Great speakers even without the tweaks!

needs tweaks to really shine - I'm not sure that is a weakness because if magnepan took care of this issue they would charge a whole lot more for them, and rightly so!

This is an update to my previous post. After having listened to these speakers for some time, tweaking the listening position, moving my sub around, and listening to a large variety of rock music of various recording quality I came to some conclusions. The biggest issue was with old 60's, 70's era recordings that were not recorded particularly well. I had a lot of trouble getting my sub adjusted right to get the kind of base blending that was needed for the music to be reproduced the way I would expect it to be. This was especially noticeable with Beatles music from the later 60's of which I am very familiar with and enjoy very much.

This experience motivated me to play around with the crossovers and wiring. I first bypassed the fuse and attenuator bar. That was a no brainer, took me about 10 minutes and improved the highs somewhat. Then I replaced the inductor. From what I was reading, the iron core inductor that magnepan uses is old kind of funky technology for inductors that is not used in high end audio anymore. Iron core inductors have very low DCR resistance and are good for that aspect, but have hysteresis types of distortion. I replace the 2.2 mH coil with a foil Alpha air coil 12g .75mH. This made a huge difference in the bass and midrange. The .75mH crossed the bass panel over higher than the 2.2mH and gave the panel nice base punch and great mids. Now the attention went to the caps. That was a harder one to research. Caps can get pricey and I didnt want to make a mistake. I ended up with Jantzen z-superior 15uF caps. Reasonable cost and well rated. Finding the right speaker cap in the higher uF values can be challenging due to the fact that magnepan has now switched to a 1st order crossover design due to simplicity. High end caps get more expensive as the uF gets higher. The good side to a 1st order crossover is that you only have to replace one cap per speaker. No series or parallel considerations to deal with. It was suggested by one cap company to bypass the cap that is in the speaker with a .1uF but I wasnt comfortable with spending a chunk of money on a bypass and have it not make much of a difference because the cheap cap is still in the signal path.

Anyway -- how does the tweak sound? These good sounding speakers are now really first class. Much more really good sound. I dont feel the need to be in that total sweet spot anymore. There is a much LARGER sound coming from the speakers. It even fills the room and the house. I found before the tweak that I really didn't like listening to the speakers much unless I was in the focal sweet spot. They now sound great anywhere in the house! Amazing really! This was a well worth wile investment of only about $75 per speaker to really bring out the capabilities of these great speakers. It makes them an even better bargain now. The next tweak will be to replace the wires with silver wires. That will come in time. Something to note is that these crossover parts are MUCH bigger than the parts that came with speaker. The inductor is outside of the speaker but I managed to stuff the cap in the area that used to house the old cap and inductor. It sticks out a bit but not a biggie.

Don't spend one dime changing anything else in your system until you change these crossover items! It was by far the best $150 I have spent on audio in years!

Cheers!

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my system:
Peureaux E160i amp
rega appolo cd
HSU sub
audioquest granet speaker cable
silver bullet 4.0 interconnect.
JPS labs digital power cord
MIT z-cord power for amp

resolution
huge sound stage
detailed sound
Tingling up your back

low volume output
thin sound, base is weak
Placement critical

For the money, nothing else can touch it. The best purchase I made in a long time.

There are many reviews about the mmg and they’re all fairly accurate; buy them! This review is more about the psychological aspects of owning mmgs. Mr. Winey is the drug dealer of the audio business. I bought these cheap mmg three months ago and now I am hooked. I am lying, cheating and stealing trying to get the money to buy the 1.6 or 3.6R. I fear for Mr. Winey’s soul, on behalf of all the people he lead into temptation. Another aspect of owning these speakers is the development of new neurosis. I just got them set up perfectly for a CD that I was listening, I find myself slouching in the chair, then sitting up, then leaning to the left/right to notice the differences in the sound. Also, when I put in another CD the sound stage is different and I get up again to move the speakers, a inch here an inch there, 2 degree rotation here and there. All I need now is a tube amp, so that I can wiggle the vacuum tubes while I move the mmg’s around. Now I developed a symphony of neurotic twitches wiggling and moving everything around. These are some of the perils of owning magnepans that aren’t advertised and are part of the mmg experience. BEWARE!!!!!!!

