Mye Audio Stands for Maggies

[DcnBlu]

I have been looking to replace my factory speaker stands (MMGs) with an aftermarket set created by Mye Audio. I have read a few reviews about them, and all are extemely pleased with the final look and performance. For a total of $430.00 (stands with struts plus shipping), is the ability to free the maggies and allow them to perform like their larger siblings (tonal quality, neurtality, ect.) worth a price that is nearly as much as the speakers themselves? Is the effect that dramatic?

Can anyone lend a bit of guidance concerning these stands?

[Florian]

Securing the Maggies and raising them (MMG and MG12) is a very nice improvment. If its worth for a MMG, depends on you. I would rather trade in the MMG and add 430 and buy a used 1.6 or MG12 but it depends on your room. The stands are very good and help since Maggies are not very heavy and secure on their feet when you push them. Ofcourse noone with a brain would push them on purpose, but it does help them.

-Flo

[DcnBlu]

E-gads, who would play "speaker tipping" with maggies;)

I was considering moving up to the 1.6, but since I live in a moderately sized studio apartment with a 9-foot ceiling, I thought it best not to go that rought. The MMGs are more than capable in filling my studio with full, robust music. It's just trying to wrap my mind around an upgrade that cost nearly as much as my speakers...humm.

Thanks for the prompt reply, I'm going to chew on the pros and cons of it before I decide either way.

Oh, to give you a better feel of what I am working with, my studio is just under 600sq.ft., with no two walls of the same length (there are breaks along any main wall). My main listening area is roughly partioned off (11x13).

[Florian]

Well thats not really big, but the 1.6 can work in that. But i would go for a MG12 and just drive it active with some good Rel subs :D

[cruzin]

I have been looking to replace my factory speaker stands (MMGs) with an aftermarket set created by Mye Audio. I have read a few reviews about them, and all are extemely pleased with the final look and performance. For a total of $430.00 (stands with struts plus shipping), is the ability to free the maggies and allow them to perform like their larger siblings (tonal quality, neurtality, ect.) worth a price that is nearly as much as the speakers themselves? Is the effect that dramatic?

Can anyone lend a bit of guidance concerning these stands?


I own the Maggie MMG's also.After looking at the mye stands,i did a little research on the MUG site.Under the tweaks section,A fellow MUG member made oak stands to match the railings on his MMG's.

I decided to try this also.About $30 dollars in wood from home depot and a few hours of work and I now have stands that raise the MMG's 5 ",and also stand them vertical.

[Geoffcin]

I have been looking to replace my factory speaker stands (MMGs) with an aftermarket set created by Mye Audio. I have read a few reviews about them, and all are extemely pleased with the final look and performance. For a total of $430.00 (stands with struts plus shipping), is the ability to free the maggies and allow them to perform like their larger siblings (tonal quality, neurtality, ect.) worth a price that is nearly as much as the speakers themselves? Is the effect that dramatic?

Can anyone lend a bit of guidance concerning these stands?

And they really help to focus the imaging. It gives you a much more of a "front row" effect when the maggies are tilted slighty forward.

[Florian]

Very good job! I have build those too for my old 1.6 which stableised them. Give the bass wing a try too :p

[Feanor]

I made stands for my MMGs. The intend was to stand them truly vertical and raise them 7-9" off the floor. Height was adjustable in that range. I used scrap MDF; the out-of-pocket cost was for the levelers, screws, and paint.

Did the stands help? They made a very minor improvement in the imaging; the main thing was to raise the center of the soundstage to eye level.

http://gallery.audioreview.com/showphoto.php?photo=1266&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

[DcnBlu]

Thanks folks for all the input. I have decided to build my own stands. It will more fulfilling and I like the idea of a custom touch.

[Florian]

Good choice. And while your ad it give this a try. Thanks to Mike for the guide!


"Mike at the Magnepan User Group

Mike's Wing work
http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/tweaks/wings/wings1.jpg
I just whipped up a set of wings from 3/4" plywood. They are the height of the 1.6's and 19" wide. I clamped them to the edges of my stands and played around with the angle briefly before doing some listening. So far, I'm not that impressed. I think the bass is better/fuller but they seem to have an effect on the midrange making it sound a bit more forward and nasal.

