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#1 ·
This thread is for discussion of Magnepan speakers. I think there are a lot of owners on the forum but I haven't seen a thread for them. Below are some useful links for owners or those considering Mags.

Owner's Manuals

Maggie User Group

Planar forum at the Asylum

Reviews

Mye stands


Magnepan also offers a cheap and easy way to test drive some Mags. You can buy MMG's straight from Magnepan and try them out for 60 days in your home risk free. Or, if you want, you can upgrade within one year and get full credit for your MMG purchase. Details here .


I'm currently using some Magnepan 1.6QR's. Previously I had some 3.6R's and before that some 1b's 3a's and a pair of 2 somethings.


Hopefully, forum members curious about these speakers can come here and learn and any owners can ask questions. One thing I've found with my maggie experiences is to feed them lots of power. I drove the 3.6R's with a Musical Fidelity Trivista 300 and felt no need for a sub with two channel sources. The sound was divine.


Feel free to PM me with anything else you think should be in the first page and I'll add it.
 
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#4 ·
I am currently running my home theater with maggies, but I am looking to replace them


For the past 10 months now I have run the 1.6 Qrs at left and right duty, a CC3 for center, two MC1's as my side surrounds, and finally two Infinity Beta 250 dipoles as rear surrounds.

I absolutely love the 1.6 Qrs for both music and they are okay for their front theater performance. An amazing soundstage when turned up loud enough and the details with music is almost ethereal!

I'm a bit disappointed with the CC3 at center duty as it is a bit weak with sound tracks and its clipped on me several times with any thing too high pitched like laser blasts, screaching noises, etc..

The MC1s are a bit weak as surrounds even though they have plenty of juice running them. The Infinity Betas produce far more sound and range than the MC1s, often over powering them even though they are at the rear channel.

To be true to the 1.6's and the CC3, I have moved them 6" behind an AT screen (they have 8 feet of space behind them, so plenty of room to breath) so they may not be placed optimally.

They are getting plenty of juice from my Sunfire Cinema Grand at 450 watts into the 4 ohm load.
 
#6 ·
I don't know if I would recommend any mags other than big ones for full HT use if you want dynamics. Mags will only go so loud. I only use them as my mains as I'm more concerned with 2 channel music than HT. You will also definitely need subs for HT use.


I'm driving mine with a Parasound Halo A21 which is 250wpc into 8 ohms and around 400wpc into 4. Preamp is a Conrad Johnson Premier 17 LS. This is short term however as I'm going to hook up a Musical Fidelity Trivista 300 very soon. The MF is what I drove my old 3.6R's with and is rated at 350wpc at 8 ohms and 600wpc into 4. When I switched from an NAD Silver Series S300 back in the day to the MF piece, it was a night and day difference in performance with the mags. Tubes really help them shine as well.
 
#8 ·
I'm seriously considering taking the MMG plunge. I have an Onkyo TX-DS696 reciever to run it. I know maggies need a sub, so ive chose to use my Mach 5 Audio SPL 12" and either an Adcom 555 or a Nikko Alpha II amp to power it.


Im about |______| that close to buying some. Ive been reading reviews all day and couldnt fiind a bad one.
 
#9 ·
I'm excited to say that I'm very close to returning to my love affair with Maggie. This will be the first time since I've been in this hobby that I've gone back to a particular manufacturer....I had MMGs for the better part of 2 years and am about to order some 3.6s in the next week or two (if all goes well).


I"m sort of the opposite of most who own Maggies in that I LOVE them for HT. They bring the movie to life, allowing me to feel as if I'm actually part of it in an organic way. Voices are crystal clear, sound effects are true and natural, and if you stabilize the panel and give them some juice, you are giving up very little in terms of dynamics assuming you're also running a subwoofer in your HT.


