Loudspeakers

Although arguably less well known than some of its contemporaries, Magnat is one of the mainstays of the German hi-fi industry. Like ELAC and T+A, the company started as a loudspeaker manufacturer but nowadays offers a full range of audio products. In addition to catering for the 'mass-market' and custom install speaker sectors, it also has amplifiers (with a focus on tubes) and sources. For its 50th anniversary, celebrated in 2023, it brought out a special edition direct-drive turntable co-designed by industry veteran Helmut Thiel.

The company sprang from the 1960s German importer of Goodmans loudspeakers. Magnat's founder, Rainer Haas, was the son of one of the business partners, and believed he could improve on the UK designs. His Goodmans Magnat speaker was a success, leading to the creation of the autonomous Magnat brand (the name sounds like 'magnet', but its meaning is closer to 'magnate') in 1973. Based in Pulheim, near Cologne, since the 1990s – a move that enabled it to build an extensive testing facility – Magnat became part of the Premium Audio Company in 2023, alongside Esoteric, Onkyo, Pioneer, Jamo, and many others.

Over the years it has launched some notable products, including the spectacular Vintage 990 floorstander. Standing 185cm tall and weighing 250kg each, this comprised a passive three-way speaker mounted on top of an active twin driver subwoofer. Magnat also has a penchant for novel HF arrays, offering several models with dual and triple tweeters of its own design, including those featured on its affordable Signature 503 and 703 standmounts.