This and Steve Guttenberg are the only audio channels I watch, oh, and PS audio, but that's it. They all have that same laid back attitude I love. They're not all that bothered if you watch them, but all show the same enthusiasm ( yes, even Vilip most of the time ) for their subject. Are they all trying to sell something? Yes. Does that bother me? No. If you make a decision how to spend your money based on a RUclips video then you have more money than sense. I really appreciate the 30 minute videos these guys put out. Kudos fellas.
@@eddieruddock7014 did you not understand the bit about making a decision on a RUclips video? Clearly not if you don't know the difference between advise and advice 😂
Very good discussion here! I went from Klipschorn ownership of 14 years, and decided to give Martin Logan Masterpiece 'Classic 9' electrostats a try with John Curl amp/preamp and JUST added the 1600X subwoofer to add that extra octave to the well designed bass modules. Never looked back. They are 91 DB efficient BTW, and they will play as loud as you can stand it ! VERY wide stereo image (orchestral and jazz recorded in TRUE stereo = TWO microphones!). Thanks for the big nod toward ML ((O;
Hey guys, I really enjoy your videos. This one on panel speakers really took me down memory lane. In the 80’s, I was in in my 20’s and didn’t have much money, but a more wealthy friend of my mine loved panel speakers and also loved buying and selling gear frequently. So, I got to hear many great panels of that era from Apogee (Duetta Signatures, Divas), Magnepan (MG-IIIA’s, Tympani IVA’s), Martin-Logan (CLS, Monoliths), Quad (ESL-57, ESL-63), and others I can’t remember. Also, I personally went through Magnepan SMGa’s, MG-1C’s, Stax ELS-F81’s, Acoustat 1+1’s, and Celestion 3000’s (with ribbon tweeters) in the 80’s. Also, I believe the used publication you mentioned was called Audiomart. I was also a subscriber.
I was lucky enough to be able to listen to many of the speakers you were taking about. My friend and I would visit shops in Toronto in the late 70's early 80's and listen to demos. We were amazed at the sounds coming from electrostatic and planar speakers. I enjoyed this video, it brought back so many great memories.
As a fan and amateur designer of panel speakers, this was another wonderful presentation. I especially liked the distinction between soundstage and imaging and couldn't agree more. I think bipolar ribbons crossed over at low frequencies to dynamic woofers offer a good compromise but, only a compromise. Keep up the great work my friends!
I have the Martin Logan Expression 13a, and while you are mostly correct about imaging in an untreated room, if you place proper diffusion(mostly QRD) on the front speaker wall, they become amazing at imaging. I can show you my setup and if you are ever in Houston Texas area, look me up as I would be happy to have you listen. My problem is that they are still not truly as dynamic as cone speakers. As always, I really enjoy your videos. Thanks for taking time to make these.
I too own the 13A couldn’t be happier; the previous generation with Montis was nowhere near as seamless or dynamic; despite wanting to could never pull the trigger but the 13A was a huge leap; enjoy!
Took me years to get a pair of maggies. I run a pair of 20.1s. They are amazing. I have had them for over 10 years now, and may never change again. But you have to have enough amplifier to make them sing.
Very good and fun video. Vilip is a man for all seasons. He has a philosophical way of life's mysteries. Adrian you are able to pull out those layers. Thanks. Cheers Greg
Good topic! I owned many Planar speakers. The Best was The Quad ESL 57 Electrostatics! I Agree! I Had a very good friend that owned Western Reserve Audio Design.He was the only Certified Tech in Ohio that Rebuilt Quad ESL 57's. Long regarded as the benchmark of seamless midrange reproduction! He had 3 pairs,would not part with one Pair. As he got Busier,He Subbed out all his Speaker Repairs to Me.I have owned Apogee Scintilla's, Stage, Mini Grand's, Centaur minors, Centaur, and the Flagship Originals ( 7' high,3' wide.over 300 lbs. Each! The Very Speakers that Inspired the Big Krell,and Mark Levinson 250,300 wpc Class A Power Amps!). Absolutely, The Hardest Speakers to Drive Ever Made! ( About 82 db,and
Panel speakers led you for a stroll down memory lanes... It’s obvious that you both enjoyed it. Thanks for taking us with you 😊 Yeah... please do part 2 on panels... thanks!
My Apogee Calipers with a Infinity EMIT super tweeter and small sub are still playing beautifully. I had a single woking one that I had it stored for over 10 years. Then I found a single working one in Austin, Texas. I bought it for $150 and had it send to Vancouver, Canada for $275 shipping. I'm still paying for the Krell KSA 200S ($3000) that I need to power them with. I heard a pair of $80,000 Magicos a little while ago and their sound was quite similar. The Calibers are from 1987.
Great video as usual. Looking forward to part 2, hopefully you can talk about the Apogee Scintilla and Grand, perhaps the Carver Amazing... maybe a mention of the ET LFT 8 series.
The first speakers that absolutely knocked my socks off was in 1969 when High Fidelity, Inc. in Austin, TX had a pair of KLH-9's, with a Sony slant deck tape deck as the source using a master tape of "Yellow Submarine". My 18 year old jaw just hit the floor. Few speakers have just grabbed me the way they did. A set of Quad 57's in the Southwest Technical Products lobby came closer than most.
I think it’s all about space. Dipole speakers need to be 4-6 feet from the back wall. Also, with Maggies, imaging collapses when you turn your head. First you have to sit in the sweet spot, the phone rings, you turn your head and the imaging goes away. It’s so nice when you’re seated right that it’s jarring when you change position.
Place them w front panel of each facing each other. Cures the sweet spot "problem." Amazing panoramic width and depth-only if they're nowhere near back wall.
my first and only electrostatic was the Acoustat Model 3 driven by New York Audio Labs hybrid amps.. that was around 1996 and I still own them.. incredible sound.. :-) run with 200 watt B&K amp at present..
Ah panels :) acoustats 2+2 transformed in model 4 cnc solid frame because my ceiling wasnt high enough :) , had a pair of monoblocs Krell Krs 100 pure class A to match, bass qas fast deep and great mids airy highs. Soundstage and image was amazing!
