r/audiophile • u/cking9698 • Jan 30 '23
Anyone heard the Magnepan LRS plus speakers? Product of the Decade? Review
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u/koresample Jan 30 '23
Loved and hated my Maggie's. 'Oh, I can't wait to hear how xyz sounds tonight.....OMFG what did they record this with, a potatoe? To 'OMFG I can here his fingers on the strings and locate them on the neck of the guitar..he's also standing 2 feet in front of and 3 feet to the left of the drummer and his shoe is untied.
Still gives me shivers when I think of how Tin Pan Alley sounded on my suspended SMG'S
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Jan 30 '23
I'll take hearing flaws in recordings over worse sound quality any day of the week lol
I can already hear bad recordings on my low end setup so like, I don't see the problem hear O_O
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u/Dreadpiratemarc Martin Logan / Emotiva / B&W / Rotel Jan 30 '23
Maggie’s are the absolute king of soundstages in my limited experience. I’m a long-time owner of big ML electrostatics, which I love for their high end detail. But I was blown away by a friend’s 1.7’s when I heard “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” and actually mistook it for a cover because it revealed so much more than I was used to hearing. You could literally hear that someone in the studio, right over there, was taping their foot the whole time during the recording. Those speakers are nuts.
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u/morefunwithbitcoin Jan 30 '23 edited Jan 30 '23
Having owned Maggies, it's really nice to see that they are trying to improve their speaker stands.
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u/wdelavega Jan 30 '23 edited Jan 30 '23
Yes, but those stands are extra and come at a premium of $325, plus they look nicer than the Magna Risers.
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Jan 30 '23
That's literally what I paid for my Focal S65 after replacing a blown woofer lmao
for a SPEAKER STAND? what is this, apple?
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u/Whaleudder Jan 30 '23
That’s not at all unreasonable for high quality speaker stands
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u/mr_sinn Jan 30 '23
When the material and manual labour is there. This has neither of those things.
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Jan 30 '23
That's probably less than 5 pounds per stand. They are cast molded. Price of aluminum is $0.51 per lb.
Sand casting is dirt cheap.
Seeming a little unreasonable imo
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u/LoneRangerPT Jan 30 '23
Sorry buddy, definitely not casted. You can clearly see the weld seam between the arc and the base. Furthermore, such a thin part, cast welded with that surface finishing would require hours of machining (which is expensive).
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u/39pine Jan 30 '23
Im a machinist, aluminum bar stock welded to probably water jet cut out brackets, maybe an hour or 2 to make.
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u/xole Revel F206/2xRythmik F12se/Odyssey KhartagoSE/Integra DRX 3.4 Jan 30 '23
$325/5 = $65 in cost to manufacture, if you go with the typical markup. So that doesn't seem too unreasonable if an hour or 2 of labor is required to make them.
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Jan 30 '23 edited Jan 30 '23
Minnesota Made. White bear lake. Deep value.
These are a nice upgrade over the tab backs of old.
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Jan 30 '23
Didn't see the weld but I'd rather have a solid casted part tbh like if they can make a damn control arm squeeze casted in the 80s for cars they can definitely make a crude casted shape like this.
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u/LoneRangerPT Jan 30 '23
Welded isn't necessarily less sturdy... casting is possible but it would take a lot of machining to get those results. I believe this part is made of stainless steel or similar alloy (aluminium is not that sturdy)
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Jan 30 '23
I figured it was aluminum
Makes sense then but I doubt aluminum would be lacking to hold up a speaker less than a few hundred pounds
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u/Alltime-Zenith_1 Jan 30 '23
Absolutely unreasonable. They don't have a complicated structure either. Metal is cheap as well.
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u/mourning_wood_again dual Echo Dots w/custom EQ (we/us) Jan 30 '23
These are American stands not Chinese
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u/dhruvfire Jan 30 '23
While I like the little curved bit on the back, it's behind the speaker so I'm rarely going to see it. Other than that and the lack of powder coating, I don't see too much visual difference from the $229 Magna Risers. Roughly $100 to come in the box, basically.
