Soundhounds picks up Magnepan and Diamond B&W's

[RGA]

I went down yesterday to Victoria to get a Passport and while there I just had to stop by my favorite dealer. They dropped ML for Magnepan by the look of it (a good trade sonically IMO). They are going to wait to see how well they sell but YES they will bring in the 20.1.

These guys are bringing out some big guns in that store also already with $30K U.S. AN E/SEC Silver speakers, and now the $25k or so B&W Diamond 802. Also listened to some very impressive AKG headphones

As usual I only planned on spending about 2 hours there but ended up being about 6.

Brief reports:

AKG
The AKG headphones are quite interesting in that you connect them directly up to you amplifier's outputs ( I heard them years ago with SS and wasn't impressed - but this time it was connected with a better wire to the 8 ohm taps of a Wyotech expensive 300b (or what looked like a 300b tube amp. These things were more comfortable than I remember and they have a visceral kind of impact that no Grado or Sennheiser including my HD600 can remotely touch IMO. You can also run a subwoofer for the lower octave if you desire because the AKG is essentially a speaker system hooked to your head with a free adjustment that allow for the kind of sound you want. $650 isn't cheap for headphones and they NEED an amplifier and a good one - but it's seriously good piece of kit that for apartment dwellers will give high end sound can rock really well and not all home speakers for $650 can claim this - or $2300.00 ones for that matter.

Initial impressions:
Sound: 9/10
Comfort: 8/10
Build: 9/10
Value for Money: 8/10


B&W Diamond 802:

Wellthis speaker has just about doubled the price of the N802 (daimonds are not just forever they're also expensive as it would seem). Still you'll have an easier time convincing the wife to take home speakers using Diamonds than Audio Note's mere Silver -- forget copper

They had some rock music on when I came in and was more interested in listening to Magnepan because I thought the B&W's were just the N802 (so after they moved them and put the maggies on and then later I was told they were Diamonds i didn't want to get them to move it all back) Still I listened for a little while.

They had a budget system (well $10k or so worth of front end) an Audio Note M3 preamp, Moon CD Player and a Rotel power amp). The owner says as usual they are on the hunt for something that will make them sound good. The speakers sounded brighter than my memory of the N802 maybe faster but still not coordinated. They may have to break them in if you buy this aspect of audio-ology. Next time I will give them a real run.

Initial impressions (This should be taken with a serious dose of salt since I listened to it for less than 1/2 an hour and it may not have been broken in)
Sound: 5/10
Build: 10/10
Value for Money: 0/10 edit(N/A as not enough time to fully determine sound as yet).

Magnepan 1.6
First this will probably be the opposite of convincing the wife as these are quite large speakers -- you certainly do feel you get something for your $2300.00 or so Canadian bucks. at least 3 feet from the back wall and I'd say at least 10 feet from any side wall. Same front end -- that was the complaint of the store owner with both set-ups because once you rule out using the desired SETs they carried then it all just becomes a tier down. Well he listens all day to everything so normal folks who have not heard the SETs won't really know what they're missing -- touche.

This store told me bryston was a terrible match - and that is what I heard the 3.6 with at another dealer in Vancouver...they were right as this system made the 1.6 sound much better. I had said before that I understand what people see in Magnepan and i still have not changed my view - except on this occasion I could say that considering the $2300.00Cdn tag it actually impressed me rather than me thinkingwho else it might impress.

let's go to the strengths -- size of soundstage left to right and imaging(I'm fuzzy on people's differing definitions of imaging but instrument localization was very good) -- This is probably obvious to those lhave listened to them -- localization of different vocals and instruments are very superior in this price range and probably a number of price ranges beyond compare to most boxed designs --- It is crystal clear in the treble band (and dynamically solid in the midrange up)and obviously no box resonances of many cheaper floorstanders.