Grew up with 5.1 dts surround sound systems. I love the 3 speaker cabinets with the 12” subs. Got my first set up at Sears in 1998. Kenwood. 100w per channel. Cost me bout 500$ or so. I know it’s cheap and commercial but I loved rocking those bad boys out. It was way more than anything my friends had in 9th grade. I actually still have the speakers to it. It also came with a cool red lit slide EQ that helped a lot. This was just around the time powered subwoofers became popular for surround sound.
I own a pair hand-me-down Martin Logan CLS speakers in gem condition. They were my fathers first "high end" speakers. He stopped using them because he felt "they had no bass" and at that time, he couldn't find a subwoofer that "could keep up with them." They are too big for my 1450 square foot starter house. Unfortunately, they are in storage...
Love your episodes guys. I once had Magneplanner mg1c. I have a pair of Martin Logan sl3,which are still in their boxes,since I moved into this house in August 2003!😳
I vote for a part 2.... First Electrostatic speakers, probably first panel speakers, I ever heard where ML CLS also... I currently own the Soundlab M1’s. JansZen’s has the best dynamic driver/electrostatic panel integration I have ever heard, but ML is getting better...
A lot of the companies that you mention are not really cheap everyday man cannot expect cannot really afford some of these brands I know for a fact that is true because I used to install a lot of this equipment I installed systems ranging from 5,000 up to $300,000 and I've heard all the different systems and a lot what happens you can take a $300,000 system and put it into a room and it sound like crap you could take it $5,000 system and put it in that same room Anakin sound absolutely marvelous it all depends on placement furnishings placement of the furnishings it all depends on a lot of factors you don't have to spend a lot of money on equipment to get a system to sound good if you know what you're doing I myself have not spent a lot of money cuz I know what equipment sounds good when you place it in the proper places and space the speakers in the proper distance from the walls and when you have the proper distance from furnishings and different type of drapes that you have in the room and the size of the room matters to all these things have to be taken in consideration because if you have a wife you cannot just have an audio room you know what I mean you probably you guys probably have an audio room and you probably have just a living room with a system in the living room at that when you're entertaining but your audio room is where you miss mostly spend your time listening to your music now I have a system in my living room I'm I'm widowed so I'm living it right now with my two brothers and I have a system in my living room that which is vintage and it's very good it's all Sansui I have completely overhauled its and modified it and it is in perfect top shape and I haven't matched with Altec Lansing voices of the theater speakers which I bought second-hand and I refinished a rebuilt myself but in my bedroom I have a system that I completely overhauled modified from the ground up I have an old Yamaha receiver that was in really rough shape took me about six months to completely tear it apart overhauled and updated and now it works better than anything that's out there on the market and I have it with klipsch kb15 speakers which I completely reformed and rebuilt the crossovers and I have four of them in my bedroom one in each corner suspended from the ceiling with two subs and I did all this on a budget so you don't have to be rich to get good sound you know what you doing
I had the Apogee Duetta Signatures driven by Krell mono blocks. Best system I ever had, just awesome, would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. But alas when we had children it all had to go. The Apogees where susceptible to children's inquisitive little fingers and the Krells dangerious if a child would fall on them with sharp heat sinks . I do miss that system. Never heard a system as good as that since. On saying that I was listening to the Spatial Sapphire M3 on here the other day, playing " Death Row " They are something else. Absolutely magnificent, I have to keep going back to listen as the are so good.
Found some used Martin Logan cheap in good condition. They're about 10 years old, thought to give it a go and it's a nice change. Trying these is worth the audio ride.
Great segment, guys. Thanks for the topic. I Have to think about that “imaging” drawback perspective. My Apogees (with new ribbons) and good power create a quite nice experience across soundstage and imaging. Agree room set up is key with dipoles (including open baffle). My Apogees sit 72” from the front wall and take full advantage of the room in a close to rule of thirds set up. As big as they are if the lights are out or you close your eyes you have no idea the sound is coming from those panels. I would like to hear some of the newer ribbon designs like Alsyvox to see how they stack up.
I think that once have you heard planars it is difficult to go “back”... I first heard planars at a friend who has Acoustats. I have a 5.2 Final Sound setup consisting of 2x 400i, 2x 440i (rare, updated 400i) and a 150i center. These used to be paired with two Final subwoofers but they have been changed to 2x SVS SB-2000 and it is an amazing setup. The subs add punch, tightness and very controlled musical bass. They are standing next to the left/right front speakers to add to the low end. The Finals do go quite deep for an electrostatic speaker. Even though the Finals are close to 15 years old I would not change them.
I had Acoustat 1+1's with Medallion mod. The 2+2's were darker than the 1+1's so bought them. They were in my living room which was sort of large. I eventually sold them because we moved, and I didn't have the right room for them. I sold them and the person that bought them had them sticking out of his car's sun roof. They were replaced with Von Schweikert VR4's, which had deeper bass and could play the large scale orchestra music I loved better. But, there was something about the sound the Acoustat's produced.....
Great video as a panel guy. It was great to see panels get some love...as always informitive and enjoyable. The speaker that for me has become more in the last couple years are the 63's specifically with the gradient subs and the advent of room correction like the minidsp.
Well done. Stereo well done can form romantic images of time that remains with a person forever. I enjoy hearing you guys recall moments from times past. Audio is a magical contraption that inspires emotions like few other things
A trip down memory lane. I had those Quicksilver tube amps for awhile in 1992/93 from Rosine Audio, a fine purveyor of high end audio gear in Skokie, IL. Unfortunately , it is no longer operating.
I've owned Acoustat X's for 40 years and I can't find anything that sounds better. They give a large soundstage like Magnepan's but unlike Magnepan's the the sound of instruments and voice have a correct size and shape. I compared these to the sound of a live symphony and they sounded the same to me.
I remember waking into Straightgain and listening to a pair of Apogee’s hooked up to a pair of Krell mono blocks. Peter was quite nice even knowing I was a punk ass kid who could never afford them. Bringing back some memories. Thanks
I loved that store! A friend of mine (Perry) worked there and I used to go and hang out every now and then. I worked at a mid/hi end place in Burnaby at the time but Straight Gain carried better stuff than we did.
