Planar Speaker Asylum

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Planar Speaker Asylum

From my perspective...-

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In Reply to: RE: Has Magnepan solved the "Maggie Grain" issue? posted by George S. Roland on February 15, 2025 at 17:45:21

the "dot 7" series improved transparency and as importantly, coherency. The 20.1s had wonderful individual ranges but still sounded like a collection of parts. I could likely be happy with 20.7s or 30.7s.

Having said that, I'm not sure they can ever match the purity of a good stat where the only moving mass is the diaphragm.

Follow Ups:

Spot On - Barry 10:07:40 02/21/25 (10)
I'm in total agreement with you on both points. I haven't listened to the "dot 7" series closely, but I have reworked the 3.6's wiring and passive crossover parts, in the tweeter/midrange XO. I'm also actively bi-amping the bass panel and tweeter/midrange sections eliminating the stock passive XO between them entirely.

Results are exactly as you've stated - much better transparency. I was surprised by the noticeable improvement in coherency too. The stock speakers really do sound like a "collection of parts". (Also, the driver outputs aren't as closely matched as they should be, but that can be tweaked with bi-amping).

Frame vibration needs to be addressed if you want to get anywhere close to good electrostatics. Oh no, maybe I could've saved all my money and just bought a pair of stats and been done with it...!
- Just spitballing here,.. - DustyC 11:14:50 02/22/25 (6)
  But I often wonder if the next step for Magnepan is to tri amp their 3 and 20 series using something like those Hypex plate amps with a digital input only for those who just stream music (anybody under 40 years old at my office) and use the digital filters and delays to optimize the response.
  The Hypex amps have an analog input for those who insist.
  For the prices they're charging you could add the plate amps and skip the .X stuff.
  - RE: Just spitballing here,.. - josh358 12:19:22 02/25/25 (3)
    Yes, that would push them to the next level. My own modified Tympani IVA's are set up that way, with the computer handling the DSP.
    
    Danville has been demonstrating systems along these lines, using their DSP with Maggies and dipole woofers that they put together.
    
    Anyone can create a system like this with a processor and amps, but with the x.7's, it may entail taking the socks off or cutting a hole. It's easy with the early models, in fact, you can repurpose the jumper connectors since you don't need tweeter resistors with DSP.
    
    You also need a high level high pass filter on the ribbon tweeter. I don't know that you actually gain anything by tri-amping because you already need an analog HPF on the ribbons to protect them. I have my system tri-amped, but that's mostly because my mids (Neo 8's) are much more sensitive than the rest of the speaker and I don't like using resistors (though I did use them at one point). I have Hypex on the bass and will try it on the midrange at some point (it's a 4 channel amp). I have an A-21 on the tweeters, which is absurd, so if the Hypex mids work out I think I'll move the AHB-2 up there and sell the A-21, which has somehow gotten heavier each year while my back has stayed just as strong as it always was. :-)
    
    That said, I think bi- and tri-amping makes a big difference with Maggies, however it's done. And I'm not sure that it's all the electronic XO, or even any of it -- a direct connection to the amp means that the speaker is electronically damped by the amplifier even outside the XO passband.
    
    I also suggested to them that they offer a Y version with a DSP plate amp on the back of the speaker and use it to drive the bass panel, which benefits more than anything else from DSP, but it seems that no one was interested in my idea.
    - RE: "because you already need an analog HPF on the ribbons to protect them" ,.. - andyr 20:10:37 03/18/25 (2)
      IE. a series cap!
      
      No, Josh - you don't need a series cap on the true-ribbons. I ran my Maggies triamped for 20 years without using a 'safety' cap - and never blew one from clipping.
      
      I did , alas, have a ribbon blow from a cross-wind through the room they were in (door and window open at the same time). An expensive mistake. :-((
      - RE: "because you already need an analog HPF on the ribbons to protect them" ,.. - Roger Gustavsson 00:31:39 03/19/25 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: "because you already need an analog HPF on the ribbons to protect them" ,.. posted by andyr on March 18, 2025 at 20:10:37
        
        That also depends on the power amps. If they have bad turn on/off behaviours it can be risky.
        
        RE: "because you already need an analog HPF on the ribbons to protect them" ,.. - andyr 00:47:20 03/19/25 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: "because you already need an analog HPF on the ribbons to protect them" ,.. posted by Roger Gustavsson on March 19, 2025 at 00:31:39
        
        That's true, Roger.
        
        The amps I use do not have a large on/off 'thump'.
  - RE: Just spitballing here,.. - Roger Gustavsson 00:28:13 02/23/25 (1)
    Triamp may not be a must but biamp + DSP will do far more then the X-thing.
    - Biamping with line-level crossovers has truly brought my 3.6Rs to a new level. nt. - MWE 16:46:29 02/23/25 (0)
      Nt.
      
      Mark in NC
      "The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon
- RE: Spot On - MWE 19:47:10 02/21/25 (2)
  I've also biamped my 3.6Rs with line-level crossovers, and you're correct- getting that large amount of HP capacitance out of the signal path to the midrange makes a VERY noticeable difference in transparency, much for the better. I can't even listen to them with the stock crossovers anymore.
  
  Mark in NC
  "The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon
  - Add me to this list. - grantv 20:50:04 02/21/25 (1)
    I believe the improvement is more in removing the passive parts as it is doubling up on power. Major change.
    One of my amps recently stopped working. Definitely did not want to revert back, even temporarily... somehow it's working again. Loose connection? No idea, hope it continues working.
    - Good luck with it! nt. - MWE 04:21:14 02/22/25 (0)
      Nt.
      
      Mark in NC
      "The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon

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