Giving Magnepan another try

[nightflier]

'Flier, I'm going to (once again) recomment a pair of Monarchy SM-70 Pros to drive the MMG. I'm trying to remember who had a pair of these (besides me): was it you? I can't imagine that you'd be disappointed driving the Maggie fronts with these.

But the idea of using Maggies in an M/C setup bothers me. It's indeed true that the Maggies have a narrow sweet spot, so unless you're the only listener I don't seem them working.

One thought is intriging, though, for HT use. For a long time various people recommend diapole speakers for the surround speakers. This is exactly what the Maggies are of course. A pair of smaller Maggies sitting either side of the listener, edge-on, might just work quite well. However this is not the recommend set up for SACD where all speakers are supposed to be directed at the listener.

I had the SM70 Pros for a few months but I sold them for two reasons: they run extremely hot (I used them extensively, especially trying to hammer out the issues with the MMGs). But heat is a big issue for me because I'm working with a smallish room and have three full systems set up in it (yes, I know, that doesn't make me very popular with the wife). The other reason was that they are unwieldy. They are too large to fit on one shelf and I dropped one and bent the back fin, not to mention that I broke the tip of my finger in the process - the kind of pain that will buckle your knees, trust me. Yes, I know they sounded wonderful but that was the last straw; I would have shot-putted that brick out the window if I wasn't so busy cursing.... Anyhow, you would think that Monarchy could have at least put handles on the back or made them 1" narrower and a 1" taller (which, if my math is correct, would still have given the fins more surface area, btw). I should also mention that my $600 Spectron amp still ate them for lunch. So they're gone & good riddance. No offense meant, Feanor, but when your gear injures you, that may be a sign to move on to something else.

On a more positive note, a friend of mine put me in touch with a guy in Arizona who's also into digital amps (for the same reasons I am, imagine that). Anyhow, he's going to send me an RMB-1077 in exchange for my PS Audio HCA-2. It's just a loan, but we'll see what's what when it arrives. Jrhymeammo, your dealer's comments are not reassuring. Hopefully he's just referring to the Rotel amps paired with larger Maggies. If I have to, I'll just power the center and rears with a Rotel and use the Spectron for the L&R. I know for a fact that it has no issues driving anything, although to be frank, I haven't really driven a working pair of Maggies with it. John Ulrick said that digital will work fine, although he also said that not all class-d amps are created equal, of course. I will be doing some tests with the Spectron and the MMG-Ws this weekend so I'll know more on Monday.

Funny story. Someone emailed and asked why I would want to "downgrade" from my Viennas to the "gimmicky" Maggies. He had other negative things to say about Maggies, so I figured he's probably had a bad pair, too, and I kind of felt obligated to correct a few assumptions, some of which I once shared. He's local, so I invited him over for a listen. He emailed back and said he didn't want to be tricked into believing something that wasn't real and said only hearing something on his own system would make him believe anything. I asked him what kind of amp he has and he said a Threshold T800 driving Vandersteen speakers. I looked it up: the amp can do 200/400W. I said no problem, I'll bring over the Maggies and we'll have a listen. Then he emailed back and said he didn't want to be tricked into upgrading anything. Maybe I was a little too forward in inviting myself over, but you gota wonder about some people....

Long-story short, yes, if the amps can handle it, I'm replacing the Viennas with Maggies. I don't have a clear thought on the L&R yet. I may start with the MC1s and if that doesn't do it, I'll move on up starting with the MG12's. I have about $3K to spend, but that also is for a new pre (probably the McCormack MAP-1). If the Rotel can't handle even the MMG-Ws, then I'm going to try something used from Spectron, PS Audio or possibly NuForce's MC amp. Unfortunately, there really aren't many other options out there for Class-D.

[Feanor]

I had the SM70 Pros for a few months but I sold them for two reasons: they run extremely hot (I used them extensively, especially trying to hammer out the issues with the MMGs). ... I dropped one and bent the back fin, not to mention that I broke the tip of my finger in the process - the kind of pain that will buckle your knees, trust me. ... I should also mention that my $600 Spectron amp still ate them for lunch. So they're gone & good riddance. No offense meant, Feanor, but when your gear injures you, that may be a sign to move on to something else.

...

No offense taken!!

I'm reminded now of your ealier comments. The Spectron is a class D amp I'd really like to hear myself. By consensus of TAS pundits a year or so ago, it was the best class D. At $600 you got a mind-numbing deal even for an older model -- you shouldn't imply that this somehow relates to the current price: the Muscian III Mk2 retails for $7200.

My Monarchys run warm but not hot driving my MG 1.6. Hummm ... since your room is not large, I surmise that you listen a lot louder than I do. The current Spectron puts out 800 wpc into 4 ohms which would tend to favor it at higher levels of over the 120 wpc Monarchy.