Magneplanar 2.5 MG speakers

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by oxenholme, Apr 17, 2004.

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  1. oxenholme

    oxenholme Senile member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Knoydart
    There are a pair going on eBay. Do I get them for the stereo in my flat? Smallish room, 75 wpc British amp, decent British CD player. Van den Hul speaker cable. I listen mainly to 50's / 60's pop, some Baroque classical.
     
  2. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    If I remember correctly, Maggies are not recommended for rock & roll... anyone else?
     
  3. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialistâ„¢

    Location:
    B.C.
    I've heard they really require a lot of power to sound decent.
     
  4. Joe Nino-Hernes

    Joe Nino-Hernes Active Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    That is ringing a bell in my head too. There is not much decent response below 60hz. They can be rather muddy sounding if you try to play bass heavy content through them. These speakers really shine with classical music. If you use a good sub woofer with them, you could make a really good sounding system. I am not a fan of subs though, I like all my sound coming from the same source.
     
  5. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    Yes, I remember the sub comment, too. As a matter of fact, I was told that there was this particular company that built custom bass drivers that the Maggies could sit on. For a more "full range" speaker effect.

    Dave, I think you're right - they need gobs of power.
     
  6. peter

    peter Senior Member

    Location:
    Paradise
    I had a pair in the late 70's. You guys are all correct. I had a QUAD 405 amp at that time, 100wpc, and that was not enough. No bass at all either. Once, a friend hooked up his M&K subwoofer to my Mags and BOY what a difference.

    I'd pass on these, personally.
     
  7. oxenholme

    oxenholme Senile member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Knoydart
    Advice taken, reluctantly !!! Thank you for the feedback. I will probably opt for Monitor Audio Gold Reference 60's - decent response down to 28Hz. I have some GR10's and their sound is superb.
     
  8. vinyl anachronist

    vinyl anachronist Senior Member

    Location:
    Lakeside, Oregon
    If you like the Magnepan sound, perhaps you could consider the 1.6s. They're a little more forgiving with less power, and they aren't bass shy at all. And they're bargain-priced for the performance you get.

    By the way, how is your room? Maggies like big ones.
     
  9. Ronflugelguy

    Ronflugelguy Resident Trumpet Geek

    Location:
    Modesto,Ca
    I drove mine, when I owned them, with a Hafler DH-200 @ 4ohms gave them 200 wpc. And i had the small ones. You are right, no bass, but extremely transparent.
     
  10. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    Yes, I understand that big rooms and lots of space behind the speaker is a requirement.

    Not particularly good for a flat.... :(
     
  11. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Not necessarily true. The Mgs maybe but my 1.6QRs go down to about 36hz. The midbass accuracy is very accurate on the Maggies.

    They work fine for Rock and Roll as I do a lot of listening to that.

    Maggies are altogether wonderful speakers that are very open and transparent. They do require a bit of power, but I can drive anything up to and including the 3.6s with a 100 watt tube amp from Audio Research.

    Yes. I honestly drive my $1,750 1.6s with about $25K of electronics. This totally subverts the speaker-electronics rule of thumb but then again it works and rules are made to be broken.

    As Gary said, they sound do good a bit into the room (3 foot or more ideal) and away from the side walls (3+ foot as well).

    Power is not really a big issue except for the 3.6s and the 20.1s.
     
  12. Shakey

    Shakey New Member

    Location:
    Chicago, Illinois
    I owned a pair of MG-1imp's for a long time.
    Initially powered by a Sony receiver, then paired with a Hafler DH-200 and finally with a Nakamichi PA-7.
    I mostly listen to Rock and actually I found them OK. I wouldn't say there was no bass, but not what you expect from a boxed dynamic speaker.
    They were re-built several times. Magnepan gets my vote for the Best Customer Service I have ever encountered. These older ones were much more prone to UV damage than the newer ones (adhesive failure). And I never was charged for anything but shipping, even out of warranty.
    I got rid of them, to a friend, because they do require a larger room than I had and this is where I think some people think there is no bass. Being a dipole requires proper placement or you'll end up setting up standing waves which either will diminish the bass or exagerate it.
    I'd have to say you'd better audition some before you buy, and I'd be wary of any used speakers sight unseen which cost as much as these do to ship, and are easily damaged by the shipper.
     
  13. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    It is fantastic customer service and they quite generous about shipping new ribbon tweeters if you screw it up.

    Quite true. :)
     
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