Anyone send back Magnepan MMG's?


I'm currently trying out some MMG's under their 60-day money-back trial period. I'm two weeks into it and I've already made up my mind that they're going back. The presentation is interesting, but the soundstaging is no better (perhaps even worse) than my trusty Audio Physic Tempo's. There is a problem in cohesion from midrange to bass, and this manifests itself quite frequently when I play 80's rock and pop (Pat Benatar especially). And they get congested with complex orchestral music. Granted, with simple chamber music or guitar solos, they sound pretty good. But they just can't handle the gamut of music that I play like my Audio Physic speakers.

There are those who may claim that perhaps my amp isn't up to the task of powering the Maggies. I have an Innersound ESL 300 which is designed for planars and electrostats, being able to double down twice to 2 ohms, and still stable at 1/3 ohm impedance. It should be more than enough to drive the Maggies.

And some will claim that the MMG's don't adequately represent the abilities of Magnepan's higher-end offerings. I've heard a 3.6 previously, driven by Classe electronics, and while it sounded OK, I wasn't thrilled with it. Which surprises me, because I tend to gravitate toward electrostatics, and I thought I'd gravitate towards planars as well.

And I will admit, my old Audio Physic Tempo's originally retailed for $4000, which is substantially more than the MMG's $550. But still, even at their entry level, the Magnepan's should be hinting at something that those box speakers can't quite do. But I'm not hearing it. I came into this with a very open mind, and I'm somewhat surprised that the speakers are likely getting shipped back to Magnepan.

Has anyone else come to this conclusion?

Michael
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xsufentanil
In about '82 or '83 I bought a pair of MG-1s. I have never looked back. Room placement is KEY. You must EXPERIMENT around, since even a few inches can and will make a difference. Toe in? Yes...but how much? Tweeters in/out?
In my case, Tweeters IN, in very small rooms, otherwise out.
Let 'em breathe

I had them rebuilt in about '01 or '02, sold them last year and bought some 1.6's.

And, it also seems to be true that you can't have too much 4ohm power.
My take on the MMG's is they are a wonderful midrange speakers with compressed dynamics that you have to sit directly on axis for. If you can live with the things it doesn't do, and appreciate what it does so well, then these speakers are for you. If however their inabilities overcome their riches, then you must look elsewhere.
Just bought a used pair from JBPimp...nice guy btw, and they sound wonderful. I am also using theil 2.4's and I can offer this advice/opinion: dont try to compare apples to oranges. This is in regard to any piece of equipment. The MMG's do a great service in some areas that my theil's cannot do and visa versa. I was not looking to replace my theil's...just wanted to try maggies for the first time. I guess if your looking to replace a component with another, then obviously one will be very critical in their assesment of the piece.
I would say the MMg's are more musically enjoyable, and less acurate, or typical audiophile like speakers. This is not a bad thing at all. The first thing I look for in a speaker is how musical they are. I also like the MMG's in small rooms, actually with a EQ(extremely rarely the case with me)to enhance the bottom end a little, and in some cases tweak the treble a little.

This is probably do to the fact the mmg's sound seams sort of dead or flat when left alone to me. While they do have a sound of there own for sure, I dont feel its in the tone they produce as much, the EQ helped a lot at least for me and some excitement to them.
IMO..send them back,heard them several times...way too limited in what a speaker should offer at any price