The bottom line is that there have just been times when I miss what Maggies can do...that Maggie Magic that so many people are enamored with. There are some fantastic box speakers out there, but when all is said and done I know where my heart is, and it lies with Maggie



PS. Snoop, get yourself an amp for those MMGs too, bro....that's a nice receiver, but you won't be getting the most out of the Maggies until you give them some current...just my advice
 
#10 ·
Is anyone running a pro amp QSC RMX2450 clone (Behringer EP2500, TAPCO Juice J-2500) with their maggies?


The Behringer EP2500 tested around 600 watts @ 4ohms and seemed to fare well:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5&page=1&pp=30


I'm also curious how the new digital Panasonic SA-BX500 would do in bi-amp mode; the older Pannys were pretty popular with maggies. The one review I've read rated the actual power around 40-50 wpc, so probably not enough headroom for the maggie to really strut it's stuff.


I don't own maggies yet but I'm very tempted...



Update: In Sound & Vision, Jan 2009, the Panasonic SA-BX500 is tested @ 155 wpc 2 channel and 55 wpc 7 channel. The reviewer ran a 4 ohm load into the Panasonic set to the 6 ohm setting without issue (4 ohm setting power output was less). It would be interesting to see how much power you could squeeze out of this in bi-amp mode.
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Summa /forum/post/15377558


I'm excited to say that I'm very close to returning to my love affair with Maggie. This will be the first time since I've been in this hobby that I've gone back to a particular manufacturer.... am about to order some 3.6s in the next week or two (if all goes well)

I've sent you a PM

bigbrother52
 
#12 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sisyphus /forum/post/15378353



I'm also curious how the new digital Panasonic SA-BX500 would do in bi-amp mode; the older Pannys were pretty popular with maggies. The one review I've read rated the actual power around 40-50 wpc, so probably not enough headroom for the maggie to really strut it's stuff.

I drive my MG 1.6 on Mye stands in 2-channel set-up with Panny SA-XR55 using bi-wire and triple amp mode. Source is CD player via toslink optical and Squeezebox 3 via digital coaxial. It is plenty loud for my ears, bass is very tight, terrific detail in midrange, and definitely smooth highs.


SA-BX500 appears to be a slightly different design since it cannot provide for triple amp mode. I have not heard it because I intend to change my XR55 only when it dies.
 
#13 ·
I am new to world of speakers so I was hoping someone can look at the setpup I just purchased and can help me add a pair of MMGs to my system.


My current system:


Mirage OMD-15 (pair for front)

Mirage OMD-5 (pair for surround)

Mirage CC1 (Center)

Mirage Omni S8 (sub)

Onkyo 706 (Receiver. I might upgrade to 806)


I intend to use my system above system for HT while I want to use my MMG for music only.


1) I was hoping I could add a used 2 channel amp, in good condition to my Onkyo and run MMGs off of them. That way I can have HT with my current setpup and switch to MMGs for music on the fly. Will this work and what amps (used) would you all suggest?


2) Also, Will my Omni S8 sub be adequate for the MMGs or should I get another one? When people say sub needs to be fast, what does it mean? If S8 will not do, any suggestions for good quality used ones for MMGs?


Thanks for your help.
 
#14 ·
Nano: If you have your HT mains connected to the receiver, and then the MMGs connected to an amp that is connected to the receiver's pre-outs, I'm not sure you'd be able to toggle between the two. I don't know for certain, but I think what you'd have was the music being played through both your HT mains and the MMGs. You could theoretically just turn off the outboard amp when you were using it for HT, but for music I don't know how you'd turn off the receiver's amp section. You'd have to disconnect the HT mains while you were playing music. Of course, it's been a long time since I've had a receiver, so I may be entirely wrong here....but that's the problem I see.


You could just get a nice, inexpensive integrated amp for the MMGs and split the signal from whatever source you're using. Or, if you really end up liking the MMGs, you could just go REALLY crazy and go with an all-Maggie HT
I actually love Maggies for HT. It makes the whole presentation much more organic and immerses you into the film.


Anyway, the amp brands I would recommend you check out include Rotel, B&K, Parasound, Outlaw, and Odyssey. There are others, but that gives you a start. For the MMGs, you'll want a minimum of 100wpc that doubles or comes close to doubling into 4 ohms. (e.g. 100wpc at 8 ohms, 180-200 wpc into 4 ohms.)