I think reducing the width and cutting vertical slits in the panel may help reduce/eliminate the problems I hear.

I couldn't resist running some numbers using a frequency generator and RatShack spl meter. The measurements were done with both channels driven and taken at my listening position:

http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/tweaks/wings/mike.gif

I then tried a triangular shape filling in the angle braces in my stands because I didn't like the sound with the 19" x 60" horizontal wings. I felt that it had a negative effect on the imaging and midrange.

http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/tweaks/wings/panstand5.jpg

That tip turned out to be the ticket (thank you)! Using a 1/8" sheet of recycled hardboard, I cut it out to fill in the support area one side of the stand. I first tried the board on the inside side of the speaker (closest to the tweeter panel). The results were far better than my previous attempt using the large plywood wings. Bass was noticeably improved over stock and full wing design. The imaging was slightly affected, sounding a bit closed in (like a box speaker), but I preferred the sound (tonally) with the board in place compared to no board. I then shifted the hardboard to the outside of the speaker (the bass panel side) and everything snapped into place. Awesome bass and no negative imaging effects! I haven't run any measurements yet but I can say that I no longer have a suck-out in the mid bass. Low bass is also vastly improved over stock. I'm very happy with the end result in this configuration. I'll post frequency response numbers after I get tired of listening to the music... If interested I posted a parts list with dimensions to construct the

[DcnBlu]

Please keep us informed on the outcome of your experiment.

Thanks,

Michael

[twochannelsonly]

For a total of $430.00 (stands with struts plus shipping),

They are worth every penny, Im on my second year with them on my Maggy 1.5's
My old Audio room before I moved was a 10 X 12 / 7ft 2in cieling and the Bass improvement was noticeable and I never really noticed any difference in the high end except the ability to lean forward or back the entire speaker was neat, I could raise and lower the Vocals and timber slightly. YES it does make the speaker sound more like the big ones.

Now that Ive moved the speakers are in a 17 X 22 foot with a 7ft 8in cieling, Im bumming becuase I still havent unboxed(found them) the stands yet so Im using the stock stands with the supplied white washers in the bottom screws to lean the speaker forward. I may get serious this weekend and try and find them, Ill take a picture and post them with and without stands if I do. They raise the speaker about 1 & 1/4 inch off the floor.

Ive been running 2 HSU VT-2 subwoofers and have a friends Velodyne FSR 15 over at the house now since last saturday(he swears its better) and it appears to have deeper bass, but it is slow compared to the HSU's and drowns the timber out in certain areas of the room. The stand's may help correct that.

[Mike Anderson]

Here is a very cheap and quick solution that makes it easy to try out various configurations:

I got four 8x8x16" cinderblocks, with two of these comprising the base for each speaker. These raise the speakers up off the floor.

I also got four large rubber ramp-shaped doorstops, which I place under the factory-supplied legs. These let me tilt forward the speakers to any degree I wish. I don't like having them exactly vertical; in that configuration, simply standing up takes you out of the optimal listening area. I like them titled back just slightly to raise the sweet spot a little.

I then put smaller cinder blocks on top of the back legs to keep the speakers from taking a face dive if they're bumped. Finally, I covered the bases with felt to make the setup less of an eyesore.

You can do all this for about $25; I just don't see the point of spending $400+ on stands for $550 speakers. Why not just spend $900+ on nicer speakers that come with stands?

[eberniewon]

I have a pair of 1.6s and MG12s both equipped with Mye stands. The stands have made a palpable difference in the bass. Until I finish my HT room, I am running both pairs of speakers off my Odyssey Stratos Stereo power amp... Nordost Blue Heaven cables for the 1.6s and Zu Wax for the MG12s. The pairs are standing next to each other about 4 feet from the rear wall and firing at my listening position... The difference in low bass, clarity and “punch” is amazing. The customer service from Mye Sound is excellent. Grant is very service oriented and accessible.

[GMichael]

Wow! Talk about digging up the dead...

