Newport 2014: Magnepan Dots a Seven with the new MG
The showcase circled around the pre-launch of the dot-7 (as in, .7), which puts it squarely below the 1.7 (and the 3.7 and 20.7), but above the other loudspeakers in the lineup, specifically everything that falls below the 12, the unit that the dot-7 replaces.
The setup here was very reminiscent of the demo I caught in Newport two years ago, with what I’m told was the same hidden center-channel tucked behind the curtain. Why hidden? Wendell apparently believes that “fill” is great for widening the sweet spot, which is undeniably true, as there wasn’t a bad seat in this room, but since it wasn’t the point, why bother focusing on it. Some in the press have taken the omission of mention of this hidden speaker rather hard — all the more reason to have a proper room sheet ready to roll so nothing gets overlooked in a verbal walk through. Ahem. Anyway.
What I heard was almost exactly what I was used to hearing at home — seamless coherence and wicked holography. Stunning, actually. With the two supplementary DWM bass panels (here “disguised” as lamp stands), the sound in the room was fulsome, robust, and lacking for nothing. Pricing is still TBD, but should be less than the Mini System.
In an interesting twist, the audience was invited to select the fit and finish they preferred — two possibilities were on offer. Me, I preferred the right-channel’s integrated stand on an aesthetic basis, but since neither of them seemed as rigid as my old Mye Stand, I wasn’t particularly invested. What I do know is that whichever they choose, Magnepan is going to have a genuinely high-end audio speaker for much less than $2k, and that’s fantastic news.
Love the Maggie sound. I’m finding it very difficult to determine a value based (under $2,000) pre-amp/amp or integrated that can really make these 4ohm speakers sing. Any suggestions? Monarchy, emotiva, etc?
Lukasz, I suppose you were flying with the Dreamliner, so you wouldn’t have been too cramped during the trip.
I liked them so much I was ready to buy them on the spot and fight with my flight attendant to take them into the cabin.