Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share your ideas and experiences.
Return to Planar Speaker Asylum
74.96.124.56
Model: Magneplanar 1.6QR Category: Speakers Suggested Retail Price: $1500 Description: Planar Magnetic Loudspeaker Manufacturer URL: Magnepan Model Picture: View
Review by esande on November 28, 2010 at 06:41:42
IP Address: 74.96.124.56Add Your Review
for the Magneplanar 1.6QR
I'll skip to the bad part first. That's so's to get it out of the way. These speakers are not inexpensive. The basic 1.6QRs are but the Magnestand mods are not. You'll basically pay twice the stock price for these. Still not unreasonable for what you get.
Well, that was easy.
It didn't hurt a bit. Now, what do you get. You just doubled the cost of your new 1.6QRs. But now you have the incomparable craftsmanship of Peter Gunn, the diminutive woodworker from Pennsylvania, and his cohorts on your side. I don't know that he has cohorts, I just made that up. But his craftsmanship shows.
The basic 1.6QR is a normal flat panel two way Magneplanar, not particularly different from many of the other speakers Magnepan has produced over the years except for its quasi-ribbon mid-tweeter design.
It's packaged in the usual MDF (mediun density fiberboard) construction that allows it to be sold at a price point that is quite a bit less than would normally be expected for speakers of this capability.
In other words they don't sound bad stock and they are a good value.
The usual Magneplanr caveats apply. They ARE inefficient at 86 dBm and they do want high current amps to sound their best.
They are relatively, maybe I should say extremely, sensitive to placement. You're going to need some serious space to get the best soundstaging and linearity out of them. You are going to need about three to five feet from the back wall and the more spacing you can get from the side walls, although not critical, is better. These speakers need air and space.
However, they excel at so many things that it's hard to fault the stock units overall.
Now, why would you want to mod them? Because, frankly, in certain areas they suck. Stock, they beam highs and are way too bright overall. The bass is not well integrated. The physical construction, well, these speakers are built to a price point.
If you can take advantage of some mods I recommend that you do so.
These speakers can be brought up to world-class. There is nothing wrong with the basic planar-magnetic design.
The "Gunned" 1.6QRs.
I was not too favorable to having this done initially. However the were shortcomings in the speakers that I did not expect. As a long-term SMGs user I expected the 1.6QRs to carry over the same sound with more bass. Yet they did not.
Yes, there was more bass. But the character of the treble was altered, and the overall tonality was different. It was worse comparatively.
And the high end sucked.
So I was in a position where there didn't seem to be too many options other than to go with the mods. Or else ditch the 1.6s.
So I went with the mods.
Overall I'm glad I did. I've got them broken in now, they are sounding fine. A great job by Peter Gunn and I can't say enough about how good they sound.
