Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Magnepan MG2.6/R loudspeaker Review System

Sidebar 1: Review System

Equipment used during the auditioning of the Maggies included Mark Levinson No.23.5, Audio Research Classic 60, and YBA 2 HC power amplifiers, hooked up to the speakers with 2m lengths of AudioQuest Dragon or YBA Diamond cable. The main preamplifier used was the French YBA 2, with the latest version of the Mod Squad's Line Drive Deluxe occasionally pressed into service, both feeding the power amplifier via 15' lengths of AudioQuest Lapis unbalanced interconnect.

Source components included a Linn Sondek/Lingo/Ekos/Troika setup sitting on an ArchiDee table to play LPs, a Revox PR99 to play 15ips master tapes, and either the VTL D/A processor driven by a Meridian 602 transport or the Krell SBP-64X/MD1 combination to play CDs.

The trumpet tracks on the Chesky Test CD (JD37) indicated that the sound was both more natural and more palpable with the speakers connected in inverse polarity: ie, with the speaker terminal marked "+" wired to the amplifier ground terminal.—John Atkinson

COMPANY INFO
Magnepan Inc.
1645 Ninth Street
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
(612) 426-1645
www.magnepan.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
monetschemist's picture
Submitted by monetschemist on March 8, 2019 - 12:16pm

Such a fine example of using listening as a means of critical evaluation - the difference in staging on various recordings perhaps refuting the idea of better staging just being due to the dipole arrangement, or the comment "live pianos don't sound that warm".

This is core Stereophile good stuff. Thank you so much!

My only tiny complaint would be that, while understanding the principle of reviewing equipment sold via local dealers, I feel it's really too bad not to have this kind of wonderful critical light shone on more stuff that is sold direct-to-consumer, since for many of us that's the only way we'll know in advance about the merits or otherwise of one of those alternatives.

Josh Hill's picture
Submitted by Josh Hill on March 13, 2019 - 7:15am

This old review is a model of what a review should be! I particularly enjoyed the technical description, and the way JA correlated it with his subjective impressions.

Zavato's picture
Submitted by Zavato on August 13, 2019 - 3:35pm

I owned a pair of 2.6’s for over a decade, eventually pairing it with an original sunfire sub. An excellent speaker- it was not until I heard a pair of Revel speakers that I considered moving from a panel to a box speaker. BTW, this review perfectly captured every nuance of the 2.6’s sonic signature

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