hammondb2bv

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.50 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1100.00 from Audible Elegance

Summary:
Most of the reivews of the MG12's tell you what you really need to know. So i'll make mine a little different. I'm a father of the Mag 3.5R's, which are now in storage due to their size. I'm now married, and recently moved, and my music room is now much smaller, way to small to accomodate the 3.5's. So this will be the focus of my review, comparing the 12's to the 3.5's as there may be others facing the same dilema.

I was nervous at first to be honest, i wasn't going back to a box speaker, and i certainly wanted a magnepan that was going to give me the picture and sound as close as possible to the 3.5R. The 1st idea was to consider the MMW's - wall mounted maggies. I was considering 4 of them. As good as they are, Jim W. at magnepan said it wouldn't even come close, and that i had been spoiled for too many years with the 3.5's. SO....next in line to look at were the 1.6's - still too large for the music room, so i didn't even bother auditioning them. My only options were the MMG & MG12. Obviously i listened to the MG12's and ordered a pair that day. Totally different ball game compared to the 3.5, but given my room dimensions and components, they are a sure buy for their price.

The high end is there, the soundstage is still there, the picture and detail of "being there" from the 3.5's are most definately part of the MG12's. Mine are still in burn-in process, we're at about 20 hours now, another 30-40 to go before i do another critical listen.

Here's where i differ from the rest of the crowd. I cannot listen to Mag's without a sub in the system, period. Even the 3.5's can't do it for me. Don't let this discourage you, the bass response from a magnepan is personal preference. For me, the 3.5's needed subs, and the MG12's are no different. I paired the MG12's up w 2 vandersteens and I didn't like it. My only other sub is a Paradigm Seismic 12, and for my room and MG12's, the single Seismic is a better match...i have more control w/ the paradigm. They mate very well together...sub isn't the fastest on the market, but it's fast enough. The vandersteens are certainly made for my 3.5's, which they will again be used down the road.

I'm very excited to hear these after they get some hours. They are wired w/ Straightwire Encore II's. (6 ft. pair) - a very reasonable cable that always performs. MG12's powered by McIntosh MC352 - another nice match. Mac & Mag always pair up nicely, no matter which models you choose.

The other reviews sum it up nicely....you can't go wrong w/ these MG12's. If you love the sound of panels, these certainly are by-far winners for the money. From using much larger Magnepans for many years, i was stunned...stunned at what the "entry-level" of the big boys can do. This will keep me happy until the 3.5's are back in use down the road.

Strengths:
Amazing soundstage for their size. Affordable. Size is perfect for those needing the mag sound without using up a ton of space. I promise it will please those who own larger mag's and need smaller ones for future moves/home changes.

Weaknesses:
Like any other maggie, the low end doesn't fit my personality. I always pair w/ a sub. Even these smaller MG12's need power, make sure you have it & plenty of it.

Similar Products Used:
Magnepan 3.5R's. JBL Studio Series.

View Comments (1)

Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

postmdma

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.33 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1099.00 from Definitive Audio, Be

Summary:
I waited for my bonus to arrive for some time, because its arrival marked when I could run out and upgrade my MMGs to MG-12s. They arrived last week and I've been carefully listening to them with various source material, mostly electronica, jazz, and classical. First off, the bass reproduction is spectacular compared to the MMGs. Bass is strong, resolves extremely well, instruments decay accurately, and according to the manual, bass performance is only supposed to improve as the units break in. It's interesting that when the bass rolls off on the MG-12s, the sub takes over bass duties seamlessly--it's like my MG-12s and Epos sub were designed to work as a unit.

High-end and mid-range are airy and open, with a wide soundstage and clear resolution of individual instruments in jazz and classical, and clearly delineated wispy layers of sound in electronic music punctuated with strong melodies and operatic vocalists. My daughter listened to Bob Magnusson's "Liquid Lines" and said, "It sounds live." Yes, it does. Instrument placement throughout the soundstage is accurate and although I've optimized the speaker placement for soundstage I still get a decent amount of depth.

I didn't expect such a vast improvement over the MMGs and I have to say I'm surprised and also happy that I didn't spring for the 1.6s--I think I got the best bang for the buck.

Strengths:
-- Superior bass resolution compared to other products
-- High resolution, airy high-end and mid-range
-- Cost-effective

Weaknesses:
Can't think of any

Similar Products Used:
Martin Logan, Magneplanar MMGs.

