Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar 1.6QR Speakers by Doug Schroeder

Model:	Magneplanar 1.6QR
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1500
Description:	Planar Magnetic Loudspeaker
Manufacturer URL:	Magnepan
Model Picture:	View

Review by Doug Schroeder ( A ) on September 22, 2005 at 07:41:59
IP Address: 67.53.157.213

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for the Magneplanar 1.6QR

Greetings, Here I am sharing my impressions of the 1.6QR after owning them for three years, and after finding what I feel to be a superior speaker for the same price. I hope that my comments will not be taken negatively by Maggie lovers. I too was once compeltely enamoured of them.
(I still own Maggie MMG's which I use and enjoy in my office system.)
Magnepans are a terrific value. The 1.6QR was a wonderful speaker over the three years I ran them. I especially enjoyed the wide/spacious sound stage. The depth of the instruments surpassed the majority of box speakers I had ever tried, including the venerable Vandersteen 2CE's.
I found the bass pleasing in its "tightness" and accuracy. However, with time I longed to get the lower hz which the 1.6's could not reproduce well. I added a Vandersteen sub, which worked very well. (Later, I added second Vandy sub; the stereo effect was definitely worth it).
The Magnepan sound is captivating in it's delicacy and accuracy, however I found that the treble was harsher than I'd like. I used a Threshold T-50 amp for a while, then switched to biamping the 1.6's with an Outlaw 755 (200wpc). I had a Meridian 501 preamp. When I would up the volume (not even into the rediculously loud range, but simply full sounding) the treble was to prominent. Listening at decent volume (I have never overdriven my equipment, nor played at concert reproduction levels) for an hour would begin to give me a tension headache. It just had a slight edge to it.
I know that many will disagree with this assessment. It's highly subjective. I'm sure many will suggest fault with the system I used, or the room, or my ears! Possible to any of these. However, the treble trouble did not disappear when I built my HT and room tuned it. The treble simply seemed too "hot" for the speaker. The problem remained, even after changing to a Rogue Audio Magnum 66 (tube) preamp.
It seems the 1.6 is geared more to achieve a studio sound, similar to British box speakers, only in planar technology. An audiophile friend once commented that he felt they sounded "flat". I was amazed at that comment, and did not understand what he meant. I thought they sounded very full and detailed. It was only later, upon auditioning the Eminent Technology LFT-8A speakers in my HT (doing a literal side by side comparison with the 1.6) that I realized what he meant. The Eminents sounded extremely robust compared to the 1.6's. I was floored. I will not go into great detail regarding the E.T.'s here. This is a Maggie review, and my purpose is not to bash the speaker! One can read my impressions of the E.T.'s (I am running them in "stacked" configuration now) in my review listed under that speaker here on Audio Assylum.
The Magnepans are an execptionally good speaker. They are an excellent value in audio. A person does well to own them. I would guess that mated with the right preamp/amp they might perform significantly better than my experience, and that the "hot" treble might be toned down if the right components and interconnects were used.
Also, I understand that huge improvements are possible by tweaking the crossovers, etc. I did the most simple of tweaks to them, bypassing the fuse. It did improve sound significantly, however it didn't remove the treble issue.
I can certainly recommend them to anyone who wants a speaker which is aesthetically pleasing. It's a big bonus to be able to order grill cloth colors and trim colors. I'm guessing they have much more WAF than the E.T.'s. They are also much easier to move about. Positioning is a snap.
By the way, I do recommend toed in placement. I found that not toeing them in sounded worse to me. My delemma was that if they were toed in the treble was too strong. If they weren't toed in significant amounts of the "maggie magic", the richness of the imaging, sound stage etc. was lost.
If one can be content with a great value in a speaker, and not worry that there might be others out there with a tad bit different and possibly superior presentation, then the 1.6's are the speaker for you! Some people simply want clean, simple, aesthetically pleasing speakers that are a great bargain. The 1.6 is among the highest ranking choices I can think of.
If sound is the ultimate goal - if you can't stomach the idea that another speaker in the same price range can potentially outperform the 1.6, and you simply have to hear it, then I suggest you attempt to hear the Eminent Technology LFT-8A. Though Magnepan has tons more 1.6's on the market (I believe) than there are ET-8A's (just note how often each of them comes up on Audiogon) I would say that these two speakers are the top prize fighters in their class of speaker. I assume a good proportion of testers might still choose the 1.6's over the E.T.'s but if one has the time/energy/resources to own botht the 1.6's and the E.T. LFT-8A's at the same time, I believe he would be highly rewarded doing the head to head comparison. This would entail purchasing them used, so as to be able to resell at minimal loss.
One last Caveat; I would not trust shipping of such speakers. The two times I have shipped speakers, they have been damaged. One happened to be my second pair of E.T.-8A's, which, due to their design were able to be repaired by myself with replacement parts shipped to me.
It would, imho be worth driving a few hours one way to obtain an excellent condition pair of either speakers.

Product Weakness: Stands a bit light, Fuse influences sound, treble "hot"
Product Strengths: Aesthetics, wide/deep soundstage, clarity, biamping, clean bass, easy placement, Price to performance, and resale value.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Outlaw 755
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Rogue Magnum 66
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Rega Planet 2000
Speakers:	Magnepan 1.6QR
Cables/Interconnects:	Harmonic Technology
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, Electronic/Synthesized
Room Size (LxWxH):	23 x 13 x 7.6
Room Comments/Treatments:	Sound Room/HT
Time Period/Length of Audition:	3 years
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Tice Audio Power Cond.
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Stands a bit light, Fuse influences sound, treble "hot"
Product Strengths:	Aesthetics, wide/deep soundstage, clarity, biamping, clean bass, easy placement, Price to performance, and resale value.