Magnepan LRS Tweeter attenuation

[KeesW2560]

If you are still looking for some risers…stainless steel.

 

[DonH56]

If you are still looking for some risers…stainless steel.View attachment 331146View attachment 331147

Neat idea, homemade (DIY)? Could you show a picture of the back side so we can see how they attach to the speakers?

 

[KeesW2560]

Neat idea, homemade (DIY)? Could you show a picture of the back side so we can see how they attach to the speakers?

Homemade on a Bystronic € 750K lasercutter and brakepress… Total cost € 20,00 for 2 LRS speakers. The only thing I made myself was the 3D model (drawing).

 

[DonH56]

Homemade on a Bystronic € 750K lasercutter and brakepress… Total cost € 20,00 for 2 LRS speakers. The only thing I made myself was the 3D model (drawing).

Not too many homes have a €750k metal-working machine... Thanks for the backside pix, nice job!

 

[Roswell]

The LRS sensitivity is rated 86 dB using 2.83 Vrms so 2 W, meaning 83 dB/W/m using the typical 8-ohm standard. That is a pretty insensitive speaker and thus the need for greater power to achieve moderate listening levels. As an example, a conventional 93 dB/W/m speaker requires only 1/10th the power to deliver the same SPL as the LRS. Thus the oft-cited need for greater power; there is truth behind that claim. The amp must also handle 4-ohm loads (the ribbon models drop below 3 ohms), but otherwise Maggies are a pretty benign load as the phase angle is low -- near zero except through the crossover region(s). It is nearly a pure resistive load. I drove my first pair with a 75 W/ch tube amp and they were plenty loud as I was sitting close in a small room. When I upgraded to larger panels and put them in a bigger room I quickly discovered that I needed much more power.

IME tweeter attenuation is fairly common but depends upon the room and setup.

There are numerous ways to make or buy risers. A recent post I saw but cannot find with a quick search (maybe on AVS Forums?) showed a neat idea; he used a TV stand to raise the Maggies. It was something like this without the shelf or wheels: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MQG4BTL/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=f5ea78ae508636a8088e9a3230207d39&content-id=amzn1.sym.bbf5d435-23c5-4afc-b6fb-4b480bbb7025:amzn1.sym.bbf5d435-23c5-4afc-b6fb-4b480bbb7025&hsa_cr_id=0&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=83cdfda1-68ec-498b-b4d8-9df0f2a7045b&pd_rd_w=hj4ok&pd_rd_wg=xA2oD&qid=1694875806&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_1_img&sr=1-2-a094db1c-5033-42c6-82a2-587d01f975e8&th=1 A search should find something you can make work.

HTH - Don

TV stands are crap for Maggies.

 

[DonH56]

TV stands are crap for Maggies.

What is your basis for that statement?

 

[Ordin Aryguy]

Magnepan LRS speakers require a high current amplifier. Those speakers are power hungry. I doubt the Bluesound Powernode has the grunt to drive those Maggies properly.

The other thing is that Maggies require some setup trials. Many Maggie owners raise them up higher on Mye stands to realize their full potential. They are very direction so positioning is critical. Good luck.

There are quite a number of myths surrounding Magnepans. "Lots of Current" and "Lots of Power" are the two biggies. Lots of Power/Current compared to what, non-planar speakers? 8 Ohm speakers?

Almost the entire Magnepan speaker catalog is rated at 4 Ohm impedance. There are plenty of non-planar speakers also rated at 4 Ohms. For the sake of argument let's compare the current requirements of Magnepans rated at 4 Ohms, and a speaker rated at 8 Ohms.

So, yes, Magnepans do require more current relative to a typical 8 Ohm speaker. They require 41% more for a given power level, across the board. Does 41% warrant the requirement for an amplifier with "lots of current"? That answer depends on your listening levels.

"Magnepans are power hungry." Let's dig into that a little bit, too. It's true that Magnepans are not the most efficient speakers from an SPL/W standpoint, but they aren't too far away from many other speakers in this regard either. Magnepans (and this is true for almost all Magnepans!) are rated at 86dB @ 2.83V input. Given that Magnepans have a 4 Ohm (roughly) impedance, this mathematically works out to be 83dB / W if comparing Magnepans to a speaker rated at 8 Ohms.

It's pretty easy to see that very high sound pressure levels are attainable without mega-power amplifiers. Will someone be happy running Magnepans with a 10W amplifier, especially one not capable of comfortably driving 4 Ohm loads? Probably not, however these days there are a plethora of amps available that are more than capable of cleanly driving Magnepans to levels beyond comfortable listening levels.