View Comments (1)

Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Price Paid:  $800.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
Sometimes I wonder if I'm listening to the same speakers so many of these online reviewers are listening to. Over the past 12 years I've had OHMs, ZU Druids, Martin Logans, Final, Axioms, Polk Lsi, RBH Signature, Gallo, HSU, Ascend, ACI, and so many others I can't even remember them all. Each one claiming they can reproduce reality better than the other guys' speaker. I gave each of the these speakers more than enough time to "burn in" before I either sent them back or sold them. I don't claim to be the final authority on any speaker but I will say that a great deal of what I've read is hogwash and prospective buyers beware. All of these speakers have strengths and weaknesses. But first let's bite the bullet. No speaker is accurate. Live music is not even accurate. I've heard live music and thought it sounded terrible given the sound system used, the space in which is was played and/or the number of people listening to it. Most recorded music or movie sound tracks are EQ'd according to the engineers' or producers' hearing bias and the "box" speakers, they so vehemently hold on to, were monitored on. (Some still even prefer analoge rather than digital recordings of their sound tracks.) And even if you were in the recording studio at the time of the recording or on the set when a movie sound track is being recorded your ears would probably disagree with what the engineer/director came up with. Why? Simply personal taste. So what's the ultimate "accurate" answer? There is none. So if you are evaluating a reproductive sound or film system before purchase, you bring all your visual and auditory bias's with you. Good luck! Because, later, down the listening and visual road, you may find that what you originally chose was not really what "you had in MIND." If I've learned any thing in this "search for the holy audio grail", it's that if your background listening is with box speakers you'll probably stay with that style of delivery. If your a panel speaker guy, that will be your choice. If your a tube guy, even though most recordings today are make with transistors, you will most likely stay with tubes. Which brings me to this conclusion. If your single, go with a panel speaker. If your married, go with a box speaker and the smaller and less obtrusive the better. I'm single and have had a history with Magnepan and as much as I've tried to replace them. I cannot. The key is compromise. For my money, the MG 12QR is the best speaker I've heard regardless of price given my pre disposition for panel speakers. The key is compromise.

Strengths:
Best speaker in the Magnepan line regardless of price. Not quite as transparent nor as fast as electrostatic speakers but better in terms of bass intergration and overall "feeling" of naturalness. Best design, I've seen amongst all speaker designs, that holds the promise of the future. Period.

Weaknesses:
Depends on your bias.

Similar Products Used:
Most everything.

Price Paid:  $1099.00 from Cherry Creek Audio

Summary:
I purchased the Magnepan MG 12 speakers about a week ago and have been listening to them all week I love these speakers. They are just amazing.

Strengths:
Regarding the positive end of the speakers everything. They are amazing sound speakers. I am a musican and I listen to Theater organ and Classical organ and these speakers show of everything.

Weaknesses:
Regarding a weekness I reallly don't see anything wrong with them. They do take a little while to break in and speaker placement is quite important but that is the case with most speakers. Once again I really don't have anything to say bad about these speakers.

RKIDD

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.22 of 5, 18.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1095.00 from Audio Video Solution

Summary:
Well, its been over one year since I purchased my Magnepan MG12/QR's and placed them in my repectable working class man system. I can faithfully say that these baby's are by far the best loudspeaker purchase I have made in years, Belive you me ,I have owned several audiophile endorsed models throught my 25+ years of 2-channel home audio holy grail pursuit, including dynamic cone drivers, Electrosatics or designs that utilize both. My praise of the MG12 purely is based on the realistic musical reproduction these planar speakers bring day after day,night after night regardless of source material. Be it Jazz, Rock, Vocal works, Chamber or large scale classical performance they simply react with musical truth. Front end source components driving these Maggies are the NAD C-370 intergrated amp 125 watts rms x2 along with the NAD C541i CD player. interconnects and speaker cable by DH-Labs Silver sonic (a giant killer in cables!) I will briefly touch on Lower frequency (bass) performance. Several criteria effect any speakers ability to reproduce low frequency's. Room size, speaker placement in room, and the amount of amplication source avaliable to them. With all that said the MG12/QR offer what I believe to be realistic bass reproduction, not the coloration BOOM of which several other enclosure based speaker seem to be voiced. Now I do have a Subwoofer in the above mentioned system, However only used in conjunction with the maggies when listening to vintage 60'early 70's Rock & Pop material, this is due to the lack of low end presence on many of those era recordings. As a general rule the MG 12/QR's placed in the optimal room location and driven by repectable amplication will provide fast, articulate, and resolving bass response, not to mention the liquid and transparent midrange of which they are well known and respected for. I have found my Keeper!

Strengths:
Natural Sound reproduction, Midrange response to die for! Gentle, Yet defined high end frequency response. Bass Quick and accurate ( without the boom and overhang notes, wide & deep soundstage.

Weaknesses:
If any... maybe requires a bit of patience with room placement, but well worth it when you set them in the right position for your environment.

Similar Products Used:
B&W,Thiel,Martin Logan, Energy,Paradigm