Hope that helps!
 
#15 ·
I think most receivers will let you switch between two sets of speakers so he could probably hooke some speakers up to the "speaker A" terminals and turn the external amp off for HT and witch to "speaker B" and turn on the external amp when listening to two channel.
 
#16 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrlittlejeans /forum/post/15428984


I think most receivers will let you switch between two sets of speakers so he could probably hooke some speakers up to the "speaker A" terminals and turn the external amp off for HT and witch to "speaker B" and turn on the external amp when listening to two channel.

Are the "B" speakers typically a full 5.1+ set, or just a pair?
 
#18 ·
Hi folks,

I'm new to your forum.

I posted this on another post earlier today....


I recently bought Maggie 3.6's to replace my 1.6's as my fronts, so for about a week I set up my 1.6's as rear surrounds to check that out. VERY sweet sound compared to my regular Klipsch rs-42 rears. BUT the room is way too small to deal with the 4 giant panels 3-feet from the walls, especially when the point where the really excel is in surround sound music. The movies and TV, not so much, but tthe Klipsch's are truly a noticeable drop in quality. But when you consider there isn't much out there in multichannell music to listen to, the Klipschs the 1.6's aren't worth the extra hassle as surrounds in this room.

However, I still WANT Magnepan rear sound, so...

I have a pair of MMG's as well and would consider using them as rears, however, because of space limitations, I'd have to mount them from the ceiling...sideways.... I could sell these MMG's and buy MMG W's if that would be better. But, I HAVE to mount them sideways (there is a door in the way)


Anybody try sideways mount of either an MMG or a MMGW?

Any thoughts on such?


FYI, The system components--

2 channel-

Rogue Audio Perseus tube pre-amp.

Rogue Audio MonoBlock 150 tube Power Amps

Cambridge Audio Azur 640H Music server/CD

Cambridge Audio DVD 99 SACD DVD Audio

Furman Power conditioner

Home theater-

Integra 780 Receiver (Perseus has pass through so monoblocks always run front Maggies)

Sony PS3 for Blu-Ray

Toshiba a30 HD-DVD also does DTS surround

Sony SACD changer for multi channel

60" Sony SXRD 1080p rear LCD projector HDTV (no green blob yet!) knock on wood


When I had the 1.6's set up, I tapped the pre-out for the rear surround, well side, and put a Rotel 1080 solid state in there to run those. Normally the Integra runs the Klipsch surrounds.


One thing I learned in this experiment was I don't need the Klipsch center. Setting it up with the Maggies as the fronts usung a virtual center works much better. ESPECIALLY with TV broadcasts!


So I'll be posting the Maggie 1.6's and maybe the Klipschs RS-52 center channel speaker in the classifieds shortly.



Thanks,

Keith
 
#19 ·
I've had MG 1b's (the tweeters corroded due to proximity to the ocean), MMG's and now MG 1.6QR for fronts. I'm driving them with a Yamaha RX-V3300 but thinking about an NAD t785. There's no room for seperates in my living room.


At this point, no center and the rears are generic 5"/1" mini bookshelf's. I still have the MMG's and may put in them in the rear when I move into my new house.


By the way, sideways mounting (I assume you mean with the speaker on its "side") would limit horizontal dispersion since Magnepans are made to have better horizontal dispersion than vertical in their normal orientation.


I agree with the lack of need for a center. The Maggies have an excellent soundstage by themselves and can do without a center unless you place them too far apart. I believe that can be a problem if Maggie owners follow home standard theater recommendations on placing the front speakers the same distance apart as the distance from them to the listener. Maggies seem to do better when using the old stereo recommendation of 2:1 (distance to listener:distance between speakers); at least when used without a center.
 
#21 ·
I have a full maggie set up for my home theater. I am using a pair of MMGw for the center, MMGw for the rear and MC1s for L/R. An Outlaw 990 and 7025 handles the processing and power. The room is small (15'x11') so I think these are more than adequate. The sub is an old Klipsch that I bought used almost 15 yrs ago but still does the job. Will likely upgrade it later but not in a hurry.