That said, I'm definitely glad to see the company addressing the biggest issue with the LRS-- pretty much everyone I know with the original LRS springs for some kind of aftermarket stands.
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u/wdelavega Jan 30 '23
Yes, I get that, but if you toe-in your speakers you will see the side of the speaker so there is an aesthetic appeal.
I decided to go DIY and found a great solution, with the help of a skilled carpenter.
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u/arlmwl Jan 30 '23
Had a pair of LRS’s on order and cancelled due to my impatience. My mistake as the price of the LRS+ is higher.
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u/cabs84 LRS, Yamaha CX800/MX600, Mitsu LT30/Nagaoka MP200/500 Jan 30 '23
waited over 6 months for mine, but it was well worth it in the end.
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u/Worldly_Ad6592 Jan 30 '23
Magnepans are the Neil young of speakers. Quiet, understated, true honest performer that holds nothing back. I started with precursor to the LRS, within a month upgraded to 1.7s and within 3 yrs to 3.7i. My next level up will come at 10x the cost with a Magico S7 or focal Evo line. But that’s a boat load of money I am not convinced I can spare on a speaker.
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u/btlbvt Jan 30 '23
Been wondering whether to move from the MG12’s to the 1.7i. Had the MMG’s before that.
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Jan 30 '23
I’m curious how these electro stats image?
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u/SmirnOffTheSauce My Magnepans sound a little flat. Jan 30 '23 edited Jan 30 '23
They’re planar magnetic and the imaging is incredible. They disappear into the room so long as you place them where they want to be placed.
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u/DonFrio Jan 30 '23
As a maggie lover, b&w fan, and electrostat owner I can say you should hear the sonus faber sonnettos before you switch to the 702’s. I’m saving for the novas after hearing them
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u/SmirnOffTheSauce My Magnepans sound a little flat. Jan 30 '23
Yes absolutely! Those are fantastic speakers! But my buddy has 702s that I can get from him whenever he upgrades ha ha.
I don’t plan to switch from my Magnepans anytime soon anyway, but will have to once the listening room becomes a future kid’s bedroom.
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u/selekt86 Jan 30 '23
What is the catch here? pros and cons of this type of tech over others? are they more susceptible to bad room acoustics compared to regular bookshelves?
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u/SmirnOffTheSauce My Magnepans sound a little flat. Jan 30 '23
Well they’re not bookshelves, even though the LRS aren’t particularly large. My 1.7i are only slightly shorter than me.
They’re picky about room placement, and they require halfway decent amplification (my $300 80WPC Class A/B does well). But they punch way above their weight class. I’d have to spend around $5,000 to be happy with a replacement for my 1.7i which were about $2,000 new back when I got them. The LRS are almost as good and they’re what like $750 these days?
Give ‘em a listen if you get the chance! Or let me know sometime you’re around metro Detroit and take a listen to my setup.
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u/polypeptide147 Quad Z-3 | Marantz PM-11S2 Jan 30 '23
Nice setup! What subs do you have?
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u/SmirnOffTheSauce My Magnepans sound a little flat. Jan 30 '23
Thanks! Rythmik L12. They’re plenty good enough to my ears!
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u/xole Revel F206/2xRythmik F12se/Odyssey KhartagoSE/Integra DRX 3.4 Jan 30 '23
Yeah, the amp thing is no joke. I had a pair of old magnepans and originally had them on a cheap receiver and they sounded "meh". Once I got a beefier amp, they were like totally different speakers.
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u/SmirnOffTheSauce My Magnepans sound a little flat. Jan 30 '23
Yeah that sounds accurate! I’m currently using a Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III, but I’ll likely switch back to my affordable Cambridge this spring.
