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Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF

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Posted on November 9, 2024 at 07:25:48
MarcL
Audiophile

Posts: 479
Location: PA
Joined: February 26, 2019



I was at CAF past two days. Thursday I helped set up a 5.1.4 Atmos demo in room 751. It featured the prototype MCR speakers for fronts and surrounds, MC1 tops, CCR center, and Perlisten 12" subs.

The MCR is 12" wide and a little shorter than the LRS+. It's a two-way with the mid/bass planar panel taking most of the space and the 40" ribbon(same as a 2.7i) handling the high end. It can be wall mounted or floor mounted. Response is not quite as low as the LRS+ but does go a bit under 70Hz.

Only the white speakers are playing. The black 1.7, 3.7 and 20.7 frames are filled with rock wool to serve as stands, bass traps and broad band absorbers.

As I had it set up Thursday night with flat response from the Dirac Live calibration I was very pleased with the overall sound and excellent Atmos imaging for both music and movies.

Agilist, Musician, Photographer, Audiophile
7.1.4 Magneplanar: 3.7, CCR, LRS, MC1(4), DWM(2); Emotiva B1+; GR Research OB Dipole Subs (2x3); Emotiva XMC-2; Nord One NC500DM; Nord Three 1ET7040SA; VTV NC502MP; Crown XLi800;OPPO 205

 

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RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 10, 2024 at 00:46:40
MarcL
Audiophile

Posts: 479
Location: PA
Joined: February 26, 2019
 Jason - Audiophile Junkie - visited the room on Saturday. This video includes some explanation, target pricing, etc. From Ken Bucher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXVSGxCvfFU

It seems there is a problem with the sound ... hmmm, sounded great when I left Thursday night. Something must have changed.

Agilist, Musician, Photographer, Audiophile
7.1.4 Magneplanar: 3.7, CCR, LRS, MC1(4), DWM(2); Emotiva B1+; GR Research OB Dipole Subs (2x3); Emotiva XMC-2; Nord One NC500DM; Nord Three 1ET7040SA; VTV NC502MP; Crown XLi800;OPPO 205

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 10, 2024 at 04:46:21
G Squared
Audiophile

Posts: 9019
Location: Washington, DC Metro Area
Joined: November 16, 2004
Contributor
  Since: May 23, 2023
 I popped in. The sound was OK. I am a Maggie fan.

Magnepan needs to invest in a larger space at CAF.
Gsquared

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 10, 2024 at 04:57:20
MarcL
Audiophile

Posts: 479
Location: PA
Joined: February 26, 2019
 That space was one of three rooms run by The Listening Room and Fidelity Imports. So there wasn't much choice. But, for the purpose of that demo the room was actually the perfect size. I insisted that they do 5.1.4 and not 7.1.2 because the former is needed for proper Atmos object steering, and there typically is no way to properly place rear surrounds in a room like that. I was able to get all the speakers very close to Dolby spec positions and after the Dirac calibration which set distances and levels the balance was excellent ... at least it was when I left Thursday night ...

I stopped in around noon Friday and the sound was NOT the way I had left it ... dealer's prerogative to adjust for the perceptions and expectations of an audio show. So whatever you heard, it was capable of sounding a LOT better.

Agilist, Musician, Photographer, Audiophile
7.1.4 Magneplanar: 3.7, CCR, LRS, MC1(4), DWM(2); Emotiva B1+; GR Research OB Dipole Subs (2x3); Emotiva XMC-2; Nord One NC500DM; Nord Three 1ET7040SA; VTV NC502MP; Crown XLi800;OPPO 205

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 10, 2024 at 11:48:45
josh358
Industry Professional

Posts: 12376
Joined: February 9, 2010
 What a shame. However you look at it, realism is Magnepan's calling card.

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 11, 2024 at 21:03:12
emailtim
Audiophile

Posts: 7694
Joined: July 2, 2017
 Do you know how they changed it from flat ?

Did they put in some sort of house curve (e.g. make it bass heavy) ?

Do you know who changed it ?

I worked on some Pioneer KURO Plasma panels. They were $8K MSRP. When they hit the market, I went to the local "Good Guys" chain and they had it next to a $14K Fujitsu unit. The picture was nasty compared to the Fujitsu. I asked the salesmen for the remote and adjusted the picture. The KURO looked just as good as the $14K Fujitsu. I showed the sales rep and he took off to grab and drag over the store manager.

Have no idea why they had it so screwed up because it wasn't going to help their sales.

Maybe they had a wider profit margins on the Fujitsu (or the Fujitsu rep got a hold of the Pioneer remote) ???

.

