Time for my 20.7 mini review
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| Posted on May 25, 2012 at 20:01:25 | ||
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Posts: 250
Joined: November 29, 2000 |
I’m sure my 20.7s will continue to break in and improve with time, but they’ve reached the point where change will probably come slowly, and the aural memory of my 20.1s will fade. I’m in a great position to compare their sound since I’ve been listening to the 20.1s regularly for over 10 years (the longest, by far, I’ve ever stuck with one loudspeaker), the 20.7s have been placed in the exact same spot, and the rest of my system has remained the same since a preamp change 1 year ago. I did listen to my Quad ESL 63s briefly before the 20.7s arrived, so I also have a fresh memory of full-range electrostatic sound. Over many years (I’m 58 now) I’ve had 5 full-range ESLs, 2 Maggies (3.6 and 20.1), Apogee Studio Grands, Infinity IRS Betas, Klipschorns, B&W 801s, Dahlquist DQ-10s, AR 11s, and other box speakers. All loudspeakers are compromises and I held onto the 20.1s so long because they allowed anything I played to express itself in a musically satisfying way with a believable stage. So much for the music lover; the audiophile in me always wished the Maggies had a tad more of the full-range ESL resolution and coherence I’ve always been so fond of. After my relatively short time with my new 20.7s my verdict is, “Wowie wow wow WOW!!!” But I’ll say a bit more: Magnepan’s new 20.7 is more than an incremental improvement; in fact, there is a more significant difference between the 20.7 and the 20.1 than between the 20.1 and the 3.6! I think most all of the difference is attributable to much improved speed, coherence (sounding like a single driver), and control. When much-improved speed and coherence are added to the already excellent 20.1s the result is retrieval of low-level detail on par with the very best I’ve heard. Complex music is made uncongested with instruments easy to locate and follow, huge choirs (i.e. Mahler 8) are made up of individual voices, and individual singers are more intelligible with lyrics easily understood. You’ll hear the saliva in the mouth and fingernails on the keyboards; fundamentals join with overtones so the “blatt” of a horn or the hairs on the cello’s bow add realism and immediacy to the performance. Eliminating the “phasiness” and discontinuity that usually attends multi-way designs exposes all the atmosphere of live performances with a thickly-layered soundstage and tightly-focused imaging. The distance and movement of a performer from the microphone is clearly heard. In studio recordings phase “tricks”, panning, surround and other effects are more distinctly heard- the 20.7s are now truer to the recording without the intrinsic colorations of some “painfully-accurate” loudspeakers. As to “control”, I’m referring to a intimate and transparent link between amplifiers and panels. Compared to the 20.1s the new speakers’ drivers seem to have less between them and the amplifiers. This seems to yield a greater sense of rhythm and pace along with horn-like dynamics. Combine this with the improved speed and coherence and you will be startled by the visceral and instantaneous punch of percussion and electric bass with no overhang whatsoever (try Stanley Clark’s “East River Drive” or Bela Fleck’s “Live Art”), brass, etc.. Micro-dynamics are likewise improved. There’s much more to say, but I think I’ve hit on several of the improvements most important to me. As I’m sure you can tell Magnepan has more than satisfied me with their newest loudspeakers, and I’m sure I can look forward to continued improvement as they break in. My 20.1s gave me solid bass down to 25 Hz (fortunate room dimensions), and I’ll bet the 20.7s will do the same before too long. Gary
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