Anyone interested in selling their MMG''s. please email me as I am going to place an order with Magnepan for a new pair and would like to save some bucks. Thanks.

Good tonality, Sound Stage, Imaging, Price

Very critical on placement.

This is a update from a post I did about 2 years ago. These speakers keep sounding better and better with new rooms and equipment. I also tried some new room placements and they sound excellent. Now I have the a holographic soundstage that just surrounds me with sound. While listening to Pink Floyd''s The Wall I am hearing guitars and voices move around my head. It is amazing what a $500 pair of speakers can do. I just recently listened to a pair of $1,500 Klipsch CF-2s and I was almost digusted with the poor sound quality and harshness that these had. These speakers are three timesthe price and yet they sound easily three times as worse as mine do. The three main upgrades that helped me the most were the CD Player, which is a Carver 3100 DTL. I got it from my father. It may be over 10 years old but it still has excellent sound quality and is comparable to my father''s Acurus ACD-11. Next was the amplifier which is a Adcom GFA-535II. I got this off of the classified section of this website for $160.00. That was quite the steal and really fine tuned the speakers in the higher octives. My big complaint with these speakers has always been how bright they are, but come to find out it was just the amplifier. So the Adcom definitly smoothed things out. Also I bought a Paradigm PDR-12 subwoofer for $300.00. This monster 12 inch driver produces some of the softest and musical sound in its price category and is able to beat subwoofers reaching up to $1,000. That really smoothed the panels out and gave a much fuller range in sound. The last step that really made the difference is speaker placement. This is something that I personnally along with many other Magnepan users can''t stress enough. I moved the speakers out to 3 1/2 ft and 2 ft from the wall and they are about i inch tilted toward the center. Before the were 2 inches, but very forward sounding and sometimes bright. Just 1 inch made them sound smooth, transparent, and very holographic. I now only listen to music in two channel stereo and refuse to go any other way. The system cost me about $1,400 and I think it gives other systems a very good run for their money if not beating them thoroughly and beats anything below it. I would say I am a Magnepan fanatic and will probably always be. These speakers have excellent sound and imaging for the money and are just relaxed and smooth.

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Kef Coda 7

About the best sound you can have for at least under $2K...for $500.00!

Fairly demanding of amplifiers and room placement.

This is an follow up to my original review-way back last spring, when I 1st got these wonders.C'mon...you've got 90 reviews, with an average of over 4.7! Only the AH!Tjoeb CD player averages higher. All these folks just can't be wrong! I've lived with these things for almost a year, and they still bring a smile to my mug every time I fire 'em up. I'm using several thousand dollars worth of high end electronics to drive a measly pair of $500.00 speakers, and its the best sound I've ever had! I could still use more deep bass, but in my small apartment, these are really enough. Any more bass, my neighbors would be "enjoying" them a bit too much. The sound of panel speakers really is quite different from dynamic speakers at any price, and really must be heard to be appreciated. As I stated in my 1st review, there are better speakers out there, but for $500.00??! Get serious. These things are so good for the money, I don't know why anyone would even consider owning anything else. Two caveats-you must give them quality amplification, and you must give them breathing room. 4 ft. behind them should be considered the minimum. If you can give them this, they'll reward you with more music than you would have thought possible. I'm keeping mine for a long, long time. Associated equipment:
Well Tempered Record Player Rega Planet CDP Bryston BP1 Phono Preamp, Bryston B60 used as preamp, Conrad Johnson MV50 amp, all cables Silver Sonics.

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This is my 1st planar speaker-I'll NEVER go back to boxes again.

Timbral accuracy, transparency, imaging.

Bass below about 50 Hz is MIA. Soundstage is somewhat narrow and doesn't seem to extend beyond speakers.

I've had these speakers for about 6 moths now and continue to find them a delight. A number of years ago I had the opportunity to hear the Magnepan 2.7 while auditioning a preamp and was very impressed with the sound of that speaker. Although the image height of the MMG's is lower than that of it's (now discontinued) bigger brother and the bass output stops at a considerably higher point, the family resemblance is strong and striking.

I find the MMG's to be chameleon-like in the sense that to a great degree they do not impose much of a sonic signature (for a speaker) between you and the music and allow you to enjoy the recording rather than obsessing over the system. Because of this transparency, they'll let you hear exactly what is in front of them, both good and bad. Although I'm currently driving them with a 25 year-old Marantz 4300 receiver (about 150 wpc into 4 ohms) partnered with an inexpensive DVD player (Pioneer 414), the sound is never anything short of musical. When I switched them into my main system (Adcom CD/Assemblage 2 DAC, c-j PV10A and Golden Tube SE-100) replacing my M-L Aerius's I was very pleased and somewhat surprised to hear 1) the immediate improvement in their sound and 2) the fact that while they were not quite as transparent as the M-L's nor did they go as deep in the bass, they still managed to do justice to the music and the difference between the two sets of speakers was a clear demonstration of the law of diminshing returns. Please don't misunderstand, I still prefer the Aerius's, but the difference was not nearly what I would have anticipated.
I also experienced some minor quality control problems (the pair came initially with no feet and with only one set of screws for attaching them) but eventually (after two additional phone calls and two more deliveries) the problem was solved.
In conclusion, I would be hard pressed to choose any other speaker which represents such value as these.

