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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
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rnm4
308 posts
 
I tried a pair, totally broken in -- borrowed from a fine fellow who purchased dome other speakers from me. I had them positioned vertically, and used both a couple of good amplifiers, one rater at 70W into 4, the other at 350 into 4. The more powerful amp definitely was better with them. I liked the Maggies alot, great naturalness in some ways, timbrally excellent, spacious seductive sound.

But I decided I couldn't live with the lack of low bass and dynamic range. I also found them to represent all singer as having huge heads. This may be a function of the size of the drivers -- getting a large instrument to sound so right by having it reproduced by a large panel may cause them to get what are closer to point sources but nonetheless move lots of air to sound like they come from large instruments too. I have my doubts as to whether going for bigger, better Maggies would really ameliorate these concerns.

That said, I can easily see how they would be great for some applications and preferences. And at $550 the MMG's are a stunning value. They do have in some ways a quite gorgeous presentation. All speakers are compromises.
tomryan
796 posts
 
I owned Maggies in 84' and 85' and sold them for the reasons listed above. I've also noticed that Maggies make singer's heads seem 3 ft wide and flutes seem 4 ft. The pure ribbon versions are not as bad.
robr45's avatar
robr45
319 posts
 
j-stereo,

7in is probably too high. Most people prefer 2-5". You should really check out the magnepan users group on aa.
j_stereo
130 posts
 
Robr45 - Thanks for the advice and I will investigate the height of the stands. Also after listening for another week I believe I will be keeping the MMG's regardless. I don't know where I could find another speaker for $550 new or used that could better them.
bradz's avatar
bradz
229 posts
 
Another thing to do with the mmg's is to experiment with the tweeter placement. I use to own the mmg's, and listening with the tweeters on the inside was the way to go for me. Tweeters on the inside provided more of a rounded sweetspot and without me missing a wider soundstage provided with the opposite. I now use the 1.6's and am very happy with them especially after adding room treatments (absorption) because of slap echo, loose bass, etc. in my room. The absorption panels I use are from GIK acoustics and are incredibly effective and a bargain! Talk to Bryan or Glenn at GIK and they can advise you of any issues you may have with your room. Their customer service is first rate and Bryan was especially helpful to me with advice with my room. It is absolutely true that the room is the most important part of setting up a system. I looked at your system pics and while I don't claim to be an engineer, it seems to me that your room would benefit from sound treatment. I am in no way affiliated with GIK Acoustics,but rather a very satisfied customer. Good luck and keep us posted.
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