Think out of the box!
Written: Sep 14 '01
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Pros: Wonderfully natural sound, eerie imaging, transparent sound, best bang for buck around, pure music
Cons: Lacking in low bass, size
The Bottom Line: WARNING!!! These speakers could change your impression of stereos forever. Listen to them at your own risk, as doing so can create profound desires to own them.
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| Green_Kiwi's Full Review: Magnepan MG1.6 QR Speaker |
These speakers are something that every perspective speaker owner who is looking to buy a speaker over $1000 should listen to. But be warned, you may well get hooked and not be able to listen to other speakers afterward. These speakers perform sonically with speakers costing twice as much and more.
This past winter, I decided that I wanted to get new speakers. $1500 is an excellent price point for speakers, as compromises in the speakers are much less. I spent close to 150 hours listening to speakers and systems before making any decisions. Some of the notable speakers that I listened to are: B&W 803 ($5k), B&W 804($3500), Revel Studio($7k), Ariel 10T($10k), Dynaudio Contour 1.3 & 1.8 ($3-5k), Martin Logan Prodigy ($10k) , Vandersteen 2Ce ($1500) and Wisdom Audio M50 ($18k). The summation of my experiences was that at $1600, the 1.6’s did more correct and less wrong then any of these speakers. Only the Martin Logan’s imaging could compare, but the crossover from planar to cone on the Martin Logan left much to be desired. The B&W’s had more bass, but it was not a precise and they could not image in comparison. Both the Revel and Ariel had excellent base, but their mid-range and treble were not as cohesive as the 1.6’s. The Vandersteen was too laid back, it’s a very pleasant speaker to listen to with better bass. In contrast, the Dynaudio speakers were unnaturally bright and fatiguing to listen to for extended periods of time. I happened into a store that had the Wisdom Audio M50’s (floor standing 6’ behemoths, with a ribbon tweeter and a woofer that has 3” of travel) and decided to take a listen. For a $20,000 speaker, they didn’t image as well as the Martin Logans or 1.6’s, and they had the same problem with sound at the cross over point. I asked the owner of the shop to come by and listen to my system with the 1.6’s. When the music started, his jaw dropped… all he could say was “These speakers are only $1600?” Later he went on to say that if he carried these speakers, he’d be unable to sell the B&W’s, as anyone who heard these would buy them at half the cost.
Enough on the comparison to other speakers, as much of this is purely personal taste in music. Here’s the nitty gritty on what these speakers do well and what isn’t so good. First, these speakers are said to be very power hungry however the 40 watt tube amp that I have does a more then adequate job driving them. As for placement, sure they need to be away from walls and corners to sound their best, but that goes for all speakers. These speakers still sound great if their placement isn’t great, albeit, not as good as they would sound if their placement were improved. They like bigger rooms, with moderately tall ceilings (8’ is better then 7’). They image extremely well and the speakers disappear from the sonic field. Many speakers form “hotspots” and you can tell where the speaker is. With the 1.6’s, if you were to close your eyes, you could not place the speaker in the image that it creates. The midrange is amazing, the treble is ever so slightly rolled off at the top and the bass is slightly limited. They wouldn’t be great for home theater systems that lacked a subwoofer, but for standard musical listening, they are excellent. Their size and shape is a limitation, they stand 5’ high, a foot and a half wide and are only 2” deep. They are very solidly constructed and blend into most decors. I have had many people not even notice that the speakers are in the room at first… only to comment in shock five minutes later.
These speakers aren’t for everyone, but they may be just the speaker for you. Go out and listen to them. If you can spend a bit more, listen to the Magnepan 3.6’s ($4k). They do everything that the 1.6’s do, only better. Better bass, better treble, better imaging. And if you are looking at speakers in the $10,000 range, listen to the Magnepan MG20.
Be warned, you may never want to listen to box speakers again.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1600
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Epinions.com ID:
Green_Kiwi
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Member: Adam Bovill
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 7 members
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