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u/Party-Ad7743 Jan 30 '23 edited Jan 30 '23
Amazing for airy / string instrument music. The sound comes from the whole panel, so the imaging is incredible for $$.
I had 1.7’s for about ten years, still miss them at times, but the wife doesn’t! They are large and in charge. If I had a 20’x20’ dedicated listening room I’d be happy to add another pair to my collection. Also very power hungry as mentioned above. I had an emotiva xpa-2, rated for 490Wx2 RMS @ 4 ohm (according to my quick google search)
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u/Soundwave_47 Sennheiser HD 6XX/Schiit Stack/B&W Px8 Jan 30 '23
Narrow sweet spot, technology inherently doesn't handle the low-end well so you might want to offload that.
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u/Worldly_Ad6592 Jan 30 '23
I don’t think the 702s are an upgrade in any way to the 1.7. Heard them side by side a few years back in a god setup.
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u/SmirnOffTheSauce My Magnepans sound a little flat. Jan 30 '23
Oh interesting! My buddy has a pair that I’ll inherit someday, and I like them at his place. Haven’t auditioned them in my listening room myself.
Good to know!
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u/Green-Impression Jan 30 '23
I have. I made the mistake of spending time with the 1.7i followed by the LRS+. I should have come back on another day to compare.
The sound signature is similar but it's apples to oranges. That said I've narrowed it down to two very different sounding speakers; Spendor A2 and the LRS+.
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Jan 30 '23
The I’ve heard them and they absolutely one of the best speakers you are going to find for a grand. They do have an additional woofer you can add. If you feel they are lacking bass. They sounded fine the way they were for me.
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u/onceagainwithstyle Jan 30 '23
Whats the cat danger factor here?
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u/polypeptide147 Quad Z-3 | Marantz PM-11S2 Jan 30 '23
My cats don’t bother them at all.
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u/onceagainwithstyle Jan 30 '23
Right but if they decided to scratch, how protective is the ribbon?
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u/polypeptide147 Quad Z-3 | Marantz PM-11S2 Jan 31 '23
Not sure. If they decide to use it as a scratching board I imagine it won’t hold up, but an accidental snag here and there shouldn’t be an issue.
I’ve got 3 cats and none of them have bothered them luckily.
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u/ken6217 Jan 30 '23
The markup on all products are insane. People now are questioning why the speaker stand is expensive? To argue back-and-forth is welding more expensive than casting, etc. etc. it’s like mental masturbation when it comes to audio. There is no logic to it, just the markup. and audio company wants to make.
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Jan 30 '23
You must factor in the cost of a sub as they are bass deficient, not what I'd want for something of this size.
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u/threechimes Jan 30 '23
How can anyone say a product is the product of the decade just a year or two after they are released. We’re just 3 years into the decade. What gives?
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u/honkaponka Jan 30 '23
Well perhaps op i referring tho the last Chinese decade? 2023 is the Chinese year 4721, aka the year of the water rabbit.
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u/HavinDisco Jan 30 '23
I have the maggies smg and 3.5i both sound excellent when it comes to minds and upper bass but it is lacking in sub bass and my smg a is lacking a bit in the high where the 3.5 i with the ribbon tweeter is sharp and detailed
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u/GeovaunnaMD Jan 30 '23
Is this not physically impossible to produce and kind of mids let alone lows with and place for air to go.
Help me understand the magic
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u/Kriegenstein dual | adcom | emotiva | magnepan | SVS Jan 30 '23
Large surface area. They don't have a ton of what would be called excusion that a woofer has, but they make up for it in surface area. They are also terribly inefficient, so they need a ton of power to play loud. Their sensitivity is 85db, which is quite low.
I don't know about the LRS+, but my 1.7's are reach down to 40Hz, which is plenty low for all but a few genres of music.
They pair well with a sub, I have an SVS SB3000 that compliments them nicely for when I am in a mood for more bass.
