[vvanrij]

@open_air the MMG's are terrific, and for their price, and absolute steal
@eggburt thats very true, first I had it powered with my denon avr, and it sounded good, but nothing near their capability's. Now they are run by my Cyrus amp, and hopefully within a week, by my Unison Research Unico .

 

[open_air]

I've read some grumblings about how the 1.7 isn't as good as the 1.6, but I'd never believe anything but my ears and with the speakers in my own system.  My local audio dealer happily allows potential customers to audition gear at home.
 
Hey vvanrij!  I have a Cyrus One, the last toggle switch model with no headphone jack, and it sounded not bad when I had to use it to power the MMGs in a semi-emergency.  The McCormack amp is in another league, but the Cyrus wasn't terrible at all.   The Cyrus plays well with my high efficiency speakers, though I like my ancient 6V6 tube amp for those applications.  I haven't heard the newer models.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Quote:

I'd Have to ask as Uncle Erik said, What is your listening Rm like...How will you be able to place your speakers in your Rm... Many speakers sound their best away from the front and side walls as far as you can...Will your seating be "Sweet Spot" only???  The Maggies and even U.E. "Quads" have all sounded better to me when the wall behind these panel spkrs.. can be open (with out furniture etc.etc) so you can (if needed) add some sound Panels or ASC Tube Traps, Rm. treatments. One Important requirement with the Maggies would be the need for Higher Clean Watts from your amp, just the opposite with the Quads, hence the original Quad Tube Mono blocks.(Clean watts, just not as many needed)....Please someone correct me if this is wrong!      Next some of the guys asked "your" music preference, This should also play into your speakers choice..... The Quads, Can't be played LOUD, But shy in the "play loud" for you,   probably is just PERFECT for Uncle Erik...They have the all time BEST Mid Range, still to this day..+..Detail, truth of the instruments sound....But finding  a rebuilt pr. of 57's or even the 63's will cost more, probably than the Maggies.. My choice for that panel speaker would be the new 1.7's...unreal, but to be fair I heard them with about 80 grand worth of associated equipment.......So after this Long ass rant, I'd ask Have you listened to any (good to better) stand mounted 2-ways???? One more note on monitors...You place them out into your Rm just right and sit in your sweet spot chair and you'd swear they disappeared......on the right recordings... PS Just got my copy of the absolute sound and their Entry Level Speaker of the yr are the "Nola Boxer" and next to that comes your Magnepan 1.7 at $1995 a pr.........Try to go hear as many as you can, and read, read then read some more....Good luck!  (remember the Rags we read choose speakers/components as "The Best" based on Advert $$$$....IMO) 

So, I take it that I probably shouldn't just buy the $2000 Absolute Sound recommended system? That is what I really feel like doing but I don't know if it would be for the best. I do know that each piece of that system has gotten great reviews. It may not fit my listening room, I have no idea.
 

 

[sennheiserhd485]

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Euhm. how about Monitor Audio's, Genelec's, Jamo, Spendor, ATC etc. They have some great speaker, but I would never call them 'greatest, best possible sounding speakers under 2000$'.

Ok, well which of these speakers are the best possible sounding speakers under $2000? I just want to make sure that I get the best possible sounding speakers for my money. There are much better things to do with your money than audio.. 

 you dont really sound like you're in the right place....haha  
 
Like uncle erik said, its a very personal thing that we cant give you a simple answer to. 
 
First you should figure out what kind of sound you like, and what music you'll be listening to. 
What amp you're gonna want to use, or at least what your options are...and what the room these will go in looks like. 
Then look into as many speakers in that price range as you can to see which ones suit all these things above best. 
 
You should be doing at least that if you're planning on spending two grand on speakers, plus however much more on amps/sources. 
Your attitude leads me to believe you're jumping into this while not wanting to do much research or work yourself.  I'd reconsider if thats the case......

I am not sure what you mean by "research". There really isn't much to find on the internet and there isn't an audio store near me. I don't know what to do. I really just want a whole system that is around $2000. I hear that the MMGs and the Pro-Ject III is a great combo. That is why I am asking you guys. Are the MMGs audiophile worthy?
 

 

[vvanrij]

If you are really lazy and want a system to set up, you can just follow the what hi-fi guide. I did it once with a set of NAD and Wharfedale speakers, and it was nothing short of spectacular, such amazing synergy. I trusted their reviews from there on out, though listening yourself will always be much better (which they also recommend).
 
http://www.whathifi.com/BestBuys/
 
check on the righthand side: top systems

 

[open_air]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sennheiserhd485 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I am not sure what you mean by "research". There really isn't much to find on the internet and there isn't an audio store near me. I don't know what to do. I really just want a whole system that is around $2000. I hear that the MMGs and the Pro-Ject III is a great combo. That is why I am asking you guys. Are the MMGs audiophile worthy?