I was seriously considering Apogee Duetta and bought a Mac7200 amp in preparation for the purchase. Auditioning them, I found I couldn't give them the room they needed. Bought Totem Mani2 instead, don't regret it.
Non-box speakers (omnis, bipoles, dipoles, and open baffles) haven’t totally fallen out of favor as open baffles are increasing in popularity significantly eg spatial audio.
I guess it's a question of "each to his own". I've owned a pair of Acoustat SPECTRA 6600 since the early 1990s ans still love them. I had QUADs before that; loved the ESL57s but hated the ESL63s.
It would be interesting, ive built 3 sets of open baffles and even had emerald physics kc2 pro models, the only problem is the low end is just open and theres not really any "slam", and even if you can get deep, you can only feel it not hear it really, they image really really good, open, airy, etc, but at the expense of that low end fullness and slam, it just feels somewhat empty there and has its limits. If you dont mind not getting 30 hz-ish and below, and bass you cant only feel not hear really, thats fine maybe youll be happy, just wasnt for me.
Vilip I'm so glad you called out the body shamers in another RUclips - they have no place here so please don't introduce yourself as the fat guy in the corner : ) You are the audio EXPERT in the corner, OK? These sessions are SO much fun and instructive to "drop in" on. This video is particularly interesting because Audio Excellence own and have reviewed the Wilson XVX speakers which seem to do no wrong (except that you can literally buy a house in certain nice municipalities within a similar price range) and then you have waxed eloquently on the wonders of the great Magnepan speakers in other videos - it's so instructive to get the lowdown on the realities of placing them. IF Magnepan ever come out with their "Mini" 30.7 (which, if my memory serves, you were super impressed with) do you guys think that they would give the XVX's a run for the money? Keep it up with the great videos guys!
The Martin Logan integrated sub works better because it doesn't just match the speed of the panel, but also its phase and output match too. At the crossover frequency, the sub is also a bipolar radiator, and it slowly switches to unipolar. Basically it has a rear firing sub that has a slow high pass so it plays less and less as the notes get lower.
I once had acoustic they sadly had to go. Last year I bought quad ESL 57, loving those too. One time I listened a bit louder and my wife said the bass was too much 🤣🤣
I had the same experience as Vilip - walked into "Goodwins" in the early 80's, a high end store - at the time located in Harvard Sq, Cambridge MA, they still exist but now in Waltham MA - They had the Tympani's but were demoing the IIIa's, which at that time would be similar to the 3.7i's of today - literally changed my life, two weeks later I returned and picked up the pair I had ordered, took every cent I had but I HAD to have 'em - although not in use, I still have that same pair - - currently running the 3.7i's which are about the largest of the line that I can use in my room - I'm curious as we move past covid if Magnepan will bring to market the so called "condo" model - that could be the "crossover" model that might stir up some interest with the "dynamic driver" crowd - best of both worlds.
I still have my original CLS with and Audio Research LS 3 driving them with Mark Levinson 331 but shockingly with a SAE A 1001 500 wpc 8 ohms and 750 4 ohms boy did the sound good.
Gentlemen. Have you listen to Mr. Lnkwitz's LX521's? I wonder how the dipole compares to electrostatics or Maggies? I image the positioning would be similar for the same reasons? Cheers, Tom eh
I've had a long love affair with panel speakers. A few decades worth. I have either listened or owned a myriad: Maggies, Acoustat, Apogee, Carver Amazing, Dayton Wright and Martin Logan. And a few stragglers here and there like the Dynapleats from Sawafuji. I've never owned nor listened to a pair of Quads. I currently have a pair of ML Sequel II. These are my main listening speakers for the last 20 some years. Prior to the ML, I had a pair of tweaked Dayton Wright. The XG-8 with the rosewood caps. Those were driven by a Sumo, The Power amplifier. My understanding is that James Bongiorno (RIP) designed this amp specifically for Michael Wright's XG-8. The Power put out 800Watts/Channel at 4 Ohms: The load of the XG-8. NOTHING sounds like this combo. Nothing did since. And not anywhere near the $100K range. I tried Krell amps (not my cup of tea), VTL 225W Monoblock Deluxe, Moscode and the beautiful sounding Mark Levinson. My favorite was the Mark Levinson (333 as I loosely recall). However, it did not have that effortless control that The Sumo delivered. The XG-8 could play LOUD and produce solid controlled bass. The sound is what gained the WAF. The living room was 20ft x 20ft. These speakers had room to breathe and did they ever! The XG-8 were enclosed in sulfur hexafluoride gas. An inert gas to eliminate arcing. It's a poisonous heavy gas. When my toddler son became curious about touching the music, I mothballed them and put them in safe storage. At some point, I figured I will never get to use these gain and it's a crime to keep them mothballed when someone could enjoy them. And I parted with them. Moved to a bigger house and have a dedicated listening room. We still lament the loss of the XG-8. The ML are still driven by a re-tooled Sumo, The Power. Married to 4 hidden ML subwoofers. Dynamo 700. Straight up 2-channel stereo listening. And still, immensely enjoyable. Thank you for the trip down memory lane...... Servus.
Hi, I live in southeast asia area. So the climate and weather here is hot most of the time, and also raining a third of the year. I plan to get a pair magnapan lrs but if has problems with the weather might just stick with box speakers. I also see some youtube videos rebuilding their magnepans, it the lrs does breakdown here not sure if technicians here have a ready fix.
Also, with respect to memory, there are certain things that you remember because they basically get burnt into your memory and it lasts longer. I believe that it is probably a survival-oriented trait... We remember the time many years ago when we ate something that gave us food poisoning and we were up all night either vomiting or with diarrhea, but we don't tend to remember a really good meal that might have only happened last year...
I would like to see the review of the newly announced MHA200 headphone amp. Is 500mW surfficient for all types of headphones? I always been a 2 channel speakers guy until this lock down made me explore headfi. I was shocked how good a pair of the Hifiman Ananda is. Good job keep it up. One for the analytics!
Villip, I saw that you once had a Quicksilver amp and I’m curious as to why you sold it. I’ve gone thru a lot of “high end tube amps” and found the Quicksilver to be the most natural sounding no matter what the price of the other amps. Unfortunately I had some financial problems and traded it to as plumber to pay to fix a broken pipe under the house. But I bought another Quicksilver when my situation got back to normal and still have it.
