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Bronze Member Username: ClassicalLos Angeles Post Number: 13 Registered: Jan-05 | Got my new Magnepan MMGs and I'm pleasantly surprised that they exceeded my expectations. Not only do they provide a much fuller sound than ordinary box speakers, but I find the tonal balance to be near perfect in listening to a wide range of music across several genres (including female choral music). The soundstage in orchestral music is incredible! |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | Just curious, what kind of receiver or amp do you have running them? |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 2592 Registered: Dec-03 | Congratulations on your new toy Scruffy! Try out some piano solos, and let the magic come out. cheers |
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Bronze Member Username: ClassicalLos Angeles Post Number: 14 Registered: Jan-05 | I using a Harmon/Kardon AVR325 receiver which I think has ample power. Two big sins: I have them raised 25 inches off the ground (tilted forward slightly) to get the sound over the large desk I sit at. All my music is compresses MP3's stored on my computer. Overall, however, I really think these shortcomings are very minor in comparison to the quality of the sound that is now reaching my ears. |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | Is the 325 4-ohm capable? I was looking at the MMG myself but called my receiver's manufacturer (Marantz) and was told that without a 4-ohm receiver I'd be at risk of having my SR5400 shut itself off (protection circuit) at high volumes and/or musical peaks. So I got Ascends instead. Hopefully in a few years if I get the money together for separates I'll get some Maggies. |
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Anonymous | While the 325 is a decent amplifier the maggies will preform lightyears better with more watts being pumped through them by a powerful amp. Even at low listening levels. |
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Bronze Member Username: ClassicalLos Angeles Post Number: 15 Registered: Jan-05 | Although my H/K is rated at 8ohms, I have a review of it that suggests it's rather good at 4ohms also. From what I understand, it's not just the power of the amp, or that it has just an 8ohm rating, but the quality. I've read a post where someone is running his Maggies, at moderate sound levels, using something like a 7W per channel (8ohm) tube amp! |
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Bronze Member Username: ClassicalLos Angeles Post Number: 16 Registered: Jan-05 | Do Maggies crave for more power? I'm just going by heresy, but it seems that the Maggie camp is rather divided whether it's power or tubes that will get them to produce the best sound. Power, it seems, will certainly enhance the bass, but there are still a lot of other owners who swear by the lower power tube amps. I've yet to experiment, but I'm leaning towards something like 40W tubes for my next upgrade. |
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gavincumm Unregistered guest | I have maggies myself, and the answer to your question is it depends. How loud do you like your music? If you like your music loud, then you need lots of power, the same for if you are in a large room. if you are just listening to chamber music or light jazz in a small room, then not so much power. However, seperates will always power maggies better than a reciever. gavin |
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Bronze Member Username: ClassicalLos Angeles Post Number: 17 Registered: Jan-05 | One other note is that my old Polk RTi's really did have a nice sound for a lot of music, such as rock, pop, and even string quartets. The RTi's had a certain punch that added something different from what the fullness of MMG's added. Both sound great here, but in very different ways. Where the Polks really failed me is in what I would call a "wild punch" that greatly affected the tonal balance, especially in music that utilized the midrange. This is where I would rate the MMGs as being truly superior. And again, the MMG's are truly different in that they provide a smooth, complete, and well balanced sound. NO MORE NEED FOR MY EQUALIZER!!! |
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Bronze Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 90 Registered: Mar-04 | i've been a longtime advocate of iny acoustic suspension minimonitors for their great imaging (i'm running superzeros still) and very low box resonances, but i'm still lusting over MMGs after being blown away by their big brothers (with less treble extension) at a local store. maggies might not image quite as clearly as tiny "point source" monitors, but they are SUPER fast and are tonally transparent. i'd be happy to give up a little bit of image specificity in favor of sound that is dramatically more uncolored now. maggies kick major butt on vocals! they sound extremely believable with virtually NO box colorations that most conventional speakers have. the downside is that planars are very power hungry and unfriendly to cheaper amplification (japanese recievers) that can't handle 4 ohm loads. i agree with comments about maggy "flatness" in frequency response too. they are incredibly coherent and sound less like speakers than anything i've ever heard near their price. i also like the slightly rolled off non headache inducing bass that is still lightning quick. i'd rather use maggies for subs than my bloated boomy 12" sub any day. MMGs are the best value in hifi PERIOD! |