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infinity rs6000
paradigm phantoms

Value, sonic definition, styling, not harsh, revealing.

None yet.

Having grown up exposed to my father's audiophilia listening to Theil, Martin Logan, Audio Research, Proceed, exotic turntables, Vandersteen, etc, I did nothing but to trust him when he recommended Magnepan's MMG sold directly from the manufacturer as I sought to build my own high end two channel system on a mid-fi budget less than $5000 total system cost earlier this year. The entry level MMG at $550 per pair is anything but entry level in terms of sonic performance and styling. My father was right. I will likely never go back to traditional cone/tweeter driven speakers again.

The MMG stands approximately four feet tall and a foot wide so you get a bonifide floorstanding accoustic and visual presence right out of the box. Sound radiates from the front and the rear via the quasi ribbon driver/tweeter which is transparent through beautifully woven high grade fabric. Sonically the ribbon/tweeter combination delivers stunning detail, imaging, soundstage, depth, and extension without ever sounding harsh or piercing to the ear (tweeters--ouch!). Vocals are warm. Midrange is deep and overall ample from the full range ribbon (how do they do that?), but you do want to run a good subwoofer for the low end. I am using a Martin Logan Dynamo, and with careful crossover configuration the blending with the Maggies is just right. You also want to give the Maggies lots of air, two to four feet away from an accoustically treated wall, with a little toe in. They are very senstive to speaker positioning and you will have fun experimenting to suit your personal preferences. My father told me that when I bought these that I "opened Pandora's box" in terms of their ability to reveal all of the strengths and weaknesses in source, electronic, and cable components. That is a credit to the Maggies as a truly high end speaker, in my opinion. So take the money you save on the Maggies and put it toward quality source and amplification with 4 ohm and 75-150 WPC cabability and prepare to be shocked by the quality these speakers can deliver.

Set-up
Magnepan MMG
NAD 325 BEE
OPPO 980 HD
Topaz Power Conditioner
Sonic-link silver on copper interconnect
Tara Labs Omni speaker cable
custom sound absorption front wall
Sound diffusion rear wall for larger sound stage
Room size 11x14

Customer Service

Good. My first pair was slightly damaged in shipping and Magnepan quickly replaced it with a new pair no questions asked.

From around 100hz and up, these are "close your eyes-you ARE there" image, detail, it's all there. From the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd and Dire Straights to James Taylor and acoustic Tuna an instrument sounds like it does live-without the room interference and typical closed box coloration.

Power consumption and Bass. You need at least 100watts of high current clean power and help below 100hz. AND you need an amp stable in the four ohm range. Using an Outlaw power amp (7125) and a pair of custom built subs from Creative Sound Solutions, I have rounded the stage.

I'm what you call a "realistic audiophile with a budget" I work for a living and have other bills to pay. That's why I don't have 20k or more to spend on audio gear-oh yea I'm married. With that said I do love music and I am always searching for the ultimate sound-within my budget.
After reading many reviews on Maggies I opted to start at the begining-the MMGs. In a nut shell-for 550 bucks-you can't buy a better pair of speakers, I've tried and I've built, but not even close.
These mini maggies are a fantastic buy for the budget or for a small listening room. In my 16X12X8 room these puppies fill it up with pure pleasure.

Customer Service

You can't e-mail them but very friendly on the phone. Only called once to order.

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JBL, custom built.

Great sound!

I guess you could say placement - but that is easy once you find the right spot.

