Magnepan - Still good?

[bubslewis]

Recently retired my old (ancient BOSE's) front speakers and am now looking for something new. Last time I seriously auditioned any speakers was in 1988. I recall that I really liked a pair of Magnepans (can't remember the model). They were a bit above my budget at the time, plus they were driving them with a monster high current amp which they recommended I should also purchase.

From all I've read, Magnepan still seems to be held in fairly high regard today. Any opinions?

Was looking at Magnepan MG 12 or MG 1.6's (and maybe a 3.6) on the internet. Would they require a super high current amp? Would something like an ADCOM 5400 (125W into 8 ohm, 200W into 4 ohm, fairly substantial current output) be sufficient?

Any feedback welcomed. Always like to have as much ammunition as possible before I go stick my neck out and listen to them.

thanks,
Bill

[E-Stat]

From all I've read, Magnepan still seems to be held in fairly high regard today. Any opinions?

You really need to hear a current pair for yourself with familiar music. I have thought they were something special since I first heard a pair of Tympani I-Us back in '74. Like all bipolars, however, they require some "breathing" room behind them to sound their best.

rw

[Mike Anderson]

I friggin' LOVE my 1.6's, and a lot of other people here will swear by them too. It's a truly impressive speaker for the money.

For the full effect, I think they do require a fair amount of current -- but quality is more important than quantity in many ways.

I should say, however, that there is a growing contigent of people over at Audio Asylum who are going with super-cheap (but very high power) pro-quality power amps like Behringer or QSC. You'd probably want a decent pre-amp with that, though, and you need a way to silence/replace the fan.

I can't speak to the Adcom you mention, never having tried it. But be aware that watt ratings are not always comparable across different manufacturers.

[bubslewis]

Thanks for feedback. Was planning (hoping) to use the pre-amp outputs from a Yamaha RX2500 A/V receiver into the amp for the Magnepans. I don't know how the pre-amp in the Yamaha stacks up against using a stand-alone preamp for the Magnepan

[accastil]

hi bubs,
yes indeed! maggies are really good..but only for a limited type of music. light jazz, classical and all those light and mellow music are a glory when listened to at maggies. but take note that maggies are not that impressive with more aggressive and bassful music such as rock, disco, pop, etc...and yes you are right, they require more powerful amps than box speakers. your yamaha receiver may not be enought to squeeze the juice out of them. why not audition Monitor Audio, Linn Ninka, Pro Ac, Triangle...they sound as good as maggies in my opinion and they will never fail to meet your expectations given any kind of music you would want to play. cheers!

[Florian]

Get the room, electronics and setup right and they will rock, hop, beat you and astound you. There is no speaker in the same price range that will give you more sound "QUALITY"

-Flo

PS: Regarding the amp, maggies will work fine with lower powered amps, but they need tons of current (not receiver) to shine. If interested in alternatives that improve upon them, let me know via PM. I had many maggies and loved them all.

[Mike Anderson]

hi bubs,
yes indeed! maggies are really good..but only for a limited type of music. light jazz, classical and all those light and mellow music are a glory when listened to at maggies. but take note that maggies are not that impressive with more aggressive and bassful music such as rock, disco, pop, etc..

I have to disagree there. Jazz/classical/acoustic make up only a small portion of my listening. I have tons of bass-heavy music, and the 1.6's do it gloriously. They just have to be positioned properly, and driven with enough current.

Too many people are drawing this conclusion based on: 1) what they heard at a dealer's where zero attention was paid to room position; or 2) the MMGs they heard, which do indeed lack some punch.

Properly setup 1.6's will definitely rock and pump out the bass. If you want even more thump, you can always add a subwoofer.

[Feanor]

[quote=bubslewis]
....
From all I've read, Magnepan still seems to be held in fairly high regard today. Any opinions?

Was looking at Magnepan MG 12 or MG 1.6's (and maybe a 3.6) on the internet. Would they require a super high current amp? Would something like an ADCOM 5400 (125W into 8 ohm, 200W into 4 ohm, fairly substantial current output) be sufficient?
...
/quote]

No better speaker under US$2000 than the MG 1.6QR. Especially for accoustic music nothing else can do the same thing -- air, transparency & detail but smooth and effortless; there-in-the-room reproduction. But there might be better choice is you need to play rock music very loud.

As for any Magneplanar -- or any dipole speaker -- placement can be an issue but it's not as big a problem as some people make out. Sufficient power is necesary: 100 watts/ch @ 4 ohms pretty much the minimum for decent volume in a medium room.

[bubslewis]

[QUOTE=Feanor]

....
From all I've read, Magnepan still seems to be held in fairly high regard today. Any opinions?

Was looking at Magnepan MG 12 or MG 1.6's (and maybe a 3.6) on the internet. Would they require a super high current amp? Would something like an ADCOM 5400 (125W into 8 ohm, 200W into 4 ohm, fairly substantial current output) be sufficient?
...
/quote]

No better speaker under US$2000 than the MG 1.6QR. Especially for accoustic music nothing else can do the same thing -- air, transparency & detail but smooth and effortless; there-in-the-room reproduction. But there might be better choice is you need to play rock music very loud.