I had the Quicksilver Preamp and at that time I was running Quad ESL 63. My research at that time suggested that the matching KT88 amps would pair very well with the Quads. But I couldn't find a used pair to buy and try. And then life moves forward and everything changes. There are horns and ribbons and now Wilson - who would have figured?
Yep, image localization is less precise in planars and more dependant on the recording. However planars can be quite realistic in presentation, the soundstage and depth are superior (IMHI) to point source or dynamic drivers.
I agree with both of you about the attributes of panel speakers and have listened extensively to many models of Martin Logan at trade show in the past. Two (actually 3) things kinda turned me off them. 1- They were all very expensive. 2- The bass wasn't as powerful as I like. 3- They only sounded great, as long as you were listening in the triangular "sweet spot". When I got out of my chair and moved to either side of the speakers or away from them...they were meh. Personally, I prefer a speaker that that sounds awesome, no matter where I'm at in the room. Besides all that, I just can't afford the amount of power that these kinds of speakers require to sound spectacular.
Thank you for sharing guys! I am in love with panels for sure. There are some magical things about them that I cannot drop. The presence and uncompressed release of sound is just amazing. I have walked through some of the legends I have owned for the last 25 years in following order. I started off with cone speakers as Avance (Scan-speak drivers) and then began my trip into the panel djungle = ML Request = Miss them today. A really good compromise between cone and panel. Apogee Scintilla 1 Ohm = Miss them every time I think of HiFi. This legends has it all. Period. Apogee Slant 6 = OK, but the 6,5 woofer/mid could not keep up with the great ribbon mid/tweeter all the way... Magnepan MG 12 / 1.5 / 1.6 = Entry level in Maggie range, but with a LOT of bang for the buck. Midrange and up are really great, but lack punch which is equal to dynamic/attack to my feelings. Perhaps it is my room because this area change sound dramatically...The larger 1.5 & 1.6 has enough of deep bass in my room. I currently own 1.5 & 1.6 (4 years) and has spent a lot of time with different subs to try to achieve more punch, but it is an ongoing journey. EQ is a must to get them to blend... Looking for used Apogee´s and ML's now and then... Panels are here to stay (for me).
I first stuck my toe into hi-end with the Maggie 1.7's. Had them for 6 years and thought they were terrific speakers. Had to add a pair of subs and a pair of Musical Fidelity 550K's to juice my tube amp sufficiently to drive them. Then I ran into a pair of big Canton Ref. 1 DC's. No looking back. Sold the Maggie's and never had an interest in a panel speaker again.
Interesting. What drew you to the Cantons over the Maggies? I too have a pair of 1.7 and I have not encountered a box speaker that can match their imaging, air and speed; the lack of low end doesn't bother me. Thanks!
@@flashhog01 The Maggies are fine speakers for the price. As Vilip said, they don't image well but produce a good soundstage. I think they lack in the room presence and there always seemed to be a veil or scrim in them. The Canton's are just better speakers to my ears. They image exceedingly well, are nuanced, airy, tight and produce deep natural bass. They have an in your room type presence that still gives me goose bumps 3 years later. They're just so musical, they draw you into the music. I can listen to them for hours on end. They're a reference speaker for a reason.
“What you think is small... someone else may think it’s overly large” This is exactly how it’s always been with my Johnson. Eventually I started siding with the ladies view so now to me it’s big.😉👍 I should have known I was wrong about it being small to me by seeing their faces turn beat red and veins popping out of their neck. 😝 poor girls.
One of my most favorite memories from the early days was seeing a pair of Dayton Wrights go up in flames at a dealer in Pittsburg. Also, I owned a pair of Koss electrostatics in the late 70's or so. I had them in a great room and loved them.
I will add a drawback. The panels only last 15-20 years before you need to replace them. I have a pair of 20 year old Martin Logan Odysseys and have to pay $2,000 for them to make new panels and 14-20 weeks to get new panels.
I just auditioned Maggies for the first time this past summer. (1.7I I believe ). I left underwhelmed. I got bored really quickly. For my taste, I prefer a dynamic speaker. To me, dynamic speakers are more engaging, fun to listen to, and pull in one's attention.
This and Steve Guttenberg are the only audio channels I watch, oh, and PS audio, but that's it. They all have that same laid back attitude I love. They're not all that bothered if you watch them, but all show the same enthusiasm ( yes, even Vilip most of the time ) for their subject. Are they all trying to sell something? Yes. Does that bother me? No. If you make a decision how to spend your money based on a RUclips video then you have more money than sense. I really appreciate the 30 minute videos these guys put out. Kudos fellas.
Came here from Tech Ingredients...
So you think following these guys advise is wise?
@@eddieruddock7014 did you not understand the bit about making a decision on a RUclips video? Clearly not if you don't know the difference between advise and advice 😂
Very good discussion here! I went from Klipschorn ownership of 14 years, and decided to give Martin Logan Masterpiece 'Classic 9' electrostats a try with John Curl amp/preamp and JUST added the 1600X subwoofer to add that extra octave to the well designed bass modules. Never looked back. They are 91 DB efficient BTW, and they will play as loud as you can stand it ! VERY wide stereo image (orchestral and jazz recorded in TRUE stereo = TWO microphones!). Thanks for the big nod toward ML ((O;
You have GREAT people working for you Adrian you guys keep up the great videos thank you guys so much 😊
Hey guys, I really enjoy your videos. This one on panel speakers really took me down memory lane. In the 80’s, I was in in my 20’s and didn’t have much money, but a more wealthy friend of my mine loved panel speakers and also loved buying and selling gear frequently. So, I got to hear many great panels of that era from Apogee (Duetta Signatures, Divas), Magnepan (MG-IIIA’s, Tympani IVA’s), Martin-Logan (CLS, Monoliths), Quad (ESL-57, ESL-63), and others I can’t remember. Also, I personally went through Magnepan SMGa’s, MG-1C’s, Stax ELS-F81’s, Acoustat 1+1’s, and Celestion 3000’s (with ribbon tweeters) in the 80’s. Also, I believe the used publication you mentioned was called Audiomart. I was also a subscriber.
