"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...

Thanks for your helpful comments Jim.
I spent a good deal of time on the computer last night researching my Quad
405 and have quickly come to the conclusion that it is not a suitable amp
for the Magneplanar speakers. I will investigate updating my early (serial
number 29,081) model to later spec. after the holidays. I have added my
responses to you below:


I would be cautious of assuming the 405 would be an appropriate power amp
for the Magneplanar speakers.

IIRC Magneplanar speakers have a general reputation for having low
impedances. I've just looked at some reviews of the 1.6QR and they seem to
report that it has a 'typical' resistance of 4 Ohms.

Yes, quoted impedance is 4 ohms - My LS3/5a's are 15 ohm models.


You do not say what version of the 405 you have,

See above.


What amp did the shop use when demo-ing the Magneplanar speakers?

They used a very pretty Perreaux integrated amp costing, I think he said,
NZ$ 8000 odd (GBP 3,000) more than my ears warrant spending!


Thus the suitability may depend on your taste in music, the levels you
like
to listen to, and the listening room. Hence it is hard to be more specific
in answering your questions without more info.

My tastes are mainly classical from Baroque to Romantic. I listen to a lot
of solo violin - my children are studying violin and piano and I like to
listen to what I hope they will one day be capable of performing themselves!
My listening room is approx. 25ft x 15ft with an A frame ceiling walls are
plasterboard and floor is wood covered with fitted carpet.


Will the shop either let you try the speakers before you buy, and/or
perhaps let you take the 34/405 into the shop and use them there to drive
the speakers?

I didn't ask but in view of my research last night I would not buy before
trying. However I think the question is becoming academic now since I have
come to accept that the Magneplanar speakers require another amp.

FWIW I personally prefer 'panel' speakers - in my case the Quad ESL's - to
conventional types. Hence I am not trying to discourage you from choosing
the Magneplanar speakers. But I would be wary of using a 405 to drive
them.

I have always been a fan of Quad. I identify with the line of thought that
what is important is the musical experience of the system and its ability to
play a wide range of sometimes less than technical perfection but wonderful
musical content. In this regard I would mention that perhaps my favourite
hifi test piece is the Solti Mahler 2 on Decca. And while I have the
Mravinsky LPO Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4,5 &6 on DG I get enormous emotional
enjoyment from the Furtwangler Berlin PO 1951 Cairo recording of the 6th.
In New Zealand there is currently available a wide range of wonderful
historic performances on CD at incredible prices for eg. a double disc of
Horowitz playing Scarlatti, Haydn, Chopin, Moussorgsky and Rachmaninov for
NZ$2.99 (GBP 1.10) and a six disc set of Furtwangler recordings for NZ$6.99
(GBP 2.58).
Now although they are quite rare in NZ there are Quad ESL speakers here and
I think for the price of the Magneplanars (NZ$ 4,300) there is a good chance
that I will be able to find a decent pair of ESL 63's and so it is in this
direction that I will now progress.

Regards & happy holidays,

D.
















I

dersu wrote:
"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...

Thanks for your helpful comments Jim.
I spent a good deal of time on the computer last night researching my Quad
405 and have quickly come to the conclusion that it is not a suitable amp
for the Magneplanar speakers. I will investigate updating my early (serial
number 29,081) model to later spec. after the holidays. I have added my
responses to you below:

Just one other (slightly nearer to home) option if you are up to a bit
of DIY.

http://www.eraudio.com.au/Kits/kits.html

I have heard a pair of the ESL III, and they were quite stunning, very
directional, but sitting down in the sweet spot was like turning the
corner into the studio, very tempting if my woodworking skills were better.

--
Nick

A couple of things about Maggies - they were my system speakers for a few
years. First, you don't need mega power amps unless you have a big room - I
used to listen to mine in a smallish room with a 10wpc valve amp (Leak Stereo
20). People will tell you 100 watts, 200 watts etc - that's 'american talk' -
people with huge rooms. Second, people will tell you solid state only, but many
of us were happy with valves, and so might you be if that's your taste. For a
valve amp, the Maggies were quite easy to drive - I used the 4 ohms setting on
my OPT. good luck - Andy

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.

In article , Andy Evans
wrote:
A couple of things about Maggies - they were my system speakers for a
few years. First, you don't need mega power amps unless you have a big
room - I used to listen to mine in a smallish room with a 10wpc valve
amp (Leak Stereo 20). People will tell you 100 watts, 200 watts etc -
that's 'american talk' - people with huge rooms. Second, people will
tell you solid state only, but many of us were happy with valves, and so
might you be if that's your taste. For a valve amp, the Maggies were
quite easy to drive - I used the 4 ohms setting on my OPT. good luck -
Andy

I would want to know the impedance-frequency properties of the 'Maggies' to
be sure. However I'd agree with the above in general terms *provided* the
user is in a situation (e.g. small room as Andy says) where the required
mean and peak output sound levels are modest, *and* the amp is chosen to
be appropriate for the specific situation/use.

The first snag is the 'logarithmic' nature of perception of sound level.
Ignoring factors like current limiting, a 200W amp would nominally give
levels only 6dB above a 50W amp. i.e. about the same as two or three
steps on the volume control of the 34 preamp. For some people the
405 might be fine with the magneplanars, but for others it would not,
and this is a matter of personal taste, in terms of kind of music,
how loud the listener wants it to be, as well as the size of the room.

The second snag is that some amps may share a nominal power rating, but
differ a great deal in how much current they can deliver into low
impedance loads.

Take, as an example, the literal implications of the '405' (40V 5A). This
implies if taken literally that into a 4 Ohm load you can only get 4x5 =
20V. i.e. 6dB down on what the same amp can deliver into a high impedance
speaker. This is an area where the 'Mk2' version is at an advantage as it
does not current limit to the same extent. Yet the nominal power ratings of
the early and later 405's are the same.

I would, therefore, be cautious of completely dismissing what some people say
as 'American talk' w.r.t. driving magneplanar speakers. The problem here is
not the power rating as such. It is in knowing the specifics of the actual
use, and the limits of the particular amp.

This is why magazines like HFN tend to state the peak current a power amp
can deliver when they list review results. With low impedance speakers this
may matter for loud musical peaks.

For the 405 to be able to deliver 40V into a 4 Ohm load, it would have to
provide 10A. (i.e. a power of 400W). This may simply not be needed in
your case, though, as you may not actually ever play music at the levels
this would provide.

I can't recall details, but my impression is that some magneplanar speakers
have impedances that fall below 4 Ohms, so may be 'difficult' loads for
some power amps.

I would, however, personally agree with the view that 'planar' speakers
like these and ESL's are capable of superb results, and may be well worth
the extra effort of finding a suitable amp, and the 'inconvenience' of the
speaker placement requirements.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

When ready - serve with rice, grilled smoked sausage, green salad, and iced tea.
Coffee and apple pie then brandy.



Maternity Ward Pot Luck Dinner

If you can?t get anything fresh from the hospital, nursery, or morgue;
you can at least get rid of all the leftovers in your refrigerator.

1 - 2 lbs. cubed meat (human flesh, chicken, turkey, beef...)
1 -2 lbs. coarsely chopped vegetables
(carrots, potatoes, turnips, cauliflower, cabbage...)
Bell pepper
onions
garlic
ginger
salt pepper, etc.
Olive oil
butter

Brown the meat and some chopped onions, peppers, and garilic in olive oil,
place in baking dish, layer with vegetables seasoning and butter.
Bake at 325° for 30 - 45 minutes.
Serve with hot dinner rolls, fruit salad and sparkling water.



Bébé Buffet 1

Show off with whole roasted children replete with apples in mouths -
and babies? heads stuffed with wild rice. Or keep it simple with a
hearty main course such as stew, lasagna, or meat loaf.

Some suggestions

Pre-mie pot pies, beef stew, leg of lamb, stuffed chicken, roast pork spiral ham,
Cranberry pineapple salad, sweet potatoes in butter, vegetable platter, tossed salad with tomato and avocado, parsley new potatoes, spinich cucumber salad, fruit salad
Bran muffins, dinner rolls, soft breadsticks, rice pilaf, croissants
Apple cake with rum sauce, frosted banana nut bread sherbet, home made brownies
Iced tea, water, beer, bloody mary

and with a fork, seal the crusts together
then poke holes in top.
Return to oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until pie crust is golden brown.



Sudden Infant Death Soup

SIDS: delicious in winter, comparable to old fashioned Beef and Vegetable Soup.
Its free, you can sell the crib, baby clothes, toys, stroller... and so easy to
procure if such a lucky find is at hand (just pick him up from the crib and
he?s good to go)!

SIDS victim, cleaned
½ cup cooking oil
Carrots
onions
broccoli
whole cabbage
fresh green beans
potato
turnip
celery
tomato
½ stick butter
1 cup cooked pasta (macaroni, shells, etc.)

Remove as much meat as possible, cube, and brown in hot oil.
Add a little water, season, then add the carcass.
Simmer for half an hour keeping the stock thick.
Remove the carcass and add the vegetables slowly to the stock,
so that it remains boiling the whole time.
Cover the pot and simmer till vegetables are tender
(2 hours approximately).
Continue seasoning to taste.
Before serving, add butter and pasta,
serve piping with hot bread and butter.



Offspring Rolls

Similar to Vietnamese style fried rolls, they have lots of meat
(of course this can consist of chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp).
Who can resist this classic appetizer; or light lunch served with
a fresh salad? Versatility is probably this recipe?s greatest virtue,
as one can use the best part of a prime, rare, yearl

In article , dersu wrote:

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...




What amp did the shop use when demo-ing the Magneplanar speakers?

They used a very pretty Perreaux integrated amp costing, I think he
said, NZ$ 8000 odd (GBP 3,000) more than my ears warrant spending!

Don't know the Perreaux. However I'd hope you could find cheaper amps that
can deliver the required currents, etc. :-)


Thus the suitability may depend on your taste in music, the levels you
like to listen to, and the listening room. Hence it is hard to be
more specific in answering your questions without more info.

My tastes are mainly classical from Baroque to Romantic. I listen to a
lot of solo violin - my children are studying violin and piano and I
like to listen to what I hope they will one day be capable of
performing themselves! My listening room is approx. 25ft x 15ft with
an A frame ceiling walls are plasterboard and floor is wood covered
with fitted carpet.

Given what you say about your taste in music I can see why speakers like
the magnaplanars or ESLs would be attractive for you. :-)

I think for the price of the Magneplanars (NZ$ 4,300) there is a good
chance that I will be able to find a decent pair of ESL 63's and so it
is in this direction that I will now progress.

FWIW I am a fan of the ESL63's. I bought a pair the year they appeared, and
still have them - although I recently changed to using a pair of 988's for
most of my listening. In the UK I think you can get secondhand 63's for
around 1000 UKP a pair. No idea how that would 'translate' to NZ, though.

Although the ESL57 was not an easy load, the 63's (particularly late
versions) are somewhat easier on the amp. So, for example, I'd expect the
405 to give decent results with the 63's - although the 'late version' of
the 405 is still probably preferrable here. I use power amps that can
cheerfully deliver over 30A, but I'm sure I never need anything like that
with 63's or 988's. :-)

Happy Christmas and Hogmanay!

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html