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How long can Magnepan speaker last?

I am asking in term of build quality when proper used (no overdriving or abusing them). How long could it last? I heard some stories about the glue is weakening over the years and as the warrantee seems relatively short (3 vs 5-10 years) so it a bit concern me.

I am about to get a used pair of 1.6 and wonder how long it will last with me without having to fix them.

For any Maggies owners, I would really appreciate if you could share experience of failed Maggies, how old were they when they failed and what seemed to be the problems?

Is 10 years too long to live for the Maggies? If so what would be the typical life of them, 5 years?

Sorry if I ask so many questions regarding this. It will be a big step up for me and I probably can't afford any upgrade for a while so I would like to make sure that I am going on the right track. The price of them may be a joke for many of us here, but it 's significant to me.

Thanks a lot,

Ake
ake
photon46
1,076 posts
 
I used a set of Maggie MGa's for 12 years absolutely trouble free, then upgraded to the 1.6. Like a previous poster stated, no voice coils to blow, no foam or rubber surrounds to dry out, no cabinetry to chip & crack. Yes, some have reported a delamination of the mylar membrane/wire bond, but this can be repaired. Besides, not too many speakers offer the unique virtues of the 1.6 for such a relatively low price.
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docwarnock
63 posts
 
I have a pair of original SMGa's that are celebrating their 11th year of service in perfect condition. I have never seen or heard a complaint about Maggie reliability.
jvia
195 posts
 
As someone who buys and sells a lot of used gear, I would not hesitate to tell my best freind moving to Antartica to buy a pair of Maggies, tremendous loudspeaker for the money, and incredibly reliable. That and if you do have a problem , its one of the more helpful, go out of their way, do anything they can to help you manufactorers out there. That and you like them. I am a firm believer you have less problems out of gear you like than gear you kinda like.
bishopwill
369 posts
 
I've seen one pair that was kept in a humid, un-air conditioned home for years. The grill cloth rotted and glue joint in one corner of one frame came apart but they still sounded great. A dab of glue fixed the joint but I don't know what he ever did about the cloth.

will
hifiharv
351 posts
 
I loved my MG111A's, but I have to admit that they went bad after 9 years of med. to heavy use. By heavy use, I don't mean high power, just lots of playing time. They don't have voice coils to go bad or surrounds to rot, but, what they all will eventually have is a problem with the voice coil de- laminating from the mylar panel. So, the wire grid is being moved by the signal/magnets, but it is not moving the diaphragm itself. I could hear the wire grid drumming away on the panel during play. When I disassembled mine to repair them, I found the top and bottom 8 inches of voice coil wire was no longer attached to the panel. For this reason, I would never buy a used pair. I still like Maggies though and would even buy a new pair some day if I was willing to give up the space to get the most from them. I never had any trouble with the "delicate" true ribbon tweeter and I would expect the newer Quasi- ribbons to be even more durable.
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