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Post by fyrn on Oct 19, 2014 21:51:33 GMT -5
I have read many good thing about maggies, although never heard one. I am interested in their MMG models, but I had some concerns.
At lest than 2 inches thick, how sturdy are these things?
The ribbon type speaker they use, I have read several post of people having to replace them, do they damage easily?
They seem somewhat inefficient, Would a pair of Upa-1's be enough power for them?
Any other recommendations before entering the mag world.
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Post by pedrocols on Oct 19, 2014 21:56:26 GMT -5
I currently own a pair of the MG 12s and I used to power them with a pair of UPA-1s and it was loud enough for my listening needs. Every room is different but in my case the speakers are 4 feet away from the wall. I have move those speakers more than you can imagine and so far where they are right now is where I think they sound the best to my ers in my room.
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harri009
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Post by harri009 on Oct 19, 2014 21:58:15 GMT -5
I used a UPA-2 for a long time on a pair of 1.6's and never felt the need for more power. Heck the amp I am using right now on my 3.7's is only 200watts into 4 ohm and its plenty of power
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Post by pdaddy on Oct 19, 2014 22:08:28 GMT -5
I have read many good thing about maggies, although never heard one. I am interested in their MMG models, but I had some concerns. At lest than 2 inches thick, how sturdy are these things? >>Plenty sturdy. They are built within a very solid frame. The ribbon type speaker they use, I have read several post of people having to replace them, do they damage easily? >>Not unless you poke a hole through the mylar. But they should also be kept out of high humidity and UV. They seem somewhat inefficient, Would a pair of Upa-1's be enough power for them? >>UPA's would do great. I drove a pair with a UPA-2. That said, A lot depends on your room too. Any other recommendations before entering the mag world. >>Are you close to Atlanta? Buy mine  emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/39445/magnepan-mmgs-wood-stands-shipping |
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Post by jmasterj on Oct 20, 2014 0:57:07 GMT -5
I currently own a pair of MMG's that I've had over four years. I've also owned MG-12QR's. It's true they are thin less than 1" thick. Don't worry they are sturdy enough for every day use. The ones that you are reading about needing repair it is most likely do to the age of the speakers not damage. Just like other speakers need refurbishing after a certain amount of time some maggies require service as well. As long as you don't plan to do anything that you probably wouldn't do to any other speaker they will be fine.
As far as power is concerned I power mine at times with my 50 watt a channel tube amp, or my 95 watt a channel hybrid tube amp,or my XPA-100 mono blocks. Each amp drives them with no problems, so a pair of UPA-1's would be fine. I think they are as efficient as the average speaker they are 86db I have some bookshelf speakers that are 88db.
Maggies aren't every bodies cup of tea. You either love them or you hate them. I happen to love them. They are so good that Magnepan hasn't upgraded them, if you want better resolution you have to move up a level. Each room is different. In my set up they are 27" to 30" from the rear wall with toe in. This is the average distance my other speakers are from the rear walls as well. You will need a sub to augment the lower bass. With the sixty day money back guarantee you can get a chance to see if you like them, if not just pack them up and send them back. I'll say go for it. Let us know what you decide. Hope this was helpful. j
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Post by garbulky on Oct 20, 2014 1:07:25 GMT -5
There are better speakers out there which I would look at first.
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Post by audiobill on Oct 20, 2014 7:54:37 GMT -5
I think they have a 30 trial; you won't send them back.
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Post by boomzilla on Oct 20, 2014 8:10:38 GMT -5
I have read many good thing about maggies, although never heard one. I am interested in their MMG models, but I had some concerns. At lest than 2 inches thick, how sturdy are these things? They're cheaply constructed, but unless you're shipping them or planning on taking them apart, they're adequate. The ribbon type speaker they use, I have read several post of people having to replace them, do they damage easily? No - the new ones are durable. They seem somewhat inefficient, Would a pair of Upa-1's be enough power for them? Yes, unless you have a large room or like to listen really loudly. Any other recommendations before entering the mag world. Yes. 1. Planar speakers in general (not just Maggies) like specific room characteristics. The speakers do best at least two feet from any back wall. Since they radiate equally front and back, the back reflection will be part of what you hear. Less than two feet, and the speakers can sound blurred. 2. Because of the back reflection, the back wall should have some damping if possible. Even a curtain over the wall will help. 3. Because of the back reflection, planar speakers generally don't image as precisely as front-radiating cones in boxes. They will have a very expansive sound stage, but image specificity will be less. 4. Because of the radiation pattern, it is important that the room be as symmetrical as possible, right-to-left. The speakers will work in asymmetrical rooms, but do their best when the room sides match. My room, for example, has a door to another room a few feet from the back of the right speaker only. Magneplanars (or electrostatic) just don't work well in my room. The left side sounds louder because more of the back wave is reflected into the listening room (as opposed to escaping into the kitchen).  5. Distance to side walls is less critical for planar speakers due to the "figure 8" radiation pattern 6. If you're a fan of DEEP bass, then plan on using a subwoofer. Front-to-back cancellation prevents planar speakers from going really low Cheers - Boomzilla |
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Post by mshump on Oct 20, 2014 8:23:26 GMT -5
I think for price the MMG's are very hard to beat. I bought mine approx 5 yrs ago and loved them. I have since upgraded to 2.7's and they sound great but my room is a little small for perfect placement and I still have wonderful sound. I worried about the panels with kids visiting etc, and I really am pleased how well they stand up. When you first set them up they do seem like the will tip easily but mine have never tipped over. They actually seem more sturdy to me with the side tipping due to the wideness of the stands. I wouldn't have the Maggies with cats though IMO. with the price and the buy back policy, I think they are worth chucking out the 599 to try. I have impressed a lot of people with how nice they sound. They are a bit bass shy though, a good sub I think is almost necessary.