I had a pair of CLSs love them, I will never forget them, they were so good, any way to my taste.
I still have my CLS's great spkrs you need plenty of power for them to perform their best.
I was lucky enough to be able to listen to many of the speakers you were taking about. My friend and I would visit shops in Toronto in the late 70's early 80's and listen to demos. We were amazed at the sounds coming from electrostatic and planar speakers. I enjoyed this video, it brought back so many great memories.
As a fan and amateur designer of panel speakers, this was another wonderful presentation. I especially liked the distinction between soundstage and imaging and couldn't agree more. I think bipolar ribbons crossed over at low frequencies to dynamic woofers offer a good compromise but, only a compromise. Keep up the great work my friends!
I have the Martin Logan Expression 13a, and while you are mostly correct about imaging in an untreated room, if you place proper diffusion(mostly QRD) on the front speaker wall, they become amazing at imaging. I can show you my setup and if you are ever in Houston Texas area, look me up as I would be happy to have you listen. My problem is that they are still not truly as dynamic as cone speakers. As always, I really enjoy your videos. Thanks for taking time to make these.
I too own the 13A couldn’t be happier; the previous generation with Montis was nowhere near as seamless or dynamic; despite wanting to could never pull the trigger but the 13A was a huge leap; enjoy!
Took me years to get a pair of maggies. I run a pair of 20.1s. They are amazing. I have had them for over 10 years now, and may never change again. But you have to have enough amplifier to make them sing.
Very good and fun video. Vilip is a man for all seasons. He has a philosophical way of life's mysteries. Adrian you are able to pull out those layers. Thanks. Cheers Greg
Good topic! I owned many Planar speakers. The Best was The Quad ESL 57 Electrostatics! I Agree! I Had a very good friend that owned Western Reserve Audio Design.He was the only Certified Tech in Ohio that Rebuilt Quad ESL 57's. Long regarded as the benchmark of seamless midrange reproduction! He had 3 pairs,would not part with one Pair. As he got Busier,He Subbed out all his Speaker Repairs to Me.I have owned Apogee Scintilla's, Stage, Mini Grand's, Centaur minors, Centaur, and the Flagship Originals ( 7' high,3' wide.over 300 lbs. Each! The Very Speakers that Inspired the Big Krell,and Mark Levinson 250,300 wpc Class A Power Amps!). Absolutely, The Hardest Speakers to Drive Ever Made! ( About 82 db,and
Panel speakers led you for a stroll down memory lanes... It’s obvious that you both enjoyed it. Thanks for taking us with you 😊
Yeah... please do part 2 on panels... thanks!
My Apogee Calipers with a Infinity EMIT super tweeter and small sub are still playing beautifully. I had a single woking one that I had it stored for over 10 years. Then I found a single working one in Austin, Texas. I bought it for $150 and had it send to Vancouver, Canada for $275 shipping. I'm still paying for the Krell KSA 200S ($3000) that I need to power them with. I heard a pair of $80,000 Magicos a little while ago and their sound was quite similar. The Calibers are from 1987.
Great video as usual. Looking forward to part 2, hopefully you can talk about the Apogee Scintilla and Grand, perhaps the Carver Amazing... maybe a mention of the ET LFT 8 series.
The first speakers that absolutely knocked my socks off was in 1969 when High Fidelity, Inc. in Austin, TX had a pair of KLH-9's, with a Sony slant deck tape deck as the source using a master tape of "Yellow Submarine". My 18 year old jaw just hit the floor. Few speakers have just grabbed me the way they did. A set of Quad 57's in the Southwest Technical Products lobby came closer than most.
I think it’s all about space. Dipole speakers need to be 4-6 feet from the back wall. Also, with Maggies, imaging collapses when you turn your head. First you have to sit in the sweet spot, the phone rings, you turn your head and the imaging goes away. It’s so nice when you’re seated right that it’s jarring when you change position.
Place them w front panel of each facing each other. Cures the sweet spot "problem." Amazing panoramic width and depth-only if they're nowhere near back wall.
my first and only electrostatic was the Acoustat Model 3 driven by New York Audio Labs hybrid amps.. that was around 1996 and I still own them.. incredible sound.. :-) run with 200 watt B&K amp at present..
Ah panels :) acoustats 2+2 transformed in model 4 cnc solid frame because my ceiling wasnt high enough :) , had a pair of monoblocs Krell Krs 100 pure class A to match, bass qas fast deep and great mids airy highs. Soundstage and image was amazing!
Grew up with 5.1 dts surround sound systems. I love the 3 speaker cabinets with the 12” subs. Got my first set up at Sears in 1998. Kenwood. 100w per channel. Cost me bout 500$ or so. I know it’s cheap and commercial but I loved rocking those bad boys out. It was way more than anything my friends had in 9th grade. I actually still have the speakers to it. It also came with a cool red lit slide EQ that helped a lot. This was just around the time powered subwoofers became popular for surround sound.
I have the 63s and my Hi-Fi journey came to an end ...they are simply the best I’ve heard and owned at a bargain price ,no brainier !
Love the inserts of pictures by the editor.
You’re spot on in regards to the original Martin-Logan CLS being their best vintage ( circa 1985-87 ), talk about bringing back memories.
I own a pair hand-me-down Martin Logan CLS speakers in gem condition. They were my fathers first "high end" speakers. He stopped using them because he felt "they had no bass" and at that time, he couldn't find a subwoofer that "could keep up with them." They are too big for my 1450 square foot starter house. Unfortunately, they are in storage...
Find a place for them. That’s too nice a speaker to not enjoy them.
Where are you located? Want to sell them? They will need new panels....
Great video. I never had a chance to check out any of that stuff but it's nice to hear I'm not missing much.
Love your episodes guys. I once had Magneplanner mg1c. I have a pair of Martin Logan sl3,which are still in their boxes,since I moved into this house in August 2003!😳
Shame on you.
I vote for a part 2.... First Electrostatic speakers, probably first panel speakers, I ever heard where ML CLS also... I currently own the Soundlab M1’s. JansZen’s has the best dynamic driver/electrostatic panel integration I have ever heard, but ML is getting better...
