Smitten With The Magnepan LRS

It would seem the PS Audio Stellar 1200 mono blocks would be a good match with the LRS. Does anyone have any experience using that equipment together?

I own the 1200s which power a pair of Sonus faber Concerto Home stand-mounted speakers. I’ve always loved those speakers and they are even better sounding now through the 1200s with the addition of two REL T9i subs. But $650 is a relatively small investment to test out another combination.

The LRS need high quality current instead of necessarily high watts. Not sure where the 1200’s fit on that scale.

From my research, Hegel, Naim, Pass Labs, higher end Parasound and to a lesser extent the Schiit Vidar are examples of good matches. Hegel has unusually high damping factor which helps to flesh out the sound.

I confess I have no idea what you mean by “high quality current.”

The 1200s are superb amps. Have you ever actually heard them?

I’ve got the 1200s married to a pair of MG-IIIs. I LOVE it. Been a Mag fan for decades. I’ve adopted (yup - free) and rebuilt 6 pairs, from MG-Ib up to the MG-IIIs. That true ribbon is the deal sealer. The little horned figure on my left shoulder is incessantly yelling “Get the 3.7i’s!!! Get EM! GET 'EM!!!” The little winged figure on my right shoulder is saying “The III’s are JUST fine… You LOVE them. They’re FINE…”
Plus there is the satisfaction of having put hours & hours into a tedious rebuild yourself.
I pushed the first 5 sets of Mags with a Bryston 4b but the III’s are the HUNGRIEST speakers I’ve ever seen. I still periodically blow both the 2.5A (mid & high) fuses on the left panel when the …enjoyment level gets a bit excessive. I might need to do a crossover rebuild…
But I agree with the saying - once you’ve sampled a panel - you’ll never go back to a box…
Well a box in MY price range anyways…
HiFi on a micro-budget. (Relative to some of the goodies I see in these groups - drool drool)
So big thumbs up for Mag + M1200s. I do run a sub with an active x-over to avoid the panel slap.
Just be prepared to micro-move your speakers for weeks til you find that SPOT. Then count the goosebumps.

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The LRS is very fussy when it comes to amps. Excellent, very expensive amps can sound mediocre with the LRS. I’m not an engineer, thus lack the capacity to explain exactly what a high current amp is. I have read and watched just about every LRS review in the known universe. A consistent theme is the LRS need high current and thus I made sure the amp I purchased for the LRS was just that.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me can better explain the difference between watts and current. As mentioned, I don’t know if the 1200’s qualify as high current, thus can offer no meaningful opinion.

We have quite a few members on the forum driving large planar speakers like Martin Logan, Magnapan with PSA M700s. Their feedback was positive. M1200 has a refined power supply unit, so it should do even better.

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Fair enough. I’m not knowledgeable about the technical details at all. In 20 years or so of reading the audiophile press I’ve never read anything that distinguishes “high current” from “power” with regard to amps. But I’m always willing to learn.

I just reread The Absolute Sound review of the LRS. It says they need “considerable power and careful placement.”

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Check out Audio Excellence on YouTube in regards to the LRS. Also The Next Best Thing Studio on YouTube . They explain a bit about how high current relates to the LRS which has very different needs than the MMG. Each channel has multiple LRS videos.

The 1200 may be great with the LRS, I simply don’t know.

In the BHK250 /LRS thread the OP uses m1200 with LRS and says they are wonderful match.

BHK250 not so much, OP says

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I don’t know how fair it is to interpolate among speakers and amps, going either direction, but I can attest that the combination of M700s and Maggie .7s is magical. For my room, which is only about 14’x17’x8’-8", I honestly think I’m hearing 99% of the experience I get from my brother’s system of BHK 250 and 20.7s, and in some ways I actually prefer my setup.

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I’ve read/seen a lot of people do this. What active crossover, and does it require anything special on the amplifier side of things?

Love this. Could be a mad lib with whatever brand/product you can think of.

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To drive Magnepans an amplifier must be able to deliver a lot of current. Current is the charge (electrons) which flows through a circuit. Current is measure in amps.

The typical analogy is to consider water flowing through a pipe. Current is the rate of water flow. Voltage is the water pressure, resistance/impedance is the diameter of the pipe.

Magnepans exhibit low impedance as a load on the amplifier. This is equivalent to a large diameter pipe. That is, the speakers require a fire hose worth of water. The amplifier must be capable of producing lots of “water”/current to drive them.

