Planar Speaker Asylum

Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share you ideas and experiences.

Return to Planar Speaker Asylum

Planar Speaker Asylum

regrettably selling...

24.80.180.230

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Thread: Display Email Next ] [ Planar Speaker Asylum ]

Scott 2.6/R

my beloved 2.6's as they are too large for my new condo.I am on the hunt for a smaller footprint speaker that can function close to back wall.
Please help with any suggestions.
Have listened to Sonus Faber Grand Pianos,Triangle Celius,Living Voice,Proac Rresponse and am very disallusioned as to my audiophile choices.Having the 2.6's as a reference is a tough act to follow.
Am considering the VMPS 30's... with the ribbon they look promising.
Does anyone here recommend the Galllo Ref 3's or do they need alot of breathing room as well for the wide dispersion tweeter?

Scott

Follow Ups:

Re: regrettably selling... - Larry I 07:17:42 12/06/06 (0)
I have heard various Audionote speakers in near wall and corner setups and they sounded pretty good. They are actually designed for those locations.
I have also heard, twice at CES, Gradient Revolutions, set up in small rooms, that sounded terrific. They too are designed to be used near a back wall. They also have the open, airy sound that I associate with large panel speakers. They also happen to be compact and very nice looking.
going into storage - Scott 2.6/R 18:08:37 12/05/06 (1)
Nick here has kindly offered me his 0.6's on loan if I put the 2.6's into storage until I have a bigger room in the future.
The mad scramble to replace the gorgeous sound of the 2.6's is over.A very anxiety filled situation resolved due to the generousity of a friend I met here.
A big heartfelt thanks to Nick who also is starting to realize the potential of his own 2.6's.
Scott
- Wow, that's great - MaggieLover 03:41:18 12/06/06 (0)
  That's really cool.
  You get to keep your Maggies, and get to keep the Maggie sound in your listening room. You also don't have to shell out thousands more on new speakers, regardless of how good the sound and the value might be. In addition Nick has found a temporary home for his unused pair so they don't have to languish in storage. Sounds like a win/win to me.
Re: regrettably selling... - tubevibb 05:33:15 12/05/06 (0)
Martinlogan.s arias i with my mod will do gate in 12/13 room. U NOW ARE MOVEING IN THE BRITE ZONE gooood luck thank,s
JM Reynaud Offrandes - Brian_T 00:22:53 12/05/06 (0)
Scott, sorry to hear about your room problems and needing to sell your maggies.
Two months ago I blew a tweeter in my 2.5's. I live in Europe so replacing these is not a trivial task. I posted on Speaker General asking ex-maggie owners for speaker suggestions. I wanted something easy to drive, easy to place, made in Europe and not massive floor-standers.
I narrowed down to 3, Harbeth, Spendor and JM Reynaud. In early Nov, I was in Brussels for a meeting, and was able to listen to a pair of JM Reynaud Offrande's, and was immediately sold on these.
These are small foot-print, easy to place (even close to rear wall if necessary)2 driver 3-way speakers. They come with their own stands. They are very wife friendly, if that is a concern ..
I've been living with these for over a month now and these are truly wonderful speakers. I'm hearing things on familiar LP's I've never heard before, particularly in low end and lower mid-range.
I could go on, but this post is long enough and the Planer forum is not the place for a 'box' review. Suffice to say, Offrande's are a more than suitable replacement for an ex-maggie owner. If you want to know more, email me.
There is a US distributor for JMR speakers. I strongly suggest you check these out. Best of all, they are affordable ...
Cheers Brian
Re: regrettably selling... - KKM 20:49:13 12/04/06 (2)
Scott,
Went from the 3.6's to the Gallo 3.1's. I would make sure you get the 3.1s which have an improve midrange over the 3's. Was able to get a better image height with DIY speaker stands from steinaudio.com. The 3.1's take a long time to break in, but once there the bass dynamics are better then the 3.6's and driver integration are suprisingly coherent. The CDT are just as good as the ribbons and better dispersion. Could live with either speakers but the Gallo's are more revealing and less sensitive to placement.