I have been wanting a planar speaker since the 70's. I haven't really had the money or the space to set them up properly, and I guess any number of a dozen or so excuses for not getting them. I turned 50 and decided to get them for myself for my big 5-0. I had put together a Peureaux amp (that is rated at 200wpc into 4 ohms) with a nice pair of PSB monitors together with the new Rega apollo CD player and some decent solid core speaker cables and pure silver bullet interconnects. I was pretty happy with the set up until I added the new Rega and I realized I needed to get some good stands and play around with the placement of the PSB's to get the sound stage right (the Rega cranks out so much detail and strips away the noise that you realize that placement is a key variable. I then realized that the definition and response of the planars would be ideal for the Rega. Also the Peureaux has a very sweet almost tube sound that could further benefit from a high resolution speaker like the maggie. Anyway -- the whole work up to this is to express what sort of components I think work well with the MMG. Hooked up to a real up front and bright system would probably not be a good idea. I have been enjoying the highs without use of the attenuator in my system. I can see how the highs could be overwhelming in a bright system. That is why they ship with 1 or 2 db attenuators. They do appear to need a lot of break in. I have broken them in for 100 hours or so and they are sounding better. More bass and what appears to be better sound stage. With that said, the overall satisfaction from the sound quality is fantastic even right out of the box. When placed far enough apart and a few feet from the back wall, the sound is huge. The speakers themselves disappear. The dipole effect is very cool indeed. The sweet spot is somewhat narrow but that is not a problem due to the overall largeness of sound. It truly is the experience of listening to your music again for the first time, or at least being able to compare it to the best that you can remember hearing it and then some. A good sub seems required for rock. I would recommend the HSU. I have the HSU 12 from years ago. Great low bass crossed over at 60 Hz or so. As far as placement issues, I move them out for listening and them back to the wall when not. I dont find this to be a big deal. Good for the spouse acceptance factor. She likes the looks of them against the entertainment center with the flat screen TV!

Similar Products Used:

HSU, Rega, B&W, PSB, Infinity, Proton, Marantz, Peureaux

Presence and detail; wide soundstage; relatively immune to clipping; and, especially, a naturalness so good it can startle.

People love or hate the looks,,,

The many rave reviews for this speaker and company are spot-on; MMG speakers represent one of those rare cases in which the audiophile can acquire a reference-quality component at a bargain price.
Initially, I purchased the MMGs for the L/R portion of a HT setup. Their quality was so good it was advisable to purchase, as well, the MMG-C center speaker in order to integrate the sonic characteristics of the front wall of sound.
In researching these speakers, two minor issues kept appearing – the necessity for proper, triangulated positioning and the belief that Maggies were best-suited for acoustical sound reproduction. My experience suggest these concerns are overstated.
Sales people at Magnepan stressed to me that the best soundstage was created when the MMGs were 6-feet apart and the listener was sitting roughly twice that distance from the front speaker line. They also noted that the speakers should sit some 24 inches from the wall to which they resonate as bipolar generators. This caused me concern as this design would no work with the space I have available.
It was pleasant to find that these dimensions are subject to substantial variation. My room requires that the speakers be 8 feet apart and the listener be roughly 9 feet from the front speakers. For aesthetic reasons, the speakers were pushed in some 18 inches away from their nearby wall (and even then they produce a strong design statement that will be either loved or hated).
Comparing both the ideal setup and my required one convinced me that there was relatively little difference in the resulting presence and soundstage. Part of this flexibility might result from using a 5-channel configuration with the center speaker aiding in the wider L/R placement (as opposed to a paired, stereo setup – although I regularly use this option as well and find it successful at 8 feet).
Similary, I have not noticed a superiority in the reproduction of either acoustical or electronic musical genres. The speakers are excellent for all dense musical textures and I would suggest that listening appeal is more due to how well the digital recording is produced than to musical style. Both full orchestral textures at FFF and energetic new electronic releases such as Minus the Bear's Planet of Ice sound immediate and detailed.
Some critics looking for “movie theater punch” have described MMGs as lacking in this area. Would suggest that what they are hearing from their speakers is, in fact, mid-range boost used to promote an exaggerated sense of presence. I am using these speakers with an older Yamaha receiver for DVDs and find that they have plenty of dynamic contrast.
BTW, I use an inexpensive subwoofer (Dayton) that crosses over at 100hz and carefully tune each individual speaker with a SPL meter. Maggies are inefficient and require appropriate boosting when mixed with other drivers.
Don't overlook the MMGs if you are looking for audiophile quality at an entry-level price point.

