NAD T761 & Maggies ?

Brian New member Username: Bdr1117 Michigan USA Post Number: 1 Registered: Jan-07	Posted on Monday, January 22, 2007 - 05:54 GMT i know maggies are 4 ohm, and the T761 should be fine with that....but does a NAD deserve Maggies (or is it the other way around)? i am thinking of selling some or all of my current speakers and buying a pair of Magnepan MMGW's to see if i like their sound, then possibly upgrade to a full surround setup. any thoughts as to whether or not my NAD could keep up with the smaller maggies?
Berny Platinum Member Username: Project6 Post Number: 12498 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Monday, January 22, 2007 - 15:35 GMT They both play well together. The concern should really not if they deserve each other, but rather, what sub you will be using to compliment the Maggies. That is going to be a challenge on a modest budget...not a lot of subs play well with Magnepan. They are not quick enough.
Nuck Gold Member Username: Nuck Post Number: 5527 Registered: Dec-04	Posted on Monday, January 22, 2007 - 16:13 GMT M&k, REL. Sunfire?
Jan Vigne Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 9655 Registered: May-04	Posted on Monday, January 22, 2007 - 17:35 GMT . Though I seldom get involved in product recommendations, here I am going to disagree with Berny. The sub is not the first question you need to answer. The first question you need to ask is more along the lines of; what do I expect from such a system as NAD driving Magnepans? Read between the lines of any NAD review and you will see a grudging compliment of "it doesn't do anything particularly wrong". That leaves the question; what does it do right? Now I have walked into into the very topic that keeps me from getting involved in such threads. What do you consider "right"? Do you have a concept in your head that says, "this is what I hear from live music?" Or, like all too many listeners today, is your reference your car stereo and anything that momentarily excites you will be a good system - for now. Are you interested in soundstage width and depth and holographically three dimensional images, or possibly just tight bass, clear mids and clean highs? Is that all it takes to make you think this is a good hifi? With even the smallest Magnepan you have a transducer that is capable of startling speed throughout almost its entire range. It is a speaker with the utmost transparency and a sweetness and allure to vocals and instruments that pulls out the artistry of the performer. Is that is what you listen for when you pay attention to the music and not the hifi? With the NAD you have a product that is not the equal of the speaker in these areas. The NAD is good but not as good as the MMG. Of course, how good you need and which is more important to you, a good amp or a good speaker, is your decision. However, whenever I hear someone is ready to ditch their entire system and begin casting about for something new, I inevitably feel that person hasn't a clue as to what they want from their music. They have been reading reviews. As usual when I get involved in these threads, I suggest you go connect with some real live music performed by folks standing in front of you. Figure out what makes live music exciting and what makes a hifi just a bunch of electronics. Then go find a set of electronics that reminds you of what you heard from live music, not just stuff that got good reviews. https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/315174.html .
Berny Platinum Member Username: Project6 Post Number: 12503 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Monday, January 22, 2007 - 18:23 GMT Succinctly put, JV!
Brian New member Username: Bdr1117 Michigan USA Post Number: 3 Registered: Jan-07	Posted on Monday, January 22, 2007 - 19:35 GMT wow, jv knows his stuff, thanks! as far as general listening goes, i like all music, well all good music. i watch a fair amount of movies, mostly action flicks, so i already know i need a great sub. im guessing i should ditch my 12" dayton titanic since my 250 watt dayton amp has fried, but i was considering getting the amp repaired ($70), and building a new box thats slightly smaller than the 3 cuft one it was in (the wife hated how big it was). i would love a sunfire sub, but thats definetly out of my price range for now. mainly i just want to know if the nad and maggie combo would be worth it for now, to see if i like the sound and, as i said, upgrade at some point (bigger maggies and a new amp eventually). for now im only considering the mags because my research tells me that they will easily produce a much better and larger soundstage while causing far less fatigue on your ears than my b&w 601's. i like to listen loud, nothing crazy, but i think the mags would do great for my specific tastes. im just amazed every time i upgrade, a precise soundstage is becoming more defined and i hope the maggies will be a good addition to my experience and advancement in getting the perfect sound for me. finally i need to admit that i listen to a fair amount of metallica and the like (along with jazz, classical, srv & pink floyd), and i like to listen fairly loud. i just dont want to end up with melted mylar as an 'upgrade' because i cranked it a bit too much!!!
Jan Vigne Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 9656 Registered: May-04	Posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 - 02:23 GMT . Then I would avoid the planars. You probably won't melt the mylar but you will very likely fry the tweeter sized voice coil wires. Volume and small Magnepans are not synonymous.
Brian New member Username: Bdr1117 Michigan USA Post Number: 9 Registered: Jan-07	Posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 - 06:06 GMT well thanks so far for the advice but i have one last question for maggie owners, past or present: (as i posted in another thread) id really like to know if anyone has smaller mags and listens to the range of music i do. i have to drive about 100 miles to get to a magnepan dealer, its a cheaper and probably more honest opinion here. thanks !!!
