• 08-02-2004, 11:23 PM
    timlua
    Harman Kardon with maggies...help
    Can anyone please advice me wether it is safe or even remotely possible to have (front)MG-12, (rear)MMG-W, (center)MMG-C hooked in to a HARMAN KARDON AVR5550 7.1 70watts per channel receiver? At the moment, I have the Harman Kardon with the MG-12 for music only. Because I have limited space, I want to incorporate my existing system into a HT & wanting to buy center & rear Maggies also. Oh I have 2 10" powered subs as well.
    I guess, the main question is...cn the HK take it? Will I damage any equipmetns by doing this?

    Thanks in advance
  • 08-03-2004, 03:54 AM
    Geoffcin
    In my opinion YES
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by timlua
    Can anyone please advice me wether it is safe or even remotely possible to have (front)MG-12, (rear)MMG-W, (center)MMG-C hooked in to a HARMAN KARDON AVR5550 7.1 70watts per channel receiver? At the moment, I have the Harman Kardon with the MG-12 for music only. Because I have limited space, I want to incorporate my existing system into a HT & wanting to buy center & rear Maggies also. Oh I have 2 10" powered subs as well.
    I guess, the main question is...cn the HK take it? Will I damage any equipmetns by doing this?

    Thanks in advance


    HK receivers have quality amp sections, and the maggies should not present a difficult load for it. A friend had a HK receiver hooked up to 4 ohm speakers, and it never had a problem. The worst that I can see happening is that the protection circuits would cut in if you try to play at high volume. This PROBABLY wont happen under anything but extreme conditions.

    Good luck!
  • 08-03-2004, 05:03 AM
    kfalls
    I did a quick look at the MMG W specs and with only an 86db efficiency and 4 ohm load I'd be hesitant. Electrostatics are known to be a difficult load and unless the receiver provides specs for output into 4 ohms you may want to re-think your choice. Another spec you may want to look at on the receiver is the Dynamic Headroom which is the amount of power available above the 70W continuous output for short durations. This will give a good indication of how much reserve the receiver's power supply has. Especially since this is a Home Theater receiver which you'll want to crank a bit to get the full effect. I'm not that familiar with how the Maggies handle distortion, but with standard cone drivers movie scenes with explosions and such could deplete the power-supply causing clipping and "blow" the speakers. Check the specs before making your decision.
  • 08-03-2004, 05:28 AM
    Bryan
    Provided the HK has preouts you will want to investigate adding on two or three channel amps. Get the mains and center off the HK and you should be fine.
  • 08-03-2004, 12:30 PM
    Woochifer
    Not all home theater receivers are rated to handle 4 ohm loads, and even those models that can handle a 4 ohm load do not typically recommend using more than one pair of 4 ohm speakers at a time. I've not tried the smaller MMG models, but the larger Magneplanars that I've tried before presented a difficult load for even high powered separates.

    If you can, try borrowing the ancillary speakers and see how the h/k performs with all of those speakers hooked up. Listen for any signs of audible distortion and if the protection mode on the receiver kicks in well before your maximum listening volume.
  • 08-03-2004, 01:43 PM
    markw
    Well, when I had MMG's, ...
    ... they sucked the watts out of a NAD 214 power amp, which was rated for 80 wpc @ 8 ohms and somewhat more at 4 ohms. The exact number escapes me but it was considerably more.

    True, they are 4 ohms, but a fairly constant 4 ohms. If you don't play 'em too loud and keep all bass out of them you should be fine.

    Oh, someone above thought Maggies are electrostatics. They are not. 'Stats, like Maggies, ARE planar speakers but require a power supply to work. Maggies do not require a power supply.
  • 08-03-2004, 05:11 PM
    timlua
    Thanks all for the advice, anymore out ther to give advice?.. very welcome. I dont usually play audio or even HT loud, I think I play them reasonable enough. I dont know how come Magnepan company dont have a customre service in their website for consumres to ask questions. Does HARMAN have this?
  • 08-03-2004, 06:30 PM
    Tarheel_
    I suggest purchasing a quality, but inexpensive 2 channel amp such as the Rotel 980bx. Its rated high enough and delivers clean amp power. You can find them on audiogon or ebay for about $300 bucks. I used this setup with Revels and it sounds wonderful without power worries.