MMGs

I’ve seen MMG’s measured in UW-Madison engineering lab at 2.8 Ohms .
Not complex but LOW .
I

I actually thought the Gunned SMGA.s sounded better then the 1.6's  John thought the 1.6's sounded better but wasn't surprised as several others had expressed the same feeling and it may be more affordable for you.  Didn't' hear the MMG's though

re: "I’ve seen MMG’s measured in UW-Madison engineering lab at 2.8 Ohms .
Not complex but LOW ."

Yes, the 4 ohms is an avg. over some dips & peaks along the freq. range.  That's about what TAS or S'phile measured, don't recall if it was a 3.6 or 3.7.

But he can surely use his present amp and compare it with others to see if he wants to replace it.  Moving them around & building polyfusors will likely be more productive -- not to mention finding some source material with decent DR...

kythyn - I am in the same boat with you, I am saving up for a better amp and currently powering them with a make do 250 wpc amp. They sound good, but one can clearly tell they could use more power. As far as upgrading goes - John recommends three models - MMG, 12 and 1.6. He has a detailed write-up on his website in regard with choosing a model. I don’t see why a year old MMGs would be a problem, according to John a lot of people prefer MMGs. I chose 12s because I wanted a tad more bass, but 1.6s probably would be a bit much for my room. I picked up those 12s used for a song, they barely had 200 hours on them. If you have the room, I’d say 1.6s would be ideal. I am uber happy with my 12s.  Read the following pages carefully, that way if you decide to do it you will have a better understanding as far as what's involved.  If you need further info - email John. 

http://www.indiespinzone.com/mag/mag16.html

http://www.indiespinzone.com/mag/mag14.html

http://www.indiespinzone.com/mag/mag4.html

Forget about the pictures and pointing at pic A and saying "I want mine to look like that".  John does not operate that way, like any custom product each pair is made to exact specifications of the customer and no two look exactly alike.  Pictures are there to serve as a general guide to selecting wood and style of frame.  Also, from time to time he ca be a bit ...hmmm... like John, I'll just leave it at that.  As any artist one should expect certain amount of eccentricity from such person.  Enzo Ferrari once famously said - "The customer is not always right".

randy-11 - Stock Magnepan frames are made from MDF, which does not soak up vibrations at all. Instead, it bounces vibrations back into the magneplanar panel, causing distortion. Wood is able to soak up vibrations much better, resulting in cleaner sound, better defined soundstage and overall smoother presentation. I lived with 12s stock for about a year, then I had them gunned - what a difference! New crossover is a major contributor to sound quality, as well as a 6db gain in efficiency. Stock Maggies are very tipsy/flimsy on their iron feet. John’s frames are very solid, nevermind gorgeous. The only thing left from the stock speaker after the modification is the driver panel. Everything else is supplied new, including crossovers. In regard with your comment about dipoles - if anything, the dipole effect is greater after the mod, and with careful placement one will hear a positive difference right away.