Ouch, Maggies need repair

[nightflier]

OK, I know I've been hard on Maggies because I just wasn't hearing the magic that others rave about. Well there may be an explanation.

It turns out that the speakers may have been defective. I had borrowed these from a friend who apparently was in a hurry for some cash and placed them on eBay. When they arrived, the buyer had them checked out professionally and found that the mylar is slack on one speaker and that this is probably the result of heat exposure. Now my "friend" claims I did that, even though he knows that my HT room is climate controlled and has no windows.

Anyhow, my question is this: can this be repaired? I'm not even sure if Magnepan will repair this, since to determine the extent of the damage, the sock had to be removed (it was replaced professionally with a brand new sock, from what I'm told, but Magnepan will obviously notice that). I know these speakers cost $600, $400 used, but now that they are damaged, who knows?

Also, shipping these speakers back & forth is going to tear up the original box, so if these could be repaired somewhere in SoCal, that would be even better.

Any suggestions?

[GMichael]

It's a hopeless case. You should send them to me.

[squeegy200]

I think the only true option is the factory repair in Wisconsin.

I've heard of mylar tearing and wires separating from the mylar. But I've never heard of the mylar loosing tension (slack) and I've never heard that excessive room temperature is an issue with any maggies.

My thought is any electrical energy under normal use would far surpass any temperature extremes due to ambient room temperature. Although I've never perceived any warmth or temperature change due to use. I've removed the socks on my SMGs. While Ill never touch the mylar while in operation, I can feel no radiant heat during use.

[nightflier]

I know Magnepan.com isn't exactly the most up-to-date site out there, but do they even have an email address? All they list is a phone number and snail-mail address.

[squeegy200]

I've been told they do not have email. But apparently the woman behind the phone number is responsive and very helpful. She's gained a reputation amongst Maggie owners as a knowledgeable and helpful individual. It's reported she's even assisted in tracking history for new owners via serial numbers.

Althought I purchased my maggies from eBay, I've never had to deal directly with the factory so this is all third hand info I've gathered from reading the forums over the past few years.

[blackraven]

The Magnepan factory is 20 minutes from me in white bear lake Minnesota . They have excellent customer service. Give them a call, I'm sure they can give you a quote.

[Geoffcin]

OK, I know I've been hard on Maggies because I just wasn't hearing the magic that others rave about. Well there may be an explanation.
Anyhow, my question is this: can this be repaired?
Any suggestions?

D.I.Y. Dude!

I'm a little perplexed though. If you take the sock off qnd find damage you don't put a new sock back on. That's just plain stupid.

Magnepan sells a repair kit to re-attach the wiring. If the wiring is broken, then that can be patched too. Maggies are really tough, you would have to bake the kitty at like 200+ deg to make any kind of damage to it. Sun exposure is usually the cause of failure. Takes years though. How old are these?

[nightflier]

The speakers are about 4 years old. The sock was removed by someone who mods these speakers, apparently.

I'm starting to be a little skeptical about all this as well.

[nightflier]

Well today we were told by someone who claims to be a knowledgeable Magnepan modder, that the speakers were probably never built right from the start, and that Magnepan was largely to blame. Of course, being 4 years old, there's no warranty to rely on. Given that Magnepan will probably not admit the error, this is starting to sound more and more expensive everyday. I agreed to split the cost of repairs, but I'm not paying for repairs that will run in the hundreds. After all these speakers are only $600 new.

The only thing that keeps me interested in this is that I really want to hear how good these speakers might be. Maggies aren't exactly easy to ship, so I really don't plan on buying a pair myself, and these are really the only ones I have ready access to. And frankly after uncovering this mess, I am also concerned about the build-quality of these speakers in general. I had been warned by many people, including some people who've been at this a lot longer than I have, that Maggies aren't in the same league as the other players like Analisys and Apogee, and now I'm starting to believe it.

[Deadeye]

I'm curious as to why you don't give the Magnepan people a call and find out what they have to say.

[Rich-n-Texas]

So let's see...

A broken Outlaw product and a broken Maggie. :nonod:

Really know how to pick 'em don't ya flyboy :biggrin5:

(Hint: Pay no attention to the dumbass behind the pixelthis username)

[nightflier]

Well the Outlaw had a problem that was easily fixed and has been repaired, in record time, I might add, and has been flawless since. The Maggies appear to have a manufacturing defect, or something that happened to them while the intended buyer had them, so it's not exactly something I did either. Anyhow, both brands are fairly reputable both on this forum and elsewhere, so I guess I do know how to pick them.

On the other hand, I've had my share of problems with Spectron, Klipsch, Vandersteen, Arcam, and several other brands, too; so you can add them to the list, if you really want to make a case. In the end, it's all hit or miss. Most of these items are mass-produced in assembly lines, shipped all over the world, bought & sold numerous times, probably dropped one time too many and quite possibly overdriven at one point or another, so it's inevitable they'll have problems. Fortunately, I've become quite the expert at working with manufacturers and service techs. When you buy used, you pretty much have to.

[JoeE SP9]

I already asked, but here it goes again. What do the people in Minn. have to say. You know, the ones who manufactured them.

[audio amateur]

I already asked, but here it goes again. What do the people in Minn. have to say. You know, the ones who manufactured them.
Why don't you call and find out for yourself?
:ihih:

[nightflier]

I haven't been able to call. I'm on the West coast, and when I get into work I'm swamped. Things usually slow down towards the end of the day (when I'm posting on this forum), but then the East coast is closed. Of course, I shouldn't be doing this at work anyhow, but that's another story.

[JoeE SP9]

Why don't you call and find out for yourself?
:ihih:

It's kind of hard to describe a problem when I don't have the speakers.:crazy:

[audio amateur]

It's kind of hard to describe a problem when I don't have the speakers.:crazy:
Hmmm good point :smilewinkgrin:

[JoeE SP9]

Hmmm good point :smilewinkgrin:
Well, nightflier could ship them to me. I promise they'll get the best of care. I could then describe the problem to the Maggy people.

[nightflier]

Joe, I'm not opposed to sending them to you at all, if I ever get them back.

Right now, my friend is having a dispute with the buyer because the latter didn't send the feet back with the speakers. The buyer also re-clothed them and my friend believes that he may have altered them to make the sound problem more acute. The buyer claims that the speakers were misrepresented and now there's no way to prove they were in good or at least decent condition when they were sold. Now my friend has a claim against his Paypal account for the full amount including shipping, is being threatened with negative feedback (and also personal threats), while the buyer told eBay that he acted in good faith, returned the speakers and deserves his money back.

What do you guys think of this situation, though? My friend was pretty sure they were OK, and when I had them they didn't sound that good, but also not that bad. To me this whole thing sounds fishy. Actually what's really screwy is that the buyer claims only one of the speakers is bad and not the other, and that's something I'm pretty sure I did not hear when I first heard them. They were slightly lifeless in both channels.

Well, on the plus side, we're pretty sure I wasn't the one to fry them (or it), so at least I'm off the hook.

[JoeE SP9]

If the buyer re-clothed them wouldn't that void any warranty or return privilege. That's kind of like buying a car, changing the upholstery and trying to return it because you don't like the fabric on the seats.

[audio amateur]

I thought the Maggies were yours?:idea: I'm confused..

[nightflier]

No they were borrowed. My friend thought I had toasted them, but I'm pretty sure now that they were slightly toasted when I got them, and now, apparently they are crispy-toast, or at least one of the speakers is. I had dinner with my friend Tuesday night, and he gave me an earful about the whole mess.