Calling Maggie 1.6 Owners

nobody heard lft-8b before???

http://www.eminent-tech.com/lft8prod.html



would be cool if someone can give me an idea how this compare w maggie 1.7. i know there is a local dealer for lft-8b and can audition it. since i have no chance to compare with maggie 1.7, any opinion will be great.

wps

Who is the dealer for ET ?
Your other choice would be Martin Logan.

the dealer for et is in summit usj. audio impression.

wps

Hmm.... looks like I have to make a trip to Summit soon. Curious to hear the ETs. Never really heard them seriously before. Which floor ?

anyone got a contact number? looks good ...

So, you thinking of adding it to your collection ? Maggie, Apogee, ET, all of them ryhmes with each other so even the stars are on your side !!

ha ha ... i'm always game for planar adventures ...

Well then, what are you waiting for ?

BUY !!!

Junchoon,

What are the operating hours of the shop ?

WongKN wrote:Well then, what are you waiting for ?

BUY !!!

money and space .... retails for US$1,999, i hear ...

Well, you never know. With your credentials, you might get an offer you simply can't refuse !!

i went there last nite, sound like a nice pair of speakers indeed. the shop is on the second floor near the escalator, manned by Roy Wong.

i tried these albums, strictly rbcds, in succession:
Chai Qin
Conan Soundtrack
Tutti!
Emi Fujita Camomille Classic

i have to cut it short as i am running out of time.

the lft-8b's asking price of rm9900 is a little out of my reach for the moment. maybe if i can do home demo hooked up to my sony xa5400es, playing SACDs i might change my mind. but aiyaa, not likely lah for small fish like me, haahaa

they have the same US$ retail price as maggie 1.7.

saving-money,
wps

It is really tough to expect a dealer to offer home demo of speakers. For one thing, the good ones are so bulky and the good ones are usually wood veneer or real wood. Even those with artificial material cabinets like Wilsons are finely crafted and finished. When moving the speakers it is extremely easy to accidentally bump them against a wall or door and they will be dented. Or scratched. So WHO is going to bear the loss of the value of the speakers from that dent ?

Must drop by there next week to listen ... curious about the planar/woofer integration. Apparently, unlike conventional electrostatics, no need to power up ...

power up? he just plug and play lft-8b... r u saying the maggies needs time to warm up?

wps

oh, the maggies need time to run in ....weeks and weeks ...

Run in, yes. Warm up, no, not really. Though I have met a few people who believes everything needs to warm up. Even speakers.

I was actually thinking of dropping by saturday morning to have a listen. Which is why I asked what time the shop opens. Summit is really out of the way for me so I don't want to make the effort to go over and they are closed.

the contact info is here:

http://hifi-unlimited.blogspot.com/2010/06/coda-eminent-technology-shows-up.html

wps

Since we are on the topic of plannar type speakers, is Martin Logan still being represented here ?

WongKN wrote:Since we are on the topic of plannar type speakers, is Martin Logan still being represented here ?

Tech AV, Plaza Damas. Maybe they have some.

Plaza Damas ? When I was there last year, I don't recall seeing any hifi shop there. It's a bit out of the way for me as well, this plaza damas. I think I'll google to see if there's anything on the net about it. Didn't see any MLs at the KLAVS this year, or was there any that I missed ?

http://www.techavc.com.my/contact.html

Nope. They did not show up at the KLIAV.

Wait a minute.. Which ML you are talking about 1st? Martin Logan or Mark Levinson?
At the KLIAV, the former no, the latter yes.

Hey, interesting. Official Martin Logan website lists Norman Audio as distributors of their speakers for Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Will be making a phone call soon to check this fact out.

ML means Martin Logan lar. They seem to have mainly hybrid speakers today, with the exception of their top model.

ML Mark Levinson my good friend Japson at Empire Subang Jaya is a dealer. No problems listening to them.

Martin Logan have diversified the range of speakers already.
Not only electrostatics now.
Check out the Motion series.