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Post by Cogito on Oct 20, 2014 8:33:27 GMT -5
There are better speakers out there which I would look at first. If there are, I've never heard 'em... But then again, this is PURELY subjective, right? In my 39+ years in this hobby, I have never heard a loudspeaker that "moved" me the way Magnepan has. Yes, I have heard AND owned many "box" speakers and they have sounded wonderful. My favorite example was my much beloved Phase Technology PC-80/90 sub/sat system with it's amazing imaging. However, it's easy to be seduced by a Magnepan's gargantuan soundstage, complete lack of the boxiness sound, neutral vocals and it's amazing detail. Yes, all but the biggest Maggies are a bit lacking in the bottom octave, but this is more than a fair trade for it's other strengths. So Fyrn, as for your concerns... The MMGs are a great loudspeaker and you should get a couple decades or more of trouble free performance out of them (The .7 units i.e. MG1.7, MG3.7, etc. have a quasi-ribbon mid/bass drivers which probably more resistant to delamination due to the foil vs wire conductor design as foil has a MUCH larger surface area to be bonded). If yer a "rocker", you will certainly want a good subwoofer to fill out the bottom end. You will also need an amp that can easily drive a 4 ohm load. 100-200 watts should be sufficient and the Emotiva UPA-1s or similar would be a great choice. You can get away with a lower power unit if your are sending the low end to a sub. If there is any other advice I could give you is that Maggies love largish rooms and need space to perform their best. Ideally, they should be at least three feet away from any wall. They are sensitive to placement (More so than typical box speakers), so expect a bit of experimenting to achieve the audio nirvana! Happy listening! |
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Post by fyrn on Oct 20, 2014 8:44:55 GMT -5
Thanks for the info so far.
They would be replacing some Polk LSI9's, so they have to work well as mains in a 2ch set up strictly for music.
I'm still learning about the whole line of mags. They have some you can hang on the wall, that's what initially caught my eye, but I don't know if they would work well as mains. The 1.7 or 3.7 are out of my reach so that's how I ended up at the MMGs
If could only find someone in Alabama who has some that would let me listen to them ........hint
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Post by audiobill on Oct 20, 2014 8:46:33 GMT -5
Some years ago,a Stereophile survey found that 80% of subscriber responders used maggies.
In my room, 4' from front wall was right.
And image specifity is very good, but only from the sweet spot.
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Post by pedrocols on Oct 20, 2014 9:38:32 GMT -5
The return policy is 60 days for the MMG. Audiobill is right about the "sweet spot." You can't play music and walk around the house and expect good sound. It just doesn't work that way with magnepans.I use two subwoofers with them and it sounds simply amazing!
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Post by pdaddy on Oct 20, 2014 10:02:32 GMT -5
Thanks for the info so far. They would be replacing some Polk LSI9's, so they have to work well as mains in a 2ch set up strictly for music. I'm still learning about the whole line of mags. They have some you can hang on the wall, that's what initially caught my eye, but I don't know if they would work well as mains. The 1.7 or 3.7 are out of my reach so that's how I ended up at the MMGs If could only find someone in Alabama who has some that would let me listen to them ........hint I am in Suwanne, GA if you want to come by for a listen. And if you like them, you can buy them and take them home. If not, you are just out Gas money but got to listen for free. PM me if you want to swap phone #'s and arrange a listen. Note, even if you are not interested in buying them, you are welcome to come listen. Just ping me to be sure I have not sold them yet. |
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Post by trinhsman on Oct 20, 2014 11:32:31 GMT -5
To me, the best advice is from people that have owned them. I have owned them and they are quite nice. However, I now have a set of vintage Snell Type C's that have been fully restored to all their glory. To me they blow away the Maggies. My daughters used to hear my Maggies and recently heard these vintage Snell's and they said "WOW". The sound stage is room filling. Now, it is next to impossible to find a classic vintage speaker that will beat the Maggies, but they are out there. I also have a rather large room, so having a speaker that can handle that is nice also. One thing the Maggies do is "depth". They have an uncanny ability to give you a real "front to back" depth that most speakers just can't do. If you have a chance to listen to them, do it. They may be just what you want. As for me..........MY SNELL's are my reference now.
