Magnepan Mini Maggie Desktop Speaker System

I had them for a month now. I use them with a Macintosh power amp 100w from the 90's with a benchmark dac1. I think the whole issue about amp is overrated. I believe at the factory they are driving them witha regular nad amp. Anyway in my case the only speakers I owned were b&w 601 and dynaudio audience 50. The speakers are way better, really 3dimensional and open. The soundtage really amazing. My brother a non audiophile could not believe that the sound was coming from between the speakers lol. So really good imaging and detailed sound. I use them with the tweeter attenuators. But to be honest really poor bass performance. I love big orchestral pieces as well as rock music and the bass was really lacking. Could be a issue of break in. Well guess what I added an affordable hsu sub and wow now I am really happy. Caveat I am not a snub with subs plus I did not have the money for a rel. I am satisfied now and loving it. So if bass is important get a sub. My two cents

I bought a set for my wife's office rig.  I hooked them up to the TV/HT for a couple of weeks to break them in.  Once they are properly setup, they sound fantastic. 

 

She really likes them.  I have to have her turn them down when I have conference calls.  She plays these more than any other office system she has had.

 

They are being driven by a Wyred-4-Sound STI-1000 integrated amp, a Wyred-4-Sound MicroDAC, and a Win7-64 bit IvyBridge/Z77 rig using JRMC17.

 

Funny, she wasn't too happy with me when she found out I purchased them, but now has a different opinion since they are setup and running in her office.

Edited by emailtim - 10/12/12 at 10:36pm

I've heard them, played through Ayre QB-9 and Bryston power.  Panels are incredible, woofer (bass) was not enough for me.  There was a suggestion of 2 woofers, but I would rather just a dynamic sub instead.  IMO no bookshelf in its price class can compare to the panels, but you might need to augment the bass, depending on your bass preference and how your woofer panel is positioned.

Edited by dlwilladsen - 11/3/12 at 7:43am

I'm interested in getting a pair as my first set of speakers for my little living room. How lacking is the bass? And are you guys referring to the DWM bass woofer panel?

Can the KEF LS50's compete with the minnie maggies?

I would not recommend them for a small living room. It is possible but a lot of tweaking is required . Such as getting a new panel and stands and the price will go up in a hurry. I believe there are better options. Speakers are designed as a desktop system.

For my taste the bass panel is weak. I had to add a dynamic sub. I added an hsu sub and i am really happy. As far as the KEF speakers have not listened to them. Themini maggies are for near field listening. For that they are incredible

Thanks Maelob,

 

I plan to throw the woofer into a fireplace cavity. On the mantle above will be a computer monitor, with the maggies on each end of the mantle. Hopefully the cavity will reinforce some bass however that's all theoretical. I do have a sub I can attach to the system, hopefully that'll give it some oomph.

 

Any cheap, bang for your buck amp recommendations? I've got a DAC. Preferably amps that drive 4ohm maggies to a reasonable degree.

As far as affordable amps i would check nad that is what magnepan has driving the minis at their company headquarters. I am using a used mcintosh amp. I was also checking w4sound and bel canto amps because they are small size. If thats too expensive, emotiva amps could be a silution

Thank you

 

 

It took some time, but I just did...  have a look - http://www.head-fi.org/products/magnepan-mini-maggie-desktop-speaker-system/reviews/8105.

Edited by jazzfan - 12/23/12 at 11:57pm

I would agree the whole power hungry nature of these speakers is exaggerated.

 

I have trialed my mini maggies in my apt w/ multiple different amplifiers...

 

Parasound A21

Parasound A23

Odyssey Stratos Extreme

Peachtree Audio Nova125

Peachtree Audio Grand

Emotiva xpa2

 

The more current heavy amps are noticeably cleaner sounding, but it wasn't a huge difference and in alot of cases imperceptible.

 

I also think the bass is a bit anemic and quite finicky w/ regard to positioning.

Without checking the specs for each of the amps mentioned thus far, I suspect that they ALL meet Magnepan's recommendation. One of the Maggie dealers claims the iNova (not the original, although that may well be fine too) is ideal with the Mini Maggies - just passing that on. I completely understand why Magnepan cant make blanket recommendations - no two rooms/listeners are the same. We had an extensive discussion re Maggies over at AK, and one of the guys claimed his ML Vista hybrid 'stats ( http://www.martinlogan.com/products/vista ) cremated both the Mini Maggies and the 1.7 - sadly, that's 4K worth of speaker and it wont fit on a desktop. As for the LS50, for all the rave reviews you would need to hear them for yourself - at least they are closer in price to our friend's MLs. Personally, if I ever grow a set, it will have to be the 3.7s - death or glory.  

 

http://www.magnepan.com/faq#receivers

 

 

The power supply is "what separates the men from the boys." A receiver is very efficient and cost-effective way to get is all in one package, but there are "issues". Unfortunately, consumers want all the "bells and whistles" without understanding the importance of power supply. Many manufacturers offer the "bells and whistles", but, compromise the power supply to be price competitive. There are a few manufacturers that are the exception.

Everyone understands they need plenty of power, but the role of power supply is not understood. There is one important concept you need to understand when shopping for an amplifier or receiver---and it is somewhat like understanding "good" and "bad" cholesterol. The ratio is very important. An Gold Standard for an amplifier would be to double the power at 4 ohms. This concept is important even if you are buying an 8 ohm speaker. If the amplifier is rated at 80 watts at 8 ohms, it should (ideally) produce 160 watts at 4 ohms (or close to it). None of the receivers will do that. However, this is the benchmark of a good amplifier design. A 10 watt amplifier that produces 20 watts at 4 ohms "speaks volumes" about the PHILOSOPHY of the designer. (But, of course, it does not tell you if a 10 watt amplifier is enough for your room.)

Funny that you mention the original Peachtree iNova.  I disagree, this amp underpowers the maggies.

 

I was really considering this amp prior to buying my A21.  I actually spoke w/ David Solomon from Peachtree and he told me that the pairing was not ideal d/t power constraints.  I heard this pairing briefly before going home to audition w/ the Nova125 and I would agree.  The iNova doesn't have the power for this speaker set, however I think the Nova125 sounds adequate.

 

It's rated at 80 watts into 6 ohms, which should ideally be little over 100 watts into 4ohms.

 

The doubling of power w/ change in ohm rating is a good way to judge amps, but a lot of manufacturers don't advertise accurate wattage ratings and I believe its only theoretically possible to exactly double the wattage.  In practice, it never doubles exactly which is another reason not to trust the wattage ratings when they do double exactly.  Also some manufacturers like McIntosh use different circuits for each ohm rating, so their amps are all the same wattage regardless of ohm rating.  

 

A better way to judge amps (if you can't audition) is simply by weight, imo.  Heavy amps have big transformers and big heat sinks, which usually equates to an amp w/ lots of current.  Planar speakers are particularly current hungry speakers.

 

Hopefully someone w/ an engineering background will weigh in on this...

Edited by rrahman - 12/24/12 at 8:25am