Hello
My name is Prabhu and i am new to this forum, nice to see magnepan owners here - i had a pair for a long time before i settled on a Martin Logan Vista,the only frustrating thing was the Maggies are somewhat power crazy, and it didnt well for a lot of indian classical vinyls spun on my Transrotor ZET 1 with Sumiko BlackBird, the MLs (i had returned them twice to the manufacturer due to the electrostatic panel failure) was the best match - was just afraid that if should i run out of warranty, they'd leave me with a big bill - i've since settled on a Beethoven Baby Grand from Vienna Acoustics - i am as happy as a child!

For you Electrostatic/Planar Fans - have you ever heard a pair of Beveridge Speakers? (Full Range Electrostats, to me they sounded like the best pair of speaker ever made) unfortunately they are USD50,000.00 a pair

http://www.bevaudio.com/

MUGs & Sifus,

Any recommendation on the seating 'height' for Maggies or planars in general? If in my seating position for box floorstander or bookshelf on stands (see pic, relative size of Livingvoice and a VR1 on stands), the 'tweeter' is approximately at ear level. Seemed with the 1.7, the size and sound r a bit overwhelming.



Have to admit she is still breaking in, but from where I'm sitting, the position seems too low.. Any advice or point of reference from other set up owners there, just to be sure

The tweeter is a long quasi-ribbon running from top to near the bottom, so there's no ear level!

so I'm thinking seating height of a normal couch is fine. however, placement of speakers, whether the tweeter on the inside or outside, is important, and dependent on room. Also, distance from rear wall and secondary reflections from wall behind listening position.

It takes a lot of experimenting and fine tuning to get the Maggies just right.

Thanks bro, still getting used to the sound .. Yep, like Chang before, whom has been helping me out a lot (thx 2 u too bro) still am experimenting with 'her' (my better half 'introduced' the 'Maggies' as my 2nd wife to her friends.. She's enjoying the music too). Thanks again Bassman..

I'd always thought the midpoint of the tweeter/midrange quasi-ribbon would be a good point to aim for 'ear level'. In the Apogees it is this way. Apogees needs to be adjusted for tilt which influences image height but Maggies, at least the 1.6 and 1.7 do not have this. Also I thought the supports for the Maggie 1.6 & 1.7 could do with better coupling to the floor but it is MO only. With Apogees, better coupling gives better defined, tighter bass and the whole sound is tidier, clearer.

BTW ZB, what exactly do you mean by 'sound is a bit overwhelming' ?

Hi ZB,

Maggies 3.7 coming out already soon.

Many have waited years for it including myself. That is one reason I sold my 3.3R.

Enjoy yr new baby...err ... 2nd wife.

Slim and pretty?

Cheers

VS
Too slim .. Wow, 3.7.. heard someone from Malaysia already ordered one, one self confessed 'Maggie Crusader', with u, it makes two already. literally n practically the ultimate blind ' testing/listening'!!
WongKN,
Maybe d 'box less' nature versus what I'm so used to, ie from sort of point source/drivers makes the experience 'overwhelming'. Coupled with the break in period, still trying to sort out the speakers n I haven't even mentionted about the bass (or lack of it). I will give it time.
Anyway, giving the Pass a good workout.. Anyway thanks guys

ZB,

I think you are now 'confronted' with the two main characteristics of panel speakers which sets it apart from box speakers.

One is the open design, some say 'box-less' design which many panel fans says that once you have heard it and gotten used to it, you will probably not want to return to box speakers again because you will then hear the 'boxy' character of their sound.

The other is the bass which many says is 'visceral', not as solid or having as much body as that of a cone driver in a box speaker. Again this is something you will need to get used to.

The purity of the midrange is usually something owners of panel speakers cannot live without. As is the clean high frequencies, especially of a true ribbon (the Maggie 1.7 is still quasi ribbon or already true ribbon ?)

Whatever it is, the speaker needs time to run in. I remember Apogee owner manuals says to run in for 100 hours and people literally report changes by the day. I will not think the Maggie will be much different. Owners can probably advice on the minimum run in period needed.

I don't think the Maggie 1.7 will really give your Pass a severe workout but you -are- lucky you have a 'strong' amp like the Pass.

One small 'issue' I can see from your photo is that because panel speakers typically do not react well if there is anything behind it, I can see your cabinet is extended behind at least your left speaker. This may cause some sort coloration to the sound. However, one guy I know actually puts wall treatment behind his Maggie 1.6 and actually gets better sound, so this again is a YMMV thing.

