Having had $6K to $20K systems and experience with some friends high end systems, I’ve realized there are many ways/products to achieve audio nirvana and to say one speaker or product is “best” is oftentimes just a personal taste thing.

Previous speakers I’ve owned have been Merlin’s, S.F Guarneri’s, JMR’s, Spendor, Silverline and Maggie 3.6 and mg 12’s. With this in mind, I’ve find the MMG’s , which are part of my “new” low cost system (Jolida 1501rc & Music Hall CD 25.2 – about $2K for everything)is just plain great and true to the music. I find the MMG’s provide good enough bass without any bass boom/standing wave issues and are great on vocals and other forms of music as well. In short, this system and the MMG’s has caused me to rethink and scratch my head about high end audio, because it provides “wonderful” reproduction and accuracy of the musical event and more importantly I don’t feel that I’m too deprived. Were my previous systems better? YES!!!, But, on the other hand this system /MMG’s are so good, so musical, so “right” and so inexpensive that it always leaves a grin on my face when I listen to it.

Because of all this, if I were to move and get a proper space/listening area, only then would I consider spending more money. Even then, if I were smart I would just get a pair of MG12’s or the new 1.7’s and call it a day. Anyway, these little MMG’s get the job done in spades (one reporter’s opinion). The only downside to the MMG’s/Magnepans in general is that they are very critical to placement (tweeters in or out, tilt angles) and that it takes time to get em locked in, and by doing so helps reduce, and in my case greatly eliminates “sweet spot issues” that many complain about. Also, buyer beware, Magnapans take a long time to break in, so be patient if you get em, because fresh out the box they’re horrible and need 100++ hours before they come into their own. In closing, if you are tired of the audiophile game/chasing the dream, have a small space or limited budget, the MMG’s “should” be on your short list of speakers to consider.

I purchased these out of curiosity to see what they sounded like. Upon listening, I was stunned at how terrible they were. No bass, extremely weak highs, and the midrange sounded like the speaker wires were connected to cardboard. I decided to try them out for at least a week before returning them in case this was just a matter of "break-in." That break-in time period is supposed to be 100 hours, but as somebody stated, more realistically 200 hours. After three painful hours (an hour a day) of listening, by the fourth day, they were starting to sound kind of nice. After a week and a half, they sound like... well, read the positive reviews. I don't know if this is the case with all of Magnepan's products or if someone had a bad day and just shipped it without giving it a honk of white noise. Perhaps the break-in and perceived improvement is all in my imagination. Take my word for it, at first I was ready to shoot them back in their boxes fast, and return to my original setup: two fifteen inch active subwoofers, two giant monitors, and two Fostek super tweeters. Quite a change, but the sound of the MMGs is magical, very lifelike and detailed. I do hear sounds in familiar recordings that were merely a sonic smear in the past. For example, John Lennon's voice has a growl in "I Want to Hold Your Hand." I never heard that before, nor even noticed his voice.

I added the two subs with the MMGs, and added a gentle dose of LCY 100Lsuper tweeters. The subs only add from 50 Hz. down, and you are right, there is a time alignment difference between the subs and the MMGs, To add insult to injury, out of necessity they are being driven by an old Onkyo receiver 130 watts at 4 ohms, but it's actually just under six ohms from my calculation. They can go painfully loud without audible distortion before I have to turn my hearing aid down.

Keep the cartons if you buy these and want to return them, as Magnepan will charge you without the cartons. Or, I'll sell you mine.

I am 48 years old and have been an audio enthusiast for about 33 years,yes 33 years.When i was a teen i would spend many a afternoon at New England HiFi.I have spent as much as $10.000 on a system,and have tried so many different systems.So to my point if you do not give these speakers a good listen,you lose.I can not believe how good they are.I bought the MMG and on a whim went and bought an 20 year old pair of MG1C.Just for fun,and thay are amazing in there own right.please take the time with any magnepan and you will be so rewarded.

For the last few years I've been using a pair of fantastic dynamic loudspeakers (Neat Acoustics Motive 1's, ($3,200 retail and highly recommended!). I love them, I think they do everything well and I have no intention of getting rid of them, but I had an itch to try something different, an alternative pair of speakers that would give my hi-fi a different sound from time to time without having to give up the Neats.