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harri009
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Post by harri009 on Oct 20, 2014 13:51:34 GMT -5
To me, the best advice is from people that have owned them. I have owned them and they are quite nice. However, I now have a set of vintage Snell Type C's that have been fully restored to all their glory. To me they blow away the Maggies. My daughters used to hear my Maggies and recently heard these vintage Snell's and they said "WOW". The sound stage is room filling. Now, it is next to impossible to find a classic vintage speaker that will beat the Maggies, but they are out there. I also have a rather large room, so having a speaker that can handle that is nice also. One thing the Maggies do is "depth". They have an uncanny ability to give you a real "front to back" depth that most speakers just can't do. If you have a chance to listen to them, do it. They may be just what you want. As for me..........MY SNELL's are my reference now. I would say it also depends on which Maggie's your referring to. The $600 ones I would assume don't touch the $14,000 ones. I have compared in home the 3.7's to revel F208's, Sanders sound 10c's, Dynaudio Countour 1.4's, magnepan 1.6's, older Cerwin vega LS15's, Energy Veritas 2.2's, and Revel Studio2's. The studio2's were in a buddies house who also has 3.7's, he owns the 3.7's and sold the studio2's . The 3.7's were by far the best speaker out of that bunch to me. Price wise they fall about in the middle of that grouping. I have not tried even close to every speaker out there but for me thay hit all the magic buttons. It seems like older snell speakers is what that guy who has the multi million dollar theater room is using. I will see if I can find the link Found link www.noiseaddicts.com/2008/08/jeremy-kipnis-home-theater-6-million/ |
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Post by trinhsman on Oct 20, 2014 17:00:13 GMT -5
To me, the best advice is from people that have owned them. I have owned them and they are quite nice. However, I now have a set of vintage Snell Type C's that have been fully restored to all their glory. To me they blow away the Maggies. My daughters used to hear my Maggies and recently heard these vintage Snell's and they said "WOW". The sound stage is room filling. Now, it is next to impossible to find a classic vintage speaker that will beat the Maggies, but they are out there. I also have a rather large room, so having a speaker that can handle that is nice also. One thing the Maggies do is "depth". They have an uncanny ability to give you a real "front to back" depth that most speakers just can't do. If you have a chance to listen to them, do it. They may be just what you want. As for me..........MY SNELL's are my reference now. I would say it also depends on which Maggie's your referring to. The $600 ones I would assume don't touch the $14,000 ones. I have compared in home the 3.7's to revel F208's, Sanders sound 10c's, Dynaudio Countour 1.4's, magnepan 1.6's, older Cerwin vega LS15's, Energy Veritas 2.2's, and Revel Studio2's. The studio2's were in a buddies house who also has 3.7's, he owns the 3.7's and sold the studio2's . The 3.7's were by far the best speaker out of that bunch to me. Price wise they fall about in the middle of that grouping. I have not tried even close to every speaker out there but for me thay hit all the magic buttons. It seems like older snell speakers is what that guy who has the multi million dollar theater room is using. I will see if I can find the link Found link www.noiseaddicts.com/2008/08/jeremy-kipnis-home-theater-6-million/I now own 3 sets of Snells. They are just amazing speakers for the money.........provided you get a good pair and the surrounds have properly been reformed if needed. So many people just put any surround in them, and they need the correct surround to be at their best. I still have fond memories of my Maggie's, but the Snell's just seem to make me smile more. |
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Post by fyrn on Oct 20, 2014 17:26:31 GMT -5
since this hobby is the proverbial rabbit hole, the MMG's is probably all I can swing. the next step (1.7 0r 12) are 2 to 3 times the $$$
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Post by audiobill on Oct 20, 2014 18:00:21 GMT -5
I've had the MMGs, the MMG-ws, the 1.6 and 1.7 models.
All share the same profound spatial character,; frequency extension at the ends is the biggest difference.
Try the MMGs!!
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harri009
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Post by harri009 on Oct 20, 2014 18:18:42 GMT -5
I've had the MMGs, the MMG-ws, the 1.6 and 1.7 models. All share the same profound spatial character,; frequency extension at the ends is the biggest difference. Try the MMGs!! I think they have set the MMG up as nice entry to allow people to develop the obsession  . I would also check the used market for a pair of 1.6's which you could get for under a grand |
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. I would also check the used market for a pair of 1.6's which you could get for under a grand 