Magnepan or Martin Logan

[Fiftyfifty]

I am trying to decide between Magnepan 1.7i (hybrid planar) and Martin Logan ESL (hybrid electrostat). Both are roughly the same price. My amp Cary 200.2 is powerful enough to drive either.

Will appreciate any comments wrt the sound and soundstage. I mainly listen to jazz and classic rock, some hip-hop too.

Many thanks

 

[Soundstage]

I have both..Maggie 1.6s paired with Musical Fidelity Superchargers and Martin Logan Spires with an ARC VSI60.

The MLs, with 10 in active woofers and a sensitivity of 91 db are quite easy to drive and the VSI60, with some 50 wpc of tube power, is capable of taking them to very high sound levels. Also, I find that they load the room in a somewhat different manner, with a throbbing vitality that makes rock come alive. That said, I find the bass somewhat boomy for my tastes, but that could be a function of the tube amp, or the room, which is completely untreated. They throw a very decent soundstage, but do not image with the best.

The Maggie 1.6s, with a sensitivity of 86 db are much harder to drive and dont reach very high SPLs. They absolutely crave power and I have driven them with various SS amps of decent pedigree, from lower powered high current Arcams to Brystons putting out in excess of 400 watts@8 ohms, and many more in between. While they sounded nice with many of these amps, in my experience the MF Superchargers are the ones that really make them sing. Great soundstage, more than adequate taut bass and they really excel at vocals and strings. Voices and guitars can sound really spooky.

Since they are at 2 different locations I cannot interchange the amps to see how one set of speakers sounds with the other amp, but I do feel there is something magical about the Maggies and would prefer them over the Spires even though the Spires are almost 5 times pricier.

Trust this helps.

 

[AVM]

Fiftyfity - keenly following this thread.

Soundstage - With the Maggies could you share the room dimensions and challenges that you faced.

 

[Soundstage]

Room size for the Maggies was 12 ft wide by about 30 ft long and was more or less similar to the one where the MLs are housed.

I found the Maggies less fussy to place than the MLs. I had them about 3.25 ft from the front wall with the tweeters inwards and about 6.75 ft away from each other. Listening position was about 8.5 ft away, leaving about 18 ft to the rear wall, which rendered reflections from that wall almost non-existent. The only room treatment was a pair of DIY Bass traps of 4 inch thick Rockwool, in wooden frames 2 ft wide by 6 ft high, in the front corners. Although the bass traps werent based on any scientific calculations, I found they improved the sound perceptibly.

Additional aids were the normal living room paraphernalia, comprising thick full length curtains on the front wall, oversize fabric sofas, a pile carpet and wooden picture frames on the side walls, which helped in taming reverberations.

 

[hearme]

I have both..Maggie 1.6s paired with Musical Fidelity Superchargers and Martin Logan Spires with an ARC VSI60......... but I do feel there is something magical about the Maggies and would prefer them over the Spires even though the Spires are almost 5 times pricier.

Trust this helps.

The maggie sound grows on you...and then there is no going back! Be warned!

 

[Fiftyfifty]

I have both..Maggie 1.6s paired with Musical Fidelity Superchargers and Martin Logan Spires with an ARC VSI60.

The MLs, with 10 in active woofers and a sensitivity of 91 db are quite easy to drive and the VSI60, with some 50 wpc of tube power, is capable of taking them to very high sound levels. Also, I find that they load the room in a somewhat different manner, with a throbbing vitality that makes rock come alive. That said, I find the bass somewhat boomy for my tastes, but that could be a function of the tube amp, or the room, which is completely untreated. They throw a very decent soundstage, but do not image with the best.

The Maggie 1.6s, with a sensitivity of 86 db are much harder to drive and dont reach very high SPLs. They absolutely crave power and I have driven them with various SS amps of decent pedigree, from lower powered high current Arcams to Brystons putting out in excess of 400 watts@8 ohms, and many more in between. While they sounded nice with many of these amps, in my experience the MF Superchargers are the ones that really make them sing. Great soundstage, more than adequate taut bass and they really excel at vocals and strings. Voices and guitars can sound really spooky.

Since they are at 2 different locations I cannot interchange the amps to see how one set of speakers sounds with the other amp, but I do feel there is something magical about the Maggies and would prefer them over the Spires even though the Spires are almost 5 times pricier.

Trust this helps.

Very useful chief!

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Did you gave issues with the electrostatic panels for to humidity, dust, etc. That seems to be the concern of many

 

[jls001]

Maggie 1.7 and 3.6 driven by the big Cadence monos are beguilingly good to my ears. AFAIK, they do need environmentally controlled room to keep away the moisture and dust. They also need excellent partnering electronics that will gracefully handle the difficult load that these speakers are. These Maggies won't be the performance bottleneck in most audio chains.

No experience with MLs.

 

[Soundstage]

The MLs are in Dubai, in a centrally airconditioned environment, so heat, humidity and dust are controlled to a great degree.

The Maggies were in Mumbai, but it is my long standing habit to keep hifi equipment covered at all times with purpose built plastic covers, removing them only during listening hours, so I was not really troubled by the climatic conditions.

 

[prem]

My MLs started giving me problems in 2 years.

 

[Fiftyfifty]

I finally settled on Martin Logan ESL. Didn't want to take a chance with the Magnepan dealer and didn't want to risk direct import where panels and other components are involved. Very pleased with the ESL sound. There's not much of a humidity problem in Pune. With careful protection from heat and dust, I hope to be able to stretch their life for a reasonable period.

 

[Soundstage]

Congrats....Enjoy!!!

 

[panditji]

Congratulations sir.. Were you able to listen to the Magnepans and then decided on the Martin Logans? If yes, what made you opt for the MLs in terms of the sound they offer?

 

[tuff]

Congrats. A small review once settled in is requested.especially with the rest of the gear you own. Pictures are always a bonus. Enjoy.

 

[tuff]

And the pricing if you care to share.

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Congratulations sir.. Were you able to listen to the Magnepans and then decided on the Martin Logans? If yes, what made you opt for the MLs in terms of the sound they offer?

Thanks Panditji for your support in this process of speaker selection.

No Sir, didn't hear the Magnepans as the dealer in Mumbai kinda put me off. I may have missed out on a great speaker but I heard several others, dynamic, ribbon tweeters, transmission, etc. Nothing, including speakers costing much more, came close to the ESL in terms of clarity in vocals and soundstage. Will post a more detailed writeup in due course

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Congrats. A small review once settled in is requested.especially with the rest of the gear you own. Pictures are always a bonus. Enjoy.

Thanks.

Sure, I will post a brief review in due course. Let the speakers burn in a bit.