detail & soundstage

It's not really a weekness but you really do need good wire & plenty of good clean power to get the most out of these guys

I read all the other reviews & agree with all of the positive reviews on these speakers. Placement is very crucial & one thing I wanted to mention is that they lean back a little on the stands. For the 1st few months I owned them I never even tried to use the little swinging feet on the back of the stands. They have these little wire things you can adjust on the back of the stands. They are the cheapest & cheasiest part of these speakers but they can really make a difference. After putting that extra inch of forward leaning on these speakers they really sounded better. I worked with placement for days until I thought I had them sounding as good as they could. Then I flipped up the little stands & actually heard more bass. I feel like an idiot I never even tried that at 1st. I just wanted to note that in case other listeners hadn't tried it. Toe in & distance from the rear wall are also obviously important. All the other maggie models stand straight up...I wish these didn't lean back so much.

Accurate, fast, natural sounding

None I can discern

Well, I might as well post here too. I've had this speaker for about a year now, and I can't stop listening to it! The sound is pure, and pure magic! Listening to the MMG's the first time was like winning the audio lottery. These are very detailed, with nice imaging, and a rich soundstage that envelopes you in total musicality. Sure, the bass wasn't as present as other box speakers, but it is definitely more natural sounding and accurate, with NO colorations. Truly amazing! I used to be quite critical of Maggies, even having never listened to them...but no more. Highly recommended!

Similar Products Used:

Joseph Audio, Thiel, Sonus

Excellent sounding tweeters, tight (and light) bass - you can hear every note. Look cool !

Bad quality control; inconsistent results from 2 pairs tried. Some unusual timbre added to male singing voice - could be a resonance in the "feet". Require LOTS of power. Cat magnets. Excessively bright, even with all the attenuating resistors in place.

Buyer beware...

I purchased a pair of these Maggies some months ago, spent some time setting them up, and immediately noticed 2 problems: (1) There were no "flippers" on the feet, so I had to sit on cushions to get the "sweet spot". (2) There was a vast amount more treble on the right side speaker. As a result, I cannot comment honestly on imaging - in fact it seemed amongst the worst I've heard ! There was also some wierd coloration on male vocal material (try some of Sting's Greatest Hits). The bass was light, but very tight, and I could hear bass notes I had not heard before on boxed speakers. The treble response was very extended, in fact too much so, so I inserted all the attenuating resistors. This calmed them a little. I sent the speakers back to be exchanged & phoned the service technician a number of times to follow up. They measured a 10dB difference between the left & right tweeters ! Anyway, after waiting a VERY long time I phoned the factory to find out where the replacements were and was informed that I had instructed them to issue a refund. This was NOT TRUE ! So, I duly ordered another pair.

I unpacked the new pair and was pleased to find that they had "flippers". I set them up, played some music and was distressed to find (1) the balance was once again way over to the right speaker (a really efficient right hand tweeter !), the coloration on the male voice was still there, and the bass was boomy as hell. They were not nearly as bright (or detailed) as the first pair and I did not need to insert any of the attenuating resistors (very strange).

In both cases I allowed the speakers to loosen up somewhat before listening seriously, but was very disappointed with the poor quality control (matched pairs my eye !). They do not come close to their larger brothers in terms of consistency.

Magnepan did not seem in the least concerned that I had experienced similar problems twice in a row...

If they worked right, they'd be a great value for money.

Detail. Clarity.

Lack of deepest bass.

These speakers are an absolute delight each and every time I listen to them. While it is true that they do not reproduce bass well below about 50 Hz, these speakers otherwise produce a sound that is so engaging that I quickly forget about this minor limitation. Even coupled with an inexpensive reciever, and using $1/foot speaker cable, the sound that emanates from these simple black panels is simply stunning. In contrast to some reviews below, I find that the MMGs are particularly enjoyable while listening to electronica and dance music, where their detail in conveying what is going on below 100 Hz is tremendously enjoyable, allowing the listener to hear the textures present in the bass register; textures I have heard blurred and distorted by numerous other speakers. Before this purchase, I was saving for speakers in the $1500 dollar range, and auditioned a large number of potential candidates. Now with nearly a year of MMG ownership to provide a yardstick, I would not trade my MMGs for any of the competitors I auditioned, some of which were three times its modest $500 price.

