THE Show Newport 2012 Best of Show
Within a show dedicated to strict
two-channel listening, Magnepan once again added its own wrinkle, setting up a dual-use
"three channel stereo" combined music and home-theater system -- all just to
make a point about the prevailing audiophile paradigm. While audiophiles gravitate toward
floorstanding speakers (often with racks of electronics in between), Magnepan persuasively
made the point that a more decor-friendly approach could yield exceptional sonic results.
The system used MMC2 speakers ($2000/pair)
mounted on the walls. These were opened and closed electronically -- literally at the
flick of a switch. Also used were a CC5 center-channel speaker ($1100) and a pair of
Magnepan Woofers ($800), which are subwoofers dedicated to use in this system and easily
hidden (look behind the side table shown below). Electronics were from Bryston and Pioneer
Elite.
If you're keeping track, the speakers add up
to less than $5000 total, and the electronics can't be much more than that, making for a
truly economical system for both music listening and movie watching. However, if it didn't
deliver sonically, its cost would be moot. Deliver it did, offering the standard Magnepan
speed and openness along with a truly wall-to-wall soundstage that suffered little -- if
at all -- if you sat far to the right or left of center.
We've grown to question Magnepan's
unorthodox show systems, but it's difficult to remain dubious when the results speak so
clearly for themselves. |