I'd be doing a disservice not to address some of the areas of weakness -- I met a few strangers who were sitting there with me and we all agreed that this is a terrific speaker for $2,300.00 and worht your consideration -- but (there is always one) it isn't all roses. It is not a speaker where anything goes recording wise, it isn't particurly a relaxing speaker either -- it became hard at higher levels (and they were not real high so I'm thinking strings and acoustic music at lower levels is best. Bass is better than I expeced but doesn't have any visceral impact like good boxed designs. AC/DC is not an option.

The other thing is the speaker is more about the pomps and pipes of hi-fi (show off select recordings to firends) than it is about the music it seems). Listening more critically the speakers have a fantastic sense of air and attack the pluck of a guitar string...where it lacks is the decay and trailing edged of instruments (this could be why I found some of it hard). I noticed this on Allison Krauss + Union Station Live an exceptionally well recorded country folk album that puts speakers through most of the string paces and vocals. I felt the speakers ultimately present a 2d image with a forced sense of 3d. As if the surface of the music was presented without the depth or insight of the music that I've heard from these musicians. I sat off center quite a bit in one listening and they don't like you to sit too far off axis that;s for sure -- though horizontally it was better -- you could stand up and the stage follows a bit better than most standmounts.

Now this all sounds negative which is not my intent because it does some things for example that absolute murder speakers like the B&W 705 which will cost the same money look pretty but the Maggie has more sense of air a bigger stage is clearly can rock better does the piano FAR better than the 705 and ost boxed speakers in this class. The Maggie reminds me a bit of the Audio Note AX Two interestingly enough (that's a good thing IMO).

Sound: 8/10
Build: 8/10
Value for Money: 9/10

I listened to 4 Audio Note speakers 3 good 1 not good.

AN E/L (11 years old) uses chipboard cabinet front and back with MDF wrap -- ugly cabinet plastic jumpers (~$2400.00 new back then) I compared this to A Kit E the store had reverse engineered and the E/Spe and the AX Two again. The eleven year old E sounded very good but the wiring and cabinet does take some life away from the sound in the treble and in the resolution of the midrange compared to more expensive models. Bass is ab bit heavier here with a slightly more thuddy sound than a tuneful sound. I hate to use their guitar analogy but some guitars just sound better more lively and opej while this one has a bit of a deader sound to the proceedings. Still minor knit picking and only really noticeable because when you've heard the better ones you hear the deficiencies easier.

Sound 9/10
Build 7/10
Value for money (N/A used speaker)

AN E/Spe -- This I reviewed already on this site (I placed a Loreena Mckennit cd on and one track just has thunderous deep bass -- a few people had to come in and see what was producing it -- sub -- of course not. This was a large room in the sense that it is fairly narrow but with 20 foot + loft like ceilings. What consistantly impresses is that there is absolute zero hint of vocal smearing while it is producing that bass depth.

Sound 10
Build 10
Value 10

AN Kit E
Thgis was reverse engineered and a purchased kit. They used all Birch ply which is now recommended. God is in the details they say and that final process at the Audio Note plant of matching and tuning is the detail that this kit does not have and where it does not live up to the Audio Note Sound. Bass is heavy and almost too overpowering, the treble is open and extended but not cohesive as I've grown accustomed to. both the dealer and I were very dissapointed with the sound of the KIT e. Now it's very very hard to evaluate a kit because who klnows if the person put it together wrong (but this was bult bt a professional). Maybe it wasn't burned in enough but those are excuses that I don't have info on. Now if you've never heard Audio Note's production E's these kits probably will still sound very good.

Sound: 6/10
Build: 10/10
Value: 6.5/10

AX Two

Well this actually sounded better again - really easily the best sub 1k speaker they sell and they sell more of them than anything else in the store with good reason. Open (really incredibly open resmbling the maggie 1.6 in this regard -- about the same bass depth of the 1.6 as well -- the 1.6 has a more spacious sound and a treble that is more extended but again 3 times the money folks it should be better...unlike the 705 the maggie is actually a better sounding speaker.

Sound: 8/10
Build: 7/10
Value: 10/10

You could get three sets of them for a surround system for less money than one B&W 705 -- no contest to me.