[chadbang]

Thanks for your help. I really need to audion them. Your intial enthusiam had me on the verge....

I've also always hankered after a set of Thiel 3.6 speakers which definitely should be more detailed than the Maggies - although I don't know what the trade-off in pure listenability will be. But Thiels have always looked good enough to eat to me. Have you head the, and what is your opinon of them, if I may ask? (sorry for the one-on-one quiz -- it's a big decision!)

 

[Kieran Comito]

Geez Tuberoller, that sucks about the flood in you house. Good luck getting things back in order. It happened to me back in 1993, but at that time I did not have any nice audio components.

 

[MERTON]

hmmm... i had never seen a ribbon speaker before.

 

[Polygon]

I haven't had a chance to audition a pair of ribbon speakers before, but I like what I am hearing from you guys. I might consider buying a pair for my front speakers and move my DBXs to the rear. That would force me to get a better center speaker as well as a better amp because the one I have now won't push these and the DBXs. I wouldn't mind getting a Velodyne subwoofer as well but the DBXs aren't called the thunder foots for nothing. Their problem is that they don't have the best clarity but what can I expect for a loudspeaker and one that one manufactured in 1984. They also have a narrow sweet spot for the room I have them in but it is right where I sit anyhow and the sound is everywhere, and the bass from these has nearly broken a bay window so I would say they suffice. The great looking Mags look like what I need, clarity, price, and good looks. I think I will have to grab a pair, but I will have to scrape up some money for a new amp and center speaker as well first.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Tuberoller]

Hey there,

I just wanted to update this thread a bit.The Maggies System was damaged in the flood at my new house but since then I have had the Atmashere amps repaired,(Atma-sphere is an outstanding company) and have a new set of 3.6 on the way.The folks at Magnepan are great as well and did all they could to help me out.

Now the only problem is that I don't have my room set-up anymore so my ******* younger brother,Kenny,has agreed to set up the Maggie system in his huge house and equally huge,****ty- sounding, listening room.I took the amps by tonight and we will use his awful Mark Levinson DAC and Transport as digital sources for now.When the Maggies get here I'll set them up with a Ray Samuels Audio preamp,along with a VPI Aries table and a suitable cartridge.I'll also use the Ray Samuels Audio XR2 phono amp in this system.I'll post pics aand impressions as soon as the system is complete.I now I'll have a bunch of folks to thank to helping get that system together and I kiss them all when it is.

 

[melomaniac]

this is an ancient thread, but why not see if it can be revived having heard maggies first in europe in the 1980s, I thought them, well, exotic. and when I lived near their birthplace, I hardly ever thought about them (because I had built my own bass-reflex etc). but for the past two years I have lived with two pairs of magnepan speakers, the 2.5 are on right now as I type (while the MMGs serve the TV with a small sub to help with the FX-heavy soundtrack of movies and television). I am auditioning the paul speltz zero autoformers that help put some heft behind these two large panels. anyone here have experience with the zeros? would like to trade impressions.

 

[ronin74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuberoller /img/forum/go_quote.gif I took Magnepan up on the MMG offer.They are selling this model direct for a limited time for $550.00 plus shipping. The strength of any Planar speaker has always been in the midrange,or so I have always assumed.I assumed correct.The midrange on these speakers is among the sweetest I have heard. Voices are true and sound perfectly pitched...I am still amazed at the width and depth of the soundstage from the Maggies. Instrument placement and stereo imaging is precise and natural sounding. I have to say that these speakers do Piano Jazz better than anything I have ever heard. In my opinion a Piano is the single most difficult instrument to reproduce accurately. The MMG do it the best.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...They had a set of Maggie 1.6's...they were nothing short of amazing. I listened to some tracks of the Classic Yo-Yo Ma cd, and Edgar Meyer's acoustic bass was reproduced with the most amazing realism I've ever heard in a pair of speakers. Acoustic bass through most speakers I've heard sounds muffled and kind of woofy, but the magnepans reproduced them with the same detail as the midrange. Fred, what you said about the piano reproduction is absolutely right! I play a 7' Kawai RX-6 grand piano at home, one that I picked among literally dozens of pianos we looked at over a span of a year and a half. So of all real live instruments, I know what a piano should sound like best, and after listening to a few tracks from Murray Periah's new Chopin Etude cd, I have to admit I'm extremely impressed. They're very convincing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamP88 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just heard Magnepans for the first time today. On a tip from my brother, I headed to Stereo Unlimited in Walnut Creek, CA, and the first thing I hear when I walk in the door is the sound of a jazz quartet playing in an adjacent room. Not the sound of speakers playing a recording of a jazz quartet, but the sensation that there was an actual jazz quartet playing in the next room. So I tell the owner (Dan, a bit eccentric but a cool guy nonetheless) that I'd like to listen to some Maggies, and he brings me into the adjacent room, where I find the source of the jazz quartet to be a pair of 3.6R's.... I have to say the sound was simply incredible. Spacious, clear, transparent, natural...you name it, this system had it in spades...I've never heard a piano rendered more realistically, nor a cello given the appropriate weight and resonance as one you hear in real life. Glenn Gould was playing in the same room, the Cleveland Quartet was giving me a personal Beethoven Recital, Sting was standing in front of me. Imaging, resolution and separation of layers...all of it is absolutely fantastic...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajy55906 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maggies love tubes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by melomaniac /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is an ancient thread, but why not see if it can be revived having heard maggies first in europe in the 1980s, I thought them, well, exotic....for the past two years I have lived with two pairs of magnepan speakers, the 2.5 are on right now as I type (while the MMGs serve the TV with a small sub to help with the FX-heavy soundtrack of movies and television). I am auditioning the paul speltz zero autoformers that help put some heft behind these two large panels. anyone here have experience with the zeros?

