In this review, we will be comparing 20.7 and Renaissance ESL 15A, two Floor-standing speakers from Magnepan and MartinLogan. The main difference between these two speakers is that the MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A is a Powered speaker which means that it has a built-in amplifier inside the speaker body so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp whereas the Magnepan 20.7 is a Passive speaker so has to be matched with an amplifier to get any sound from it.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Magnepan 20.7 and MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Magnepan 20.7 | MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A |
|---|
| Brand | Magnepan
United States · founded 1969 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | — | 2-way |
|---|
| Built-in amplifier | — | 500-watt RMS |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | Electrostatic |
|---|
| Woofer | — | 2 x 12" Aluminium |
|---|
| Frequency response | 25-40k Hz | 22-21k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 86 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 20-700 watts |
|---|
| Weight | — | 63.50kg / 139.7lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 79" x 29" x 2.062"
2006.6 x 736.6 x 52.4mm | 69-13/16" x 15-3/4" x 24-15/16"
1773.0 x 400.0 x 633.0mm |
|---|
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that 20.7 is a -way design whereas the Renaissance ESL 15A is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Magnepan 20.7 |
MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A |
|
Driver Setup
|
-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
x -inch
|
2 x 12-inch
|
20.7 features a " Tweeter and x " Woofer. On the other hand, the Renaissance ESL 15A features a " Electrostatic panel Electrostatic Tweeter and 2 x 12" Aluminium Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz.
Frequency Response
20.7 has a frequency range of 25-40k Hz whereas Renaissance ESL 15A has a frequency range of 22-21k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 22Hz, the Renaissance ESL 15A can go slightly deeper then the 20.7's min frequency of 25Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
20.7 and Renaissance ESL 15A have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. 20.7 sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the Renaissance ESL 15A's is at 92 dB. This 6 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A a more sensitive speaker compared to Magnepan 20.7, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
One thing to keep in mind that the lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit comared to higher impedance speakers especially at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the 20.7 and the 20.7 can provide this impedance level.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Magnepan 20.7's and MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A's external dimensions. Magnepan 20.7 has external dimensions of 2006.6 x 736.6 x 52.4mm (79 x 29 x 2.062inch) whereas MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A has external dimensions of 1773.0 x 400.0 x 633.0mm (69-13/16 x 15-3/4 x 24-15/16inch).
MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A is 336.6mm narrower and 233.6mm shorter than Magnepan 20.7 but it is also 580.6mm deeper.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A needs about 556% more floor or shelf area. MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A is 581mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Magnepan 20.7 is 234mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Magnepan 20.7 is approximately 386.0cm2 / 59.8inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A is approximately 2532.0cm2 / 392.5inch2. The 20.7 requires 85% less surface area than the Renaissance ESL 15A which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.