"Audiophile worthy"?  Yes.  Good enough for you for an undetermined amount of time?  Who knows?  Good in the system/room/music-listening tastes/expectations you have?  Doubly don't know.  If you live in the States, you can return them in 60 days minus shipping if you don't like 'em.  Personally, I love mine, and I will be going the "razor" mod route and soldering together an outboard/beefier crossover.  For now, I'm lazy and enjoying what I'm hearing.  I don't know what you'll be using for amplification, and that's a crucial element in making any Maggie sound good.  A "mullet system" ain't gonna cut it.  Mullet system = expensive speaker and crummy electronics.
 
Sorry about drifting off topic, as the thread was about the 1.7, and I'm all eyes and ears about forum members' experiences with said speakers.  Frankly, if and when I upgrade, it will be the 3.6 or the upcoming 3.7 I'd go for.  I like the MMG enough to want a quantum step up, not a mere substantial step.

 

[Gatepc]

Not to steel this thread but I was also thinking about these speakers and was wondering if the following would work well together and/or opinions. I understand that sound is subjective but based on your experiences head-fi users would this be any good?
 
HRT Music Streamer II+
Vincent Audio 236MK ( 250 watts into 4 ohms )
and of course the 1.7 Magnepans
 
The room is kind of odd. A decent sized living room with 14 foot ceilings. They speakers would sit in front of a fireplace ( I assume I will need to put a carpet over the fireplace to reduce echo or what ever the correct term is. ) The room is large so I won't have a problem keeping them away from the walls. How will the tall ceilings effect sound? Will I need a sub? and if I do how would I connect it? and which one would you recommend for under 500 USD?
 
Thanks head-fi in advance

 

[melomaniac]

the Vincent has a decent rep, but I have never tried it with maggies; they will benefit from sturdy damping, not just sheer wattage
 
for subs you should look at HSU or Outlaw at that price, but you may not need a sub. if your amp does not have a sub out, you can connect from amp to sub and then out to the speakers; or if you amp has two sets of bindings, you can use one for the sub
 
I do use subs on both my magnepan setups, but only because one is used mostly for movies, and the other sometimes for really bass-heavy genres such as dub electronica or reggae, and a bit of rock on rare occasions - mostly that kind of music is headphones only around here: DT880 or UE11pro territory!
 
for the most part, though, a large magnetoplanar panel has sufficient bass for most kinds of music (but don't expect bloated car-stereo rumbles)
 
the trickiest question in your post is room resonance and the fireplace. you can get a test recording with a frequency sweep, and listen for any resonances - a table might vibrate, a mirror or picture frame might shake a little, and you can only isolate that with that kind of test
 
Quote:

Not to steel this thread but I was also thinking about these speakers and was wondering if the following would work well together and/or opinions. I understand that sound is subjective but based on your experiences head-fi users would this be any good?
 
HRT Music Streamer II+
Vincent Audio 236MK ( 250 watts into 4 ohms )
and of course the 1.7 Magnepans
 
The room is kind of odd. A decent sized living room with 14 foot ceilings. They speakers would sit in front of a fireplace ( I assume I will need to put a carpet over the fireplace to reduce echo or what ever the correct term is. ) The room is large so I won't have a problem keeping them away from the walls. How will the tall ceilings effect sound? Will I need a sub? and if I do how would I connect it? and which one would you recommend for under 500 USD?
 
Thanks head-fi in advance

 

[Gatepc]

@melomaniac Thanks a ton for this information. I just have few questions What is Damping? Is there a specification I can look for? Also why do some amps have double bindings? The amp I am looking at does indeed have duel bindings. 
 
Thanks again

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Quote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by sennheiserhd485 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I am not sure what you mean by "research". There really isn't much to find on the internet and there isn't an audio store near me. I don't know what to do. I really just want a whole system that is around $2000. I hear that the MMGs and the Pro-Ject III is a great combo. That is why I am asking you guys. Are the MMGs audiophile worthy?

"Audiophile worthy"?  Yes.  Good enough for you for an undetermined amount of time?  Who knows?  Good in the system/room/music-listening tastes/expectations you have?  Doubly don't know.  If you live in the States, you can return them in 60 days minus shipping if you don't like 'em.  Personally, I love mine, and I will be going the "razor" mod route and soldering together an outboard/beefier crossover.  For now, I'm lazy and enjoying what I'm hearing.  I don't know what you'll be using for amplification, and that's a crucial element in making any Maggie sound good.  A "mullet system" ain't gonna cut it.  Mullet system = expensive speaker and crummy electronics.
 
Sorry about drifting off topic, as the thread was about the 1.7, and I'm all eyes and ears about forum members' experiences with said speakers.  Frankly, if and when I upgrade, it will be the 3.6 or the upcoming 3.7 I'd go for.  I like the MMG enough to want a quantum step up, not a mere substantial step.