2022/03/30 Historical Records CENSORED

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 12, 2024 at 00:41:32
MarcL
Audiophile

Posts: 479
Location: PA
Joined: February 26, 2019
 The dealer insisted that a home theater system has to have elevated bass. He wasn't satisfied until he had boosted the subs 10-15db above flat. It wasn't a house curve per se because I had Dirac tuned to a flat curve. It was just elevating the level on the subs themselves. Now at least I had flattened them so there were no big peaks and cancellations. It boosted LFE 10-15db and that's fine for movies, but not Atmos music. But that also boosted ALL the speaker bass up to 100-150Hz because of the necessary high crossovers ... and that upset the overall balance of everything. He believed that at a show you have to have loud bass ... and home theater has to have loud bass ... it has to be exaggerated.

Everybody in the setup team heard it flat Thursday night for a couple hours with music and music and they seemed to like it. So it was a conscious choice.

Agilist, Musician, Photographer, Audiophile
7.1.4 Magneplanar: 3.7, CCR, LRS, MC1(4), DWM(2); Emotiva B1+; GR Research OB Dipole Subs (2x3); Emotiva XMC-2; Nord One NC500DM; Nord Three 1ET7040SA; VTV NC502MP; Crown XLi800;OPPO 205

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 12, 2024 at 01:20:02
emailtim
Audiophile

Posts: 7694
Joined: July 2, 2017
 "... He believed that at a show you have to have loud bass ..."

That is highly dependent on the age group and the specific show.

Akin to the settings on a car audio display at a big box store.




.

2022/03/30 Historical Records CENSORED

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 12, 2024 at 09:58:15
MarcL
Audiophile

Posts: 479
Location: PA
Joined: February 26, 2019
 Yes so that is the thing I don't understand about the sound at CAF. CAF is a strictly 2-channel show, predominantly vinyl focused though dealers are showing more streamers. Hardly a CD player to be found, and no immersive/spatial capability even from streaming ... other than this year's Magnepan room. The demographic is over 95% male and I would say significantly skewed to over 50 if not over 60. They're showing VERY expensive gear that I doubt is targeted to folks under 35.

Now genres will vary and some people in the demographic may like techno dance music ... maybe? But how many like classical, jazz, folk?

I guess it gets down to the similar presumption of record companies that everyone wants to hear bricked dynamics. If people never hear anything else ... how do they know?

Agilist, Musician, Photographer, Audiophile
7.1.4 Magneplanar: 3.7, CCR, LRS, MC1(4), DWM(2); Emotiva B1+; GR Research OB Dipole Subs (2x3); Emotiva XMC-2; Nord One NC500DM; Nord Three 1ET7040SA; VTV NC502MP; Crown XLi800;OPPO 205

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 13, 2024 at 13:57:28
josh358
Industry Professional

Posts: 12376
Joined: February 9, 2010
 Sadly, they don't, it's all they've ever heard. The record companies do it because they want their tracks to sound louder than the next guy's on the radio.

Funny, when I was at Symphony Hall a few weeks ago, the dynamic range was remarkable (how can a hall have dynamic range?). You could hear the smallest tinkle, and then it would hit you over the head. Sad that record companies feel the need to compress even classical music in the days of digital audio -- it robs it of so much. And then there are the harpsichords that are louder than the orchestra, etc. . . .

First world problems.

 

RE: Magnepan New MCR Speaker at CAF, posted on November 14, 2024 at 04:39:53
MarcL
Audiophile

Posts: 479
Location: PA
Joined: February 26, 2019
 Maybe my ears are getting more refined, but I used to think the Perlman Theater in Philadelphia sounded great ... last few chamber music concerts I've been frustrated that I never heard certain instruments ... LEAST of all one note from a harpsichord unless the rest of the orchestra wasn't playing.

A couple weeks ago we went to the big hall in the same building (now called Marian Anderson Hall) to hear the Curtis Symphony and a group called Time for Three (Alumni ... two violins and bass). As with the time we saw Itzhak Perlman with the Philadelphia Orchestra it was hard to hear the soloists and the sound masked many instruments. The room is very live ... ambient conversation during intermission was 85db and the orchestra peaked at 95. But as I have found at the Perlman, the sound was better after intermission. Now THAT has to be my brain!

The other thing was, after talking to some guys in my audio group I had decided to get seats all the way at the back of the lower level, rather than 3/4 back as I normally would. But I was foiled by the sound mixing board ... they moved us forward several rows. I'll try next time.


Agilist, Musician, Photographer, Audiophile
7.1.4 Magneplanar: 3.7, CCR, LRS, MC1(4), DWM(2); Emotiva B1+; GR Research OB Dipole Subs (2x3); Emotiva XMC-2; Nord One NC500DM; Nord Three 1ET7040SA; VTV NC502MP; Crown XLi800;OPPO 205

 

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