Thanks to Titanium Troy’s timely tip, I joined Magnepan’s focus group in Pittsburgh, where Wendell Diller’s road show (V2.0) introduced a new Prototype.
Tall, svelte and surprisingly unobtrusive panels played a diverse selection of music that sang through the challenging acoustic conditions of a glass enclosed modern apartment. Sound enthusiasts or not, everyone at the demonstration was impressed.
Takeaway 1: The experience blew me away. Magnepan’s New Bass Solution (NBS) IS this company’s bass blueprint for the future.
The Prototype projects a stunning, detailed, and realistic three-dimensional musical soundstage with seamless bass generated from a small triangular box - 6” per side and 36” high. It has the best speed, snap, accuracy, and depth I’ve ever heard from planars in my 45-year love affair with music.
They are both beautifully musical and amazingly analytical; starkly revealing the enormous production differences between every.single.piece.of.music.demo’d.that.evening!
I walked in asking, “Can they really substitute their flagship 30.7’s accurate and grand bass panels with a tiny triangular box, without shortcomings?”
I walked out, with a definitive, “Yes!” - impressed that not only that they had pulled it off but realizing I had just witnessed the obsolescence of large bass panels.
Additionally, the sonic improvement goes beyond the bass. In reducing the original 30.7 drivers to a single panel with NBS substituting the bass panels, this Prototype fully outperformed the original.
Takeaway 2. NBS is fundamentally TRANSFORMATIVE to Magnepan. It will make their products more appealing and competitive.
First, NBS provides a whopping 70% reduction in size – planars go from overwhelming to more welcoming in our homes. It’s also less sensitive to positioning and room size giving us more flexibility in how we enjoy it at home.
Second, NBS delivers improved power handling, reducing the need for expensive amplifiers. The Prototype was effortlessly driven by Magnepan’s new MAC amplifier (150W/8 Ohm and 300W/ 8 Ohm), soon to be available at about $3,600.
Third, NBS saves money. Manufacturing and shipping huge panels is expensive - NBS isn’t. So Magnepan gets improved margins, their dealer base gets reenergized, and consumers get more value.
Fourth, NBS is so compelling I would be surprised if Magnepan didn’t soon revamp their 20.7, 3.7i, and 1.7i offerings.
Magnepan deserves to be congratulated for innovating new products.
They’ve pulled this off before. Two decades ago they dropped their original mylar tweeters in their higher end speakers for something new—their patented ribbon tweeter! It remains to this day one of audio’s superb highs
A few humble suggestions for Mangepan
1-It’s time to name this great speaker something more than “30.7 for Condos”.
2-Stick to your Value(s). Literally. Magnepan consistently wins best-in-price-class honors from the LRS to the 20.7. Please continue this in pricing your new NBS line.
3-If you need more focus groups, invite the participants to MN. Your NBS works. Let’s focus on getting the new speakers to market as soon as possible.
***
I keep hearing that HIGH END AUDIO is dying with the baby boomer generation.
If so, it’s certainly not because the market as a whole is shrinking. Audio is actually bigger today than ever, it’s just that high-end’s share of it is dropping.
Brand, brand character, product quality, convenience, relevance, positioning and experience drive today’s consumer. I’m not confident many high-end manufacturers are playing at that table.
Magnepan is about to shed major size and performance handicaps and introduce a great new speaker. I would love to see Magnepan seize this fantastic opportunity to increase its “top of mind” and market share. Because now they CAN.
Tall, svelte and surprisingly unobtrusive panels played a diverse selection of music that sang through the challenging acoustic conditions of a glass enclosed modern apartment. Sound enthusiasts or not, everyone at the demonstration was impressed.
Takeaway 1: The experience blew me away. Magnepan’s New Bass Solution (NBS) IS this company’s bass blueprint for the future.
The Prototype projects a stunning, detailed, and realistic three-dimensional musical soundstage with seamless bass generated from a small triangular box - 6” per side and 36” high. It has the best speed, snap, accuracy, and depth I’ve ever heard from planars in my 45-year love affair with music.
They are both beautifully musical and amazingly analytical; starkly revealing the enormous production differences between every.single.piece.of.music.demo’d.that.evening!
I walked in asking, “Can they really substitute their flagship 30.7’s accurate and grand bass panels with a tiny triangular box, without shortcomings?”
I walked out, with a definitive, “Yes!” - impressed that not only that they had pulled it off but realizing I had just witnessed the obsolescence of large bass panels.
Additionally, the sonic improvement goes beyond the bass. In reducing the original 30.7 drivers to a single panel with NBS substituting the bass panels, this Prototype fully outperformed the original.
Takeaway 2. NBS is fundamentally TRANSFORMATIVE to Magnepan. It will make their products more appealing and competitive.
First, NBS provides a whopping 70% reduction in size – planars go from overwhelming to more welcoming in our homes. It’s also less sensitive to positioning and room size giving us more flexibility in how we enjoy it at home.
Second, NBS delivers improved power handling, reducing the need for expensive amplifiers. The Prototype was effortlessly driven by Magnepan’s new MAC amplifier (150W/8 Ohm and 300W/ 8 Ohm), soon to be available at about $3,600.
Third, NBS saves money. Manufacturing and shipping huge panels is expensive - NBS isn’t. So Magnepan gets improved margins, their dealer base gets reenergized, and consumers get more value.
Fourth, NBS is so compelling I would be surprised if Magnepan didn’t soon revamp their 20.7, 3.7i, and 1.7i offerings.
Magnepan deserves to be congratulated for innovating new products.
They’ve pulled this off before. Two decades ago they dropped their original mylar tweeters in their higher end speakers for something new—their patented ribbon tweeter! It remains to this day one of audio’s superb highs
A few humble suggestions for Mangepan
1-It’s time to name this great speaker something more than “30.7 for Condos”.
2-Stick to your Value(s). Literally. Magnepan consistently wins best-in-price-class honors from the LRS to the 20.7. Please continue this in pricing your new NBS line.
3-If you need more focus groups, invite the participants to MN. Your NBS works. Let’s focus on getting the new speakers to market as soon as possible.
***
I keep hearing that HIGH END AUDIO is dying with the baby boomer generation.
If so, it’s certainly not because the market as a whole is shrinking. Audio is actually bigger today than ever, it’s just that high-end’s share of it is dropping.
Brand, brand character, product quality, convenience, relevance, positioning and experience drive today’s consumer. I’m not confident many high-end manufacturers are playing at that table.
Magnepan is about to shed major size and performance handicaps and introduce a great new speaker. I would love to see Magnepan seize this fantastic opportunity to increase its “top of mind” and market share. Because now they CAN.