Anyone have Magnepans?

My dealer recently started carrying Maggies, which I got to audition the 20.1's for me, first time I ever heard a full range ribbon.... It was just before I got the S8's...

I was truly blown away by them - always have been skeptical about them but really and truly amazing to me and my sugar mama, who seemingly has better hearing then I even after being in a war zone....

2 channel sound was absolutely and incredibly enveloping........ Crystalline

If some day I had the need or want for a 2 channel setup - they would be high on my list, but no question they would have to be crossed over to a pair of my HO-Made subs, or even a scaled down version - dual opposed 15" LMS's

Pyrrho said:

My brother owns a pair. (For the record, he drives them with a receiver, which is fine, contrary to some of the ill-informed opinions out there. But one should have a unit that is decently high powered and is fine with 4 ohm speakers.) For the money, I think they are fantastic. They sound almost as good as the higher models. They are more limited in maximum output and in bass. Being shorter, you might be too much above them while standing, depending on how far you are from them.

If I had $600 for a pair of speakers, and if I were going to buy new, and if they would fit in the space I had, and if the amplifier I had could adequately drive them, there is no other speaker I would even consider. With them, you get a glimpse of the high end at a very reasonable price.

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Magnepan has a pair of MMG's in their front reception area driven by a modest NAD receiver. The amp just needs to be able to handle a 4 ohm load properly.

I happen to agree with you that those MMG's at their 600 dollar a pair direct from the factory price is one of the best deals in audio. I've had my pair hooked up to a variety of amps and they produce real music that I could happily live with as my only speakers.

Warpdrv said:

My dealer recently started carrying Maggies, which I got to audition the 20.1's for me, first time I ever heard a full range ribbon.... It was just before I got the S8's...

I was truly blown away by them - always have been skeptical about them but really and truly amazing to me and my sugar mama, who seemingly has better hearing then I even after being in a war zone....

2 channel sound was absolutely and incredibly enveloping........ Crystalline

If some day I had the need or want for a 2 channel setup - they would be high on my list, but no question they would have to be crossed over to a pair of my HO-Made subs, or even a scaled down version - dual opposed 15" LMS's

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My local Magnepan dealer doesn't have the 20.1s for demo, but I had a chance to listen to them at a dealer in Chicago a few years ago. They were very impressive. My local dealer does have a demo pair of the 3.6's and I've spent some time listening to those as well. Once again, there is no way for any music lover not to be impressed by a pair of those.

I just don't have the room for the 3.6's in any of my systems.

After years of Magnepan ownership, I'm still amazed at how good they are. I get a new recording and just marvel; then end up sitting through hours of the same cd on repeat.

A friend of mine from back home has had a pair of Magnepan 20.1 speakers for several years now. He uses large Bryston monoblocks to power them, and they sound simply amazing. He runs them full frequency with no subwoofer, so there is definitely a lacking in powerful bass that we get used to from our subs, but the crystal clear mids and treble almost make up for it. I'd personally try to integrate a subwoofer into the system, so I could have the best of both worlds. The only other draw back is having what looks like two large doors standing up in your room. He has a dedicated room for stereo listening, so the size and awkward appearance isn't not bad. I haven't found another pair of speakers that have the high frequency resolution that they have. No matter what I have to come home to, I always like my tweeters less after coming home from an afternoon at his house!
-Brad

zildjian said:

A friend of mine from back home has had a pair of Magnepan 20.1 speakers for several years now. He uses large Bryston monoblocks to power them, and they sound simply amazing. He runs them full frequency with no subwoofer, so there is definitely a lacking in powerful bass that we get used to from our subs, but the crystal clear mids and treble almost make up for it. I'd personally try to integrate a subwoofer into the system, so I could have the best of both worlds. The only other draw back is having what looks like two large doors standing up in your room. He has a dedicated room for stereo listening, so the size and awkward appearance isn't not bad. I haven't found another pair of speakers that have the high frequency resolution that they have. No matter what I have to come home to, I always like my tweeters less after coming home from an afternoon at his house!
-Brad

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If space or other constraints prevent you from having flat panel speakers, and if the treble is what matters most to you, you might want to try some speakers with conventional woofers and ribbon tweeters. Aurum Cantus makes some that are inexpensive for what you get. I use their Leisure 2SE (original U.S. version; and it does matter which version you get) for all channels in my home theater (except for the subwoofer channel, of course), and, in my opinion, the treble is every bit as good as what you would get from a comparable Magnepan speaker (or Apogee speaker), though firing only forward, the character of it differs from the sound of a dipole. (Being a high quality ribbon, it should sound quite similar, and it does, though you don't get the sound bouncing off the wall behind them as you would with a dipole speaker.) The midrange and bass, however, sound like a conventional speaker, though a good quality one.

Also, they are an easy 8 ohm load and are of normal efficiency, so practically anything can drive them. They also have the most beautiful finish I have ever seen on any speaker at any price, with the best speaker connectors I have ever seen on any speakers. They are also relatively small. They are very easy to live with. If you can find a dealer (which is doubtful), I highly recommend that you audition them.