A lot of the companies that you mention are not really cheap everyday man cannot expect cannot really afford some of these brands I know for a fact that is true because I used to install a lot of this equipment I installed systems ranging from 5,000 up to $300,000 and I've heard all the different systems and a lot what happens you can take a $300,000 system and put it into a room and it sound like crap you could take it $5,000 system and put it in that same room Anakin sound absolutely marvelous it all depends on placement furnishings placement of the furnishings it all depends on a lot of factors you don't have to spend a lot of money on equipment to get a system to sound good if you know what you're doing I myself have not spent a lot of money cuz I know what equipment sounds good when you place it in the proper places and space the speakers in the proper distance from the walls and when you have the proper distance from furnishings and different type of drapes that you have in the room and the size of the room matters to all these things have to be taken in consideration because if you have a wife you cannot just have an audio room you know what I mean you probably you guys probably have an audio room and you probably have just a living room with a system in the living room at that when you're entertaining but your audio room is where you miss mostly spend your time listening to your music now I have a system in my living room I'm I'm widowed so I'm living it right now with my two brothers and I have a system in my living room that which is vintage and it's very good it's all Sansui I have completely overhauled its and modified it and it is in perfect top shape and I haven't matched with Altec Lansing voices of the theater speakers which I bought second-hand and I refinished a rebuilt myself but in my bedroom I have a system that I completely overhauled modified from the ground up I have an old Yamaha receiver that was in really rough shape took me about six months to completely tear it apart overhauled and updated and now it works better than anything that's out there on the market and I have it with klipsch kb15 speakers which I completely reformed and rebuilt the crossovers and I have four of them in my bedroom one in each corner suspended from the ceiling with two subs and I did all this on a budget so you don't have to be rich to get good sound you know what you doing
I had the Apogee Duetta Signatures driven by Krell mono blocks. Best system I ever had, just awesome, would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
But alas when we had children it all had to go. The Apogees where susceptible to children's inquisitive little fingers and the Krells dangerious if a child would fall on them with sharp heat sinks . I do miss that system. Never heard a system as good as that since. On saying that I was listening to the Spatial Sapphire M3 on here the other day, playing " Death Row " They are something else. Absolutely magnificent, I have to keep going back to listen as the are so good.
Found some used Martin Logan cheap in good condition. They're about 10 years old, thought to give it a go and it's a nice change. Trying these is worth the audio ride.
Great segment, guys. Thanks for the topic. I Have to think about that “imaging” drawback perspective. My Apogees (with new ribbons) and good power create a quite nice experience across soundstage and imaging. Agree room set up is key with dipoles (including open baffle). My Apogees sit 72” from the front wall and take full advantage of the room in a close to rule of thirds set up. As big as they are if the lights are out or you close your eyes you have no idea the sound is coming from those panels. I would like to hear some of the newer ribbon designs like Alsyvox to see how they stack up.
What a great video. I especially enjoyed the nostalgia - I hadn’t thought of Ring in decades!
Very enjoyable conversation 👍. Time speeds up, you eat less and your perception of a note reduces by half a note after 50. Not all that bad so far.
I think that once have you heard planars it is difficult to go “back”... I first heard planars at a friend who has Acoustats.
I have a 5.2 Final Sound setup consisting of 2x 400i, 2x 440i (rare, updated 400i) and a 150i center. These used to be paired with two Final subwoofers but they have been changed to 2x SVS SB-2000 and it is an amazing setup. The subs add punch, tightness and very controlled musical bass. They are standing next to the left/right front speakers to add to the low end. The Finals do go quite deep for an electrostatic speaker. Even though the Finals are close to 15 years old I would not change them.
Really hope you guys do a part 2
I had Acoustat 1+1's with Medallion mod. The 2+2's were darker than the 1+1's so bought them. They were in my living room which was sort of large. I eventually sold them because we moved, and I didn't have the right room for them. I sold them and the person that bought them had them sticking out of his car's sun roof.
They were replaced with Von Schweikert VR4's, which had deeper bass and could play the large scale orchestra music I loved better. But, there was something about the sound the Acoustat's produced.....
Great video as a panel guy. It was great to see panels get some love...as always informitive and enjoyable. The speaker that for me has become more in the last couple years are the 63's specifically with the gradient subs and the advent of room correction like the minidsp.
Thanks. I always wondered a bit but the negatives do out weight the positives from your critic.
You guys should do a video on dynamic speakers.
"I had to sell a car to buy those speakers." 🤣
The speakers were more fuel efficient...
Well done.
Stereo well done can form romantic images of time that remains with a person forever. I enjoy hearing you guys recall moments from times past.
Audio is a magical contraption that inspires emotions like few other things
Nice cosy talk, I enjoyed it a lot.
Looking for part 2 on this topic!
A trip down memory lane. I had those Quicksilver tube amps for awhile in 1992/93 from Rosine Audio, a fine purveyor of high end audio gear in Skokie, IL. Unfortunately , it is no longer operating.
I heard some amazing Carvers and was highly impressed
I've owned Acoustat X's for 40 years and I can't find anything that sounds better. They give a large soundstage like Magnepan's but unlike Magnepan's the the sound of instruments and voice have a correct size and shape. I compared these to the sound of a live symphony and they sounded the same to me.
I remember waking into Straightgain and listening to a pair of Apogee’s hooked up to a pair of Krell mono blocks. Peter was quite nice even knowing I was a punk ass kid who could never afford them. Bringing back some memories. Thanks
I loved that store! A friend of mine (Perry) worked there and I used to go and hang out every now and then. I worked at a mid/hi end place in Burnaby at the time but Straight Gain carried better stuff than we did.
Maggies are "no compromise" speakers.
Everything else is just everything else.
Love my Martin Logan’s
I was seriously considering Apogee Duetta and bought a Mac7200 amp in preparation for the purchase. Auditioning them, I found I couldn't give them the room they needed. Bought Totem Mani2 instead, don't regret it.
Non-box speakers (omnis, bipoles, dipoles, and open baffles) haven’t totally fallen out of favor as open baffles are increasing in popularity significantly eg spatial audio.
