck. But, you know, a Toyota gives you more bang for the buck than a Ferrari.

And believe me, there's a lot more to this design than a subwoofer! You can mate any monopole subwoofer you want to any Maggie you want and it won't give you the same results in the bass. You will hear the sub. The bass won't sound real on acoustical instruments.

The 30.7FC is better in the highs, better in the mids, and better in the lows. It images better. And it's more compact, laterally, at least.

It may not be worth the price to you, but the sound it makes is mind blowing.

 

[TLEDDY]

Wonderful insight. Thank you.

Dave.

Thank you for the complement... I rarely achieve that level of appreciation.

 

[MrPotatoHead]

A year ago the audio world gushed over this new speaker and then ... silence. I'm guessing that Covid didn't help but I'm wondering if any of you with inside connections have any fresh information to share.

 

[Sal1950]

A year ago the audio world gushed over this new speaker and then ... silence.

I'm not really 100% sure which speaker you refer to, this thread has drifted a bit, but no matter cause the answer is always the same. This is audio we're discussing and marketing demands there will always be a, new poster child, latest and greatest, all else is gaslight marketing approach. Right along the same timeline we had the Kii Three's, D&D 8C, the latest Wilsons, whatever. In this group of customers who have the money to change speakers like blue collars do shoes, there always has to something bigger, better, and new to buy into, that's just the way it is.
Same deal with super-cars, and other elite toys.

 

[josh358]

A year ago the audio world gushed over this new speaker and then ... silence. I'm guessing that Covid didn't help but I'm wondering if any of you with inside connections have any fresh information to share.

As it happens, I was talking to Magnepan's Wendell Diller about it just yesterday. The LRS continues to be a hit, so much so that they're back ordered for months despite working extra shifts and customers and dealers are starting to complain about the delays on the delivery of their larger models.

Wendell was wondering whether they should stop taking LRS orders until they can catch up, and we also discussed a wait list approach, which I personally think is better (if anyone has any opinions they can chime in and I'll pass them on). I suggested a price increase, but he doesn't want to do that, since he sees the LRS as a marketing tool rather than a profit center -- they sell it at near cost, knowing that some of those who buy it will go on to buy their more expensive models. In the long term, they're working on design and manufacturing changes that would allow them to manufacture the LRS more quickly, but that will require changes in the production process, so it could take some time.

 

[MrPotatoHead]

As it happens, I was talking to Magnepan's Wendell Diller about it just yesterday...

That's an interesting and challenging problem to have.

To be clear, I was referring to the OP comments about the prototype demo in Pittsburgh. There were other demos around the same time in other locations and the comments were overwhelmingly positive.

Here's a post I just found: http://soundadvicenews.com/2020/01/22/magnepan-focus-group-30-7s-for-condos/

And Steve Guttenberg got a demo at Audio Connection:

 

[whazzup]

As it happens, I was talking to Magnepan's Wendell Diller about it just yesterday. The LRS continues to be a hit, so much so that they're back ordered for months despite working extra shifts and customers and dealers are starting to complain about the delays on the delivery of their larger models.

Wendell was wondering whether they should stop taking LRS orders until they can catch up, and we also discussed a wait list approach, which I personally think is better (if anyone has any opinions they can chime in and I'll pass them on). I suggested a price increase, but he doesn't want to do that, since he sees the LRS as a marketing tool rather than a profit center -- they sell it at near cost, knowing that some of those who buy it will go on to buy their more expensive models. In the long term, they're working on design and manufacturing changes that would allow them to manufacture the LRS more quickly, but that will require changes in the production process, so it could take some time.

Would be so cool if Wendell could join ASR. I believe there are a lot of fans of magnepans here.

 

[josh358]

Would be so cool if Wendell could join ASR. I believe there are a lot of fans of magnepans here.

The reason Wendell doesn't have his own online accounts is that he'd spend too much time on them! He's already working six days a week. But if anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to pass them along.

 

[josh358]

That's an interesting and challenging problem to have.

To be clear, I was referring to the OP comments about the prototype demo in Pittsburgh. There were other demos around the same time in other locations and the comments were overwhelmingly positive.

Here's a post I just found: http://soundadvicenews.com/2020/01/22/magnepan-focus-group-30-7s-for-condos/

And Steve Guttenberg got a demo at Audio Connection:

Sorry, I looked back a couple of posts and thought we were talking LRS.

As it happens, I had a bit of a role in the design of the 30.7 C so I have a pretty good idea of where it stands. The unit that was shown was a laboratory prototype with fabric draped over it, something they wouldn't ordinarily show publicly, but the 30.7 C is a significant departure for them, so they wanted to do some focus groups to see how customers, critics, and dealers reacted to the concept. Fortunately, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, so they began production engineering and started exploring cosmetics. They're also considering what version of the product will be released first -- the original plan was to begin with the flagship and move down the line, but it may make sense to start with a mid-range model instead.

So, to make a long story short, the 30.7 C is in development, but it will be a while before a commercial product is released, doubly so because they're dealing with the manufacturing backlog and have some other new products in the pipeline.