I used to own MMGs and while the LRS is a different design the concept is the same and the review matches the problems I heard with the MMGs. Biggest issue i had was the inverted U shaped response and bus off a cliff treble response.
Midrange was OK, and with the right source material could deliver a ginormous soundstage with good clarity, but lacked any tonal weight. A few years prior I heard a pair of Definitive Technology BP 20s and was gobsmacked at their massive bi polar Soundstage, but unfortunately those speakers lacked refinement. DT only wanted mass retail and their later designs got even worse to my ears.
I had several audiophile friends with bigger Maggie's one of which drove a pair of 1.6s with what I recall were Sunfire monoblocks. That system was in an entire different league producing a focused and properly balanced Soundstage as big as the area between the panels. Total sonic immersion....with the power meter on the side of the house spinning madly
The LRS could likely be vastly improved by also cutting its width and opting for a curved panel like ML reducing all that weird phase swiss cheese phase issue. Perhaps some patent issues prevent Magnepan from doing this?
Speaking of Martin Logan, I've heard many of their electrostats and they all seem to lack the extreme variability of Magnepan set ups and have much cleaner mid range. MLs don't scale like the bigger Maggie's though.
Somebody mentioned di poles above and I agree. The BP 20s I heard years ago were mediocre 2 ways at best but in bi pole mode got my attention. I just wish DT had gone in a higher end direction because they accomplished to some degree what planers do with a lot less fussing around.
Midrange was OK, and with the right source material could deliver a ginormous soundstage with good clarity, but lacked any tonal weight. A few years prior I heard a pair of Definitive Technology BP 20s and was gobsmacked at their massive bi polar Soundstage, but unfortunately those speakers lacked refinement. DT only wanted mass retail and their later designs got even worse to my ears.
I had several audiophile friends with bigger Maggie's one of which drove a pair of 1.6s with what I recall were Sunfire monoblocks. That system was in an entire different league producing a focused and properly balanced Soundstage as big as the area between the panels. Total sonic immersion....with the power meter on the side of the house spinning madly
The LRS could likely be vastly improved by also cutting its width and opting for a curved panel like ML reducing all that weird phase swiss cheese phase issue. Perhaps some patent issues prevent Magnepan from doing this?
Speaking of Martin Logan, I've heard many of their electrostats and they all seem to lack the extreme variability of Magnepan set ups and have much cleaner mid range. MLs don't scale like the bigger Maggie's though.
Somebody mentioned di poles above and I agree. The BP 20s I heard years ago were mediocre 2 ways at best but in bi pole mode got my attention. I just wish DT had gone in a higher end direction because they accomplished to some degree what planers do with a lot less fussing around.