Magnat Transpuls 1500 Review: 100% old school speakers

Tech Week Score
5.0
- George Baumratner

At first glance, the Magnat Transpuls 1500 are 100% old school. Large cabinets with bookcase proportions, speakers with cellulose cones with corrugated suspension and other vintage features in the range. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg, and if we talk about the engineering component, everything was done far from the old-fashioned way, but very much in accordance with modern requirements.

The cases, although they look like classic plywood, are actually made of MDF. During the development, the Klippel laser measuring complex was actively used, which makes it possible to track and analyze parasitic resonances arising in the design of the emitters and the housing, and thereby helping to solve these problems even at the design stage. Crossovers are used phase-linear with a high cut-off slope of 12 dB at MF / LF and 18 dB at MF / HF.

Of everything that is not visible to the eye, the signs of the old school can only be considered atypically high by modern standards, the section frequencies, when the bass player plays a good half of the mid-range to almost 1 kHz, and the tweeter starts working only from the 4.8 kHz mark, and not 2-3 kHz, as is customary today. The body of the Magnat Transpuls 1500 is gigantic by modern standards. Replacing the speakers with drawers – you get a good chest of drawers, and cutting the cases into three even parts vertically – you will get three typical cases for modern floor stands. And what is characteristic: all this huge acoustic volume is given to one 15-inch woofer. The internal space has a number of partitions reinforcing the structure and preventing the occurrence of standing waves. One speaker weighs 37 kg. For such dimensions, it is far from the limit.

Of greatest interest in the construction of the case is the acoustic design. What we see from the outside is very similar to the traditional ports of a bass reflex, quite corresponding in caliber and depth to the scale of the applied radiator. However, even when operating at high volume, the air movement in the ports is minimal, and in fact they would have to issue air flows like jet engines. The secret is that the acoustic design, although it is called by the manufacturer “bass reflex with acoustic impedance”, in fact is not a phase inverter. Inside the housing, both pipes are covered with acoustic filters with a specially selected acoustic transparency coefficient. This design option is classified as “Acoustic Impedance Panel” (PAS) or variovent in foreign terminology.

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The difference between the PAS and the phase inverter is very significant. The main task of the bass reflex is to create a rise in the frequency response, thereby expanding the lower limit of the reproducible frequencies. With the help of PAS, the frequency response of the speaker is equalized in the zone of its own resonance and conditions are created for the use of high-quality emitters in relatively small-sized cases. That is, without PAS, this 15-inch woofer would need an even larger body! In addition, from a purely practical point of view, PAS allows you to achieve a higher acoustic sensitivity and gives the most even, well-controlled bass, as in acoustics in a closed enclosure.

Due to the very large size of the Magnat Transpuls 1500, the speaker set is also quite remarkable. The 15 ” or 380mm bass driver has a dense cellulose cone in the shape of a shallow cone mounted on a resiliently pleated suspension. The speaker operates in a wide frequency range, responding not only for bass, but also for the entire lower mids up to the fundamental tones of the voice range, so it is quite logical that it is short-travel.

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This did not negatively affect the amount and depth of the bass, due to the large area of ​​the cone, but on the quality of the reproduced frequency range, this approach, in general, has a rather positive effect, making the sound more focused and accurate. In order to drive the large cone, the developers used a proprietary FE Dynamics system consisting of ferrite magnets and a well-cooled ventilated voice coil. Everything is installed in an open sturdy basket.

The mid-range speaker seems small only against the background of the woofer. In fact, this is a rather large 170 mm emitter. It also has a paper cone with a corrugated suspension, but its basket is completely closed to create its own acoustic volume, not connected to the interior of the cabinet. Considering the high crossover frequencies, this approach is quite justified, and for the efficient operation of the speaker within the range of 980–4800 Hz, it really does not require a large working volume. At the same time, the separation of the volumes of the mid-and low-frequency emitters allows you to avoid unwanted mutual influence, which leads to coloration of the sound and an increase in distortion.

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Having a three-way design, the Magnat Transpuls 1500 acoustics are equipped with four speakers, however, doubling the number of drivers was required not in the low-frequency section, as is often the case in modern acoustics, but at the top. In the vertical slotted horn, the developers put two 25-mm tweeters with fabric domes and ferrofluid cooling at once. And only thanks to this, the HF section was able to compare in response to the LF and MF. This driver is called the Double Compressed Horn.

A high-quality modern replica of vintage acoustics with 15-inch paper woofers, horn tweeters and a beautiful finish for only 90 thousand dollars … This is not a list of abstract wishes, but a very real opportunity to join the big sound with minimal consequences for the family budget. We listen to the new amazing development of German engineers and share our impressions.