Similar Products Used:

None

Unveiled sound; very revealing; timbrally accurate and unfatiguing for all kinds of music; aesthetically gorgeous- a work of art! These are delicate instruments as much as they are speakers!!

None at US $550.

This speaker (and I presume all other more expensive Maggies) are what the mythical Greek Audio Gods on Olympus would have listened to! They really showcase your downstream electronics, but still sound phenomenal with mid-fi amps and sources that can handle 4 ohms.

I have mine placed about 2 feet from the back long wall of my living room, slightly toed in, and the sound is to die for (see strengths above)! Jim Winey and company must be magicians, because this is one of the most unfatiguing, musical speakers I have EVER heard, at any price! Too bad they don't sell these in Greece, but I was lucky in that I had them shipped to my cousin's house in New Jersey, then shipped them to Athens myself. Even without a sub, they sound great, providing what many feel to be ample and accurate bass down to about 50Hz. Adding a sub is desirable for many though, and I did as well.

In short, the MMG's are, in my opinion, THE audiophile STEAL OF THE CENTURY!!! I feel as if I just bought a brand new Porsche Boxster for 10 grand (pardon the simplistic analogy)!!!

Electronics are:
MMG's
Velodyne sub
McIntosh MC162 amplifier
Sound Valves SV-100 preamp
Denon DCM-370 CD player with HDCD decoding
Magnan cabling (speaker and interconnect)

Similar Products Used:

B&W, JBL, 3A, nOrh, PSB, Thiel, Joseph Audio are the ones I auditioned when I was in NYC/NJ area.

Timbral accuracy and revealing nature is spine chilling

Considering all it does near perfectly (no speaker is truly perfect, let's face it), none.

Properly placed, these speakers dissapear and just sing their hearts out! I am not going to delve deeply into all the previous superlatives that have been awarded these fine 'instruments', as they are all true as I sit here. Music reproduced by these planar wonders is just achingly beautiful, with a presence that has to be heard to be believed. This is particularly true with acoustic music, although any kind of music is reproduced with the utmost in accuracy. The bass is ample and fast as well, but for those bass freaks that want 30Hz room shaking lows, a simple, even fairly inexpensive sub will do the trick nicely. I hear there are subs by HSU and Velodyne that are a very good match for the MMG's, but in my opinion, a sub is not necessary. I bought one just for those times when I listen to rock. The bottom line here is that if you are in the market for a serious pair of speakers, these (or any other Magnepan) are a must listen. The planar sound is most seductive to say the least. I applaud all at Magnepan for this affordable achievement known as the MMG! 5 stars easy.

For whatever it's worth, my system consists of:

Magnepan MMG's
Velodyne CT100 sub
Belles 150A Hot Rod Version
Sound Valves SV100 JFET preamplifier
Denon DCM-370 CD player with HDCD decoding
DH Labs Silver Sonic cabling all around

Similar Products Used:

Joseph Audio RM22si; Vandersteen Model 5; Soliloquy 6.3; ProAc Response 3.8 (others I auditioned and loved)

soundstage,detail,accuracy

yeah,right!

after four years of listening to my MMG's, it is still hard to believe they only cost $500. their persnickity placement requirements are more than offset by one small detail....they weigh less than 20 lbs apiece! in the first month i owned mine,i had them in every possible location in my listening room.i found their ideal placement by virtue of the fact that i had eliminated all the WRONG places without breaking my back in the process. as another fan said earlier, i initially thought i needed to stand my MMG's straight up instead of tilted back as they were designed. however, once the proper location revealed itself,i was happy with the intended, tilted, attitude. my yamaha reciever does a credible job of driving "the boys",i am looking for a clean power amp with gain controls that i can drive my cd player directly into for a high resolution, yet budget-minded minimalist system.this is one $500 speaker system that really delivers the goods! i can't imagine being able to get anything approaching the sonic beauty of the MMG's at anywhere near their price, especially from a box speaker.a true audio bargain, i would make the same purchase again in a heartbeat.

Similar Products Used:

JBL L7's, 901-v's,SMG's

clarity, focus, value.

The stands are very low quality.

I generally agree with the prior reviews (these things sound great, you need to be right between them to get the best sound), so I thought I would add a few thoughts that might not have been previously stated.