I've always been interested in planer speakers and the MMGs were very attractive because of the price point. Still, I figured if I was going to spend $640 or even $395 (used on Audiogon, where I bought them) then I wanted to be sure that they'd work in my system and be a worthy alternative to the Motive 1's. The Motive 1's are a high value speaker to begin with and they cost nearly $1600 more than the MMGs, so I knew right off that it wasn't going to be a fair comparison. Boy, was I surprised!

First off, The MMGs are amazing! Not simply "amazing for the money", but flat out amazing. The soundstage is open and expansive, the tonal reproduction is exceptional, the speed and detail are mind-boggling at times. They truly have the ability to reproduce certain types of music with a scary accuracy and realism. All of these "pros" have been mentioned and elaborated on in many of these reviews so I'll stop there. Before buying these I was actually less concerned with the "pros" (I expected a beautiful midrange) and more concerned with the "cons" (would beautiful midrange be the only thing they could do well and would everything else suck?). Well, in my opinion, the "cons" are way overstated. There is a legitimate basis for them but it shouldn't scare you away if you pair them with the right electronics and if your primary taste in music is not death metal, pipe organ recitals or techno. The MMGs are not that difficult to set up and they don't have a ridiculously tiny sweet spot, they do have sufficient bass for many types of music and they are perfectly fine without custom stands or internal modifications. period.

Myth 1. "Difficult to position with a small sweet spot." I placed them in the same place as my Motive 1's and they sounded great on first play. They are 2' from the back wall, 6' apart measured inside to inside, my listening position in 8' from the speakers, the ribbon tweeters are on the outside. The toe in is such that I can just see just the back edge of each speaker's inside stand.
This roughly conforms to the recommendations in the manual which suggests a 60% ratio between speakers and listening position, but it's totally not necessary to be that exact.
As with all speakers, the sweet spot is in the middle. My wife and I can sit side by side and both be in the sweet spot. Some people make it sound as if the sweet spot it so narrow that if you move you head and inch in either direction you lose that amazing soundstage. Not the case in my experience.

Myth 2. "Lack bass and must use a sub to make them acceptable". Quite the contrary, the bass is quick, tight and realistic. It's not going to deliver the lower octaves but I found it to be acceptable with many different types of music, including the new Beatles' stereo remasters, Chet Baker's "Chet" , My Morning Jacket's "Z" and the new Leonard Cohen "Live in London". In fact, I would NOT add a subwoofer unless it's really, really good. I heard the MMGs recently with an somewhat expensive subwoofer and it did not integrate well in my opinion. At best it added a little bottom end and at worst it muddied the nice mid-bass the MMGs are quite capable of reproducing on their own. If you want a little more bass then I would recommend getting the MG12s instead of the MMGs. It wasn't necessary for my taste and not worth the extra $400-$600 since these are secondary speakers in my rig, but if I was committing to Magnepan as my only pair of speakers and I only had a small or medium sized room to put them in, then I would seriously consider the MG12's instead. There is a difference between the two but fundamentally they are the same. I had the opportunity to audition both of them at a hi-fi shop after I bought the MMGs on Audiogon.

Myth 3. "You must use custom stands or do extensive modifications to get them to sound good".
My listening position is 8' from the speakers and I prefer them tilted back as recommended by Magnepan.
You don't need to invest in custom stands that get them upright and off the floor unless you just can help yourself.

Ok, that said, you do need to follow the basic amplifier and room placement recommendations from Magnepan. They are perfect for small to medium sized listening rooms and they do need to be at least 2' from the back wall. If you've got a big room then you should take advantage of that and consider the 1.6's.

You need an amplifier that can handle a 4 ohm load. One reviewer on this site mentioned getting good results with a NAD C325BEE. That is by no means an exotic or expensive amplifier. In fact, it's an amazing bargain of an amp. I'm currently using a Rogue Cronus Magnum with KT90 output tubes (4 ohm setting) and it's an amazing combo! I can't recommend it enough.
I use an Exposure 2010s for the Neats but they only handle 8 ohms so the Rogue is it for the MMGs.

Last night my wife summed up the magic of these speakers perfectly. She and our 11 month old baby were sitting on the couch listening to a children's CD that they've listened to many times before (Putumayo World Music 'Asian Dreamland' various artists PUT-259, excellent for adults too!) She had her eyes closed and for the first time realized the wonderful experience of feeling as if the instruments and players are live and in the room with you. She was in a trance listening to the plucked stings of a shamisen when the percussion came in and both her and our baby turned their heads toward the outside left speaker to see where that sound was coming from. For me, that's a better endorsement for these speakers than anything I could say about them. Run, don't walk, to get a pair!

Hello.