As for any Magneplanar -- or any dipole speaker -- placement can be an issue but it's not as big a problem as some people make out. Sufficient power is necesary: 100 watts/ch @ 4 ohms pretty much the minimum for decent volume in a medium room.

Thanks for feedback. I'm not a bass freak and loud rock music will only be occasional at best. Also have a modest 100W self powered sub to help out if needed. Have a fairly rectangular 17' x 26' room which will allow placement about 3 ft out from back wall and 4 -5 ft. from side walls.

I think my ADCOM amp will be sufficient..... not great, but sufficient. Next chore: break it to the wife.Then to the "Listening Room" in Baltimore (closest dealer) to listen to them. Oh boy oh boy.

[Woochifer]

Thanks for feedback. I'm not a bass freak and loud rock music will only be occasional at best. Also have a modest 100W self powered sub to help out if needed. Have a fairly rectangular 17' x 26' room which will allow placement about 3 ft out from back wall and 4 -5 ft. from side walls.

I think my ADCOM amp will be sufficient..... not great, but sufficient. Next chore: break it to the wife.Then to the "Listening Room" in Baltimore (closest dealer) to listen to them. Oh boy oh boy.

Your room seems like a good size for the Maggies. Hopefully, they'll pass aesthetic muster with the wife, because the 1.6s are fairly large and sound optimal with a fair amount of space behind them.

But, definitely try the 1.6 with your amp before you decide. If you can't borrow the speakers for home audition, you should bring your amp to the dealer and hook it up to their demo rig. I heard the 1.6 with an Adcom amp (I believe it was the GFA-5500), and the sound started to audibly compress when it reached moderately high levels. Whether limitations with the amp or the speaker were the culprit, that combination did not work well once I turned the volume above my normal listening levels. At normal listening levels and with acoustic music, the 1.6s sounded quite good. With amplified instruments and at higher than normal levels, the results were less than ideal IMO.

[RGA]

I agree with Woochifer -- the speakers will heavily compress at what I consider decent volume levels -- but for lower volumes to mid volumes the 1.6 is tough to beat --- it does many very intriguing things in this price range. The Adcom should easily have enough power to drive any of the maggies you are discussing. As usual the best thing to do is listen -- what I find a necessity in volume level you may find loud and unecessary then again if you like trance a small scale club levels then chances are you will be looking for soemthing else -- but the 1.6 is one of the better speakers in this price range -- and that is worth a listen.

[Florian]

Go figure, the factless, non-experienced, planar bashing group just made an arival....enjoy

[Mike Anderson]

I agree with Woochifer -- the speakers will heavily compress at what I consider decent volume levels

In the interests of accuracy, Woochifer said this about the Adcom driving the 1.6s.

I've never tried driving mine with an Adcom, but with my amp they do very well at high volumes.

[jt1stcav]

FWIW, I owned a pair of Magnepan MGLR1 planars that sounded fantastic with both my Carver TFM-35x, and later with a McIntosh MC7200 power amp. The Mac especially had the high current necessary to really make my Maggies sing, and not only to orchestral/chamber music and jazz, but also to techno, rock, and full-blown pipe organ recordings! Of course I also had a DIY 1000 watt 15" powered subwoofer to help out with the bass duties, but my Maggie/Mac combo (controlled by an AMC tube pre) was truely anything but lacking! And I've only heard a few high-end loudspeakers that could truely disappear given the right room and speaker placement, and that from a pair of entry-level Magnepans not much more expensive than the ever-popular MMGs! Imagine what their TOTL models can do!

I may have gone a totally different route with my loudspeaker purchases of late (from 2-way cones 'n' domes, horns, and even fullrange single-drivers) and still enjoying the different varieties along the way. But I'll always have a warm spot in my heart for planars and someday may own another pair again. Good luck on your quest for good sound.

[safeharbor]

Is it true that Maggies "wear out"? I have heard that they become problematic through time...or is this another planar urban-legend?

[Geoffcin]

Is it true that Maggies "wear out"? I have heard that they become problematic through time...or is this another planar urban-legend?

Although they do have a long break-in period. On the true ribbon models 3.6r & 20.1 the ribbon will eventually need replacing, but it's service life is like 10,000 hrs at moderate volume, so that's really not a worry. It's also easily replaced.

[squeegy200]

Magnaplanars will be a very different experience than the Bose speakers you previously owned. So listen critically because you are the one who has to live with them.

I own a pair of SMGs which maggie purists agree is argueably the smallest and most anemic of the Magnapan lineup past and present.

I drive them with a pair of humble NAD 2155 amps bridged mono which I purchased off eBay for $130 each.

I listen to everything from Van Halen to Offenbach, Dave Grusin to the Back Street Boys.They graciously interpret everything I've thrown at them. Listen and decide for yourself. These littlest of planar speakers can create some immense sound pressure in my 13x18 listening room. Imagine what the bigger panels can achieve!