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rgbyhkr
Guest
I'm going to be taking a listen to some MLs for the first time in probably 5+ years. I vaguely remember seeing them in a custom HT shop somewhere here in Atlanta and don't remember much about what I though they sounded like. I've also heard Maggies at leats once, but it was even longer ago than that. At that time, they were more expensive than what I was spending on gear but, like so many of us, times change and my expenditures on audio and HT equipment have ballooned.
So, I figure I'd take another stab at seeing what panels have to offer. I like the hybrid concept as I'm a big fan of bass. Not that I don't think you can't get good bass reproduction from a pure panel, but the size of models that extend lower appears to be much larger than hybrids with similar frequency responses. I don't think I could ever own Maggies or the CLS given the panel width. It's just too eye drawing for many rooms (not that any speaker can really be invisible, but those are too large).
Over the course of my HT edification, I've listened to many brands of speakers. In the custom non-planar end of the market, I've listened to various models from Monitor Audio, Paradigm, Def Tech, Vienna Acoustics, Sonus Faber, M&K, Revel, Dynaudio, Wilson, JM Labs, Meridian, B&W, Dali, Thiel, Triad, McIntosh, Legacy Audio and others I can't recall at the moment. If buying decisions are any indication of my tastes, I'm a big fan of Revel and Dynaudio. I own several models from the Revel Performa line (F30s, M30s, M22s, C30, C32, B15) and a pair of Dynaudio C1s.
Here in the Atlanta market, it looks like the Magnolia and Tweeter chains are the only local dealers. I tried several zip codes on ML's dealer locator page and didn't see any custom HT shops other than a signature dealer 120 miles away in Alabama. Magnolia has just opened a freestanding store here in addition to the mini Mags in the Best Buy locations, but they only have up to the Clarity on display. HiFi Buys, on the other hand, has both the Vantage and Summit models at their main store downtown. They guy I spoke with said I should call in advance so they could make sure they were setup. I'd also make sure that they were connected to better quality gear than a receiver which should be possible at this particular location. I'll also be sure to ask how broken in they are.
Given that it's been so long that I don't even remember, what should I expect? I understand the basics of the planar and hybrid designs, but what will that translate into sound wise in comparison to the non-planar designs I'm used to? Are there things I might overlook having pretty much no experience with them and are there things I should try and pay close attention to? I figured an experienced group of users might help "set the table" if you will as to what I might expect. Of course, the only thing that matters in the end is what my own ears hear but it's nice to get a primer.
Thanks in advance.
Jeff
So, I figure I'd take another stab at seeing what panels have to offer. I like the hybrid concept as I'm a big fan of bass. Not that I don't think you can't get good bass reproduction from a pure panel, but the size of models that extend lower appears to be much larger than hybrids with similar frequency responses. I don't think I could ever own Maggies or the CLS given the panel width. It's just too eye drawing for many rooms (not that any speaker can really be invisible, but those are too large).
Over the course of my HT edification, I've listened to many brands of speakers. In the custom non-planar end of the market, I've listened to various models from Monitor Audio, Paradigm, Def Tech, Vienna Acoustics, Sonus Faber, M&K, Revel, Dynaudio, Wilson, JM Labs, Meridian, B&W, Dali, Thiel, Triad, McIntosh, Legacy Audio and others I can't recall at the moment. If buying decisions are any indication of my tastes, I'm a big fan of Revel and Dynaudio. I own several models from the Revel Performa line (F30s, M30s, M22s, C30, C32, B15) and a pair of Dynaudio C1s.
Here in the Atlanta market, it looks like the Magnolia and Tweeter chains are the only local dealers. I tried several zip codes on ML's dealer locator page and didn't see any custom HT shops other than a signature dealer 120 miles away in Alabama. Magnolia has just opened a freestanding store here in addition to the mini Mags in the Best Buy locations, but they only have up to the Clarity on display. HiFi Buys, on the other hand, has both the Vantage and Summit models at their main store downtown. They guy I spoke with said I should call in advance so they could make sure they were setup. I'd also make sure that they were connected to better quality gear than a receiver which should be possible at this particular location. I'll also be sure to ask how broken in they are.
Given that it's been so long that I don't even remember, what should I expect? I understand the basics of the planar and hybrid designs, but what will that translate into sound wise in comparison to the non-planar designs I'm used to? Are there things I might overlook having pretty much no experience with them and are there things I should try and pay close attention to? I figured an experienced group of users might help "set the table" if you will as to what I might expect. Of course, the only thing that matters in the end is what my own ears hear but it's nice to get a primer.
Thanks in advance.
Jeff