I was using a pair of Castle Acoustic Severns for some time. Really liked them but wanted to try something different. I use to own a pair of the SMGc and 2.7QR models in the past and really loved them. I put an ad on Audiogon seeing if anyone had a pair of MMGs they wanted to trade. I lucked out. A guy one state away had a pair he wanted to trade for my Castles. I received them two days later. Had a couple repairs / mods to do first. Had to replace one of the nuts on the speaker for one of the stands. The other issue I had was the screws for the Amplifier inputs were missing. I ended up pulling off the connection plates, removing all connectors and fuses and installing a pair of binding posts for the input. No more fuse and tweeter attenuator. Nice and clean. Much better than those crazy nut looking things they put on there stock.

I had also just purchased a NAD C325BEE (50 WPC) integrated amp and their C545 CD player. I was a little worried that the 50 wpc wouldn't do it but it was no problem for the little NAD. I first put on a real good acoustic guitar piece from Nils Lofgren "Keith don't go" off the live CD. Holey F@^*&ing S#it!!! I am hearing every little buzz and twang from this guys acoustic guitar. I melted into my couch and cranked it up. I was breathing the music. It was right there in my room with me. When it was over. I just sat there with my mouth hanging open and the hairs on my neck were on end. I said "okay, what's next" I popped in my 'Best of Kodo' Chinese drum music. OMG the bass is awesome and not matter how loud I turned it up, the speakers never lost their composure. Just hit me harder. I'm in love! I shouted.

I have had all kinds of electronics and speaker in my 36 years and I can't remember the last time I had so much fun listening to the music. For $1500 you can't get a better sound in my opinion for the money.

Ed

I re-sorted all the reviews here from worst to best, then started reading the worst ones first. I like the MMGs. A lot. So reading the negative reviews brought several points to mind.

Lack of bass, loudness, low efficiency and amplifier fickleness (and they are not - read on) need to be compared to one other factor - price. When discussing same, please compare them to a range of similarly priced speakers, don't say JBLs or Thiels are so much better in those regards, when they never retailed for $500.

In short, in the $500 range for a new set of loudspeakers, there is no (box) speaker that can reproduce the transient response and smooth highs of the MMGs. And for $500, you can afford a (cheap $200) sub, which is a must.

I have two pairs of Magneplanar systems. Let's ignore the pair which are connected to my expensive amp, CD deck, fancy cables etc... (The sound difference is noticeable, but even to self-labeled audiophiles, not that much - I've had to get them to do a near instant A-B test with the same material before some - not all - hear the differences!)

Anyway, my second pair of Magneplanars (the MMGs) run off a $200 Pioneer AV receiver. The trick? The lows are sent off to a $200 sub-woofer. Being an AV receiver, it allows me to set the cross-over frequency of the sub-woofer. I set it to 50 Hz. The result is that the receiver does not have to work on the lowest frequencies, allowing more power to be available to combat the lower efficiency of the MMGs. The (cheap) sub never has to work at anything above 51Hz, and so cannot and does not colour the bass from the MMGs. I've ended up then with an extended deep bass that finishes off an almost perfect mid-bass, (the MMGs legendary) midrange, and highs with a transient response second to none.

The MMGs do have a response that curves gently down either side of about 2000 Hz. Since most average sized rooms tend to boost up the mid bass (around 200 Hz) and the sub can be adjusted to manage the missing below 50 Hz, the gap behind the back of the MMGs and the rear wall is carefully adjusted - using white noise - to INCREASE (only) it's highest frequencies. This allows the roll-off from 2kHz to be less so, adding just that little bit more to the above 10kHz area.

Then I use a low-priced analogue SPL meter, set it to the recording studio standard of 83db (C weighted, Fast) and with those levels (I'm about 10 feet back) the 55 WRMS Pioneer AV receiver actually survives driving the MMGs!

Bad points, there are several. But gosh, these speakers cost $500!!! (Okay, $700 with the sub.) These are NOT party speakers. For parties I have a pair of Boom Boxes with 15" "woofers" and horn "tweeters". Loud. Junk. But during a party, nobody cares. They do their job of being loud (and fun).

At all other times, I am in 83db (average) loudness, and in true bliss. Sure 83db is not loud, but certainly NOT soft; get that SPL meter from Radio Shack before you decide. (Actually reviews without measured SPLs should be banned, I think! ;-)) And if you've killed your ears from overly loud iPod 'music', it's about time you stopped before permanent deafness sets in.....