Great post though.

[JohnMichael]

Mapleshade makes stands for Maggies. They are expensive but I have included a link so you can see how they designed their stands.


http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/epiphany.php

[blackraven]

For the price of a pair of those Maple Shade stands for the MMG's and MG12's you could sell your speakers and upgrade to the MG 1.6's which would make a bigger improvement in sound than those stands. You would think that if those stands made such a dramatic improvement in sound that Magnepan would have jumped on that gravy train for a lot less money. While I'm sure that there is some benefit to them, I would have a hard time believing that they are worth over $800.

[Kevio]

Kind of homely looking too.

[GMichael]

For the price of a pair of those Maple Shade stands for the MMG's and MG12's you could sell your speakers and upgrade to the MG 1.6's which would make a bigger improvement in sound than those stands. You would think that if those stands made such a dramatic improvement in sound that Magnepan would have jumped on that gravy train for a lot less money. While I'm sure that there is some benefit to them, I would have a hard time believing that they are worth over $800.

Doh!

How dare you come in here and make perfect sense. What you say seems like a much better option to me.

[manlystanley]

And they really help to focus the imaging. It gives you a much more of a "front row" effect when the maggies are tilted slighty forward.


Cool. This answers a previous question that I had. I'll delete that thread (if I can).

Best Regards,
Stan

[Geoffcin]

Cool. This answers a previous question that I had. I'll delete that thread (if I can).

Best Regards,
Stan

There's a little trick you can try if you want to see what the effect is like. Just wedge up the back of the stock stands so that the speakers tilt toward you. A 1" to 1.5" wedge block is all you really need. You'll get 90% of the effect that way.

The Mye stands really worked on my 3.6's, but the effect was just a little spooky. Where central images used to come from between the speakers and on plane with them, by tilting them forward the effect was to bring them closer to the seating position, in some cases literally breathing in your face! This might also be because of an interaction with my catherdral ceiling room.

[Dawnrazor]

Very good job! I have build those too for my old 1.6 which stableised them. Give the bass wing a try too :p

You aren't the Florian that used to go by Lord Magnepan are you??

[JohnMichael]

You aren't the Florian that used to go by Lord Magnepan are you??



Yes he is.

[hifitommy]

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/search.mpl?forum=mug&searchtext=mmg+mye

i already have stands that raise my MMGs and stand them vertically. plus i am using a hsu sub to VG effect. i alternate between my spendor s3/5s and the maggies. i also have some infinity primus 150s ( http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/404infinity/index.html ) to toss in now and again.

those will have to do until i somehow afford MBL101s !

my system: http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/588.html

[DcnBlu]

Hello everyone:

It's been eight years and my MMGs are as perfect as day one. I have gone through four stands, two hand made, and various setups. A friend and I have begun a new round of test. The goal is to create the best performance in an average sized room. In a practical endeavor, we ask, what can the lil'maggies do for the average room and listener.

To solve the bass problem (not wanting to alter the maggie's best settings away from walls), we are testing and buying different subs from 8" to 10". Our design will place the subs (paired) under each speaker. The elevation mount is designed to to keep the subs from vibrating the main speaker.

Yes, this is for fun. Maggie's are such a pleasure to work with, small powerful, and beautiful.

Now to pick subs....hmmmmm.

[Feanor]

Hello everyone:

It's been eight years and my MMGs are as perfect as day one. I have gone through four stands, two hand made, and various setups. A friend and I have begun a new round of test. The goal is to create the best performance in an average sized room. In a practical endeavor, we ask, what can the lil'maggies do for the average room and listener.

To solve the bass problem (not wanting to alter the maggie's best settings away from walls), we are testing and buying different subs from 8" to 10". Our design will place the subs (paired) under each speaker. The elevation mount is designed to to keep the subs from vibrating the main speaker.

Yes, this is for fun. Maggie's are such a pleasure to work with, small powerful, and beautiful.

Now to pick subs....hmmmmm.
Keep up the good work ... and keep us up to date on your results. :cornut:

[hifitommy]

would sunfire subs (carver) work? they are certainly small enough.