The typical way to know if an amplifier can do this is to look at the watts produced at what impedance. If the amplifier produces 100 watts at 8 ohms, it should also be able to double this to 200 watts at 4 ohms. If it does, it means it can drive speakers with high current demands.

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I had a pir of LRS and agree that they sound amazing. I drove them with both a BHK250 and the M1200’s… The M1200’s blew away my BHK250 with these speakers, I did trade in the LRS for a pair of Magnepan 1.7i and they are better. Also using them with the M1200’s which make them sing.

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@Elk thanks for that very clear explanation. Could I ask for a little more information?

I’ve never understood the variable ohms rating. Does a given speaker – say my Sonus faber Concerto Home – have variable ohms requirements or use? (Not sure I’m even posing the question correctly.)

The specs on my speakers are:

Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m.
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum.
Power handling: 100W

Could you break down what that actually means?

Many thanks!

Thanks for the excellent explanation of current. Given how finicky the LRS are about amps, I’d use your above quote as a starting point with lots of verification regarding compatibility from owners, and particularly a good dealer. I’m so internet centric, but my LRS experience has highlighted the enormous value a knowledgeable dealer provides.

Audio Excellence is a high end dealer from Toronto who make remarkably informative and honest YouTube videos. They carry a wide range of all the big high end brands. And donate all YouTube profits, with matching donation, to the Salvation Army. Their expertise led me to the Hegel/ LRS combo. Kudus to all the expert dealers that have managed to stay in business during the great internet migration. The dealers are uniquely positioned to experiment with a wide variety of equipment combinations and come up with particularly good matches.

Good conversation here. Current vs watts. Probably a poor analogy, but hp vs torque are my thoughts.

I should try my Hegel H190 on my Magnepan 20.7s to see how it drives them. Right now the Hegel barely gets warm with my 101dB efficient Klipsch Cornwalls no matter how long I play.

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I have a Soundtech X234 crossover - had a DBX (RCA connections) but the Soundtech has balanced XLR. I can find literally ZERO information on that product.
I got it for $50 - I believe it was likely used in a band environment. Not audiophile grade I’m sure but it certainly does what it should.
Not special requirements on the amp side - you will just need a powered sub or a dedicated sub amp, Everything coming from the active crossover needs it own amplification. I cross mine over quite low anywhere from 40Hz to 70Hz (depending on the recording) - just enough to prevent the mags from trying to produce frequencies that low. My only complaint is the crossover does not have a BYPASS feature. I would prefer to run the mags clean & full range for tracks that are purely vocal guitar strings & such … I just need to split things up when serious bottom end & higher volumes are present. So far the only active x-over I’ve found that will fit my requirements is the JL Audio CR-1. But I’m having a hard time justifying $2500 - $5000 (Can) for one of these.
SOMEBODY needs to build a decent EQ with bypassable sub crossover that goes down to 30Hz with balanced XLR connections. Is that too much to ask?
And I know purists poo-poo equalizers and even active crossovers but if every recording ever released was mixed mastered & engineered by ONE person the I wouldn’t need to make small tweaks to satisfy MY ears…
Mags DO produce some precise and amazing bottom end but sometimes you need a sub to give you that kick drum chest compression experience that you get at a live show. IMO.

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In a very recent @Paul video he discussed the possibility of PS Audio creating a quality EQ. I tried the Schiit Loki and thought it was awful. I instead use the Roon EQ, but it would be wonderful to have a legit real EQ, with a remote. In my opinion, EQ’s are vital.

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The impedance of a speaker varies with frequency. It may exhibit 3 ohms at 80Hz and 7 ohms at 5,000Hz.

A speaker described as 8 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum means the speaker exhibits 8 ohms impedance taken as a whole at all frequencies (like an average), with the lowest impedance of 4 ohms at some undisclosed frequency.

It is nice to know the frequency where the impedance is low as this determines how much this low impedance will tax an amplifier. If the low impedance is at 10,000Hz it will have little impact as there is limited musical energy in this region. If the low impedance occurs at 100Hz it will matter as there is a great deal of musical energy around this frequency and the amplifier will need to work harder.

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OK @Paul, if you’re toying with an EQ, can ya put a bypassable subwoofer crossover in it?? For ME???
Pretty PLEEEEEEASE? :crazy_face:

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