Magnepan Owners - Need Your Thoughts Please

Sensitivity for both speakers mentioned are close enough for either to be driven by the amp in question......But, that being said, Key is generally considered to be current delivery. Yep, probably SS, or even Mac! Bryston is mentioned often as are the various ICE solutions sold by many. I personally have a PSAudio GCC 250 which really makes the 1.6s stand up and pay attention. Maggies don't play at nose bleed levels and distort differently than dynamic speakers when pushed. And YES they are NOT a 'bad load'. Not because of the even impedance which peaks around the x-over frequency, but because of moderate phase angle.

The Maggies are also a DIY DREAM speaker. Please check out 'Magnepan Users Group' for more than you'd ever want to know, let alone try. X-over mods, stands/supports, re-framing, and anything else you can imagine. The 'fringe' treat them like pets.

I solved my brightness problem by having the speakers 'cross' behind me. Crossing in front or AT me produced a too bright hi with compressed image.
Give them plenty of room. 3+ to the back and maybe more to the sides. The resistor supplied, of 1ohm, can be replaced by better. I consider that a 'last resort'.

The 1.6 has a mid/tweet 4 amp fuse which should indicate maximum power levels tolerated.

Nobody has yet mentioned the Cardas method. Please google. That will help with setup. Look at systems with Maggies for more hints.

With Maggies, as I'm sure you've read and realize, the 'setups the thing'.

Don't lock into dimensions before hearing them in your space. Be prepared to spend several hours experimenting. Link may provide some reading until you get 'em home and might even be the magic bullet. I don't know how well this works w/bi-di poles.

http://www.cardas.com/content.php?area=insights&content_id=26&pagestring=room+setup

Glad for your success w/Cardas setup.

I have been a Mag user for close to 30 years......bought some MG-1s from a friend and have never looked back. As it turns out, I've also had 'em in rooms from large closet to great hall with many stops between.
Amp choice? Match it to your max SPL, of course.
Magnepan, I'm told, shows with Bryston. The 4BSST is considered a good match as are any of the larger monos.
I use an ICE based solution to great effect. I have a PSAudio GCC250 of 500x2 into the panels nominal 4 ohms, or so. People seem happy with BelCanto 'd' amps as well. Either the over-the-top 1000 watt monoblocs or for more modest systems, there small integrated. Spectron has been mentioned, as well, and is an all original design from someone verging on genius.
If the sound is a little 'too bright', as it was for me, I toed them out a little more so they 'crossed' in back of me. That, and moving them as close together as possible, given they bracket a large TV helped imaging. The supplied attenuator resistor should be discarded and replaced with a good wirewound, if you REALLY gotta have it.

If you go to a sub, and don't play loudly, past the LF limits of the speaker, cross the sub over as low as possible and run the Maggies full-range.

Now, and finally, Magnepan is a DIY DREAM. Crossovers? aftermarket and homebrew all over the place.
Stands / Stiffeners? Yep. All have there fan base and advocates.
Turn the panels around? Sure! some people like the pole pieces facing them, not the mylar.
ReFrame? This is a beautiful solution to the 'monolith' look some find offensive. WAF is a factor, here. There are many beautiful and exotic woods which will make them one-off looking and enhance the sound.
At least one of the reframe persons also does external crossovers of different design.

Above all, have fun. links upon request.

Well, Stickman, are you ready to try a few tests?

Turn 'em around. Yep....put the mylar to the wall and the pole piece facing you, the listener. Magnepan flipped sides maybe.....15 years ago. I didn't get the memo, so when I went from MG-1 (late '70s vintage) to the 1.6 it took me a while and lots of reading to realize the cause of one of the largest differences between those 2 named panels.
Don't forget there are FOUR (4) ways to orient your panels. Mylar front / back and-or tweeters in/ out.

ALSO, get out the tape. I measure my panels distance to the wall. I use the edge of the tri strip as my reference. I am at 30 1/2" inside and 34" outside.
This is just over a 10degree toe and crosses the speakers about 20 feet away, well in back of me.

To get louder, don't forget relationship between additional power and loudness. Even going to 250 a side, you may not get loud enough.

Dsper? One of the few I've read who use Magnepan with Mac. I'd like to hear such a setup. For me in my room, the MA6900 or MA7000 would be about right.