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Bronze Member Username: CheapskatePost Number: 91 Registered: Mar-04 | if ANYONE is looking for one of the best deals in tube amps, adire audio (auto subwoofer manufacturer) sells 20w monoblock tube amps for $250 EACH! i don't like warmish sound at all, but those amps totally look high end and would only cost $500 a pair assembled as far as i can tell. i've seen KITS sell for more. http://www.adireaudio.com/ >home >av20 it wouldn't drive maggies to ear shattering volume levels, but it would be a cheap way to sample tube sound on the cheap. |
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New member Username: GavincummPost Number: 7 Registered: Feb-05 | I would NOT recommend that to drive the MMG's. The minimum amount of power I would allow would be 50 watts minimum. Rotel is a safe choice for a nice amp at a great price. |
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New member Username: GavincummPost Number: 8 Registered: Feb-05 | I just bought a rotel myself... a used RB-951 for only $160! That will make any MMG or MMG-W SING in a small to medium (provided you don't go over 90Db) room. look around on EBay or audiogon, you will be surprised at what you can find. gavin |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 2690 Registered: Dec-03 | Gavin, Are you using the Rotel to drive the Maggies? How is it handling? |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 132 Registered: Nov-04 | I am curious to know how much the MMGs cost? would the application for the MMGs be more towards stereo use than HT use? there are too many cool speakers out there. i had my heart set on the KEF Q1 for my next upgrade, but maybe i should try out the MMGs if they are in my price range. |
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Bronze Member Username: GavincummPost Number: 14 Registered: Feb-05 | I havent hooked it up yet, but I KNOW that magnepan themselves use rotel (or used to) to run the MMG's in their lobby area. I heard this from Wendel, one of the managers there, as well as some folks on the maggie board. The Rotel will drive a 4 ohm speaker nicely, provided it is in a small to medium room. If you have efficient 4 ohms, they will CRANK in a large room, as I believe that this amp puts out around 80 to 100 watts into 4 ohms. I havent been home to hook it up to hear how it sounds, but I have been VERY impressed with all the Rotel gear that I have heard. gavin |
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Bronze Member Username: GavincummPost Number: 15 Registered: Feb-05 | The MMG's cost $550 a pair direct from Magnepan. I have the less expensive, wall mount option (MMG-W). They are $299 a pair. However, they absolutly REQUIRE a subwoofer, where you can get away without one with the MMG. So, pair a decent sub with the speakers, and any savings is eliminated. |
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Bronze Member Username: ClassicalLos Angeles Post Number: 18 Registered: Jan-05 | Christopher Lee, See http://www.magnepan.com/the_offer.php |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 133 Registered: Nov-04 | oh wow. $550 for a pair of these is a real bargain. i am going to have to see about these when i decide to upgrade. i am wondering if these would be better suited for stereo listening as opposed to HT use. do the MMG's really get low enought to make a sub nonessential? |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 134 Registered: Nov-04 | oh also, does the planar speaker really convey the music more accurately or is is mumbojumbo science to get people to buy into their own technology like bose? i hate to make the comparison to bose but to me it seems so unreal how the speakers must sound and make that sound. |
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Bronze Member Username: ClassicalLos Angeles Post Number: 19 Registered: Jan-05 | A few notes on Maggies: 1. Expect some degree of "brightness" and do not expect much bass. 2. Maggies are picky in terms of placement. Being dipolar, they do require 3-4 feet behind them, and at least 18 inches from the side walls. Another more general note to those interested in Maggies is to do your homework in deciding what sound you want to focus on before choosing and amp. The Maggies do seem to like warmer sounding amps, and to play it safe here, I recently decided on tubes. But even here there was another decision; EL34 tubes which tend to provide a sweet midrange vs tubes like the 6550 that add a better range. My choice was to enhance the midrange any way I could, and so I recently purchased a Jolida 1000A that utilizes the EL34s. It goes without saying that this setup adds a lot of life to my classical and choral music but what surprised me was in listening to classic rock. I used to find that I could get classic rock to sound pretty great on just about any system by emphasizing a contrast between the highs and lows, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much detail exists within the midrange by using my new setup that truly emphasized this tonal range. My classic rock collection really sounds a lot different now, experiencing it in a way I never experienced it before. Again, not that this setup is for everybody, but simply that it pays to think about the type of sound you want before purchasing an amp. And yes, Christopher, the Maggies are based on real technology, unlike the Bose. I'm still tring to figure out how it is that Bose are so popular in comparison to the Maggies. It's not the quality, so it must simply be the advertising. |
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Bronze Member Username: GavincummPost Number: 17 Registered: Feb-05 | BTW... maggies are BIPOLAR not dipolar dipolar speakers radiate sound from the front and back in phase with each other. Bipolar speakers (like maggies) radiate sound from the back out of phase with the front wave gavin |