I use Replay Gain. With Replay Gain settings on my MediaMonkey software I can quickly shuffle between my 1,000s of MP3 and FLAC files and not have to touch the volume control on the amp (except for the 6db difference between 'louder' highly compressed and 'normal' recordings), and it is clear that there are many recordings out there that have a poor tonal balance. When recordings are thin, the MMGs sound thin. When recordings are bright, the sound is bright. Don't blame the speakers, don't blame the clear window that the MMGs present. But there are also many well balanced good recordings with a wide dynamic range (about 50/50). This you will only know after listening to 100s of tracks. Don't judge the MMGs too soon on a series of bad music tracks (some from highly distinguised artists).

Tip: Ensure you connect your PC's audio to your AVR with a digital connection, not analogue; PC DACs are woeful! Also turn Off MediaMonkey's "clipping prevention" and set the levels to 83db, not 89db. This ensures your pre-amp stages are NEVER overloaded, and the full dynamic range of the tracks are left to soar.

After the tracks have been Replay Gained and rated (not by good song/bad song but by good recording/bad recording), I then sort my digital music list by their ratings, skip the bad (quality recordings) and can listen in absolute bliss for hours. Starting at 10:00 PM I was once surprised when my spouse walked down at 7:00 AM - and I was still un-fatigued and in full 83db-listening mode!

It is important to understand what MMGs are. No box, no boxiness. Full-wave mid-bass punch like no box speaker. And never any sibilance from vocals. NEVER.

Lastly, get yourself a reference speaker system. By that I mean a reference pair of headphones. The Sennheiser HD-650s are my reference standard. They go much much louder than my MMGs, but my system's tonal balance is nearly identical between my loudspeakers and headphones. How? Stand next to a live drum set and listen. Then listen to some drums on the HD-650s. Then listen to drums on the MMGs and other speakers. Then you will KNOW that the MMGs are truly hi-fi. And for just $500!

I have had a pair of MMG's for about six months and will most likely quit searching for the elusive audio nirvana I've been chasing since the mid 70's. The simple fact is these speakers provide a window into my music tastes that cannot be duplicated by any other available speaker any where near this price. This is High End audio without the high end price tag. Yes they require lots of clean power, and in my opinion, they must be stood straight up and raised so that the middle of the tweeter is at ear level(that's why Magnepan supplies the tilt back stand). I use Mye Sound stands to accomplish this set up must.
System:
Cambridge Audio 840c CD
Audio Research LS7 pre amp (mint)
Nad C272 power amps x2(mono)
PNF Icon interconnects & Symphony spkr cable
Magnaplanar MMG's
Mye Sound MMG speaker stands

I have benefited greatly from the postings on this website and accordingly hope this review will be of use to others.

I have owned many speakers over the years, from bookshelf speakers to Klipschorns. My K-Horns were my main speakers for nearly 30 years - I had to sell them when I moved into my current home which lacks the corners and space required by K-Horns (I almost didn't buy this house on that basis but nearly all modern houses lack corners and you have to live somewhere). My latest speakers were Paradigm Monitor 11 v.3 floorstanders which weren't bad but never quite satisfied me, in particular due to an excessive rise in mid-bass resulting in what I perceived as a congested midrange.

I of course knew of Magnepan but I was somewhat put off by the cultish attitude of many "Maggie" owners and by my inability to audition the larger models at home - and the only store in town that sells Magnepans had them very poorly demonstrated. As for the MMGs, they seemed to be starter speakers - you get them to see if you like planars and, if you do, you trade them in for real speakers like the 1.6 and up. I'm too old for starter speakers. Or you get them massively modified, at triple the cost of the speakers. If I wanted DIY speakers, I'd get them from Parts Express; why would good speakers need massive modification?

Well, I finally decided to give the MMGs a try. After all, I could return them after a 60-day trial if I didn't like them. This was important, since I understood that they needed a long break-in period. I got them the day before yesterday. I have played them for perhaps 5 hours, so I assume they're going to get better - but I don't see how, since they're terrific now.