Melo; Thanks for reviving this oldie, it warmed the cockles of my heart. I have the MG IIIa, I bought them twenty years ago for all the reasons listed above. Mine are analog sourced, tube fed and still going strong. Recently my crappy desktop speakers crapped out, so I'm seriously thinking about the $550 MMG deal as replacements. Of course I'll need a bunch of auxilliary equipment, like a DAC, amp etc but that's besides the point.

Sorry, no "Zero" impressions here, but it's good to know that there are other Planar people "out there."

 

[dancekat59]

Getting MG II's ~25yrs ago was my first little step into audiophile quality sound. Love them! Unfortunately, I so rarely find the time to sit and listen to music these days, hence my current interest in head-fi.

 

[Gross]

I have a full Maggie Surround System. My mains are 2.5Rs with a CC1 for the center and MGMC1s in the rear. I love it. My 2.5s are some of the best speakers I have ever heard.

 

[gritzcolin]

Magnepans are incredible speakers I just wish I could afford some.

 

[Jon L]

MG20, 20R, or 20.1 powered by monster amps is still one of the best systems in the world...

 

[rean1mator]

Great review, been very interested in tehse as well.
have considered buying a used pair to try out if i ever get extra space.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuberoller /img/forum/go_quote.gif In all the years I have been involved in audio,I have never actually had a chance to audition a set of Magnepans or any Magneplanar loudspeaker in my systems.I have owned a few Electrostats and Horns,ribbons and many,many cone driven speakers.I decided I needed to try a set of "Maggies" so I took Magnepan up on the MMG offer.They are selling this model direct for a limited time for $550.00 plus shipping.I just got them Tuesday and have been breaking them in over the last few days.I just took a good listen tonight.The MMG is hailed by Magenpan as the lowest cost Planar-Magnetic/Ribbon speaker in the world.This speaker has a efficiency rating of 86db,but has a widely varying impedance curve ranging from 1.8ohm to 7ohms which makes a powerful and dynamic amp a real neccessity.It measures 48inches tall,14.5 inches wide and only 1.25 inches thick.I had always assumed Planar speakers difficult to postion correctly,making the assumption that they are similar in nature to Electrostats.I was suprised to find the maggies to have a nice,wide "sweetspot" and can be very easy to placed in a position that allows proper soundstaging.Consider that my room is large(22x28 ft) and has acoustic treatments.I planned to power them with the Rogue MB120 tube Monobloc amps,but they were sold earlier this week.I used a set of Hafler DH-500 amps that I assembled back when I was a kid and still own.They have been upgraded with a Van Alstine Omega III power supply and boards.I used a Van Alstine Pas 3i tube preamp.The only digital souces I have been using recently are a Sony DVP-NS500V and a Musical Fidelity A324 DAC.I used a VPI Extended Aries table with a Grado Reference Cartridge and Grado PH-1 phono amp on Todd Green's(Headroom's Sales Manager) recommendation.His ear is indeed Golden. I felt the need to post my impressions here because I am so stinkin' impressed.I have been missing out.My dad has been trying to get me on the Maggie bandwagon for years but I wasn't having it.He has always loved Quad Electrostats and I have always hated them.My foolish association between the Quads and Magnepans and lack of understanding of Planar technology has cost me. The first big suprise I had was how much bass these things are capable of.This is not logical to a guy like me.Where is the bass driver?I equate no woofer with no bass.Not the case here.There is good bass and plenty of it.It is not the deepest bass I have heard,but it is cavernous and rich and in all the places it belongs.It is the kind of bass that makes you attempt to locate the subwoofer in the room.Don't mistake this for the boomy slop that some inexpensive bookshelf speakers pass off as bass.this is real bass.My wife thinks the bass is just OK.She thinks I am in a state of shock that the Maggies actually have any bass at all.Of course,she is comparing these to my usual PSB speakers which have house-shaking bass.I will have a second(third?) opinion on this tomorrow when some audio buddies drop by for football games. The strength of any Planar speaker has always been in the midrange,or so I have always assumed.I assumed correct.The midrange on these speakers is among the sweetest I have heard.It is not too laid back and not at all too forward.There is no "hump" or over-emphasis that causes an imbalance in the overall sound.Voices are true and sound perfectly pitched.The Treble seems a little relaxed but there is no real loss of detail.This may be a product of the amps.After the Van Alstine upgrades they have taken on a completly new character.They are much smoother and have much better soundstage projection.With that in mind I am still amazed at the width and depth of the soundstage from the Maggies.Instrument placement and stereo imaging is precise and natural sounding.I have to say that these speakers do Piano Jazz better than anything I have ever heard.In my opinion a Piano is the single most difficult instrument to reproduce accurately.The MMG do it the best.If there is any fault with the Maggies,it lies in an overall tonal balance that errs on the side of politeness.What I mean is, these speakers,even when played loud,just don't do certain kinds of music.If you are a Metal fan these ain't your speakers.They are also every bit as difficult to drive as the specs suggest.The Haflers are capable of delivering 500W a channel and 1200W peak.They were burning hot after my 3 hour listening session.They never clipped or distorted,but the heat indicates they were working hard.I have used these a long time on a lot of speakers and they have never run that hot. My wife wants to try the Maggies with one of the Fisher recievers we have(she's in the room hooking it up now).I don't know how that will work out but I'll keep you posted.If you have the opportunity to audition these, do so.The price along with the 60 day return policy is really nice and if you have a suitable amp I think these will suprise you.