Ok thanks much. So basically, you are saying that if I get the MMGs that I will want to step it up?

 

[open_air]

Depends on what you mean by "step it up".  Doing modifications?  Not necessarily.  Some like "Gunned" MMGs, but you have to get on a year-long waiting list and pay more than double what the MMGs cost.  Supposedly a big improvement, but . . .  A better crossover can't hurt, but again, it can be expensive, about $300-400 if you're using ribbon coils and nice caps.  A much cheaper damping mod is to "razor" them, which means applying damping strips on the magnets, something I will try eventually since it's cheap and reversible to do, though a bit tedious, apparently.  But I don't think it's essential to modify them to enjoy 'em.  All I've done so far is to bypass the tweeter fuses (living dangerously).  I think you get a lot more for your money (it's never an "investment") if you buy good upstream components.  It will make a huge difference. You can get a good amp on audiogon.com for well under $1000, maybe $500.  I paid $750 for mine and I'm off the merry-go-round for a while.  I also have a Magnavox 6V6 push-pull amp for my Heresies if I'm in the mood for tubes/horns.  But I like my Magnepans more.

 

[open_air]

Quote:

Not to steel this thread but I was also thinking about these speakers and was wondering if the following would work well together and/or opinions. I understand that sound is subjective but based on your experiences head-fi users would this be any good?
 
HRT Music Streamer II+
Vincent Audio 236MK ( 250 watts into 4 ohms )
and of course the 1.7 Magnepans
 
The room is kind of odd. A decent sized living room with 14 foot ceilings. They speakers would sit in front of a fireplace ( I assume I will need to put a carpet over the fireplace to reduce echo or what ever the correct term is. ) The room is large so I won't have a problem keeping them away from the walls. How will the tall ceilings effect sound? Will I need a sub? and if I do how would I connect it? and which one would you recommend for under 500 USD?
 
Thanks head-fi in advance

The most important thing is to move the speakers well away from the back walls.  You won't necessarily need to damp rear reflections, especially if the speakers are at least 4-5 feet from the back wall.  I can't emphasize enough the need for the Maggie's dipole dispersion pattern to radiate properly.  You want some rear reflection, and I don't think rear wall damping is necessarily the answer--adequate distance is.  You also need a couple of feet on the sides.  When you find the right placement, the difference is huge.  I know nothing about the Vincent amp, but it certainly seems to have adequate power.  My room is 12x18 with 8 foot ceiling on one side that goes up to 15 feet on the other side.  My Maggies are about 7 feet from the back wall.
 
Maggies aren't for everyone, because a) you need to submit to their placement needs, and b) you need clean high power.  But I think they're worth it.

 

[golgi]

I've had my maggies since 1998 and have no regrets about that purchase!  They are great speakers.  It was until this year that I finally felt the desire to mod them a little. Here is what I did with some help from a friend:
• bypass the fuse (free)
• upgrade the caps to Sonicaps (about $44)
 
There was definitely a significant improvement in sound from doing this.  And I would highly recommend doing those two mods eventually.  However, definitely wait to do the fuse bypass until you know you have a stable amp that can handle the maggie load. 
 
I'll probably also try the razor mod sometime later.
 
As for amplification, you really don't have to spend much money to find a good amp.  You can find a very good amp used for around $300.  Or if you want to buy new, the Emotiva amps are supposed to be good for very reasonable prices. 
 
As already mentioned, maggies are highly sensitive to placement and toe in.  You want them away from walls (side and back). And toe them in so they would converge at a point slightly behind your ears in the listening position.  This makes it so the sound is very holographic.

 

[melomaniac]

hi gatepc, do they have wikipedia near where you live in california?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_factor
 

 
also see these links (both from the first google search page on the word):
 
http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/mdampingfactor.html
 
http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/damping-factor-effects-on-system-response
 
http://www.crownaudio.com/pdf/amps/damping_factor.pdf

 
Quote:

@melomaniac Thanks a ton for this information. I just have few questions What is Damping? Is there a specification I can look for? Also why do some amps have double bindings? The amp I am looking at does indeed have duel bindings. 
 
Thanks again

 

[Gatepc]

Quote:

hi gatepc, do they have wikipedia near where you live in california?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_factor
 

 
also see these links (both from the first google search page on the word):
 
http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/mdampingfactor.html
 
http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/damping-factor-effects-on-system-response
 
http://www.crownaudio.com/pdf/amps/damping_factor.pdf

 
Quote:

@melomaniac Thanks a ton for this information. I just have few questions What is Damping? Is there a specification I can look for? Also why do some amps have double bindings? The amp I am looking at does indeed have duel bindings. 
 
Thanks again

 

My bad, sorry.