Customer Service

Excellent and, if anything, overly cautious in recommending setup requirements. The company sends out follow-up mailings that are particularly well-done and their return policy should be an industry standard.

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Similar to Tannoy near-field monitors in accuracy but don't have the harshness.

Extremely accurate and transparent -- especially for the best digital sources and for dense musical textures. Impressive ability to handle rapid and loud transients with minimal distortion. Very broad soundstage and excellent positionning of individual instruments/voices within the ensemble. At their current price they are one of the best audio buys around.

They are tall and you will, in all likelihood, either love or hate their appearance.

As noted by many reviewers, these are excellent speakers -- comparable to ones costing much more. Am using two MMGs as front, L/R speakers in an HT setup with a MMG-C for the center speaker and two Bose wall mounts for the rears (along with a Dayton 12-inch sub). The sound is accurate and listenable. I purchased the MMG-C center speaker after installing the L/R MMGs because they sounded so much better than the old center speaker that its deficiences became unacceptable.
Two issues arose during researching these speakers to which I can provide perspective -- 1) speaker pacement and 2) speaker quality versus musical style.
Reviewers and the sales staff at Magnaplanar suggest that speaker positioning is critical and that the best lstening position is to have the Maggies about 6 feet apart with the best listening seat about 10-12 feet in front of the speaker line.
My placement has the speakers roughly 8 feet apart and am sitting about 9 feet from them. The difference from the ideal positionning does not seem to be major. The L/R pair sounds excellent in both stereo and HT movie modes. I also have them placed about 20 inches from the wall rather than the preferred 24 and this, as well, does not seem to harm the overall soundstage.
A number of reviewers suggest that the speakers sound better with acoustical styles than they do with electric and/or mid-range heavy theatrical/DVD styles. Once again, I am finding that good ribbon design works for all musical styles and note that very dense textures (such as Jongen's Concerto for Organ and Orchestra or Planet of Ice by Minus the Bear) sound equally good regardless of their acoustic or electronic sources.
Am using an inexpensive Dayton subwoofer at a 100hz crossover point and have been pleased with the amount and quality of bass. The speakers appear to be relatively immune to high-level distortion. An average Yamaha receiver (the RX-V640) has plenty of power to achieve realistic loudness levels in a moderate-sized room. It is very helpful to use a SPL meter and test tones to fine tune your setup as the Maggies are inefficient by comparison to non-ribbon speakers.
So, my particular advice is this: do not be deterred by the comments suggesting that Maggies require extraspecial attention to placement or succeed only at certain musical styles. Try them first in your own environment and take advantage of their return policy if not pleased.

Customer Service

Very good -- so much so that I would criticize them for being overally cautious in specifying placement requirements.

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Tannoy Studio Monitors

Excellent imaging with a wide seamless sound stage - the speakers disappear.
Clean, balanced sound - no overemphasis and no box or driver resonances.
More solid bass than I was expecting - clean and defined. I've found that a sub really is optional for most music sources.

Well, they're not expensive enough to impress your affluent friends (until they hear them), also you'll lose interest in auditioning any more loudspeakers. Is that a weakness?
OK, they do take some room and some power, but it's not excessive.
The stock stands are kind of lame.

These are the most depressing audio components I've ever purchased:
I look at all my various other speakers, some pretty expensive, and I cry. I've given up doing A/B comparisons. It's too depressing. Thousands of dollars are sitting and collecting dust.

Yes, planars have a narrow sweet spot and placement demands (though not excessive). Yes, these take quite a bit of power and the bass still won't shake the room. But once you hear them that won't matter! These are magic, and you'll find ways to accomodate. And contrary to what some reviewers have said, these work with classical, jazz, rock, orchestral, vocal, electric, acoustic, even home theater sounds incredible. If you want an accurate image of what the artists, producer and engineers had in mind, these will give it to you.

I really can't say enough good about these speakers.

Customer Service

No idea - haven't needed any service.