- Re: regrettably selling... - Dawnrazor 08:16:36 12/05/06 (1)
  Was the image height still better on the 3.6s?
  - Re: regrettably selling... - KKM 07:14:55 12/09/06 (0)
    Yes and no, the sound expanse of the 3.6 was more but not necessarily better. It depends what you are listening to. Concerts were better portrayed with the 3.6's, but small instrumentals or solo's were better portrayed on the Gallo's. The height of the image is comparable when the Gallo's are elevated for sitting position. When standing up you lose that on the Gallo's but who listenens seriously when standing? Biggest advantage for the 3.6's were in HT with the wall of sound.
Hey Scott! - amandarae 19:49:02 12/04/06 (0)
Click the link below if you have time to spare. Maybe this will work in your condo.
Regards
- http://www.linkwitzlab.com/Pluto/intro.htm (Open in New Window)
Re: regrettably selling... - Jim Willis 15:12:34 12/04/06 (2)
I am running a pair of RM30Ms in an 11x14 room and they are outstanding.
- Re: regrettably selling... - Scott 2.6/R 16:22:56 12/04/06 (1)
  Hey Jim,
  that is nice to hear.
  Have you owned planar speakers before?
  Scott
  - Re: regrettably selling... - Jim Willis 17:33:29 12/04/06 (0)
    > > Have you owned planar speakers before? < <
    Yup. I still run a pair of magnepan tympani 1(U)s in my HT. I have also owned MG-IIs and MMGs. And have, of course, heard lots of other maggies.
    I am really pleased with the RM30Ms and like them better than any maggies I've ever heard.
    They are not as placement sensitive as maggies, and some folks back them all the way to the wall and report good results. I find that they do need to be toed in to cross about 2 ft in front of the listening position. Once that's done you can actually sit almost anywhere and get reasonably good imaging - stellar imaging in the sweet spot. The midline of the speaker front - in my room - is about 30 inches from both the side wall and the rear wall. Woofers on the outside. They were a little hot at first, so I dialed the tweeter down a bit at Brian's advice. As the ribbons broke in they got smoother and sweeter.
    One of my favourite things about them is the bass. While they only go to about 32 Hz they do so with clarity and authority, and Brian has done a brilliant job of crossing them over to the neo panels. Brian's xos are first order, and everything is in phase.
    I got the piano black finish, with auricap and blackhole 5 upgrades.
    I'd buy these speakers again in a heartbeat.
I will give you my .6qrs if you'll keep your 2.6Rs! - Webnick 14:49:49 12/04/06 (1)
Now they aren't pretty (you might want to get them some socks and the outer frame if you need the cosmetics - these are bare), but they do have improved custom stands. And I might want them back when you recover your senses (I'd pay you, of course, for any costs incurred in modding them). But I'd rather you took them and kept your 2.6Rs. They're in storage right now, so its no hardship.
- Re: I will give you my .6qrs if you'll keep your 2.6Rs! - Scott 2.6/R 16:33:50 12/04/06 (0)
  Hey Nick,
  That is a very kind offer!
  You are the perfect person to ask-how do they compare to the 2.6's?
  I will be keeping my tube electronics.
  I am looking for something that has the immediacy and midrange resolution of the 2.6's.
  Again ,I am very touched by your offer!
  Scott
Re: regrettably selling... - stevenk 14:30:32 12/04/06 (0)
You might try Merlin VSM's. I know two people who've gone from 3 series maggies to Merlins and are happy with them. The Merlins are much more room friendly and image much like maggies with crystal clear highs and plenty of midrange bloom and a big soundstage, deeper than Maggies. They may be a little light on bass compared to your 2.6's and a sub might be in order. YMMV.
steve
Re: regrettably selling... - saltyflies 14:30:13 12/04/06 (0)
Do what works best for you, but would try one of the alternative placement options in the faq section first. Followed by another planar, something with a narrower sweet spot (Eminent Tech) or less physically large (quads). If you gotta go, put the Vandersteen, Piega, Devore along with the Gallo on the todo list. I’ve posted my impressions of each in the archives…The gallos have a wide dispersion pattern, don’t generate much of a backwash, and seemed better when placed away from the sidewalls.

