The Sound:I remember the effects of adding 'pointy' stuffs under audio components from before. They have a 'house sound', so to speak. Products like Tip Toes and its spin off relatives have proliferated the market in the past few decades, some even come with nice plastic hard cases and the spikes are gold plated, for the Asian market who loves the color of gold.
And right away, I noticed the effects - improved imaging stability, focus, and tighter bass; which were evident in the first LP I used, Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries on Windham Hill. The width seems to even have expanded due to the sheer spaciousness of the sound field. Amazing. The guitar tones also have better decay and air. Amazing, Amazing. I was looking out for some nasty effects that may have come out but thankfully, I heard none. I actually expected some 'thinning out' in the highs, and lean-ness in the mids, but again, negative.
I tried some Command Records, Tony Mottola Strings and Strum and Toots Thielemans' Contrast LPs, looking out for some thinness in the guitar tones but didn't hear any. The overall sound is much cleaner and a bit more laid back than before the spikes were in. Pass.
Next up, Pigs Eye Jass. I have always harped (to myself) that this LP, when played in a 'mini-mouse' system, tends to be 'sleepy' - that is, nakaka-antok.
And truly, it has been that way in my system. I've heard it in other dynamically healthy systems and it flew with flying colors. Knock your socks off, as they say. Today, with the spikes on, the album almost spiked my hair.
In my mind, I was going "$%%$%)$^^##_%%^^(_$_%(!!!****$#$#$#&%!!!" in various languages at that.
The drums came alive!!! And more detailed too! I heard lots of things I never heard before and I can really bop with this dixieland type music. The bass clarinet has suddenly sprouted out to whereas before it was just a ghost of itself. Triple amazing.
Since the amp is really warming up, I decided to put in a few more killer tracts to make sure I'm not dreaming. Decca's Mysterious World of Bernard Herrmann was played, the opening track of Side 2, Gulliver's Theme. The bass of the orchestra at the opening seconds come in with incredible attack, power and dynamics I had never heard before from my 1" deep speakers. I thought I was listening to an entirely new pair of speakers.
The entire orchestral sound has never sounded more exciting. All for 8 pcs. of spikes? Wow. I wonder why it took me this long (14 years) to do something like this but as they say, 'it's never too late to start anything'. The next test was to try my demo copy of Mallets Melody and Mayhem LP and frankly I was getting blown away as the minutes passed in each cut. The mallets were now pounding in a 3D formation in its given space. Subterranean bass that were faint are now more pronounced though not in the manner of those produced by dynamic woofer systems. And needless to say, the focus and imaging are rock solid and very stable, with slight increase in overall height as well. The improvements are not small, I say it's quite fantastic, after all these years.
Finally, I have to end the session with a female vocal track. As always, my favorite cut When I Dream by Carol Kidd. I want to know if she is still a sweet nightingale and not a flat 'un-syrupped' pancake.
I have been adjusting to the evolution of my power amp, with still 200 hours to go till its manufacturer's self-proclaimed 600 hours break-in period, and I must admit sometimes, it drives me crazy as the sound is morphing like a roller coaster ride - giving me 'new looks' every 100 hours. Still, I'm waiting for that 'bloom' and 'lushness' to surface but I guess it's wishful thinking as the 6550 tubes probably will not transform itself to a KT88 any moment now, or ever. At least it's good to know that nothing was taken away from Carol Kidd's voice even with the spike on. More clarity which translates to a little more sibilants here and there, but overall, very acceptable and nothing detrimental caused by the addition of the spikes.
In the end, the question lingered in my mind as to why Magnepan never allowed for spikes to put on its 'feet'. I know there are many after-market products (stands), and even modifications that can strip its basic 'digestive system' to the gut, but I am not up to those things. I like to judge, and own a product based on its factory design and not by some external modification, and that is just me. Putting on spikes and other small tweaks are my cup of tea because if they fail, one can always remove them, easily. If anything, my only lament is that I wasted so many years not fully realizing the potential of these speakers all because of neglect and oversight. I'm glad I discovered something before I even went on to another speaker. Small things can make big wonders, and my own personal case, it was just sitting around in a corner, just waiting to be 'tapped'.
Some good things in life, can be 'free'.