No Bass

[cia2a]

I have a Chiro 200/Chiro 800 Amp and preamp pushing Magnepan MG1, a system I inherited. Just attached my turntable and lo and behold, there seems to be virtually no Bass. Is this normal or do I need to get a subwoofer.

Thanks

[blackraven]

I have a Chiro 200/Chiro 800 Amp and preamp pushing Magnepan MG1, a system I inherited. Just attached my turntable and lo and behold, there seems to be virtually no Bass. Is this normal or do I need to get a subwoofer.

Thanks

I own 2 pairs of Magnepans, MMG's and QR1.6's which are newer models. The MG1's don't go down too low and don't have the highest highs. You will need a sub. A sealed sub works best in most cases. Good ported subs can match well too. As old as the MG1's are, they may need some refurbishing of the drivers and possibly the caps in the cross over. Magnepan can refurbish them.

Magnepans like plenty of power and high current to sound the best and get the most out of them, especially bass. I run 500wpc with my 1.6's but you certainly don't need that much. 150 to 250wpc with high current works just fine if you play moderately loud.

[JoeE SP9]

In addition to needing serious current, Magnepans are like real estate. It's location, location, location. Proper positioning makes a very large difference.

[blackraven]

In addition to needing serious current, Magnepans are like real estate. It's location, location, location. Proper positioning makes a very large difference.

Yes, they sound best 2.5 to 3.5 feet from the back wall. If you place them near corners you will get more bass. But overall you will need a sub. My 1.6's put out plenty of bass with my Pass amp and BAT preamp, more than when I was using the Parasound A21 which is a brute of an amp with 60 peak amps of current and 400wpc. However, if you want the type of bass that you can feel, then you will need a sub.

[cia2a]

Ok, thanks all for the advice and help

[blackraven]

If you decide to add a sub, don't go too cheap. A sub can be hard to integrate well with maggies. Cheap subs will sound flabby and out of place with the tight bass of the maggies. That is why I recommend a sealed sub or a more expensive ported sub. Also, a sub matches well when they are set at about the bottom end of the frequency response of the speakers (or about 5hz-10hz higher). The sub should only fill in the bass and should not draw attention to it except on very heavy bass passages.