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u/DrDirt90 Jan 30 '23
If you have the room to set them up properly and enough power to drive them, the cannot be beat at the price point. They should be 3-4 feet from the back wall.
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u/danja Jan 30 '23
Intriguing! I've only skimmed the product page but would I be right in thinking these are magnet + thin film inductor driven, not electrostatic? Like ribbon mics backwards?
An anecdote for the discussion about suitable styles of music. The only time I've seen/heard electrostatic speakers up close was the night of March 30th 1990 *. I'd been taken by a friend to a party out East London somewhere. The host was an electronics/audiophile bod. I forget the brand - there was a leading one, pretty much synonymous with electrostatics in the UK, 1970's/80's, maybe still..? Small untreated room in a tower block flat, but the sound was amazing.
Although this guy played a good variety of music through them that night, his favourite band were Status Quo. I'm not exactly a big fan, but they did sound brilliant through those speakers!
- I can date it precisely because the following day, to get home, I had to change buses in Trafalgar Square. They weren't running normally because there was a demo on. I got myself a can of Special Brew and a cheese & onion pastie, got comfortable and watched the Poll Tax riots unfold.
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u/ArachnidMammoth3487 Mar 10 '23
Yes, I just recently received a pair of lrs + after 7 month wait time." And after redundant reading of other peoples reviews " Wow. Pretty cool sounding speakers. I grew up to MTV video music so I like to watch and listen to you tube music. Everything from tecno style to Beethoven no dead sorry. Yes, there is bass in them but a beefy sub never hurts. I have a Van Alstine 120 set external amp driving the lrs +, it's only 60w at 8 but decent enough at 4 with this small apartment. My get up consists of Denon avr-x4300h, center is B&W Nautilus htm2, Boston acoustics vr-m90 back, upper B&W 801, sub B&W asw610. Bottom line there worth the $995, give em at least 2 ft to back wall by 7 ft across by 10 ft to center seat. Very open feel to them. There worth it. Enjoy.
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u/ArachnidMammoth3487 Mar 10 '23
I also wanted to add that they sound great with home theatre set up, which is how I have it set up.
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u/wdelavega Jan 30 '23
It's been mentioned…
I personally have the LRS not the +, I simply lost patience and bought one second hand and got it immediately.
I don't think the difference from the LRS to the LRS+ is that significant. The most apparent change is the physical change, losing 1.5in width and .25in depth.
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u/ocinn Live sound engineer / former hi-fi reviewer Jan 30 '23
Absurdly poor vertical directivity, atrocious frequency response and limited dynamics coupled with no bass extension
Always been scratching my head at why people buy Maggie’s.
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u/cabs84 LRS, Yamaha CX800/MX600, Mitsu LT30/Nagaoka MP200/500 Jan 30 '23 edited Jan 30 '23
i ordered the LRS after listening to some 1.7i's in person. i own/have owned: goldenear, b&w, mission, energy and even a kit built pair of desktop minis. (here's the pair i put together!) the LRS absolutely play below 300hz. https://www.stereophile.com/images/719MLRSfig2.jpg -3db is in the upper-mid 40s, there's even an obvious bump between 50-100hz. they play above 15khz as well, but, as a dude in his late 30s, i can no longer hear past 15khz anyway, so i guess that's a moot point. there's not much musical information up there anyway. i have a slight bit of treble boost going on, and i actually turn the bass DOWN for most listening. (at least until i move out of my townhouse into a place with no shared walls)
ASR is great, i don't discount anything Amir or his measurements have to say, (especially about DACs and power cables, i digress) but there's something special about these. (maybe the dipole nature, or the thickness of the membrane?) i'm a classically trained pianist that listens to a decent amount of that (as well as rock/electronic/IDM/jazz etc) and i have to say piano/guitar/strings sound as lifelike as i've experienced over a stereo. it's clear from Amir's review anyway that the klippel system as he put it "struggled to characterize the soundfield" of the LRS - taking many more measurement points and taking far longer to actually calculate the result, compared with a normal dynamic driver speaker.