Totally love you guys and your discussions.
Take care and cheers from Sweden. 🍻😎👍👍👍
Thanks so much!
I’d love to own a pair of Magnepans or Martin Logans.
The problem is WAF.
Buy their desktop system.
Thanks for all the info guys. Love the video
Thanks for watching!
I guess it's a question of "each to his own". I've owned a pair of Acoustat SPECTRA 6600 since the early 1990s ans still love them. I had QUADs before that; loved the ESL57s but hated the ESL63s.
Open baffle speakers would be an interesting discussion.
It would be interesting, ive built 3 sets of open baffles and even had emerald physics kc2 pro models, the only problem is the low end is just open and theres not really any "slam", and even if you can get deep, you can only feel it not hear it really, they image really really good, open, airy, etc, but at the expense of that low end fullness and slam, it just feels somewhat empty there and has its limits. If you dont mind not getting 30 hz-ish and below, and bass you cant only feel not hear really, thats fine maybe youll be happy, just wasnt for me.
Vilip I'm so glad you called out the body shamers in another RUclips - they have no place here so please don't introduce yourself as the fat guy in the corner : ) You are the audio EXPERT in the corner, OK? These sessions are SO much fun and instructive to "drop in" on. This video is particularly interesting because Audio Excellence own and have reviewed the Wilson XVX speakers which seem to do no wrong (except that you can literally buy a house in certain nice municipalities within a similar price range) and then you have waxed eloquently on the wonders of the great Magnepan speakers in other videos - it's so instructive to get the lowdown on the realities of placing them. IF Magnepan ever come out with their "Mini" 30.7 (which, if my memory serves, you were super impressed with) do you guys think that they would give the XVX's a run for the money? Keep it up with the great videos guys!
The Martin Logan integrated sub works better because it doesn't just match the speed of the panel, but also its phase and output match too. At the crossover frequency, the sub is also a bipolar radiator, and it slowly switches to unipolar. Basically it has a rear firing sub that has a slow high pass so it plays less and less as the notes get lower.
Vilip is the man! With Adrian - Best audiophile duo on YT
Thank You!
great stuff guys love your stuff ,thx
I recently bought some Monsoon planar hybrids
So old forgetting stuff, and wandering off topic to talk about getting so old. :-)
I once had acoustic they sadly had to go. Last year I bought quad ESL 57, loving those too. One time I listened a bit louder and my wife said the bass was too much 🤣🤣
Had a pair of Monsson MM700 desktop speakers. Not very well made, but they sure did sound good.
I had the same experience as Vilip - walked into "Goodwins" in the early 80's, a high end store - at the time located in Harvard Sq, Cambridge MA, they still exist but now in Waltham MA - They had the Tympani's but were demoing the IIIa's, which at that time would be similar to the 3.7i's of today - literally changed my life, two weeks later I returned and picked up the pair I had ordered, took every cent I had but I HAD to have 'em - although not in use, I still have that same pair - - currently running the 3.7i's which are about the largest of the line that I can use in my room - I'm curious as we move past covid if Magnepan will bring to market the so called "condo" model - that could be the "crossover" model that might stir up some interest with the "dynamic driver" crowd - best of both worlds.
Great video guys
I still have my original CLS with and Audio Research LS 3 driving them with Mark Levinson 331 but shockingly with a SAE A 1001 500 wpc 8 ohms and 750 4 ohms boy did the sound good.
Gentlemen. Have you listen to Mr. Lnkwitz's LX521's? I wonder how the dipole compares to electrostatics or Maggies? I image the positioning would be similar for the same reasons?
Cheers,
Tom eh
I've had a long love affair with panel speakers. A few decades worth. I have either listened or owned a myriad: Maggies, Acoustat, Apogee, Carver Amazing, Dayton Wright and Martin Logan. And a few stragglers here and there like the Dynapleats from Sawafuji. I've never owned nor listened to a pair of Quads.
I currently have a pair of ML Sequel II. These are my main listening speakers for the last 20 some years.
Prior to the ML, I had a pair of tweaked Dayton Wright. The XG-8 with the rosewood caps. Those were driven by a Sumo, The Power amplifier. My understanding is that James Bongiorno (RIP) designed this amp specifically for Michael Wright's XG-8. The Power put out 800Watts/Channel at 4 Ohms: The load of the XG-8.
NOTHING sounds like this combo. Nothing did since. And not anywhere near the $100K range. I tried Krell amps (not my cup of tea), VTL 225W Monoblock Deluxe, Moscode and the beautiful sounding Mark Levinson. My favorite was the Mark Levinson (333 as I loosely recall). However, it did not have that effortless control that The Sumo delivered.
The XG-8 could play LOUD and produce solid controlled bass. The sound is what gained the WAF. The living room was 20ft x 20ft. These speakers had room to breathe and did they ever!
The XG-8 were enclosed in sulfur hexafluoride gas. An inert gas to eliminate arcing. It's a poisonous heavy gas.
When my toddler son became curious about touching the music, I mothballed them and put them in safe storage.
At some point, I figured I will never get to use these gain and it's a crime to keep them mothballed when someone could enjoy them. And I parted with them.
Moved to a bigger house and have a dedicated listening room. We still lament the loss of the XG-8.
The ML are still driven by a re-tooled Sumo, The Power. Married to 4 hidden ML subwoofers. Dynamo 700. Straight up 2-channel stereo listening. And still, immensely enjoyable.
Thank you for the trip down memory lane......
Servus.
Nice video, thanks for sharing! 👍
Question, which panels sounded better to you...the CLS's or the Maggie's?
I use audio note p2 se with my 57s
Do you guys have a video discussing what imaging and soundstaging mean?
Hi, I live in southeast asia area. So the climate and weather here is hot most of the time, and also raining a third of the year. I plan to get a pair magnapan lrs but if has problems with the weather might just stick with box speakers. I also see some youtube videos rebuilding their magnepans, it the lrs does breakdown here not sure if technicians here have a ready fix.