FIRST. Bass/ Rock/ Rap.
Good speakers sound good, I think, no matter what type of music you listen to. Metallica, Snoop Dog??? No problemo. I have them set up in the main system in an ideal position from the bass perspective. Bass is so good I listen to the MMG's with my Velodyne ULD 15 subwoofer (15", 400 watts) turned off. Do they play loud, yes! "Don't give up" by Peter Gabriel? You know it. Soul Coughing has tons of bass, sounds good too.

SECOND. Power/ loudness.
These will play loud, and draw a lot of current. In the main system, I've got an Adcom GFA 555 II amp/ preamp (200 watts). Lots of juice, plays very loud, gets medium hot after an hour of top volume Metal. In the bedroom I've gota Bang & Olufsen Beomaster 5000 (about 50 watts??). Plays loud there too, and that's actually a bigger room, but the reciever gets very hot. No problems though.

THIRD. Purchase & Setup.
I don't know about you but I hate dealers, they treat you like crap and you always feel guilty if you look at something and you don't buy it. Getting these from the factory for $500 is awesome, I ordered them on Friday and they arrived on friday the next week, they were shipped the next day. Make sure you know your color/wood options before you call cause they put you on the spot. Setup is easy, takes about 30 minutes to unpack and bolt on the stands. But the stands are very cheap. I like the idea of putting them up higher, but have no stands to do this. What about setup, I've tried with the HF ribbon on the inside and on the outside (the speakers are mirror imaged), what does everyone think, which is better? I have not decided yet.

FOURTH. Other
When you are playing the speakers loud, they are not as loud off-axis, i.e. to the sides and behind. So you can crank at will and not blow out all the other rooms in you house. The construction looks shoddy but the price is low and the speakers look good from a distance.

CONCLUSION.
These are interesting speakers, but as stated, you need to have them vertical and aimed right at you for best sound. If not, they still sound ok, but you lose the crisp highs. I like the home demo, its the wave of the future.... I hope. Give these a shot.

Equipment used for review: Adcom GFA/GFP 555 II; Revox B226 CD; Velodyne ULD-15.

Similar Products Used:

Speakers: Snell, Klipsch, Vandersteen.

Superb Imaging, Tight and Quick Bass Response and incredible high end

Bass is a little weak with certain kinds of music such as rap. Other than that the only other problem is once you here these you never want to go back to anything else.

Well what can I say about the Magnepan MMG besides what has been said before. For $500.00 it is the best deal out there. My father has a pair of Magnepan 1.6 and I heard them and fell in love with them. He has owned many speakers such as B&W, DCM, ESS and I think Magnepan out does them all by a long shot. He was nice enough to decided to get a pair of MMGs for my birthday(Mind you I am only 15) and I got some old Carver gear to go along with them. They sounded great from day one. They imaged a center channel so well that I didn't use the one from my previous system because it sounded better than the real center. As time went on I got a little KLH 10 inch Subwoofer and some monster cable and they opened up even more. I have read reviews about the lack of bass, but I have no problem with my bass, the sub only crossover is at 50 cycles and below and is about a tenth of the way up on the dial. The Magnepans play all of the bass except for the wall shaking sonic boom effect that only a subwoofer can make. The bass end is really tight and it the speaker attacks very fast and agressively to bass. Only a select few of rap songs have made the speakers snap and that was because the amp ran out of power, not only that but I have seen normal cone speakers fail to such bass, so it definitly isn't a speaker flaw. But these speakers are very room sensitive though and are very picky on the equipment that you use. But even so they can sound great on anything and are the best bang for your buck by any scale.

Equipment Used:
Pioneer PD-M450
Carver Dolby Prologic Processor DPL-20
Carver Preamp C-1
Carver Ampilfier M-500t
Carver M 400a
KLH Subwoofer
Audiosource Bookself Speakers (Rear Speakers)

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan 1.6, Magnepan 12

Superb clarity, imaging, and "cool factor"

makes me want to buy more expensive ones :)

Only had them for a couple of days, but just plain exellent
speakers. First listen out of the box i could notice more detail at lower volumes then i had ever appreciated in a speaked before. Exellent. I also have to say that the first thig people do after hearing them is look behind them to look for a tradidional "box", they cant believe all that from such a slim panel.

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne bookshelf, infiniti ovature 1