Maggies or No Maggies?

[safeharbor]

Hi Folks, Newbie Here! I have a decent audio setup, but have been considering purchasing a good pair of Maggies to go with my equipment. I currently have a Rotel RC-1070 Preamp and Threshold S/300 Series II Amplifier hooked up with some other Peripherals to a very good pair of the original Canton Ergo Passive loudspeakers. The S/300 II supplies 150 WPC Stasis Power. Do you think that the Maggies would be worth a listen? Thanks!

[sharper]

Maggies are always worth a listen. You can see for yourself why they're (among) the most popular high-end loudspeakers. Your amp is great and is what Magnepan used to use in their demos at CES, etc. I've never owned Maggies but do like them a lot. I've owned two S/300 II amps as well as the SA/3. I think the S/300 II is one of the best amps of all time - especially when it comes to timbre...a flute, for example, sounds like a real flute with that amp. I remember that amp as the definition of neutral (without being clinical). Just make sure you have the necessary room in your listening space for whichever model you're going to listen to.

[Glen B]

Hi Folks, Newbie Here! I have a decent audio setup, but have been considering purchasing a good pair of Maggies to go with my equipment. I currently have a Rotel RC-1070 Preamp and Threshold S/300 Series II Amplifier hooked up with some other Peripherals to a very good pair of the original Canton Ergo Passive loudspeakers. The S/300 II supplies 150 WPC Stasis Power. Do you think that the Maggies would be worth a listen? Thanks!

If you look just 6 posts below, there is an excellent discussion on Maggies ("Magnepan - Still Good ?"). Maggies are definitely worth a listen. I wish love to own a pair but I just don't have the room for proper placement.

[squeegy200]

If you look just 6 posts below, there is an excellent discussion on Maggies ("Magnepan - Still Good ?"). Maggies are definitely worth a listen. I wish love to own a pair but I just don't have the room for proper placement.

Glen B said it accurately:
I think placement is the real key with Dipole type planar speakers. Your intended environment and their placement within that environment will have a lot of influence on the success of your Magnaplanars. If placed incorrectly, they'll sound horribly. But if placed correctly, they create a realistic 3D soundstage virtually unmatched by any conventional box speaker.

Various Magnapan speakers can be had at bargain prices on the used market too. One of the many appealing qualities of the Magnaplanar speakers is the large owner base and thus a highly developed knowledgebase.Unlike many other planar speakers, Magneplanars, lend themselves to tweeks. They are customizeable, tuneable, and rebuildable for anyone with reasonable DIYskills.

[safeharbor]

Thanks for the advice. How can I determine if my room will suit? My current setup is about 6-7 feet away from listening position and about 2 feet away from the back wall. Do you recommend buying a pair on ebay?

[squeegy200]

Thanks for the advice. How can I determine if my room will suit? My current setup is about 6-7 feet away from listening position and about 2 feet away from the back wall. Do you recommend buying a pair on ebay?

eBay is a great place to start looking and also to gauge used market value. Bare in mind some models are old and will require rebuilding. Audiogon and Audioreview are also have good used market places. The Magneplanar Users Group (MUG) is a great place to research the different weaknesses and attributes of the different models. It will help you to comprehend the differences of the various models up for auction.

You can also purchase brand new Magneplanars directly from Magnepan in Wisconsin. Their smallest model retails for $550 but offers an upgrade discount if you decide you want to go to a bigger model.

Magnepan also offers rebuild services if you opt to get a pre-owned pair from the used marketplace. (Or MUG website will show you how to rebuild yourself if you are a DIYer)

[safeharbor]

Thanks! I just bought a pair of SMGas on ebay for $330. They look to be in excellent condition!

[squeegy200]

Here's a great write up from a fellow with the same speakers. He's done several upgrades and this is his detailed account of what he's done.

http://www.indiespinzone.com/other/smga.html

[twochannelsonly]

Agreed, nothing but maggies here as well, except if I could score a pair of the Vintage JBL's like the 4435's or the 4355's or even better a pr of Hartsfields

[slbenz]

Agree here as well. Especially since I have a Magnepan home theater system using IIIas for mains, 1.5s for rears.