Home speakers

[Bogie]

If you have the room, and a moderate budget, these are probably the best under $1k speakers I have ever heard... I had them in my house, and while the room wasn't really big enough for them, they were still pretty damn good.
 
https://youtu.be/4N6vZ6CoSeM

[HankB]

Interesting - with things like earbuds, sub/sat systems, and MP3 audio the current rage, I haven't seen discussions of high end speakers for quite a while.

I used to live pretty close (1/2 hour drive) from Magnepan, the speaker manufacturer you mentioned. Around 35 or so years ago (THAT long ago? I'm feeling old!) I was upgrading my stereo system and I think I remember auditioning Magneplanar speakers at a local retailer. I ended up buying Polk SDA-2a speakers instead, because they just flat out sounded better. I still have them and they still sound great.

Of course, what Magnepan and Polk were manufacturing back then has little or nothing to do with today's offerings from either manufacturer. If I were in the market for new speakers (I'm not) I would definitely try to audition the ones you mention. I don't have any emotional tie to make me loyal to a particular manufacturer - I just want what sounds best within my budget.

I'll close this post on a related topic - from what I know of the world of high end audio - and speakers - I think the people who spend ten bucks an inch for super-duper speaker wire are idiots.

[230RN]

The "Bass Ultraflex"

I built these which served really well:

http://espacenomeutente.altervista.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/onkenfig1small.gif

With 16" woofers with umpteen pound magnets, the bass would make you fart.

(Something earbuds won't do.)

Hello, 1812 Overture.

The first one I cut the lumber myself.  When stereo got popular, I built another one but had the lumber yard do the cutting.

There are several variations of this nowadays which have a smaller footprint.  You can also stand the one(s) shown in the link on their sides.

Terry, 230RN

[Kingcreek]

My paradigm speakers are over 25 years old and are getting buzzy at times. I would like to replace them and update some of my audio system.  I have a large great room with 13’ vaulted ceiling and bigger speaks would probably do well there.

[Bogie]

I have a recording of the Cincy 1812, with real cannons... It _will_ destroy speakers if you let it.

[Bogie]

The subwoofer I had in my basement had a pair of 15" drivers with the box ported to about 21hz... When the dinosaur stomped, you knew it. When the helicopters took off in Blackhawk Down, you knew it (8hz sustained bass...). That was in the basement, mostly for movies and rock... The living room  upstairs had the maggies, and was mostly jazz, bluegrass and Grateful Dead.

[230RN]

^
"
The living room  upstairs had the maggies...
"

Newslang?  Bogiespeak?  Midranges?

Even the whzbang auto-editor didn't have that one.

[Bogie]

Slang for magneplanar speakers...

[230RN]

Ah !  OK ! Now I are smarter:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnepan

More or less same setup as electrostatic speakers but magnetic, kinda-sorta.

I would guess they would have to bias the conductors to prevent doubling the frequencies, no?  Like the need to bias the electrostatic speakers?

I haven't been "into" high end audio for a couple of decades.  Gunshots, nagwifes, politicians...

You know how it goes.

Mucho Danke

Terry

[Doggy Daddy]

I haven't been "into" high end audio for a couple of decades.  Gunshots, nagwifes, politicians...

You know how it goes.

Mucho Danke

Terry

Magnepans were around in the '70s.  (That's about 5 decades.) 

[Brad Johnson]

Always thought Mags were super cool. Never had an opportunity to hear them.

Brad

[Ron]

The only time I heard them they were good but I thought a little overhyped. I was mostly a rocker back then and not as into classical as I am now.

Incredibly transparent and amazing soundstage, but they didn't have "punch" or a lot on the bottom end. This was back in the 90's so I'm sure they have gotten even better.

[HeroHog]

I Just happen to have some higher end speakers for sale from my nephew's estate:
https://www.orbaudio.com/collections/surround-sound-speakers
(click images to see in original size)

ORB Audio Super Eight 200 watt  Powered Subwoofer with crossover: $125







ORB Audio Copper Surround Sound Speakers (7) and Stands (4): $350
https://www.orbaudio.com/collections/mounts-stands











As you can see, this is a STEAL.

[230RN]

Magnepans were around in the '70s.  (That's about 5 decades.) 

I had investigated some kind of "planar"
 speakers at a iocal "hi fi" shop and wasn't impressed. I'm pretty sure they were electrostatic, not magnetic.

By then I had settled in with my two bass ultraflex speakers (as above) and was dinking around with reel-to reel tape decks.  I had a Sony TC-560, I believe it was*.  The trouble with deep bass speakers was I could not find or afford a record turntable where the turntable rumble didn't come through, so I was moving to tape. At one point I was getting pretty sure much of the turntable rumble was from the original record cutting lathes since it seemed to vary from record to record.

I had my own rifle range at that point in life and I began to drift away from achieving audio perfection since my own hearing was drifting away from perfection --muffs and plugs notwithstanding.

Terry

*ETA Yes it was.  Best "portable" (ha!) tape recorder of the time:

"Sony TC-560 Reel to Reel Tape Recorder Four track stereo and mono recorder 7 1/2 ips (19 cm/s), 3 3/4 ips (9,5 cm/s), 1 7/8 ips (4,8 cm/s) 20-21.000Hz at 7 1/2 ips 20-15.000Hz at 3 3/4 ips 20-8.000Hz at 1 7/8 ips Power output 5W per channel 56 transistors and 26 diodes."

They averred they had some kind of super dooper oober doober technique for keeping the recording head gaps extremely small which allowed the great high end response. 

[Bogie]

The maggies were great with jazz, bluegrass, classical, and so on... Damn, but the remaster of Take Five or Dire Straits Brothers in Arms... They'd cause goosebumps...
 
Metal? Not so much.
 
Huge soundstage... Sit in a chair with your eyes closed, and you could tell where the different instruments were with a good recording.