LOUDSPEAKERS

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to any music lover. Even Magnepan’s least
expensive offering, such as the two-way, quasiribbon/planar-magnetic
MMG Revised that I am
recommending here, is capable of doing the one
thing that most audiophiles listen for first: Make
voices sound real. As you go up the Maggie line,
that realism “sweet spot” gets wider and wider.
No, Maggies aren’t the easiest speakers to drive
(you need amps with power and punch). And yes,
they take up more room than some box speakers,
particularly two-way mini-monitors. The trade-off
is they sound more like the real thing than most
similarly priced cones in boxes. And that’s a
trade-off I’d make any day of the week.
Under $5000
Magnepan MG 1.7
$1995
Once again, I would pick a Maggie—this time
the $1995 MG 1.7. Larger and fuller-range than
the more demure MMG, the three-way dipole
MG 1.7 is perhaps the most perfectly coherent
Magnepan, perhaps because all of its drivers are
what Maggie calls “quasi-ribbon.” (For those of
you who don’t understand the difference between
“true” and “quasi” ribbons, in a nutshell the
incredibly lightweight foil in a true ribbon is the
driver—it simultaneously conducts the signal and
turns it into sound waves. In a “quasi-ribbon,” the
foil is not the driver—or not exactly. In a quasiribbon,
that strip of aluminum foil is itself attached
to an extremely lightweight strip of Mylar; the
foil, which is suspended between permanent bar
magnets, acts as the signal conductor (a planar
voice coil, if you will), transmitting the signal to the
entire surface of the Mylar, which, in turn, vibrates
to produce sound. As a point of comparison,
in a traditional planar-magnetic driver the Mylar
driver is not driven uniformly over its entire surface
by a foil of aluminum as it is in a quasi-ribbon;
instead, it is driven by a latticework of thick signalconducting
wires that are attached to the Mylar
itself. The difference in the uniformity of drive
and in the relative mass of the driver should be
obvious.) Having the same kind of drivers top to
bottom makes for a peerless uniformity of sound.
It also makes for high resolution, better treble
extension, tighter imaging, superb soundstaging,
and intoxicating realism (with the right sources). In
sum, don’t think you can find a better loudspeaker
for the money.
Under $10,000
Magnepan MG 3.7 and Quad ESL-2805
$5495 and $9500
Here I will give you two choices. The first is
Maggie’s $5500 MG 3.7, a three-way ribbon/
quasi-ribbon dipole, which was, prior to the
advent of the much-more-expensive 20.7, the
best “true-ribbon” Maggie that Jim Winey and Co.
made. While Maggie’s true ribbon loudspeakers
(for an explanation of the differences between
“true” and “quasi,” see my pick for Best Under
$5000) are inherently superior because they are
lower in mass, they have not always blended
perfectly with Maggie’s planar-magnetic and
quasi-ribbon drivers. Here, thanks to considerable
work on correcting phase via a new crossover,
the blend is very nearly seamless. The result is a
superb transducer that improves upon every one
of the virtues of the 1.7 (though the 3.7 is not a
world-beater in the low bass).
For a somewhat more refined sound at low-tomoderately-loud
volumes, I would recommend
the $9500 Quad ESL-2805 full-range electrostatic.
As most of you already know, Quad is a company
with a long legacy of technical innovation and
sonic excellence, and the 2805 is perhaps the
most neutral and perfectly balanced of its current
offerings. This loudspeaker is a paragon of
musicality—high in resolution, low in coloration,
capable of gorgeous timbre, and also capable
of extraordinary realism. Though, like the 3.7,
it doesn’t have the deepest bass and also has
limitations at very loud levels, its virtues are so
sterling that it is widely used as a reference by
reviewers and listeners worldwide. For everyone
but the hardest of hard rock fans, this is a speaker
that is difficult to better for the money.
Under $25,000
Raidho C 1.1
$18,000
Here any number of choices makes sonic sense,
depending on your listening biases and listening
rooms. I could see recommending models from
Wilson, Rockport, Magico, and several others.
However, since I am primarily a chamber music
lover (and a lover of smaller-scale music in
general), I’m going to go with the $18k Raidho
C 1.1 stand-mounted, two-way, ribbon/ceramiccone
mini-monitor. The reason for this is simple
(and explained in my review of this loudspeaker—
and in entries elsewhere in this Buyer’s Guide):
The C 1.1 is capable of sounding more realistic
(and for longer durations) than virtually any other
loudspeaker I’ve heard. At the same time it is also
capable of swooningly beautiful timbre, incredible
transient speed, and a terrific disappearing act.
No, it doesn’t plumb the bottom octaves and
because it’s a mini it doesn’t image with the
lifelike size of a Maggie. Still if you’re musical taste
is similar to mine, this is a speaker that will not
only consistently please you but also consistently
amaze you with its “you-are-there” realism on
better sources.
17 Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers www.theabsolutesound.com
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