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Martin Logan, B&W, Infinity, Athena, Mirage, JBL, DCM, Polk

Beautifully rolled highs and mids
Great Styling
Stunning sonic detail
Great Imaging
Great value

I purchased these a few months ago Direct from Magnepan ($550 plus shipping) on the recommendation of my father, a veteran, discriminating audiophile (25 years+) who has owned and listened to the likes of Theil, Vandersteen, and more recently Martin Logan (electrostats) along with top shelf electronics (ARC, ATI). So the Maggies were recommeded for me, a fairly discriminating listener in my own right, as an alternative to traditional cone driven speakers, at a price point which would allow for further investments in things like power conditioning, cables, and room treatments (set-up).

Well, I absolutely love them. First of all, are well styled and look great. Very minimalistic (only an inch or so thick) modern, unique with lots of frontal surface area. They are also quality crafted. This is not Bang and Olufson junk at your local Mall here. You're getting sturdy floorstanding presentation right out of the box consisting of high quality grill material which is semi transparent allowing you subtle visual access to the quasi ribbons contained inside. I chose black grills with a light oak side rail which adds a bit of wood detail. I'm not that technical and consider myself more of an audio designer, and so I dont know much about quasi ribbons or how they differ from traditional ribbons or even electrostats but lets get to sound.

Im running these with the following components:
OPPO Digital CD player
NAD 325 BEE
NHT Classic Ten subwoofer
Topaz IT power conditioner
Siver on copper interconnect
Tara Labs Prism speaker cable

Rolled Highs: What do I mean by "rolled?" Well the highs are very present, in stunning detail, but just at the point where you may experience annoyance or even pain from a traditional tweeter, the Maggies bail you out by "taking the edge off" so to speak.

Midrange: Same as the highs at slightly lower frequency.

Bass: Im using a sub so I dont care, but I tried them without it and you get surprising bass response. But use a sub. Why not? There are cheap and effective at achieving adequate bass. I have positioned mine directly in the center which is working well.

Sound Staging: The MMGs cast a beautiful image which is wide, and deep. The height of the soundstage in my system is lacking somewhat, but I dont think this is the result of the MMGs. And placement is crucial. Move the MMGs even a few inches and the sound will change dramatically.

Tonality: In conjunction with good power conditioning, performers and horn instruments are in the room. I'm not just hearing them. I'm feeling them in the room. Thats how "real" these MMGs sound. You are getting an accurate sonic depiction particularly with vocals and horns.

The MMG's have a very open sound, since there is no conventional speaker cabinet, the bass is very than expected, seems to integrate well with Sunfire Subwoofer. The MMG's are a excellent value, for the money ! I bought mine used, for $400, but brand new, they are under $600, shipped direct to you, from Magnepan.

Don't recommend the MMG's, for playing music at very high sound pressure levels, stick with a conventional speaker, for this purpose. The Magnepan's by design, need to be away, from the rear wall, 2' to 3'.

I've been wanting to buy a pair of the Magnepan's, for more than 25 years, and I finally took the plunge about 4 months ago. I figured, that I would try out the MMG's, for starters. My main speakers before purchasing the MMG's, was a pair of Klipsch RF-3 II, which is a very good speaker in its own right. The Magnepan's do require a bit of trial and error, concerning placement. Typically, they need to be about 2' to 3' feet from the rear wall, which might not make them acceptable, with one's spouse. However, they are easy to move, which is a plus, when not listening to them. The MMG's appear to need somewhere between 50-100 watts, depending on how loud you listen to your music. I decided to add a NAD C272 Power Amp, to my Pioneer VSX-1015 A/V Receiver, in order to have plenty of clean power, to drive the MMG's 4-Ohm load. I have been pleasantly surprised, in how good the Magnepan's sound, and will probably not upgrade to one of the more expensive models ! Unless you play your music at unusally loud levels, the MMG's will not disappoint. Since I already had my Sunfire Subwoofer, I am using it with the MMG's, and have the crossover setting at 65 Hertz. Sounds pretty good to me !