Planar Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Magnestand 1.5qr Speakers by Eddieh

Model:	1.5qr
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$2200
Description:	Full wooden frame, stand and strut; upgraded crossover
Manufacturer URL:	Magnestand

Review by Eddieh on May 17, 2011 at 06:03:16
IP Address: 69.159.189.220 Add Your Review
for the 1.5qr

Let me start with a couple of qualifiers first. I have not heard the 1.6qr in my system or the 1.7qr at all so this review only compares the performance of a stock pair of 1.5qr Maggies to a fully “gunned” pair, but I have had the stock pair for several years with very little equipment changes during that time so I am quite familiar with their traits. I have been listening to the Magnestand modded pair for just over 2 months now so I feel I can comment on their sound without being worried that my judgement is overly clouded by “new gear syndrome”.

Over the years I had done a couple of things to make the stock pair sound better: Mye stands (major improvement), bypassed the fuse, filled the stand with shot, and since I was using a pair of Quad II-forty monoblocks I had put in a pair of Paul Speltz autoformers (also major improvement). Overall I was very happy with the sound in my small room with a variety of source material spinning on the turntable but, as we all know, the urge to improve things will only lay dormant for so long before action must be taken. So, last Fall I decided to take the plunge and hopped on PG's waiting list after reading extensively on this forum about the mods he offered. My original plan was to just have new crossovers made to order, but after researching more about the pros and cons of replacing the mdf with real wood I decided to go “fully gunned”.

Fast forward to early Spring and it was now time to pick what wood to use and finalize the other details of construction. Lots of pleasant e-mails back and forth, a final chat over the phone, and PG and I had our ducks in a row. I travel a lot for business and as a result I was able to forgo shipping the speakers from Canada to PG and back (to our mutual relief) and the plan was for PG to have the frames and crossovers ready to swap when I showed up at his workshop. The day finally arrived and I enjoyed a pleasant drive through a very pretty part of the country on my way to PG's workshop. PG was there with his able assistant ready to do the swap while I relaxed and had a listen to his current system with my feet up (as it were).

My first impression upon seeing the frames was “Wow, what beautiful work!” The figured maple glowed and had a wonderfully smooth feel to the touch. This isn't of any sonic interest perhaps, but the visual component is a big part of this hobby and these looked marvellous. The external crossover boxes were also works of art and added greatly to the overall appearance. When I brought the finished speakers home the first thing my wife said was how small they looked; no mean feat for Maggies!

The old units were disassembled and the drivers inspected for signs of delamination or other issues. The wires and ribbons were fine but there was some of the dreaded tackiness that could signal future problems. This was addressed before putting the drivers in their new home and I was given a lesson on preventative maintenance and corrective action in case it became necessary. Turning the drivers around and only using half of the sock meant that the drivers were now exposed and much easier to keep an eye on. This was desirable because one of the reasons I wanted to do the modification was to have someone with an experienced eye take a look at the drivers, these were made in 1996 after all, and give them a clean bill of health. After some other last minute fix ups the speakers were ready to go and I headed back to the border.

The first listening session revealed a number of changes. First, I didn't need to turn the volume up to reach the same sound levels as before. One of PG's claims is a 6 dB increase in sensitivity and I was able to run my CAT SL1 Reference Mk. II at 2 “clicks” lower than before. Since CAT states that their attenuator is about 3 dB per click this matched PG's claim pretty closely.

The next impression was of a smoother soundstage. One of the things that drew me to Maggies in the first place was the solid holographic imaging they produce. While I had always been happy with the performance of the 1.5qr I now became aware that the stock pair, in my particular room, had given me a somewhat three part image... a very good central image, good width with good detachment from the speakers, but what I noticed now was a more seamless blend across the soundstage from extreme left to extreme right.

Further listening also revealed much clearer separation of instruments, particularly massed strings. Details seemed more clear and one of the side benefits was that even though the panels could be driven with less power to the same volume, I was able to play music at lower levels and still get the Maggies to “come alive”. Now the decision to crank 'er up was based more on my reaction to the music, and less on my reaction to the sonics.

Bass was improved somewhat but not as dramatically as might be possible with more powerful amplification. Listening to PG's MMGs driven by a Pass X-250 I was mightily impressed with the bass performance of the smaller panels. However, there's only so much control that a pair of 40 watt tube amps can exercise over the Maggies, but they sound so sweet that they have always satisfied me anyway.

So what did handing over a chunk of my hard earned cash get? The peace of mind that comes with knowing that my speaker electronics were now about as good as you can get, that my long-in-the-tooth drivers had been given a once over and could now be easily monitored for signs of aging, speakers that look absolutely fabulous, what else... oh, and they sound better. Can't forget that.

Thanks John!

Product Weakness:	None so far.
Product Strengths:	More cohesive soundstage. More focused image. More detail and clarity, comes alive at lower volumes. Very beautiful wood and finish.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Quad II-forty tube monoblocks. 40 wpc.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): CAT SL1 Reference Mk. II
Sources (CDP/Turntable): VPI Soutmaster with SDS. Dynavector XX-2 cartridge.
Speakers: Magnestand modded 1.5qr
Cables/Interconnects: Nordost Frey, Cardas Golden Cross
Music Used (Genre/Selections): wide variety
Room Size (LxWxH): 18 ft x 12 ft x 8 ft
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Quad II-forty tube monoblocks. 40 wpc.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	CAT SL1 Reference Mk. II
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	VPI Soutmaster with SDS. Dynavector XX-2 cartridge.
Speakers:	Magnestand modded 1.5qr
Cables/Interconnects:	Nordost Frey, Cardas Golden Cross
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	wide variety
Room Size (LxWxH):	18 ft x 12 ft x 8 ft
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner