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John
Magnepan’s room at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel wasn’t listed in the show guide. Neither was its door marked. Entry was via appointment only. Talk about flying under the radar for the first public outing of the LRS+ (US$995/pair), a souped-up version of the LRS (US$650/€1090, featured here).
The plus take on the LRS looks very similar to the original but Magnepan is keeping schtum on the specifics of any internal changes. Those that could get into the Magnepan room to hear ’em were simply invited to judge with their ears.
The first conundrum presented by these relatively affordable ‘little ribbon speakers’ is their thirst for high-quality amplifier power. It’s a thirst that often sends up in smoke the conventional wisdom that our loudspeakers should eat 50% of our total system budget. Getting hip to the ‘which amplifier?’ quest, Magnepan is well on its way to offering its own: powering the LRS+ in Chicago was a prototype amplifier provisionally called the Maggie 300. It has no projected shipping date or estimated pricing.
The second conundrum presented by the LRS+ is how best to extend their bass output with a subwoofer. We need a bass maker that can keep pace with a ribbon loudspeaker’s speed. Augmenting the LRS+’s sound at AXPONA 2022 was a pair of prototype ‘dynamic dipole subwoofers’ for which, once again, there was no estimated price or shipping date. The Magnepan subs were each powered by a Bryston 7B SST amplifier.
What Magnepan is clearer on is its new optional ‘after-market’ stands, fitted to the LRS+ in Chicago, that will begin shipping later this year for an estimated US$300/pair.
Further information: Magnepan
