Well since I started this thread in relation to Magnepans in my small listening room I suppose I should share what's been going on. Instead of waiting until I have the funds to pick up a pair of 1.7s, I took advantage of Magnepan's MMG trial and trade up program and ordered a pair of MMGs. I got the speakers last Friday and it's been an interesting few days. I unpacked them, put the legs on, fired up the system and they sounded awful! No bass, a very strident upper midrange and very bright. Not the same experience I had with my SMGbs years ago. The SMGbs lacked in bass at first but still sounded great everywhere else. Being well aware of the need to break in, I left the room and let them play for a few hours. Their sound changed dramatically even after just a few hours. They were listenable but not great. The next day I let them play for five hours while my wife and I went shopping. Upon returning, their sound had improved even further. The bass was starting to come in and the upper midrange harshness was gone. I let them play all day Sunday and all day Monday. Last night they sounded very much like the MG12s the dealer let me borrow. They are playing away at home as I write this at work and I hope to hear further improvements tonight. A Paradigm SE subwoofer will be arriving today and I'm looking forward to hearing how that integrates. Another thing I should note which I don't understand, is that these speakers were much more sensitive than the MG12s when first played. This is not subjective or imagined either. I use an SPL meter to protect my ears and the volume knob on the preamp was set significantly lower at the the SPL I normally listen at than with the MG12s. Throughout the last three days the knob has progressively been dialed up to maintain the same volume. They are still more sensitive than the MG12s but the change is significant and puzzling. Overall I'm happy I didn't drop another 600.00 dollars for MG12s given the performance I'm experiencing with these humble MMGs. I think I will be quite satisfied while I acquire the necessary funds for the 1.7s. Maybe the .7s will be out by then and I'll consider those also.