Hawk Gold Member Username: Hawk Highlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 1090 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 - 10:13 GMT Brian: I have to respectfully disagree with Jan. Four years ago, I bought a pair of the Magnepan MMGs, purchased directly from Magnepan with their 60 day home trial period. I originally paired the MMGs with a 17 year old Kyocera receiver I had, a unit that I had been rather disappointed with, but as my first child was born shortly after I got it, my interest in all things hi-fi waned and I never returned it nor had I ever replaced it. So, four years ago I was casting about for a new HT receiver when I learned of the Magnepan direct sale of the MMGs, so I ordered them first instead of a HT receiver. Wow! was my only reaction, what a difference the Maggies made, even with a receiver that was not, to my ears at least, first rate. Now, these are not the much larger 1.6s or the really big 3.6s, they are something like 45" tall and 15" wide, but even with my modest electronics it opened up a world that I had only dreamed of. Later, I had the opportunity to hear Maggies with an NAD T752, and it convinced me that NAD was the receiver I wanted (my local Maggie dealer had the slightly larger MG12s set up with an NAD receiver for awhile). The sound was even more open and three dimensional than with my Kyocera 100 wpc stereo receiver. I suspect I can hold my own with anyone when it comes to range of musical tastes. I have everything from Sinatra to Jethro Tull, Vince Gill to Pink Floyd, and simply a ton of classical music, including the infamous Telarc 1812 Overture on an LP (using real 18th century cannons). I pushed the Maggies hard, but I never noticed any strain from the speakers. Furthermore, I did not melt any mylar, or fry the tweeter's voice coil, and my MMGs filled a room that is 20' x 14' x 18' (over 5,000 cubic feet), not counting the opening to the large kitchen or the Living Room/Dining room area (all told, about 9,500 cubic feet). Now, I do agree with Jan that we cannot know what sounds right to you--that is something only you can judge; but to my ears, the Maggies made my open floor plan home sound like a live concert. I cannot say that the larger, dealer sold Maggies will perform as well with an NAD receiver, but I can attest that the MMGs make an awesome combo with an NAD receiver. I am a bit uncertain which Maggies you are looking at. I do know that Magnepan sells the MMGs direct, so you wouldn't have to drive 100+ miles--instead, UPS will deliver them to your door. They give you 60 days to try them in your home, and if you don't like'em, you can send them back. Ultimately, I sent mine back because my wife couldn't stand their size ("You can have any speaker you want, so long as I do not have to see them"). I can tell you I had no problem as I called Magnepan for an RMA# and they only asked why I didn't keep them. I didn't get any argument, they just wanted to know why. If you like them, but want larger ones, it is my understanding that you get full credit from a Maggie dealer if you trade them in on any dealer sold Maggie. So, if you have an interest in Maggies, I would try out the MMGs. After all, we all suggest that the only way to know if a piece of gear is right for you is to try it out in your home and with your other gear. No dealer showroom will ultimately tell you what you need to know--only an in home trial is going to tell you with any certainty.
Brian Bronze Member Username: Bdr1117 Michigan USA Post Number: 11 Registered: Jan-07	Posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 - 19:13 GMT well that is nice to hear that the combo has potential (mmg's are what ill probably go for). but placement and astectics are going to be an issue for me too. maybe ill just get the dang speakers and see what i think, a money back offer is definetly comforting either way. thanks again for your thoughts, i will return again with more questions im sure, or with a final outcome of my decision which im sure you all cant wait to find out, ya right...
Brian Bronze Member Username: Bdr1117 Michigan USA Post Number: 13 Registered: Jan-07	Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 06:12 GMT btw...does anyone here REALLY know whether or not hawk is a salesman for magnepan? j/k, thanks again!!!
G Venk New member Username: Ogvenk Post Number: 2 Registered: Oct-06	Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 06:43 GMT Wouldn't recommend the MMGWs (which are very, very different from MMGs) for serious music listening at all. They are meant to be HT speakers, have a very limited range and a bit too bright/harsh for music unless you have a very sweet sounding amp/pre-amp and you pair it with a good Velodyne or better sub-woofer. The MMGs are great for folk, blues, jazz or chamber music but no so great for orchestral or hard rock (just don't have that thump or range). The high-end NADs (100W/ch+) will easily drive the MMGs (or MMGWs) but they are not highly satisfactory together. I agree with Jan above. While you will probably not find anything annoying about the combination, you will not find anything that grabs you either (other than the amazement of listening to the Maggie sound over other speakers). But to really get the best out of the MMGs, you need something at the next level up (e.g., Adcom, etc). But then the smaller Maggies will start to show their limitations and then you need to upgrade to bigger Maggies which needs an upgrade to the next level (B&Ks etc) and so on... It is a vicious cycle... I am not being negative on the Maggies above but the biggest "problem" with the Maggie line is that any amp/pre-amp that can bring the best out of a pair will also expose the limitations of that particular pair.

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