Hi zb,

Nice setup. Tell your other half we share the same 2nd wife err.. our 2nd wifes are identical twins.

100 hours is just a guide. My 1.7 take about 2 months b4 i stop hearing improvement in SQ esp. micro detail, high extension, instrument (cymbal, piano) decay and bass to tighten up.

My setup suffers lack of low bass also but have since discover that the Exposure pre is the culprit. Will help u to narrow down urs when ur 1.7 fully run in.

U should listen to bassraptor (thank you) setup with 1.6 which to me has low bass and use it as reference. I am hoping that when i upgrade my source and pre, my bass will get closer to bassraptor's.

Jonathan Valin describe "wall to wall wide sound stage and life size image" when he review 1.7. So u should use this as your guide when u reposition 1.7 and sitting height. Image height usually 3 - 4 with Ruark but now i can get 5 - 6 feet (life size) with certain cds.

Don't worry to to much about room treatment for now unless u hear nasties on certain frequency. Remember room treatment goes both ways.

Chang

Chang is correct.

Do not worry about room treatment so much.

On the contrary, maggies are all not that difficult to position. Becasuse of it's wide dispersion, they work quite well with just a little work.

Maggies bass is a bit lacking, especially when you go from full range box speakers. You will miss the bass slam esp in the one series and below. No matter what one told you or what you read, it is still lacking. But you will get wonderful highs and magical mids. The bass in the 3 series is fuller and more acceptable.

Remember, the more power you feed it, the better it sound.

Enjoy yr new marriage...er...maggies.

VS,
Thanks 2 the well wishes for marriage, my wife's enjoying the Maggie too, not a menage-a-troi kind of thing , she has her own comment when Steven, Ong n Chang came by during the installation..

For the time being, I left my cushy sofas n carpets to do the general room treatment, my concern are the other stuff left over to clear off A MUG suggested placing the spkrs abt 5 ft from th back wall. To do that, I'd have to break down my wall and share the living room (and the Maggies) with my neighbor! Another suggestion is to hang a thin curtain/veil behind the panels.. Can't do much about the hifi cabinet, the thang is solid teak, no nails or metal screws, just 'tongue n groove' (sounds so erotic) and weighs a ton. Good enough for the Pass to sit on it comfortably..

Yes, a lot has been said about the bass (or lack of it) issue of the Maggies. Keen
to hear out Bassraptor's setup too if can get an invite larr... I think I can live with the bass at the moment, just relishing the seductive mids n highs especially after bred and fed by Brit hifi n media but ironically setup mainly Yankee stuff.. Ironnically bought the PL, 2nd hand, at the spur of the moment (or moment of madness, (to quote from my saner half), take your pick) while waiting to audition another speaker.. But I guess my subconscious mind propped by the the usual mantra of more power, current etc from fellow forummers (MF comes to mind) makes the decision easier ....

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback gents, mucho appreciated... Yep the sound of Coltrane n Miles r giving the right vibes n bite n mellowness.. Hmm wonder how it will go with tubes, ARC?.. Anyone?

ZB,

David Lim n Ong came to installed ur 1.7. Steven, Absolute HiFi big boss is at Taman Megah showroom.

Chang

chang wrote:ZB,

David Lim n Ong came to installed ur 1.7. Steven, Absolute HiFi big boss is at Taman Megah showroom.

Chang

Thanks Chang, I stand corrected.

How's your 'twin wives' getting on? Hope current your attention to the Australian Open didn't leave them unattended for too long .

Anyway was at Vince's place yesterday, listening to the Hi Rez and standard rez via computer/hard disk/hi rez DAC set up which is an eye opener, especially for a 'plug-n-play' kind of guy like me, it's like heaven sent (maybe this should be discussed in another thread). He's looking forward to the 3.7, which, I was told embodies many fine characters of the already fantastic MBL he has, (perhaps the slam of the MBL is something else). Would be intersting if Absolute finally brings in the 3.7 .

Anyway, enjoy the Oz Open and the wives

Av a Good weekend mate.

Cheers,

zb