MG 1.6QR crushes competion

[Feanor]

In the latest edition of Playback, Magneplanar MG 1.6 QRs crush the competition in the <$2K "tower speaker" shoot out.

Quote ...

• Transparency to die for
• Sounds like far more expensive speaker
• Extraordinary bass definition

[E-Stat]

In the latest edition of Playback, Magneplanar MG 1.6 QRs crushes the competition in the <$2K "tower speaker"shoot out.

Well, I could have told you that! I instantly became a Maggie fan in '74 when I heard some Tympanis.

rw

[Auricauricle]

Last time I saw an object like the Maggies, the computer went on a killing spree....

[GMichael]

They sure do sound nice though. They were on my short list before I bought the speakers I have now. I heard a pair of 3.6's a few years back. A totally mesmerizing sound.

[Auricauricle]

No doubt about it.....We have a local dealer, and all I can do now is drool. Remember the giants that Stax built...?

[Ajani]

What I find really interesting is that in part 1 of this shootout last month, the same reviewer prefered Klipsch and Aperion over Dynaudio, PSB and Paradigm... and in this part he raves about Magnepan and to a lesser extent Martin Logan.. It really shows how different musical tastes can be.... Which is part of what makes this hobby so sweet...

I normally don't expect a reviewer to like both Klipsch and Magnepan, so that was an eye-opener...

I really hope Playback keeps up the good work though... it's just so not North-American to have so many reviews of similarly priced products in consecutive issues... Seriously that's a comparison of 10 (I think) floorstanding speakers in the under $2K price range in just 2 months!!!

EDIT: One of the best things about the 2 part shootout is that they chose a real world price range... under $2k for a floorstander is where most people would be shopping... having a massive shootout of speakers above $10K is fun to read but unlikely to be of relevance to most people...

[blackraven]

As an owner of the MG1.6's, I would say thats a fairly accurate review, although I find them to be very detailed but you have to feed them the proper amount of power. I'm using 268wpc and wish I had at least 350wpc.

I was especially impressed that the reviewer rated them as having very good bass. Many people are used to the box bass sound. Magnepans have a tighter, faster if you will bass than most box speakers. There is no boominess about them. If your a hard rock fan and like that deep booming bass then these speakers are not for you!

[Feanor]

As an owner of the MG1.6's, I would say thats a fairly accurate review, although I find them to be very detailed but you have to feed them the proper amount of power. I'm using 268wpc and wish I had at least 350wpc.

I was especially impressed that the reviewer rated them as having very good bass. Many people are used to the box bass sound. Magnepans have a tighter, faster if you will bass than most box speakers. There is no boominess about them. If your a hard rock fan and like that deep booming bass then these speakers are not for you!

B/R, as another MG 1.6 owner, I agree the Playback review is accurate and fair. I agree with you comments too, though I run mine satisfactorally with only 120 wpc; I don't use them for HT, which might be a factor, plus I tend to listen a lower levels than most people, I guess.

No, 1.6s aren't for the hard rockers who need punchier dynamics. Even RGA concedes the virtues and value of the 1.6, but for my part I concede that his Audio Note might be the better speaker given his musical tastes.

[blackraven]

Feanor, I ran mine with 120wpc high current JVC receiver and they sounded very good but when I turned the volume up fairly loud the receiver would occasionally shut down on certain music. I like to listen to them fairly loud. You should hear them hooked up to a 500wpc amp, even at moderate volume, the dynamics are improved.

I live about 15min from the magnepan factory and actually picked up my MMG's directly from them. The Magnepan owners stated that the 1.6's will take all the power you can feed them with out damaging them.

[Feanor]

Feanor, I ran mine with 120wpc high current JVC receiver and they sounded very good but when I turned the volume up fairly loud the receiver would occasionally shut down on certain music. I like to listen to them fairly loud. You should hear them hooked up to a 500wpc amp, even at moderate volume, the dynamics are improved.

I live about 15min from the magnepan factory and actually picked up my MMG's directly from them. The Magnepan owners stated that the 1.6's will take all the power you can feed them with out damaging them.

15 minutes, eh? I ordered my MMG delivered to Regina, Saskatchewan, not very far from Minnesota actually, and they arrived in 3 days. On the other hand to get the MG 1.6 I had a 5 hour round trip from London, ON, to the nearest dealer in Toronto.

I certainly wouldn't turn down more power for the 1.6. If I thought something I might afford, let's say the D-Sonic Magnum 1000S would sound as good as the Monarchys, I'd be very temped. However I'm not sure they would. It's true that the Magneplanars will exploit not only lots of power but power of the highest quality. My dream amp for the MG 1.6 would be, say, a Pass Labs X350.5 -- 500 wpc of the finest. Here's a used one for sale for a paltry $5750
...

[blackraven]

Now thats an amp to lust after! Wow!

I'd like to find a used Parasound Halo A21 which would be more in my price range. 400wpc at 4ohms and very good reviews. Then I would need a nice tube preamp to go along with it.

And then of course I'd want to upgrade to the MG3.6's.