Short answer: the Sony SS-CS3 for almost everyone, because the Magnepan LRS+ demands a serious amplifier. The LRS+ is a thin open-baffle planar panel, about 48 inches tall and just 1 inch deep, but even a pair of 600W Macintosh monoblocks only averaged about 90dB, so budget amps will not cut it. The Sony is affordable and sensitive at 88.6dB SPL at 2.83V/1m, with cabinet and driver resonances between 100Hz and 600Hz as the catch.
Buy the Magnepan LRS+. It is rated higher for sound quality and still sold new, while the Sony SS-CS3 is discontinued.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Passive Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Sony SS-CS3 | Magnepan LRS+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $450 per pair Discontinued | $1300 per pair |
| Ranked | #68 of 74 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers | #61 of 74 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 67Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 72Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 74Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 36.3”H x 9.1”W x 10.2”D (922 x 230 x 260 mm) | 48”H x 13.5”W x 1”D (1219.2 x 342.9 x 25.4 mm) |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal | 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 88.6dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 85.1dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 0.75 in. supertweeter, 0.98 in. polyester main tweeter, dual 5.12 in. MRC woofers | Full-range planar magnetic dipole panel (48” tall x 13.5” wide); quasi-ribbon design, two-way with separate mid/bass and tweeter ribbon sections |
| Weight | 25.4 lbs (11.5 kg) each | 30 lbs (13.6 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front | open baffle |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 4.11 | 1.27 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 6.65 | 4.32 |
| DIY Kit | No | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Magnepan LRS+ compares with other leading options:
- Magnepan LRS+ vs KEF Blade Two Meta
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Revel F328Be
- Magnepan LRS+ vs KEF R5 Meta
- Revel F226Be vs Magnepan LRS+
- Magnepan LRS+ vs JBL 4367
Prices on this page were last checked October 2, 2026 at 10:18 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
The Two Speakers In Full
Sony SS-CS3: $450 per pair Discontinued eBay
Pros: Affordable entry-level floorstanding tower offering solid sensitivity (88.6dB SPL at 2.83V/1m), making it easy to power with standard budget AVRs. Harmonic distortion remains reasonably low at moderate listening levels (86dB SPL) when high-pass filtered above 80-100Hz with a dedicated subwoofer. Front-ported design allows relatively close placement to front boundaries without excessive port occlusion. Measured bass extension of 72Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 88.6dB.
Cons: Severe cabinet and driver resonances plague the passband between 100Hz and 600Hz, imparting audible coloration and chesty resonances to male vocals and acoustic instruments. Irregular frequency response peaks and dips make automated receiver room correction difficult to equalize effectively. Poor low-frequency extension (F3 of 72Hz, F10 of 39Hz) for a floorstander, combined with rapid distortion escalation below 80Hz at higher SPLs (96dB+). Supertweeter driver adds crossover complexity without providing audible high-frequency benefit within the human hearing spectrum. Discontinued.
Full Sony SS-CS3 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 72Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 36.3”H x 9.1”W x 10.2”D (922 x 230 x 260 mm) |
| Drivers | 0.75 in. supertweeter, 0.98 in. polyester main tweeter, dual 5.12 in. MRC woofers |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal |
| Sensitivity | 88.6dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 4.11 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 6.65 |
| Weight | 25.4 lbs (11.5 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
Magnepan LRS+: $1300 per pair Magnepan eBay
Pros: Thin, two-way planar-magnetic open-baffle/dipole panel design (about 48” tall, just 1” deep). Delivers a uniquely dramatic and enveloping soundstage with genuinely three-dimensional depth effects that work across all music genres, not just classical or orchestral material as commonly assumed. Extremely tight, locked-in center-phantom imaging when set up correctly. Open-baffle design avoids the “boxy” enclosure coloration of conventional cabinet speakers. Multitone distortion is remarkably consistent from low to high frequency, a characteristic the reviewer hasn’t observed in conventional cone-and-dome speakers. Compression at high output stays modest (about 0.5-1dB) through the midrange and treble, giving roughly 20-26dB of usable dynamic range in that region. At its price, a strong contender for a dedicated secondary listening room, even if not a main-system replacement. Measured bass extension of 74Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 85.1dB.
Cons: Extremely current-hungry and power-hungry: even a pair of 600W Macintosh monoblock amplifiers only averaged about 90dB output. A robust, high-power amplifier is essentially mandatory, and budget amps won’t cut it. Bass rolls off very quickly (F3 74Hz, F10 67Hz, described as falling off “like a rock”), making a subwoofer an absolute requirement for any low-end content. A roughly 3dB dip in the mid-bass (100-300Hz) region thins out vocal body and fullness compared to a conventional bookshelf speaker. A resonance/bump around 400Hz adds a mild boxy quality, though it responds well to about 2dB of EQ correction. Extraordinarily fussy about exact positioning: both seating height (must align with the acoustic reference point between the panel’s lower tie-down points) and horizontal aiming are unusually critical; moving just a couple of inches can cause treble content above roughly 500-600Hz to nearly vanish. Distinct off-axis cancellation zones exist directly to the sides of the panel, where very little sound is audible at all. Fails badly under extreme dynamic-transient testing in the bass, and the reviewer blew fuses pushing the speaker during testing: not built for high-volume or highly dynamic playback. A genuinely different category from conventional hi-fi speakers, requiring more setup patience and experimentation than a typical monopole design.
Full Magnepan LRS+ review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 67Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 74Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 48”H x 13.5”W x 1”D (1219.2 x 342.9 x 25.4 mm) |
| Drivers | Full-range planar magnetic dipole panel (48” tall x 13.5” wide); quasi-ribbon design, two-way with separate mid/bass and tweeter ribbon sections |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 85.1dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 1.27 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 4.32 |
| Weight | 30 lbs (13.6 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | open baffle |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Infinity Reference 253
- Magnepan LRS+ vs JBL Stage 2 280F
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Polk Audio XT60
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Focal Aria Evo X N°2
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Polk T50
- Magnepan LRS+ vs JBL Studio 590
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Definitive Technology BP-9020
- Magnepan LRS+ vs Triangle Esprit Antal Ez
- See all 38 comparisons