Magnepan has long been committed to manufacturing excellent loudspeakers at an incredibly low cost to the consumer. It was one of Jim Winey’s founding principles to provide, “hifi for the everyone.” In order to continue this tradition we have often been required to compromise the quality of components and construction in order to fit a price point. The X series is the answer to the question: “What if we didn’t?”
A rigorously designed, thoroughly tested, and meticulously constructed project, the X series provides a new level of exceptional quality, elevating an awesome product to even greater heights. With over 50 years of planar speaker expertise, tried-and-true design, and the infusion of new ingenuity, passion, and drive, Magnepan has created something special. The X series speakers are greater than the sum of their parts, and their parts are great!
So what actually is it?
The general idea of the X series is to take the existing design of a given speaker and improve it using three primary axis of refinement: simplification, component betterment, and balancing. When it comes to high fidelity audio reproduction, less is definitely more. Simplifying a circuit in terms of fewer components, less overall wire, fewer junctions, less mass, etc. reduces signal loss, degradation, and distortion.
This allows for a more pure signal to pass through the circuit and be reproduced with precision and fidelity. Almost one-for-one replacing all of the components between the speaker cables and driver with superior ones has an obvious beneficial effect.
A sandwich made with better bread, better bacon, better lettuce, and better tomatoes is going to unsurprisingly taste better than a standard BLT. It may surprise you however, just how much better it tastes, and just home much better the X series speakers sound.
Finally: balance is everything. Even the most entrenched audiophiles, or the best musicians with world-class ears, may not be able to detect if a pair of speakers is crossed over at 150Hz or 151Hz, however typically even a novice audio enthusiast will notice if the left speaker crosses over at 150Hz but the right crosses at 151Hz! The human brain is not always the best at determining precision in isolation but it is incredibly adept at detecting relative differences—think about how obvious it is when something isn’t level, for example.
As such it is vital, when it comes to ultra-high performance, that the left and right speakers be nearly perfectly balanced. Along with all of this there are some model-specific changes and improvements that have been implemented such as the MG1.7x being a two-way speaker instead of a semi-three-way with a super tweeter, (to even further simplify the circuit design) and cross-braces being installed in the frame to reinforce the speaker’s rigidity.
How is that achieved exactly?
Better Capacitors
All capacitors used are high quality, copper-rich, polypropylene capacitors [banks]. Each capacitor [and bank] used is individually tested to the hundredth and sorted according to model and need. The cap banks that are made are then retested to further appraise their quality and ensure that left and right crossovers’ capacitance's are within five thousandths. With the increased level of testing and decrease in tolerance, minor value tweaks are employed in some models resulting in fewer capacitors used and a smoother response overall.
Better Coils (Inductors)
All coils used are high-gauge, copper wire, air-core, bobbin wound coils [arrays] that are made right here at Magnepan! Each coil [array] used is individually tested for inductance to the thousandths, DCR to the hundredth, and along with the Q value and its termination direction sorted and paired. The coils are then tested again after being installed on the boards such that left and right crossovers’ inductances (and coil DCR's) are within five hundredths. Model depended and with the above capacitance changes in mind, some inductor values are minorly adjusted as well for smoother response overall and less voltage loss.
Better resistors
Most Magnepan models do not use resistors but some crossover designs necessitate their use. In the case when a model requires a resistor, two resistors of twice the value are used for the X series. For instance, the MG.7 has a 1 ohm resistor on the crossover board, and the MG1.7x has two large 2 ohm resistors in parallel, for an equivalent resistance of 1 ohm. Each of these resistors are individually tested to the thousandth, and then after combination they are tested yet again such that they can be paired within five thousandths.
Better Wiring
All bus wire used (aside from the green (+) and yellow (-) wires for True Ribbon Tweeters to preserve the skin effect) is 15ga or higher solid high-quality copper wire. Excess wire (for ease of assembly, for instance) has been completely removed. Careful attention has been paid to design, layout, and pathing of the crossover components such that wire lengths are short and the overall wire-mass is significantly reduced when compared to the standard models. Throughout the creation and installation processes the resistances of the various aspects of the crossover board are repeatedly tested in order to ensure left and right crossover and nameplate impedances are equivalent for ideal balance.
Better Connections
All connections within the circuit, from the solder lug attached to the terminal screw on the nameplate, to the crossover board, to the driver terminal block, and back are silver soldered connections. Besides the terminal screw, solder lug, and jam nut connection on the nameplate, and the quick connectors on true ribbon tweeter models, there are no mechanical connections used in any X series speakers.
Better Materials
All nameplate components have been gilded. The capacitors, coils, and bus wiring are all copper, and the joint are all made with silver solder. These three metals and their almost exclusive use is a significant reason why the X series speakers perform so well.
Okay it’s better on paper, sure, but how does it sound?
The short but truthful answer is that it sounds better! A lot better. The X series speakers have improved imaging and sound-staging as a result of their more precise nature and higher fidelity. Voices and strings are clearer and instruments have better separation due to lower component distortion. Highs are lighter and airier, and each section has significantly superior clarity because of the simplification of the circuit.
The X series speakers have such a presence and four-dimensionalness to them, the reason being their incredibly tuned and tested nature, and their dialed-in balance. They are fast, and they are big, and they have such punch. They have all of the exemplary qualities of a Magnepan speaker, just better.
Audio is a tremendously subjective hobby, though, and anyone can write whatever they want online so please keep in mind that the best way to answer this question would be for you to demo a pair at Mcleans Long Jetty, your local Magnepan Certified Dealership.
With that being said here is how Magnepan Mick, the X Series creator, feels about them:
“The very first X speaker that I built was an MG1.7x. I knew that it was going to sound better, but I didn’t know if it was going to sound significantly better, I didn’t know if it would be measurable, and I certainly didn’t know if it was going to be worth the real increase in cost of the labor and components. I honestly figured that it would be a slight bump in quality, perhaps worth a pat on the back, but nothing amazing, and that ultimately the project wouldn’t be worth it.
After finishing their assembly I hooked them up in my sound room and was hopeful but had realistic expectations. I was floored. Those prototype MG1.7x’s blew me away and with newly invigorated excitement I really started to put them through their paces.
It’s hard for me to put into words just how good I felt like they sounded and why it was that they sounded better… they were just better! As a result, shortly afterward I launched the X upgrade program through the service department. And only about a year after that Magnepan launched the X series completely.
To this date I don’t believe I have heard a single negative review from someone who has actually properly listened to them and most have shared the excitement and giddy joy that I had when I first put a signal to those MG1.7x’s.
I encourage everyone to read all about the X series, watch the various videos and take in all the reviews as this is something that I’m incredibly proud of… but I would implore those interested to find a place to listen to some X’s… as there really is no other acceptable way to understand the fullness of the X series, in my mind, than by experiencing it yourself. “
-Mick Bucher
Including local 3 year warranty.
Note: pictured in Black or Silver Aluminium with Black cloth.