Product Weakness: None after modifications Product Strengths: Affordable high-end
Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Bryston 4BSST Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Benchmark DAC1 Sources (CDP/Turntable): Computer Speakers: Magnestand 1.6QR Cables/Interconnects: Generic Music Used (Genre/Selections): Jazz, Rock, Alternative Room Size (LxWxH): 14 x 30 x 8 Room Comments/Treatments: None Time Period/Length of Audition: 11 months Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Topic - REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - esande 06:41:42 11/28/10 ( 48)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - russ69 14:25:17 11/30/10 ( 0)
RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - colebearanimals 08:16:01 11/29/10 ( 2)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - esande 09:07:09 11/29/10 ( 1)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - colebearanimals 09:59:40 11/29/10 ( 0)
RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - pictureguy 09:27:58 11/28/10 ( 43)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - esande 17:24:53 11/28/10 ( 29)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - pictureguy 19:10:31 11/28/10 ( 28)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - Peter Gunn 22:54:03 11/28/10 ( 27)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - ahendler 08:01:34 11/29/10 ( 22)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - Peter Gunn 10:24:20 11/29/10 ( 21)
- Not so, my little friend. :-)) ... - andyr 00:02:34 11/30/10 ( 17)
- Yes so, my giant friend. :-)) ... - Peter Gunn 07:21:27 11/30/10 ( 16)
- Que??? ... - andyr 15:46:05 11/30/10 ( 12)
- RE: Que??? ... - Peter Gunn 05:18:50 12/1/10 ( 4)
- uh, - wazoo 07:30:18 12/1/10 ( 0)
- RE: Que??? ... - crom 06:03:36 12/1/10 ( 2)
- RE: Que??? ... - Dawnrazor 08:03:00 12/1/10 ( 0)
- RE: Que??? ... - ahendler 07:37:24 12/1/10 ( 0)
- RE: Que??? ... - Dawnrazor 22:39:03 11/30/10 ( 4)
- "We can bicker about whether the mylar front is a + polarity or - polarity but" ... - andyr 23:27:04 11/30/10 ( 3)
- RE: "We can bicker about whether the mylar front is a + polarity or - polarity but" ... - Dawnrazor 08:06:32 12/1/10 ( 1)
- RE: "We can bicker about whether the mylar front is a + polarity or - polarity but" ... - crom 08:18:57 12/1/10 ( 0)
- RE: "We can bicker about whether the mylar front is a + polarity or - polarity but" ... - johnvb 04:16:16 12/1/10 ( 0)
- you're not so upside down down under ;-) (PG13 language warning) - wazoo 16:13:35 11/30/10 ( 1)
- Que??? Que??? Me no comprende, compadre. :-)) nt - andyr 16:18:07 11/30/10 ( 0)
- OK, but... - esande 11:25:45 11/30/10 ( 2)
- RE: OK, but... - Peter Gunn 13:58:40 11/30/10 ( 1)
- RE: OK, but... - ahendler 15:09:37 11/30/10 ( 0)
Why did they drop the SMGa design? - esande 13:57:48 11/29/10 ( 2)
- RE: Why did they drop the SMGa design? - Peter Gunn 16:22:08 11/29/10 ( 1)
- RE: Why did they drop the SMGa design? - JLindborg 02:51:19 11/30/10 ( 0)
RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - pictureguy 23:36:29 11/28/10 ( 3)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - Peter Gunn 08:24:35 11/29/10 ( 1)
- RE: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers - colebearanimals 08:45:09 11/29/10 ( 0)
Not miffed. - esande 04:51:38 11/29/10 ( 0)
Yes he does (put polepiece front) but I run my 3-ways mylar front and ... - andyr 12:25:12 11/28/10 ( 12)
- ...but I run my 3-ways mylar front and ... - Peter Gunn 23:16:37 11/28/10 ( 3)
- "The stuff that is now 'over there' should sound like it's over there, like it would in real life." ... - andyr 23:46:53 11/28/10 ( 2)
- Wait a tic.... - Peter Gunn 08:39:17 11/29/10 ( 1)
- LOL!! Good one. :-)) nt - andyr 11:16:49 11/29/10 ( 0)
RE: Andyr do you also flip the Ribbon - benie 18:32:48 11/28/10 ( 6)
- That's correct, benie. I believe in fact that the 20.1 has ... - andyr 19:32:08 11/28/10 ( 5)
- RE: That's correct, benie. I believe in fact that the 20.1 has ... - DrChaos 10:52:14 12/2/10 ( 1)
- "A small diffractor might improve off-axis dispersion"??? ... - andyr 11:17:42 12/2/10 ( 0)
- RE: That's correct, benie. I believe in fact that the 20.1 has ... - benie 00:15:12 11/29/10 ( 2)
- Mmmm ... OKay ... - andyr 00:23:49 11/29/10 ( 1)
- RE: Mmmm ... OKay ... - benie 04:49:54 11/29/10 ( 0)
undoubtedly that's it :-) nt - esande 17:53:02 11/28/10 ( 0)