Believe what your ears say - not hearsay.
Re: regrettably selling... - rathbone 13:45:03 12/04/06 (1)
Scott,
Maggie lover offered some good advice.
I understand you are now ready to start playing the field and need to explore all those glorious options like sexy mini-monitors etc, but you will end up regretting the decision. I would love to have my 2.5's back, warts and all, because as you stated in your ad, they give the "emotional connection" that is hard to find.....really hard! You may be happy with your next solution, but you will never find the same magic.
Do not sell the 2.6's. Make them work. Go back to stock feet if you must, remove the feet and pull the maggies in and out of a closet if you have to each time. Seriously.
- this is not easy Rathbone... - Scott 2.6/R 14:08:15 12/04/06 (0)
  The condo market in Vancouver has been through the roof for the last couple of years and the sq. footage that I could afford is rather small!!
  If I have an audio system in this new place the speakers would have to be very close to the back wall.
  The 2.6's would visually dominate both the living room and dining room.
  The whole scenario is very disillsioning...are there any other speakers out there that offer some of the magic?
  Scott
Re: regrettably selling... - MaggieLover 12:56:35 12/04/06 (5)
While I don't have a good answer for you, I wanted to point out that most good box speakers require just as much space around them as Maggies to sound their best. You can fairly easily move the lightweight Maggies to their best location for times when you're doing some critical listening. Large box speakers are usually a lot harder to move for short listening sessions.
Since you love your Maggies so much, perhaps you should put more thought into a solution before you get rid of them. As an alternative you might consider the MMG's. While you may consider them a step down from your current speakers, based on your preference for the Maggie sound, they may still give you greater satisfaction than many box speakers.
- Re: regrettably selling... - Jim Willis 15:17:57 12/04/06 (4)
  There is absolutely no comparison between the MMGs and the RM30s. Not even close.
  The RM30s are not simple "box" speakers since ribbons cover everything from 280 Hz up. They are ribbon-cone hybrids.
  - Re: regrettably selling... - MaggieLover 21:18:20 12/04/06 (3)
    My comments were based upon the thoughts expressed in the original note. I'm aware that quality of the two speakers can't be compared, but the request was for smaller footprint speaker than the Maggies which could be kept close to the wall.
    Perhaps I have the wrong model in mind but I thought the RM30's were around 4 feet tall, 8 or 9 inches wide and around 20" deep. Is that correct? In that case the fooprint is significantly larger than the maggies around 8x20 equaling at least 160 sq inches. If I have the right speaker, than it weighs over 100 pounds making it difficult to move. Since it probably should be at least 1 1/2 feet from the rear wall that means the front baffle will be at least 38" from the wall.
    My initial point is that box speakers can require as much room as Maggies to sound their best.
    - Re: regrettably selling... - Jim Willis 08:53:12 12/05/06 (2)
      Not clear that footprint is the issue as opposed to placement. A number of folks have reported good results with RM30s touching the rear wall. You can't get good results from maggies doing that.
      Yes. They are 100+ pounds each. But they slide about quite easily.
      RM30s are much easier to place in a small room than MMGs.
      - Re: regrettably selling... - MaggieLover 10:21:33 12/05/06 (1)
        
        In Reply to: Re: regrettably selling... posted by Jim Willis on December 5, 2006 at 08:53:12:
        
        No arguments with any of your points. I haven't heard them myself, but I'll presume they sound really good. What do they go for?
        
