Floorstanding loudspeakers — Magnepan Magnepan 30.7

The Magnepan 30.7 is a four-panel dipolar planar loudspeaker, built entirely to order at the company's facility in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It is Magnepan's first four-way design. In the US a pair costs USD 30,000, and the usual lead time is 3-5 weeks.

Key specs that matter

Most current Magnepan models use a single panel per channel, but the 30.7 splits each channel into two physically separate panels - a wider bass and lower-midrange panel and a narrower midrange and tweeter panel - so a stereo pair has four panels in total. Each stands just under 2 m tall. The bass panel measures 200.7 x 73.7 x 5.2 cm, the same size as Magnepan's own 20.7, while the midrange and tweeter panel shares its height and depth but is narrower. Per speaker there are two quasi-ribbon bass drivers, a quasi-ribbon transitional line source that couples the midbass and lower midrange, a quasi-ribbon midrange driver with an ultra-low-mass Mylar diaphragm of half the usual thickness, and a 60.6-inch true-ribbon tweeter. Warranty runs 5 years for the original owner, with 1 year on the ribbon tweeter, and it cannot be transferred.

Engineering and use context

Each panel section is optimised on its own for the frequency range it covers. Like every Magnepan, the 30.7 has no cabinet at all - it is a dipole that radiates from both its front and rear surfaces, so it needs a room with enough space around it. Because the large bass panels can produce excess midbass energy in smaller rooms, an adjustable midbass control is fitted to keep this in check.

Pairing

The dipole planar design is a demanding low-impedance load, so the 30.7 calls for a powerful amplifier that can deliver serious current rather than a modest design rated mainly into easy loads.

Alternatives

The Magnepan 30.7x is the X-Series development of the same design, with every crossover component rebuilt using better materials, tighter tolerances and silver soldering.