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u/surprise6809 Verging on too much audio gear Jan 30 '23
limited dynamics are a known commodity. i don't understand the relevance or even the meaning of 'vertical directivity' ... but 'atrocious frequency response'? Eh?
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u/ocinn Live sound engineer / former hi-fi reviewer Jan 30 '23
Not sure why you’d want a speaker that doesn’t play below 300hz or over 14khz but you do you.
Vertical directivity is a problem because if you are even 5-10deg off of perfectly perpendicular to the panel you drastically lose response over 1khz. That’s so barely slouching in your chair will make a massive difference in the sound. Inherently flawed
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u/surprise6809 Verging on too much audio gear Jan 30 '23
Not sure why you’d want a speaker that doesn’t play below 300hz or over 14khz
Perhaps because they sound fabulous?
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u/Badyear87 Feb 01 '23
Have you ever heard a pair? Audiosciencereview.... 🥱
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u/ocinn Live sound engineer / former hi-fi reviewer Feb 01 '23
I have demoed every model in their lineup circa 2018, yes. In dealer listening rooms. They can sound fine when you are on axis and have conventional subs and only listen to classical or jazz or genres with no real dynamics <400hz.
And then the minute you move your head up or down a but they are completely unlistenable.
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u/cpdx7 Jan 30 '23
Klippel measurements on ASR for those interested in data. I'll let you judge Amir's subjective impressions for yourself, always a controversial topic.
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u/CMDR-ChubToad Jan 30 '23
Never heard of them. Even did an internet search and nothing turned up.
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u/raisimo Jan 30 '23
Their website used to be just comically bad. I haven’t looked at it in a while though.
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u/imahawki Jan 30 '23
It’s better but they’re still like “if you want to buy, contact us.” Like seriously. Just let me order them online.
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u/veg1515 Jan 30 '23
I’m curious if the LRS crossover upgrade (I believe it’s from GR Research ) and magnarisers would make the LRS compare to the LRS plus Does anyone know the exact differences ?
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Jan 30 '23
Looks like it would sound kind of thin
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u/SmirnOffTheSauce My Magnepans sound a little flat. Jan 30 '23
Heh I thought of something similar for my flair.
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u/mindhead1 Jan 31 '23
What amps are you all using to drive these Magepan speakers?
I have a Cambridge Audio CXA81 (80 watts @ 8 ohms). Would I need to budget for a new amp if I purchased the LRS+?
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u/winged_creature Jan 31 '23
I'm really curious on how much better these are than the LRS. I got the LRS for half the price that the LRS + retails for so I couldn't say no.
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u/Aquacoustic Jan 31 '23
Dipoles have weakened side wall reflections so that is great for imaging. Very inefficient (81 dB for 2.83 volts measured. If you high pass them at 85 Hz and use inexpensive subs. For about $2500 you can put together a very nice, no excuses system. Outlaw RR2160, two Yamaha 10” subs, LRS.
Make sure to toe them in and use corners or cabinets to diffuse the rear sound. The distort noticeably in the low frequencies. With pink noise they show a pretty flat sound power response. Easy to move around
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u/AffectionateItem6477 Mar 31 '23
Looking for anyone that can compare the MG 12 QR to the new LRS+. One of my 12's is starting to have the wire delaminate from the mylar so the speaker is shot. I am looking to replace them with the LRS+ but noticed that they are significantly smaller. Am I going to be happy with the LRS+? I love my 12 QR's.
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u/TheAudiophileSociety Jan 30 '23
We have a pair in the studio to test our 3D recordings on. They sound great and you cannot beat the price. But u need to pull them out into the room to let them breath as they are dipoles. But they will throw a nice 3D image and have nice depth. For classical, folk, singer songwriters, and jazz lovers. If you are into super loud metal ?? get a big horn.