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M-L Aerius (own)and Magnepan 2.7

Very revealing and detailed, warm 'you are there' sound. No 'boxiness' from this wonder!

None apparent.

This is one incredible buy for $500 U.S.!!! The first thing that struck me was the transparency and detail of this speaker. You don't listen to this speaker as much as listen through it. Music, particulary classical or other acoustic music, and vocals sound so scary real, that you might shed tears of joy when listening to your favorite performances! I did! If a $500 speaker (and Magnepan's entry, most inexpensive speakers I might add) can do this, I cannot imagine what their more expensive models are capable of doing to further stir the musical soul!!!! I will give this speaker 5 stars, only because your star ratings don't allow for 10!!! Jim Winey of Magnepan is a genius!! Kudos to him and everyone else associated with this pioneering speaker company. It will be a cold day in hell when I go back to box designs!!!

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Thiels, Legacy, Snells, 3A

Detail and accuracy

Packing/shipping box could have been better; one box was ripped open on the corner (slight scratch on one unit), and Magnepan needs to pack them better

These speakers were actually bought by a close freind of mine who was so thrilled with them, he decided to order a 1.6 and lend me the MMG's. Well, to make a long story short, he is NOT getting him MMG's back! I decided to purchase them from him, and i've been in audio bliss since! Without going on too long of a dissertation, suffice it to say that these speakers are pure magic. Voices and acoustic instruments just seem to hang in front of you with silky jaw dropping clarity and honesty, and the bass is very acceptable and does not of course sound boxy. No veils here! Just pure detailed music with a nice soundstage. I will also never go back to a box design ever again! The MMG's are the speaker bargain of the century (and new Millenium perhaps)!

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Snell, Paradigm, Rogers, Dahlquist

uncontestably, unbeatable price for such quality

mylar membranes not as protected in the much pricier Martin-Logans; not good if you've got meddling kids!

Cannot add much more than what has already been said. I'm doing this simply to give it the praise and high review score it undeniably deserves. It is (as are most planars) exquisite at reproducing vocals and acoustic music. Regarding the lack of bass (it is true, you cannot argue with the range stated in the specs!)--i find that if you PLACE THEM (AND YOURSELF) PROPERLY WITHIN AN UNCLUTTERED ROOM, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE QUITE A BIT OF THE LOW END THAT IS INDEED THERE (AS WELL AS THE MUCH TOUTED SOUNDSTAGE). REMEMBER, NO 2 ROOMS, LIKE LISTENERS ARE ALIKE! This is the choice for the neophyte as well as the "audiophile". You will understand what is really meant by that "boxy" sound the other non-ribbon cone speakers are known for (not that that sound is necessarily undesirable)!

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Martin Logan; B&W 601s

Everything

None; even the bass seems accurate and uncolored

Somebody please pinch me! I think i've died and gone to audiophile heaven! The MMG's sound amazing! Everything positive mentioned by previous posters is true... the transparency, revealing nature of panels, soundstage, etc. The music sounds so right with correct sounding timbre. Listening to these makes me feel like I am listening to THE best technology out there for reproducing music. The theory behind planar speakers totally makes sense, but to hear them is truly a poetic experience. I rate this speaker 5 easily. Thank you Jim Winey and co.!!!

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Vandersteen, Dahlquist

Jaw dropping realism and musicality; aesthetically gorgeous and contemporary

No weaknesses in my opinion

This was easily the best present I received from my significant other! We mainly listen to lots of acoustic stuff such as world music, brazilian, latin jazz, etc. and the MMG's just shine. Timbre and transients sound uncolored, and individual instruments and detail are easily placed and discernable in the mix. We are even thinking of ordering the 1.6's now. A word of caution though- your social life may suffer when you buy these (unless you invite your friends over for a listening session)! Easily a 5 star product, and a bargain to boot!

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Paradigm, B&W, Rogers

Everything

None

It has been about 3 months after I recieved these speakers and I still love them. They have had a full break in period and they do actually get better over time. These are without a doubt the best 500-700$ speaker I have ever heard. They make the most detailed, wide, dynamic, non-fatiging, sweet, etc. speaker. And for 500$ including shipping is the best deal of the century ever. And for being power hungry I use a 80wpc (4 ohms) reciever for mine and they get too loud for me. If you want a glimps of real hi-end get these speakers. They even come with a 60 day full retail return.

And for Bradly, I know about the disappointing service but it was only a week, Jesus, I had to wait 4 weeks to get my speakers but im not complaining. I thought I was inpacient.

All in all please try these speakers. You will not be disappointed. But beware to rappers and bass freaks, these are not ear splitting, bass throbbing speakers. These are real hi-fi speakers. They have tight clean bass.