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| Re: Just scored a pair of 3pi speakers! [message #62040 is a reply to message #62038] |
Thu, 11 March 2010 09:31   |
krikor
Messages: 31
Registered: May 2009
Location: Detroit
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Baron |
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Wayne - thanks for charts.
Tom-m - I have now had a chance to get the 3pis better positioned and spent a little more time with them the past couple nights.
First off, I am very impressed... it is a rare occurrence when I drop a new speaker into the room and I'm not immediately missing my Magnepans. Once I had the woofer connected in phase, the 3Pis had me hooked and started to reel me in fast. I was almost giddy with how good they sounded just plunked down with no real attention to position (they now have the recommended toe-in crossing in front of the listening position, but I think I still need to play with the width between speakers and distance from back wall).
Let me mention a few things I like about the Maggies:
- They throw a huge image portrayal (especially in height) of the musicians... some may argue that it is artificially large, but I've always liked the sense that the performer is standing right there (I think you also adjust to the portrayal over time)
- They are very coherent from top to bottom, using a single planar membrane for both the tweeter and woofer with a very simple low-order crossover that has a lot of overlap
- They disappear in the room, surprising for what looks like a big door panel, and load the room in a way that envelops you in the music yet sounds very natural and do a great job of imaging... IF you are in the sweet spot
- Though they may not be the best when it comes to dynamics, details and low-level listening, the dipole radiation creates a deep and wide sense of the recording environment that seems to extend well beyond the edges of the speakers (ambience?) which again some may say is very artificial and can cause room interaction problems
Pi Speakers seem to be almost the antithesis of Magnepans - big ported boxes, high-efficiency, pro drivers, easy-to-drive impedance, higher max SPL, seemingly more complex xover, monopole radiation, etc. I think that's why I was so surprised that do many of those things of love about Maggies so well (yes, it was likely an "audiophile" bias against simply monkey-coffins and pro drivers)
What I've noticed about the 3Pis:
- They are remarkably coherent with no discrepancy in the xover between the tweeter and woofer that I can detect... this was a big issue I had with another well-regarded speaker featuring Eminence compression tweeter/woofer combination
- They portray a large, life-like image (read tall like the Maggies, not shrunk down on the floor) ... perhaps due to the vertical dispersion of the constant directivity?
- They create very solid images of the performers and have fantastic detail... I find it easier to separate instruments, follow vocals and pickup on ambient cues, but the detail is not etched or overdone (I've heard excessively detailed speakers that emphasize or call attention to smaller sounds in a way that is annoying)
- They sound fantastic at low levels (I always have to tweak the volume up to get the Maggies sounding their best) and utterly effortless at higher volumes... DYNAMICS! My Magnepans seem to have a much narrower volume window within which they sound their best
- They have tremendous TONE... I love how they sound with guitar and vocals
I do have a couple of quibbles, but I need to listen further before deciding as whether or not they are real, positioning related or perception related as I adjust to the new speakers both from an auditory and visual perspective. Also, this is an older pair of 3Pi with the original crossover, not the latest design.
By the way... no fooling around when it comes to a bigger sweet spot! It's great not having to lock my head in vice while I listen.
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| Re: Just scored a pair of 3pi speakers! [message #62100 is a reply to message #62040] |
Tue, 16 March 2010 13:29 |
NWCgrad
Messages: 143
Registered: March 2010
Location: Frederick, United States ...
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Master |
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krikor, Are you still happy with your 3pi speakers? I am getting set to build 4pi's (primarily for HT) that will also serve in place of my maggie MMGs for two channel duty.
Thanks for the great review!
VIRIBUS MARI VICTORIA
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| Re: Just scored a pair of 3pi speakers! [message #62102 is a reply to message #62100] |
Tue, 16 March 2010 14:14 |
krikor
Messages: 31
Registered: May 2009
Location: Detroit
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Baron |
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| NWCgrad wrote on Tue, 16 March 2010 13:29 | krikor, Are you still happy with your 3pi speakers? I am getting set to build 4pi's (primarily for HT) that will also serve in place of my maggie MMGs for two channel duty.
Thanks for the great review!
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Since last Thursday? Still VERY happy. I put the MG1.6s back in the mix on Sunday and was surprised when I found myself itching to get back to the 3Pi. The Maggies strike me as having a more extended and clearer top end, and definitely more oompf down low (I've been listening without my subs) with that great planar dipole bass.
However, I don't know if it's because of the Pi's constant directivity that lets me place the speakers wider apart without creating a hole in the middle, the wider sweet spot, reductions in room interactions or what... but I just had to get the 3pis back in place. They've got a naturalness, solid imaging and ease (effortlessness?) that is enticing.
There is a bit of roughness/grittiness to the top end of my 3pis... sizzle rather than a clear shimmer, if that makes sense... and a thickness or congestion in the upper midrange that calls attention to itself on vocals. But bear in mind these are older 3Pi with the PSD2002 tweeter and no zobel compensation network on the woofer.
I'm hoping that the crossover and tweeter DE250 tweeter upgrade I'm doing will help give me that final push over the edge that makes me relinquish the Maggies... not that I want them to go (though the room does look bigger without those big monoliths), but if the Pis give me more of the sound I'm looking for and enjoy, so be it.
If it all works out, I'll be building a pair of 4Pi in the near future.
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