I love the maggies for HT. Before I got the MC1s I had the MMGw for L/R and Klipsch for surround/center channels. Once I switched to all maggies, it was like a veil was lifted and I am surrounded with clear, quality sound.


Thanks for starting this thread.
 
#22 ·
ngepoy: So glad to hear about others who love Maggies for HT! That was actually my main motivation in returning to Maggies, which is apparently not the norm.


I have very vivid memories of how the ultra-realism and detail of the Maggies could actually create a physical "you are there" sensation while you're watching a film. The scene I often use as an example is one from "The Notebook" (don't laugh!)...the two main characters are sitting in a boat on the water, and you hear two main things: their dialouge and the gentle splashing of water upon the side of the boat. Now this may not seem like a huge deal to most, but it was so realistically portrayed that for anyone who had ever been in a boat and heard that in real life, it literally gave you the physical sensation that you were in the boat with them. That is one very small example of what I grew to know as what everyone called "maggie magic", and I've missed that over the past few years.


I've also put together a better 2-channel system since I last had Maggies around (MMGs), so I'm excited to hear how they sound with tubed gear. At the time, I had MMGs up front and MMG-Ws in back, and it took a VERY highly regarded $5k pair of speakers to take me away from them. But now I'm coming back to them and I couldn't be more excited.
 
#23 ·
Summa, I bought my 3.6's used, so yes, I have them.

I learned of Maggies and their inherent "imaging qualities" in 1979. I bought my first pair of MGI's then. They are still in my basement. They don't work, but I'm sending them back to the factory to be rebuilt after I sell the 1.6's.

At one point way back when, a friend of mine bought or rented a laserdisc player. He had a very cool McIntosh stereo setup as well. We rented a copy of "Alien" and I took the Maggies over for a party to watch the movie. This was the days when a 35" tube TV was the best quality you could get, so the gang was all huddled on the sofa and floor in front of the TV. I was standing behind the sofa. There was a part in the flic during a fight where a big piece of steel gets thrown from the background on the left through the center and flies across the floor to the rear on the right. Now remember, no surround speakers or even hardware. As the steel flew, the people on the floor actually scrambled, ducking and leaning away from the sound as it moved by. Now remember this was the eighties, senses where heightened.

Speaking of a sample of imagery thoroughly enjoyable at standard perception. Acquire a copy of Pink Floyd's UmmaGumma. Listen to the studio disc with your new 3.6's (or any Maggies really) at adequate volume. No need for surrounds, no need for a movie. You are "better" than there!
 
#24 ·
Ahh. Ummagumma. I sometimes use Grantchester Meadows to demo gear. Excellent album.


For a live experience, you can get Live at Pompeii and just watch the concert footage in the bonus features. Most of the songs are from ummagumma and are spectacular. Echoes is also awesome on Live at Pompeii.
 
#25 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sisyphus /forum/post/15378353


Is anyone running a pro amp QSC RMX2450 clone (Behringer EP2500, TAPCO Juice J-2500) with their maggies?

I have a pair of MMGs that I drove with pre-Klipsch Aragon amps. I had picked up a couple of Mackie FR1400s (same internals as the Tapco Juice line) for a couple of subs.


Tried them on the maggies, resolution suffered. Better to buy a used "audiophile" grade amp with decent power.
 
#26 ·
Keith: Thanks for the recommendation! I'm going to order that on Amazon today



Your Alien example reminds me of MAYBE the most impressive effect that my modest MMG/MMG-W system ever produced....My room is 16x28, and I had the MMGs up front on one of the short walls, and the MMG-Ws all the way in back on the rear wall, so there was over 24' between them. We were watching some action flick where a helicopter was coming in from the side of the screen, and even though there was no speaker on the side (long) wall, it sounded exactly like it was coming in from both the side AND from up in the air. My friend and I just stared at each other like, wtf! lol


Maggies rule!
 
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