I think once you've listened to properly placed dipole speakers, there is no going back to monopoles.

AcuDefTechGuy said:

I think once you've listened to properly placed dipole speakers, there is no going back to monopoles.

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You need to buy the MMG's and compare them to the P362. Think of it as doing a service to the community.

Matt34 said:

You need to buy the MMG's and compare them to the P362. Think of it as doing a service to the community.

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I've thought about that.

I'm trying to figure out where to place the MMGs in my house.

I was thinking of just placing them next to the P362s in the family room.

Maybe Christmas.

AcuDefTechGuy said:

I've thought about that.

I'm trying to figure out where to place the MMGs in my house.

I was thinking of just placing them next to the P362s in the family room.

Maybe Christmas.

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We don't want to wait that long...and neither do you!

AcuDefTechGuy said:

I think once you've listened to properly placed dipole speakers, there is no going back to monopoles.

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Aren't your Definitive Technology speakers bipole rather than dipole speakers?

I'm running MMG's with an MMG-C in the front with MMG-W's in the rear & love them. Still waiting for the Denon 4311CI to arrive so i can drive the front 3 with an Emotiva XPA-3, but my little Onkyo 608 is pushing all 5 without too much stress.
The Bogen/Manfrotto auto poles (used in photography studios) allow me to put the MMG's in just about any position in my small livingroom.
My Phase Technology WL-10 Sub blends beautifully with the Maggies so far, but i can't wait to calibrate everything with the 4311CI's programs.
With Magnepans, it all boils down to: if you have the right room, enough power & a good subwoofer, they will smoke many other speaker systems in clairity, soundstage etc., and for the price they're almost impossible to beat.

munroe said:

I'm running MMG's with an MMG-C in the front with MMG-W's in the rear & love them. Still waiting for the Denon 4311CI to arrive so i can drive the front 3 with an Emotiva XPA-3, but my little Onkyo 608 is pushing all 5 without too much stress.
The Bogen/Manfrotto auto poles (used in photography studios) allow me to put the MMG's in just about any position in my small livingroom.
My Phase Technology WL-10 Sub blends beautifully with the Maggies so far, but i can't wait to calibrate everything with the 4311CI's programs.
With Magnepans, it all boils down to: if you have the right room, enough power & a good subwoofer, they will smoke many other speaker systems in clairity, soundstage etc., and for the price they're almost impossible to beat.

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Your idea of using Bogen/Manfrotto auto poles is inspired. You might even want to start a new thread, with pictures of how they are connected, and advice regarding their use. Other MMG owners are likely to find it interesting, and may want to try them, as many wish to have them up off the floor due to the limited vertical dispersion.

I will do a thread on the Bogen/MMG support system, but i'm in such a state of disaray waiting for my Denon 4311 & Emotiva surround speakers to arrive that i'm not going to photo anything untill the dust settles. I just stuck the Phase Tech V-Surrounds on the top of the poles to see what front high sounds like (great!) but i still have a million tweaks to go...
I think the Bogen auto poles with all the clamps runs around $300 for the set, but i'll include all the specs in that thread. I don't know what the WAF would be, but my GF thinks they look sorta SOHO loft sculptural cool, so they're a go in my house.

Here you go;
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=767936#post767936

my dad has a pair of 20.1's. best speaker I've ever heard hands down. close your eyes and you're there.

IF (and it is a IF) I was to get a set of the MMG and I coupled them with a Polk CS20 center, would the sound be rubbish for HT?

I can't afford the pair of centers for a while.

Thanks.

moggi1964 said:

IF (and it is a IF) I was to get a set of the MMG and I coupled them with a Polk CS20 center, would the sound be rubbish for HT?

I can't afford the pair of centers for a while.

Thanks.

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I'm guessing it would just sound weird. I doubt it would be satisfactory, especially considering I didn't even like the sound of a subwoofer with the MMGs. Plus I'm guessing volume adjustment would be strange considering the difference in efficiency.

moggi1964 said:

IF (and it is a IF) I was to get a set of the MMG and I coupled them with a Polk CS20 center, would the sound be rubbish for HT?

I can't afford the pair of centers for a while.

Thanks.

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alienpi said:

I'm guessing it would just sound weird. I doubt it would be satisfactory, especially considering I didn't even like the sound of a subwoofer with the MMGs. Plus I'm guessing volume adjustment would be strange considering the difference in efficiency.

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Given that most modern receivers adjust the levels automatically, differences in efficiency would not be likely to cause any trouble.

However, they would not be "voice matched," and it is likely that it would not be satisfactory for that reason. I personally would not recommend that combination, and would probably prefer to use no center to that, though one would need to try it to find out if one liked it or not.

Pyrrho said:

Given that most modern receivers adjust the levels automatically, differences in efficiency would not be likely to cause any trouble.

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I didn't know that they did this because I haven't had a receiver for years. Just 2 speakers, a pair of mono-blocks, and a volume control. Thanks for the info.