Magnepan MMG/LRS Comparison

MMG & LRS on Magna Risers Multi Riser [L] and Airborne [R] stands.

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Preface
Before I begin to share some of my comparative listening impressions between the LRS and MMG I should first note that all comments are based on using our Magna Riser stands.
This is important to note because using Magna Risers allows both speakers to achieve significantly more in the way of bass reproduction, midrange realism and high frequency detailing as well as harmonic refinement across the sonic spectrum. Gains in sound staging and image focus, dynamics, the ability to play louder with less sense of strain and added transparency are also by products of our design approach. So as a bit of a reference tool- the addition of a set of Magna Risers allows each speaker to reveal more of their inherent sonic capabilities.
 
The MMG story
The MMG has been offered as a gateway product to the world of Magnepan. It uses some of the latest design aspects of its more expensive and upscale brothers while being able to be driven by more modestly priced amplification.
When placed on well-designed stands I hear sonic gains in both the tonal quality and sense of foundational support of the bass. The tonal character of bass instruments simply is more defined and things like tuning on drum heads more easily discerned. Acoustic bass on the MMG can be a delight to listen too.
The midrange of the MMG always had a special quality where voices are presented with a sense of immediacy and realism that eludes a great many even more costly traditional speakers. On our stands I hear a surprising degree of separation and individualization with mass vocals. Backup singers in contemporary recordings are more easily discerned as distinct vocalists with the MMG on our Multi Riser and subtle aspects such as musical phrasings, sustaining of notes and dynamic shadings are all more evident on the MMG.
This coupled with an extended and detailed high frequency allow the speaker to offer somewhat of a break through level of performance at a price point especially on the used market that embarrasses many competing brands.
No- the MMG will not provide subterranean extended subwoofer bass. If you demand jaw dropping, gut punching bass you need to either look to more costly box speakers or should consider adding a subwoofer or subwoofers to the MMG.
On stands the MMG does have an added clarity and dynamic nimbleness and added bottom authority that may surprise a lot of owners. The open and focused sound-stage of the MMG is worth the price of admission alone but when coupled with the sense of box-less coloration and transparency one hears; the listening experience the speaker brings is genuinely quite involving.
 
I have owned several high end reference level speakers in my lifetime as an audiophile. The one thing that always amazes me is how the MMG gave me a glimpse of some of the things those statement speakers did. The MMG also just made listening a lot of fun. I knew the bass lacked ultimate extension. I knew the speaker lacked the ultimate detailing and refinement of the best electrostatic and ribbon speakers I have owned yet still there was something enjoyable sitting down listening to the MMG-they allowed me to enjoy the music.
 
The Second Coming-The LRS
For years owners have speculated as to what a new or revised Magnepan might sound like that incorporates the manufacturers latest design approaches. Those discussion ranged from the inclusion of a true ribbon tweeter or full quasi ribbon throughout at a more budget friendly price point.
Well our wishes were granted and we now have a full quasi ribbon design similar to the .7 and 1.7i available (for those who are open to waiting the three months or more) at a very cost effective price-point.
The Reveal
Even listening just out of the box and placed on the factory L bracket feet it is quite evident that Magnepans’ new offering is something more than its previous model.
Though the speaker improves with playing time (burn-in) I was instantly struck by several things.