Also, with respect to memory, there are certain things that you remember because they basically get burnt into your memory and it lasts longer. I believe that it is probably a survival-oriented trait... We remember the time many years ago when we ate something that gave us food poisoning and we were up all night either vomiting or with diarrhea, but we don't tend to remember a really good meal that might have only happened last year...
How about an update on the Maggie 30.7 (mini)!!?
I would like to see the review of the newly announced MHA200 headphone amp. Is 500mW surfficient for all types of headphones? I always been a 2 channel speakers guy until this lock down made me explore headfi. I was shocked how good a pair of the Hifiman Ananda is.
Good job keep it up. One for the analytics!
Villip, I saw that you once had a Quicksilver amp and I’m curious as to why you sold it. I’ve gone thru a lot of “high end tube amps” and found the Quicksilver to be the most natural sounding no matter what the price of the other amps. Unfortunately I had some financial problems and traded it to as plumber to pay to fix a broken pipe under the house. But I bought another Quicksilver when my situation got back to normal and still have it.
I had the Quicksilver Preamp and at that time I was running Quad ESL 63. My research at that time suggested that the matching KT88 amps would pair very well with the Quads. But I couldn't find a used pair to buy and try. And then life moves forward and everything changes. There are horns and ribbons and now Wilson - who would have figured?
Yep, image localization is less precise in planars and more dependant on the recording. However planars can be quite realistic in presentation, the soundstage and depth are superior (IMHI) to point source or dynamic drivers.
I agree with both of you about the attributes of panel speakers and have listened extensively to many models of Martin Logan at trade show in the past. Two (actually 3) things kinda turned me off them. 1- They were all very expensive. 2- The bass wasn't as powerful as I like.
3- They only sounded great, as long as you were listening in the triangular "sweet spot". When I got out of my chair and moved to either side of the speakers or away from them...they were meh. Personally, I prefer a speaker that that sounds awesome, no matter where I'm at in the room. Besides all that, I just can't afford the amount of power that these kinds of speakers require to sound spectacular.
She didn't like the size of your speakers? You know the door you came in?
Thank you for sharing guys! I am in love with panels for sure. There are some magical things about them that I cannot drop. The presence and uncompressed release of sound is just amazing. I have walked through some of the legends I have owned for the last 25 years in following order. I started off with cone speakers as Avance (Scan-speak drivers) and then began my trip into the panel djungle = ML Request = Miss them today. A really good compromise between cone and panel.
Apogee Scintilla 1 Ohm = Miss them every time I think of HiFi. This legends has it all. Period.
Apogee Slant 6 = OK, but the 6,5 woofer/mid could not keep up with the great ribbon mid/tweeter all the way...
Magnepan MG 12 / 1.5 / 1.6 = Entry level in Maggie range, but with a LOT of bang for the buck. Midrange and up are really great, but lack punch which is equal to dynamic/attack to my feelings. Perhaps it is my room because this area change sound dramatically...The larger 1.5 & 1.6 has enough of deep bass in my room.
I currently own 1.5 & 1.6 (4 years) and has spent a lot of time with different subs to try to achieve more punch, but it is an ongoing journey. EQ is a must to get them to blend... Looking for used Apogee´s and ML's now and then... Panels are here to stay (for me).
Do ribbon tweeters in general suffer similar shotfall of not having as good pin-point imaging as dome tweeters?
Yes - even the Heil type drivers.
please tell history behind Magnapans and 3M company!!i bet 3M wish’s they took the patent
I thought that the downfall of electrostatic speakers was that they were not dynamic?
Just add a good subwoofer and problem solved.
I’ve never had the room to properly place any of them.
I love my LRSs.
I first stuck my toe into hi-end with the Maggie 1.7's. Had them for 6 years and thought they were terrific speakers. Had to add a pair of subs and a pair of Musical Fidelity 550K's to juice my tube amp sufficiently to drive them. Then I ran into a pair of big Canton Ref. 1 DC's. No looking back. Sold the Maggie's and never had an interest in a panel speaker again.
Interesting. What drew you to the Cantons over the Maggies? I too have a pair of 1.7 and I have not encountered a box speaker that can match their imaging, air and speed; the lack of low end doesn't bother me. Thanks!
@@flashhog01 The Maggies are fine speakers for the price. As Vilip said, they don't image well but produce a good soundstage. I think they lack in the room presence and there always seemed to be a veil or scrim in them. The Canton's are just better speakers to my ears. They image exceedingly well, are nuanced, airy, tight and produce deep natural bass. They have an in your room type presence that still gives me goose bumps 3 years later. They're just so musical, they draw you into the music. I can listen to them for hours on end. They're a reference speaker for a reason.
@@LSDaigle That is some great info, thanks.
“What you think is small... someone else may think it’s overly large”
This is exactly how it’s always been with my Johnson. Eventually I started siding with the ladies view so now to me it’s big.😉👍 I should have known I was wrong about it being small to me by seeing their faces turn beat red and veins popping out of their neck. 😝 poor girls.
no flac for Vilip here.i know he is correct i agree.there is a difference between imaging and soundstage.
Soundstage vs. imaging ??????? And what about ET LFT's the very best planar?
I have pairs of the lft-3 and lft-8. Wonderful speakers!
Love my LRSs
Killer speaker! VALUE galore.
One of my most favorite memories from the early days was seeing a pair of Dayton Wrights go up in flames at a dealer in Pittsburg. Also, I owned a pair of Koss electrostatics in the late 70's or so. I had them in a great room and loved them.
I will add a drawback. The panels only last 15-20 years before you need to replace them. I have a pair of 20 year old Martin Logan Odysseys and have to pay $2,000 for them to make new panels and 14-20 weeks to get new panels.
QuarzQ25 what u like about them dont see much about them made in canada
I got some Monsoons which are hybrids
the older you get the more precious time becomes
I just auditioned Maggies for the first time this past summer. (1.7I I believe ). I left underwhelmed. I got bored really quickly. For my taste, I prefer a dynamic speaker. To me, dynamic speakers are more engaging, fun to listen to, and pull in one's attention.
That's why there is choice!
There is saying. Life is like toilet paper roll, as you spend it, it's spins faster and fater.
they could talk about anything and I'd listen
You don't hear much about Magnepans because one requires a $5000+ amplifier.
QUAD!