how would they compare to say a pair of martin logans. ribbon vs esl?
Gvenk
Unregistered guest
Posted on
As planar speakers Maggies are similar to all other planars in having an open, transparent and tall soundstage that sets them apart from all box speakers, so if you are looking for that kind of sound from planar speakers that won't break your budget, then Maggies are a good value. If you can afford to spend more then you can try the electrostatics which tend to have a better frequency response in a wider range than Maggies and while Maggies are very musical despite their limitations (at all price ranges), the electrostatics tend to sound a bit more dynamic and definitely more assertive in the entire frequency range that is particularly noticeable in the low end compared to the Maggies.
That's more like asking how does a Toyota compare to a Honda. There needs to be a little more specific model comparison to mean much.
Both are planar speakers with a bipolar radiation pattern. So both require rather specific placement in the room to sound best. The absence of a box is often stated as a likeable quality in both speakers. The ML's utilize a pistonic woofer while the Magnepans use the planar-magnetic panel for their bass response. The Magnepans use a ribbon tweeter for the high frequencies while the ML's use the electrostatic panel. Being an electrostatic panel, the ML will probably do better with an amplifier which produces significant voltage while the Magnepans will probably be happier with a more current oriented system.
I suspect all that is not what you were asking about however.
Do you have a shop where you can audition either brand?
I myself have had the ML, and now have maggies. I was bothered by the driver integration issue on their OLDER speakers (my Scenarios). Personally, I think that maggies give you better bang for the buck.
I love the effortless maggie midrange, and lightning fast, boom free bass. The highs are great as well. However, they can oversize images if they arent set up properly. Once they are "locked in" in maggie speak, you will be presented with a nice stable soundstage that belies the narrow depth of the speakers.
I admit that I have had a love-hate relationship with mine, as Art and TW noticed. I thought about selling mine and going back to ML, but I am constantly seduced by the rich, velvety, lush, lightning fast sound at a GREAT price!
Bill, check out the magnepan MG12. They are HALF the price of the clarity, and sound FANTASTIC! If you like them, but don't have the room, you can buy a smaller model direct from magnepan called the MMG, which is what I use.