        Re: regrettably selling... - Jim Willis 11:07:44 12/05/06 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: regrettably selling... posted by MaggieLover on December 5, 2006 at 10:21:33:
        
        > > What do they go for? < <
        About $3,000 the pair.
Re: regrettably selling... - Charles J P 12:30:09 12/04/06 (0)
I've heard few dynamic speakers as transparent and airy as Triangles FOR THAT PRICEPOINT so I would give them a serious look.
Re: regrettably selling... - benie 12:06:44 12/04/06 (6)
A friend back east went from ET 8a to Galllo Ref 3's and is very happy. He really likes his Metal and found the Galllo Ref 3's to do a better job with that. He still has a pair of Eminent Tech. LFT 16.
Head down to Sound Plus and if you find something you like you might be able to get a great deal as they are closeing thier doors. I wonder who will carry the Magnepan line in Vancouver once they are gone.
Ken
- What!? Serious? - grantv 14:00:44 12/04/06 (3)
  Sound Plus is closing their doors for good or relocating? Amazing that such a big city has problems supporting only a few high end shops (Sound Plus, Commercial Electronics....), and now one less? Wow.
  - Re:Closing there doors for good (bad) - benie 20:46:58 12/04/06 (2)
    Yep, it's a shame to see as they have been around for a long time.
    A sign of the times I guess. The owner is said that he will still be serviceing a few of his highest end custmers. From his home I guess because the shop will be gone. I guess it will be a little more for the rest of the other shops.
    - Nothing on their site. - grantv 06:58:53 12/05/06 (1)
      Any idea as to when the doors are closing? I wonder if the owner will be able to sell Maggie's out of his house (if he's interested for that matter). From what I was told, they sold VERY few Maggie's from the store, but he was a fan so carried the line.
      - Re: Nothing on their site. - benie 10:56:00 12/05/06 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Nothing on their site. posted by grantv on December 5, 2006 at 06:58:53:
        
        I was told by one of the salesmen they would close sometime in Jan.
        Your right Maggies were not a big seller there but I think if one of there rooms were setup with 3.6 that could have helped sell the other Models as well. But they didn't even have a pair of 3.6 in there for Demo.
        Maggie owners might have to go to the Island for serviceing or Maggnepan directly.
- Re: regrettably selling... - Scott 2.6/R 12:17:14 12/04/06 (1)
  Hey Ken
  Thanks for the feedback on the Gallo's.
  I was at Sound Plus on the weekend and there is nothing there I like!
  Don't know who will p/up Magnepan for Vancouver.
  Scott
  - Re: regrettably selling... - benie 20:59:03 12/04/06 (0)
    I mentioned to Ken at Sig. Sound to pick up the Maggie line. But he is for the most part very short on room and Maggies don't do as well in Vancouver. Hell I was in Sound Plus many times and only once did they have Maggies hooked up. You had to make an app. to give the a listen. Maybe this is one on the reasons they are going under. Never saw 3.6 there to Demo!!!
Re: regrettably selling... - Musicid 11:30:57 12/04/06 (0)
I started out with 3.5s and for similar reasons as yours had to get rid of them. I got a pair of used Gallo Ref 3s. Their tweeter does allow for a very nice and wide soundstage and will work well even in a smaller room. They do not have the smooth midrange as my 3.5s had. Female vocals are just not as natural. The image height was very disappointing. Ref 3s are good speakers and I suspect that many magnepan owners have had affairs with them, but most return to their first true love. I will be.
Re: regrettably selling... - Mike D 11:13:05 12/04/06 (0)
Check out Thiel 2.3, 2.2, or the new 1.6 speakers. The 2.2 and 2.3 are used and excellent. The 1.6 are 90 db sensitive so you will enjoy the large soundstage (close to) of maggies, the clean treble of maggies, and a new found ability to run your speakers with less need for wattage.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Signature Sound

[ Signature Sound Lounge ]

You can not post to an archived thread.