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If you gave Jonny Lang's Blues-Rock firecracker "Still Rainin'" from Wander this World a spin, you'd know exactly what I mean. As it must have been in the studio with the then 16-year old, the snare drums slammed into my listening room with such unrestrained violence and in fully striated relief that all but the deaf would have felt their blood curdle and their butts lift off the seat. Truly raw rocking power had this speaker refuse to dynamically compress either on the micro or macro level. Loud/quiet/loud passages in quick succession tracked like a jackhammer and even party levels caused no discomfiture. Things never sounded strained or squeezed in effort.
I also liked how the musical action didn't stick to the boxes but took up room in empty space fanned around my seat. I remembered a similarly liberated yet enveloping presentation from Wharfedale's Jade 5 and Nubert's nuLine 284, two models which were rather more expensive. The soundstaging qualities between them and Magnat's latest clearly weren't worlds apart.
I was particularly taken with the depth layering. Stage width was realistic rather than extraordinarily broad however. Localization focus and image lock were compelling and contained sufficient breathing space and freedom of movement around individual performers to convey a loose rather than upright stuffed atmosphere. Yet nothing disintegrated to remain of a singular cast. This quality would suit even speakers whose sticker hangs quite higher. Respect!
I also enjoyed that the tonal balance didn't tilt into the glassy or biting on top which can happen when a speaker treats the bass with some restraint and applies similar leanness to its vocals. That phenomenon often struck me as quite displeasing over my last few years as a hifi reviewer. The math here works because Magnat's voicing is very careful and strategic. There's no lack of upper-band detail. A fiercely blown sax can still peel wall paper as it should and a very close-mic'd singer will occasionally suffer hissy sibilants as is realistic. To remain true to a recording, none of that should be artificially softened or beautified. Here the Magnat was simply honest as one expects from a well-designed speaker.
Even so the general treble remained silkily friendly. Overcooked Pop did get outed for its recorded sizzle but not to the extent of becoming unlistenable. It's that fine balance which would seem quite tricky to manage especially for a speaker in this price class. I also must mention how easy the Quantum 755 was on amps. I had opportunity to use amps across quite a range from a Yamaha A-S 1000 to a Symphonic Line RG9Mk4. Yet the overall impression of the speaker didn't shift. Even a diehard valver—a Twinsound CST-80T no longer available which about 5 to 6 years ago fetched €1.500 in Germany—didn't embarrass itself and actually harmonized wonderfully with these boxes despite its low power rating. As an aside I also ought to mention the 1980's classic Akai AM-35 integrated which I picked up for pennies at an online auction. Tweaked out with new caps, a modern pot and current power IEC, I discovered in it a dream partner for dynamics, pressurization and musical flow.
Obviously I didn't enter this assignment as a tabula rasa virgin. For going on four years already I've owned the former "price class sensation" Quantum 905. Though many often rather costlier loaners made their tracks through my room since, I've not really felt the itch to take up a mistress. My expectations for number 755 thus were high. And clearly time hadn't stood still. My 905 is basically an old thing albeit lovingly cared for.