 

[terrymx]

The thing with Magnepan is it required to be paired with other high quality devices to sound good, so the cost in it is pairing "equally" expensive amp and source to go with the speakers. It will reveal every bit of imperfection of the record and your source. It needs a powerful amp, that will allow the bass to come out more also. I don't beleive that they are difficult to position, that maybe true for older versions. One of the benefit of these speakers is they can go very loud before distorting (with a good amp).

They have a wall mount version, MMGW, for $300 so I think they are affordable now.

 

[ronin74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrymx /img/forum/go_quote.gif The thing with Magnepan is it required to be paired with other high quality devices to sound good, so the cost in it is pairing "equally" expensive amp and source to go with the speakers. It will reveal every bit of imperfection of the record and your source. It needs a powerful amp, that will allow the bass to come out more also. I don't beleive that they are difficult to position, that maybe true for older versions. One of the benefit of these speakers is they can go very loud before distorting (with a good amp). They have a wall mount version, MMGW, for $300 so I think they are affordable now.

I am rather leary about the wall mounted version. One of the unique aspects of planars is that they are bi-polar, identical sound waves come out both the front and back of the speaker, but 180 degrees out of phase so the back wall reflection is very important. Also in-wall placement will limit the toe in or out of the speakers, assuming your walls are actually flat. I have found that greater toe-in emphasizes bass with a narrow but deep soundstage, puts you front row center, ie. very forward sound. With almost zero toe, near flat, the sound is reverse, wide-shallow stage, emphasis on mid and upper tones, ambiance, air etc., now you're around row G. To hear bass I need to sit another 2-feet further back from the sweet spot.

and Terrymx, you are absolutely right, the ribbon and panels are so quick that a speck of dust or, god forbid, a scratch on the vinyl is very distracting.

 

[melomaniac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronin74 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am rather leary about the wall mounted version. One of the unique aspects of planars is that they are bi-polar, identical sound waves come out both the front and back of the speaker, but 180 degrees out of phase so the back wall reflection is very important. Also in-wall placement will limit the toe in or out of the speakers, assuming your walls are actually flat. I have found that greater toe-in emphasizes bass with a narrow but deep soundstage, puts you front row center, ie. very forward sound. With almost zero toe, near flat, the sound is reverse, wide-shallow stage, emphasis on mid and upper tones, ambiance, air etc., now you're around row G. To hear bass I need to sit another 2-feet further back from the sweet spot.

indeed - but most crucially, the wall-mounted maggies don't really cover the lower frequencies. I have a colleague who was driven crazy trying to match four of them in his open living room HT with a sub. he used traps, he used SPL meters and bass management tech, he spent on a better sub, and yet in the end he was dissatisfied. that's why I pair my MMGs (not nearly as small as the wall-mounted ones, and with decent bass down to, let's say, a cello but not a contrabass) with a sub. I found the little outlaw sub to be astonishingly fleet of foot, but I'm also not doing the surround thing. on my 2.5R pair, I have a big sub but it's turned way down most of the time (except for certain kinds of music). - as for the toe-in and other placement issues, I fight a slow war of attrition with the significant other about the cables and how far the big maggies are allowed to intrude into the living room, but it's essential to place them right. a handful of testing CDs are helpful with that task, along with half a dozen of your favorite music recordings of course. listening for depth and width of stage, checking on phase and room resonance, etc is easier with simple signals rather than what you'd actually want to listen to for the rest of the day