The appearance of this model in the Magnat catalog is quite understandable: lately, many music lovers have noticeably heightened their sense of nostalgia, which can be indirectly judged by the growth in sales of vinyl and LP-players. On any audio forum, the liveliest branches are those devoted to vintage and analog sound. A record number of likes in social networks are collected by photos of roller turntables, reels, tube amplifiers and acoustics the size of a decent cabinet.

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From this point of view, our current research is absolutely in trend: there will be vinyl, lamps, and most importantly, the Transpuls 1500 speakers mentioned above. Yes, the Magnat marketers promptly responded to market demands – with such proportions of the body and the caliber of the bass drivers, this model seemed to be transported from the era of the classic high-fi of the 70s. Sensitivity of 95 dB, ideal for working with tube amplifiers, is obtained thanks to the use of special dynamic heads. First of all, these are 15-inch woofers with paper cones and double fabric suspensions. The corrugations are quite rigid, not designed for a long stroke, but a powerful sound wave is created due to the huge radiation area.

Such speakers are usually placed close to the wall and, so that the plinth does not interfere, a plinth of a slightly smaller perimeter is added to the base of the case. Therefore, a couple of impressive ports are brought forward – this is part of the proprietary Magnat CRA (Controlled Reflex Alignment) system, controlled bass reflex design. The shape of the diffusers is optimized to minimize distortion using a Klippel laser system. So the Transpuls 1500 is not just a visual stylization for the hi-fi of the 70s, but an advanced development using modern methods of calculation and modeling. The 6.5-inch midrange also has a paper cone, which achieves the same character as the woofer. In addition, the low mass of the mobile system is very important for the transmission of nuances in the most informative band.

And, perhaps, the most expressive solution from the past is the HF link. Two inch compression fabric dome tweeters operate in a narrow metal horn. This Double Compression Horn not only gives the systems a complete nostalgic look, but also shapes the desired radiation pattern at high frequencies. And one more thing: if you just cut a couple of tweeters into the wide front panel, dips will inevitably appear in the frequency response due to early antiphase reflections. That is why, in systems with similar body proportions, the tweeter is often installed in a separate capsule and mounted on top, which is not to everyone’s liking. Magnat engineers have solved a lot of problems with the help of a vertical horn, including matching the upper band in response to the bass and mids.

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To separate the bands, special phase-linear filters were developed with central frequencies of 920 and 4800 Hz of the second (12 dB / oct.) And third (18 dB / oct.) Orders, respectively. Connection to the amplifier is provided only two-wire. The Transpuls 1500 is produced in a beautiful dark wood finish, the black front panel is completely covered by a fabric grill with a MDF frame. On the base there is a cast metal nameplate with the Magnat logo and the name of the series. The weight of one speaker is 37 kg, you can judge about the dimensions from the photo.

This time we will have two sources – a Lyngdorf CD2 CD player and a Music Hall mmf 7.3 turntable with an Ortofon 2M Bronze MM-head. Integrated amplifier Magnat RV-4 hybrid, with a tube pre-section, Sanken transistor power supplies and a built-in phono stage.

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First, for “sighting” – a few tracks from test CDs. First reaction: wow, 38cm woofers are really something! Of course, traditional narrow speakers with several woofers can produce sound of this scale, but they will cost at least three times more. The Transpuls 1500 has a big drum beat just like in real life, without any conventions, the double bass is almost life-size, and its energy is such that the upholstery of the sofa responds to the attack of the string. And far from being at the maximum volume. The sensitivity of the systems is actually very high – turning the volume control just a few degrees is enough to get a real hit on the ears. And where there is sensitivity, there is freedom, ease and speed. The Rolling Stones tracks really blown away – crazy drive,

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The bass, despite the declared lower limit of 16 Hz, was not too deep – the main impact energy of the Transpuls 1500 is concentrated in the 60 – 80 Hz range. It is possible that hard fabric impregnated suspensions have not yet played out, but another explanation is possible: since the systems belong to the budget class and, most likely, will be installed in relatively small rooms, the developers trimmed the lower case so that there were fewer problems with it. But even in this version, the drive is simply killer, the systems are literally created for rock, but they perfectly play Yello, and symphonic music, and large jazz bands.

And the most unexpected thing for me was how the new “Tycoons” are building the space. These giants manage to sharply focus imaginary sources, and on some tracks they can disappear from the sound picture altogether. Here, of course, the main merit of the tweeters in the horn design with a clearly defined dispersion. All the best qualities of the Transpuls 1500 are even more evident in vinyl reproduction. There is already a completely different bass – full, voluminous, albeit a little more monotonous. Its character largely depends on the class of the head, which gives a lot of room for experimentation. The dynamic potential is also presented much more effectively – the picture is perceived more voluminous and generous in shades, with large images and a slightly advanced foreground. So it turned out to be an extremely authentic system, no questions asked.

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