Why Does The Need for (Proper) Speaker Enclosures Continue to Elude?

[nickelplate759]

are those plasma speakers?

[CRL]

Maggie’s are not electrostatic, except the tweeter on some models.

Planer speakers work to the extent the low frequency waves are short enough for the back wave to not wrap around the side of the flat panel and cancel out the front wave. I had some MG-2’s many years ago, and what base they had when properly placed was quick and good, but fell off a cliff below 50htz or so. My Linn Kans (very small sealed enclosure bookshelf speakers similar to Rogers LS-3/5a) have more audible bass than the Maggie’s. They’re much more musical too.

[jdcolombo]

are those plasma speakers?

Nope.  Those are MBL Radialstrahlers.  The speaker "cone" is the metal you see on each of the ovoids.  It operates by "pulsing" the metal, which radiates sound in all directions.  And even the cheapest versions cost as much as a decent house in Champaign, IL.

John C.

[jdcolombo]

Maggie’s are not electrostatic, except the tweeter on some models.

Planer speakers work to the extent the low frequency waves are short enough for the back wave to not wrap around the side of the flat panel and cancel out the front wave. I had some MG-2’s many years ago, and what base they had when properly placed was quick and good, but fell off a cliff below 50htz or so. My Linn Kans (very small sealed enclosure bookshelf speakers similar to Rogers LS-3/5a) have more audible bass than the Maggie’s. They’re much more musical too.

I never said the Maggies were electrostats.  I said electrostats are examples of dipole speakers and that my Maggies are also dipoles.  They are planar-magnetics, which don't require you to plug them in to charge the plates that enclose an electrostat membrane.  Maggies have no plates.

Small Maggies are notoriously bass-deficient.  I use a Paradigm Servo-15 subwoofer for bass reinforcement on my 1.6's.  But I've heard a pair of 20.1's, and they are NOT bass-deficient.  But they are really, really big.  Cones are much more efficient at moving air at low frequencies. 

Planar speakers are not for everyone.  You either love them or hate them.  Since I listen to a lot of small-ensemble acoustic music (jazz trio, string quartets), I love them and some folks think the Quad ESL-63 (which IS an electrostat) is still the best speaker ever made.  But they can't bring the dynamics of a well-engineered cone system, don't have the bass of such a system, and need crazy-precise positioning to get best sound.  I'd never recommend them to normal people 
but when set up correctly, and with the kind of music I mostly listen to, they are magic IMHO.

John C.

[Point353]

Magnaplanar is in the process of making a demo tour of the US with a set of their new 30.7 speakers.
Try to hear them if they're appearing at a local dealer. 

[tehachapifan]

This thread has drifted so far, someone keep an eye out for Wilson.

[jdcolombo]

This thread has drifted so far, someone keep an eye out for Wilson.

Hi Russ.

I can change the subject to classic cassette decks, like the Nakamichi ZX-7 and ZX-9 vs. the Dragon or the Revox B215; or maybe debate the merits of tubes vs. transistors.  That would be right up there with starting a thread on DC vs. DCC!

But OK.  I think we can agree that we won't try putting a planar magnetic speaker in an N-scale diesel . . . 

John C.

[tehachapifan]

….But OK.  I think we can agree that we won't try putting a planar magnetic speaker in an N-scale diesel . . . 

John C.

Or, would we! 

[peteski]

I can change the subject to classic cassette decks, like the Nakamichi ZX-7 and ZX-9 vs. the Dragon or the Revox B215;

Wow, I haven't seen names like Nakamichi or Revox, and "cassette decks" since my subscription to Stereo Review lapsed in the early '90s.    I only own couple of Akai cassette decks with GX ferrite heads, Dolby B/C and dbx. They were pretty decent back in the day (without costing an arm and a leg).   But they all need new rubber belts now.  I haven't listened to a cassette tape for some time now.

[jdcolombo]

Wow, I haven't seen names like Nakamichi or Revox, and "cassette decks" since my subscription to Stereo Review lapsed in the early '90s.    I only own couple of Akai cassette decks with GX ferrite heads, Dolby B/C and dbx. They were pretty decent back in the day (without costing an arm and a leg).   But they all need new rubber belts now.  I haven't listened to a cassette tape for some time now.

OK.  Here's a trip down memory lane.  From top to bottom: Schiit Audio (yep, that's the real name) Bifrost Multibit DAC sitting on top of a Nakamichi CR4A cassette deck.  Then a Studer A810 RTR.  Below that, a Nakamichi ZX-7 cassette deck.  Then a TASCAM BR20 RTR.  Off to the left, you can see a couple of cassette racks.  I still listen to cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes ("master" tape dubs at 15 ips, half-track stereo).  But I also have 500+ CDs and a subscription to the Tidal music streaming service.  When I'm not in the basement with the layout, I'm likely listening to Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Diana Krall, John Coltrane or whatever.  But no vinyl.  Can't stand the pops and clicks . . .

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John C.

[DKS]

At one point I had three of these. Used them for audio production, including mastering, editing and duplicating. Kind of hard to beat a cassette deck running at 3-3/4 IPS with adjustable bias and Dolby C (without going reel-to-reel, anyway)...

[peteski]

We sure have some certifiable audiophiles here!   Cool!   
That perfectly explains John C's quest for perfect DCC sound.   

[Point353]

This thread has drifted so far, someone keep an eye out for Wilson.

https://www.wilsonaudio.com/
A set of their WAMM Master Chronosonic speakers will set you back close to $800K.

Then you'll need a pair of D'Agostino Relentless mono amps (for another $250K) to drive them.
https://www.dandagostino.com/products/relentless-monoblock.php

[DKS]

https://www.wilsonaudio.com/
A set of their WAMM Master Chronosonic speakers will set you back close to $800K.

Then you'll need a pair of D'Agostino Relentless mono amps (for another $250K) to drive them.
https://www.dandagostino.com/products/relentless-monoblock.php

Golly. Makes me feel as though I got my current system at a K-Mart blue light special...

[DKS]