magnepan mmgs-buy zero autoformers or stands 1st?


the mmgs sound good with my 40wpc el34 tube amp, but the bass needs tightening up. what would benefit me more, the zero autoformers or the mye stands. i'm thinking both will help immensely, but don't have the dough right now for both. thanks
cooch
Cooch, I'm not sure why you posted the question. Buy the autoformers (they're good), buy the stands (their great), break in the speakers for 300-500 hours (they will improve)and keep the same amp and you STILL won't be hearing the speakers at their best. This is not to say your amp isn't good. It simply doesn't have the current these speakers demand to perform at their best.

Tvad...The manual for MG1.6 does talk about break in. What is says is that the LF extension will gradually increase until it meets spec. That is exactly what happened (and I can tell because I have a spectrum analyser that shows me the frequency response). My MG1.6 started out 3dB down at about 45+ Hz, and ended up at 40Hz, which is exactly per the Maggie specs.
Cooch: You wrote, "altho, on my reference system i do not get the boominess. that is what puzzles me." I don't know what your reference system is but may well be that the speakers in your reference system synergize better with an amp with low damping factor. Could very well be that the speakers in your reference system are damped in the woofer already (Merlins do this, for example and pair better with low damped amps). The use of little feedback in your amp indicates a low damping factor. Tvad recommended using the Maggies on the 8 ohm taps as this is known as "light loading" and will increase the damping. You may consider calling Magnepan and see what they advise about "light loading". If they tell you "no, don't do it", then don't. The autoformers will transform the impedance allowing you to use the 8 ohm taps and acheive higher damping. In my experience with Maggies, they respond better to amps with high damping factors (as always, there are exceptions). I don't think the break in time with your amp is going to cure the boomy bass; I truly think the boomy bass is directly related to the use of little feedback on the amp. I'd first call Magnepan to see if you can try "light loading". If Magnepan says "no", call Paul Speltz to see if he still offers the trial period with the Zeros. Short of these steps, I cannot think of any other solution other than a different amp. Good luck.
ok fellas, case closed. thanks for all of the feedback. much appreciated........
called magnepan. they said could use 8 ohm tap but there may not be enough current on 8 ohm tap. i will give it a shot... thanks