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Planar Speaker Asylum Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share your ideas and experiences. |
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In Reply to: Maggie 1.6 vs 2.5 posted by Wilder_m on April 8, 2014 at 20:06:10:
I never sat with all 3 in the same system, but they are so different from each other, the rest of the system is hardly an issue if it is competent.
First the good news is the detail from the ML Sequel is great and the bass dynamics very good. They image exceptionally and are very revealing. Downside is that the woofer and panel sound very much like different speakers. If this lack of coherence is something that you would be bothered by then it is not your sort of speaker. The second issue is the analytical nature of the panel's sound - it works best with rich sounding amps like large tube amps. They are a difficult load for the amplifier and the BKs nice as they are will be hard pressed to deal with the impedance swings. The ESL panels get muted or muffled as they age and have to be replaced - not very expensive but something to consider if the speakers are old or have been in a difficult environment (think damp). They don't play very loud but they play at low volumes very well. Far better than the Maggies you are considering.
Between the 1.6 and the 2.5 there is no competition, the 2.5 with its ribbon is just plain better.
The 2.5R is not quite as resolving as the ML and does not have the same dynamic punch in the bass, but the bass is tighter and integrates well with the mids and even the ribbon. However, detail retrieval is not quite as good as the ML Sequel. Imaging is as good once you have the placement worked out, but often the placement for best imaging is either in the middle of the room by the sidewalls or somewhere where the bass is misshapen so you need room treatments (by the front wall) or so far away from boundaries the deep bass disappears. Unless your room is small, you would want a pair of sealed subwoofers if you listen loudly. Though mids and highs can be played quite loudly, the bass bottoms out and compresses dynamics. The Maggie 2.5R is an easy load for the B&Ks but they will run out of steam if you play loudly. You will likely need to step up the ladder to get enough power for them. A high current 250+ W/ch (meaning does 500 W/Ch at 4 ohms or better) is what is called for - unless the room is small. Among the cheaper ones on the market the Adcom 5800/5802 and older 565 are good choices.
If you use subwoofers then you can easily drive the maggies with the B&K amps you have, as the main power drain is in the maggie's inefficient bass reproduction.
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Follow Ups
- RE: Maggie 1.6 vs 2.5 - Satie 23:46:26 04/08/14 (0)
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