Setup. Many people say Magnepans are very sensitive to placement. Well, maybe. I wouldn't know, since the first place I popped them down - the tops 2' from the wall (which puts the bottoms - they're tilted back - around 32" from the wall), 6' apart (from the inside edges) and 9' from my main listening chair - sounds great. Maybe I'll try to move them around a bit - they're very light and easy to move - but why argue with success? Then there are the resistors for attenuating the treble: they come with jumpers in place, you replace them with 1-ohm or 2-ohm resistors to calm the tweeters by 1-4 dB. I tried it all 3 ways and prefer the 1-ohm resistors but the differences were subtle and I could have left the jumpers on (not the 2-ohm resistors, though, which I thought made the sound a bit shrouded). I used a bare-wire connection, as recommended by Magnepan, with 14-gauge oxygen-free cable costing around 20 cents a foot, bananas at the amplifier end. That's it.

The sound is very full and mellow and, to my ears, covers the useful frequency spectrum. Indeed, I know that many people say you must augment the MMG bass with a subwoofer or two, but I don't see why. Of course I am speaking only of music, mostly classical, no HT. I think the MMG bass is very nice and entirely adequate for most music - and I am accustomed to K-Horns! If you must hear the 32' pipe on an organ, then I guess you will need something more, but a Beethoven symphony does fine with the unadorned MMGs.

So, so far so good. Unless something untoward happens, and they don't get better but get worse, I can't imagine returning them or trading them in for anything else. Given my tastes in music and the configuration of my listening room, I love these speakers and cannot recommend them too highly.

Associated equipment. Cambridge Audio Azur 640a v.2 integrated amplifier (120 wpc into 4 ohms), 640c v.2 CD player, Pro-Ject Xpression TT with Sumiko Pearl cartridge, Bellari VP129 tube phono preamp. Listening (living) room is 17' x 18.5' with a cathedral ceiling (9' - 12.5') and arches, doorways, windows, an alcove, a plant shelf - an acoustical monstrousity.

I purchased these speakers sight unseen from Magnepan after owning a pair of MG II's way back in the day, and an awareness based on the audio press. In terms of image size, soundstage, depth, speed, and all that stuff, these are keepers. Any one considering these speakers must, and I emphasize, must, purchase an after market stand that stands them straight up and lifts them at least a few inches off the floor. The idea being the center of the panel should be at ear level, thus the tilt back stands supplied with the speaker. I use Mye Sound
stands as do many Magnepan owners around the globe. As much clean power as you can afford will bring the juice out . The bass shy retoric is a myth, there is more than enough natural, real world bass in these speakers, more so if set up properly. Not for the shallow listener!!!!!

My system consists of;

Cambridge Audio 840C CD player
Audio Research LS7 pre amp ( mint condition)
2-NAD C272 amps mono
Magnaplanar MMG
Mye Sound MMG stands
PNF Symphony speaker cable
PNF Icon interconnect

Price paid: $1200? direct from Magnepan for MMG+MMGC+MMGW

Summary:

Please read other reviews below for how to hack the MMG into an even better(?) speaker. I can't speak to hearing subtle nuances of silver vs gold connectors etc. Hopefully what I have to say still helps some of you...

I bought these for both stereo audio as well as surround A/V in my living room, along with the centre channel MMGC and a pair of MMGW for surrounds. Music is my priority but movies are a close second.

I was concerned about our cat using them as scratching posts so I hung them upside-down off the ceiling (2' from back, 6" from sides, stands installed to angle downwards). I can rotate them to adjust focus as needed. I realize "purists" will want to lash me for not have more space behind and beside them, but I'm married and have learned somethings have to be compromised....
Google "nad T775 mmg carada" for my system overview and pics.

I upgraded my NAD T743 to the T775 to ensure I have good power.
I'm using 12-gauge Omega audio wire to handle the larger current (about $1/foot).

The highs and mid acoustics are amazing - more on that later.
The bass was good. With better placement and hacking, I'm sure it could have been improved.
I built a 10" Peerless / BASH 500W "Johannesen" Transmission-Line Sub to handle 80Hz down. It's tight and effective. I let the NAD handle crossover LFE.

The result? Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons: not only can you hear him breathing in through his nostrils, I can hear sheet music being flipped by the crew behind him! Radiohead's In Rainbows vinyl is enchanting. Trent Reznor (NIN) Ghosts I-IV brings you right into the studio.
Audio tracks in movies are wonderful: birds, rain, thunder, as well as voices and music are rendered naturally with subtle and effective surround!

I'm now a Maggie-slut like so many others!

Strengths:
Turns great tracks magical, and highlights bad ones (no stage, compressed, etc)
Natural wonderful vocals, strings, drums
Wicked bang-for-the-buck

Weaknesses:
Cats could love'm
Shy on the low frequencies for (mostly) movies
Low SPL - Axioms might be better for you if you want more kick for near music / $