1. There was a sense of seamlessness to the LRS that was reminiscent of full range electrostatics and more important-the sound of music where you do not listen to woofer, midrange or tweeter-only the music.
2. There is a much more coherent and open sound stage presentation with the LRS compared to the MMG. While the MMG has a see into character there is still a slight lack of fine focus which the LRS instantly lays bare.
3. Instruments and individual musical lines are more easily delineated with the LRS. You can follow background vocalists and players throughout densely recorded pieces with quality gear. This ability to more distinctly follow musical strands and threads takes the speaker to performance levels not typically found on speakers at this price point. Once you cross this performance threshold anything less will prove less involving and satisfying.
4. The LRS renders instrument decay and rhythmic pacing more accurately than the MMG and for that matter- many other speakers who may capture detail and dynamics and yet somehow leave out the musical gestalt.
5. The above quality allows me to more accurately hear the sound-space in which the recording was made and music performed. Experiencing the acoustic space or hall ambiance with the LRS immediately transports me to new levels of musical engagement. Again- this is an elusive quality and I am always drawn to the experience and once you find it in a speaker or electronics it is something that I find impossible not to have. My Infinity IRS (all 108 drivers and servo controlled woofers) had this ability- to discover it in a $650 speaker is a bit of a revelation. No- I am not claiming the LRS is the equal of my IRS. The LRS lacks the bass and high frequency extension and fine inner detail of the Infinity and vintage Quad ESL 57 I have known and loved. But there is a coherent musical rendering that is authentic in each of the aforementioned speakers and that list includes the LRS.
6. The LRS has a bit of an organic character. It has a bit of added harmonic warmth and bloom in the bass. I call it a baby bump although I am not certain at which frequency exactly the bump occurs-and it may be added over a broad band. The net effect is a harmonic rendering that has a greater sense of body, is slightly less analytic in character and perhaps a bit more musically authentic.
7. You will also hear a more dynamic sound from the LRS in comparison with the MMG and subtle dynamic whsips or contrasts are surprisingly evident at times as are more coherent full frontal orchestra crescendos.
8. The bass of the LRS seems a bit more extended compared to the MMG and though I find the sound of the LRS enjoyable on the factory feet placing the speaker on elevated stands audibly improves that bass definition and sound staging and image focus while also allowing the speaker to have a more articulate bottom end that helps the speaker loose its pervasive warm and cuddly bottom end- the sonic equivalent of wearing a Snuggie and transforming it into to something where individual bass lines are more distinctly revealed and individual tunings on drum heads are more easily heard. On stands the harmonic signature remains musically authentic, palpable more detailed and refined.
9. High frequencies- well here we have a bit of a dilemma. The LRS does not have as apparently as extended a high end as does its predecessor the MMG. With the MMG you sometimes feel as though you can separate the high frequency Quasi Ribbon performance from the wire on Mylar bass/mid panel sound. The highs are extended on the MMG and though they fall short of Magnepans true ribbon tweeters found in their flagship models they still offer impressive abilities. The LRS in contrast seems to have a less extended presentation. To some it may even sound a little closed in until you realize that the MMG may be providing slightly exaggerated highs which give the speaker some of its sense of transparency. You don’t notice this until you have the LRS for comparison. With the LRS you have an added coherency and sonic seamlessness where the MMG sounds a bit disjointed and a little of two different worlds which it in fact is using two different panel technologies. The MMG sounds a bit hi-fi in contrast to the LRS in the high frequencies. The LRS also sounds more detailed and refined in the highs even though it sounds less extended. I would expect the MMG to sound airier but the reality is that the coherency of the LRS along with its wonderful sound staging abilities allow for an open transparent sound which integrates the highs in a way to where I just find myself listening to the music and not the speaker. (Again the addition of stands transforms the LRS from a great sounding speaker to something really extraordinary at its price point.)
10.  I find a sense of vivid, bold and involving character with the LRS. The speaker invites you into the performance. The midrange transparency sets the stage for extended listening sessions in ways reminiscent of my Quad electrostatics, Infinity IRS and current Infinity QRS/Tympani[RR1]  hybrid. Though not the equal there remains something similarly musically captivating.

Conundrum
While the MMG gives one a glimpse of the high end the LRS allows a passageway into a world many people have longed to enter.  With appropriate electronics and room placement-The LRS allows you to be transported into the studio or concert hall in a bit of a time traveler fashion. Subtleties and nuance, dynamic contrast and inner detailing all can be found with the LRS. But in the end you may just find yourself lost in the music lost in the moment. For the music lover the LRS may be all they need. 
Counterpoint
For those MMG owners lamenting the introduction of the LRS I would like to share a few final thoughts.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my MMG and still do. Building stands for many Maggie owners I resonance tune each set before shipping. For MMG owners that means placing the stands on MMG’s and listening as I tune. Every time I return to the MMG I still find the MMG thoroughly enjoyable. The speaker on stands perform at much improved levels with and the difference between the MMG on stands and the LRS on the factory feet is not as pronounced as my above comments might seem. I guess I am trying reassure MMG owners a bit here- the MMG still remains a really enjoyable speaker even with the LRS introduction and I could happily live with my MMG had I not purchased the LRS to be able to tune stands for that speaker.
Regardless of which model you own there is still a lot of great listening to be had with either model.
 
 

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