TommyK Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Greetings, I picked up a pair of SGMa Maggies in great condition locally yesterday. I had always wanted to try Magnepan speakers, having heard so many good things over the years. After an evening of listening, they just dont have the dynamic feel of my 1976 Belles. Not as much life in the music. True I need to spend more time with various amps and set ups to try and get the most out of them. Possibly run a sub to help out too. Fortunately my room lets me bring the panels 3 or more feet from the wall. I used an updated Nobis Cantabile pp El34 and matching Cantabile Pre as well as MC-6200 ss int. I kept the source to CDs using a PS Audio dac and an AckDac! from various players. The SGMa did many things well for me. Great deep soundstage. Wonderful luscious mids. Just not as complete a sonic experience as the Belles. Everytime I try a new speaker path, I meet PWK walking back the other way shaking his head. Cheers, TommyK, NJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Are you saying the Maggies are flat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Are you saying the Maggies are flat? GROAN!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted October 12, 2005 Author Share Posted October 12, 2005 "Flat" is such a negative. But compared to the Belles, in my set up, voices were *flat* as in not as *vividly present*. It comes down to trade offs. The imaging with the SGMa was THERE in bold caps. But the energy did not compare to the Belles. They didn't raise the hair on the back of my arms. Two discs I played which showed the difference were Amos Lee, a singer songwriter out of Philly, and Beth Orton. The Belles just reproduced the vocals with more realism and dynamics. My wife wishes sorely that I would get off the upgrade wagon.Yet for me, half the fun of this hobby is trying new set-ups. Next up I ordered a Behringer digital EQ. At least this one I won't have to sneak in the front door and burn brownie points. Peace, TommyK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Don't ya just love Beth Orton's haunting voice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted October 12, 2005 Author Share Posted October 12, 2005 Don't ya just love Beth Orton's haunting voice? Yeah. Part of my audio quest is to bring out those "ah" moments. Beth Orton's voice can raise the hair on my arm. Haunting. George Lewis' Clairnet. When Jerry Garcia is in the pocket on a Dark Star. A CSN harmony. Qutoing Brian Wilson - Dont know where but she sends me there. TommyK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Are you saying the Maggies are flat? GROAN!! I'm just filling in until fini gets here.[] Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 good to know, was thinking of chucking it all for paneles and super power amp myself last night as I struggled to make room for my...big ole horns, guess I will stay the course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodog Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Yet for me, half the fun of this hobby is trying new set-ups. Peace, TommyK I understand this! For me it is different shades of 'excellent' that I enjoy. I like to visit stereo shops and hear the 'best they've got' to experience a different flavor of excellent. that's also one of the reasons I enjoy forum get-togethers so much. Flks show up with their best gear and we get to listen and play and plot what our next excellent system will be. I recently went to Upstairs Audio in Columbia, SC and listened to the best they had, a pair of Totem Mani-2 driven with a beast of a tube amplifier, a 100 wpc Acoustic Research 6550 based behemoth. It was truly an engaging sound, but at $10,000+ not *THAT* engaging. Yeah, half the fun is trying new setups, and you don't even have to spend that much if you're careful, patient, and lucky. Woo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Greetings, I picked up a pair of SGMa Maggies in great condition locally yesterday. I may not be up on my Maggies, but aren't those the "entry level" Magnepans? Might not really be a fair comparison between those and your Belles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki Choi Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Maggie 3.6Rs would have been a better plannar speakers to compare to the Belle Klipschs. But at the end of the day, one would hear flapping noise of the diaphragms from any full range panel speakers when playing ultra low notes in respectable output levels - having had Maggies, SoundLab A1s and still have the Quad ESL-63s, ESL-63USA Monitors, and 988s in my house. Belle Klispchs are totally different. I still have the Belle Klipschs and got rid of the Maggies. Ki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Those Maggies are fun to listen to. You can find them very reasonably priced, since they were the entry-level version. They are hard to drive however. The impedance is low and the sensitivity is miserable. The other negatives are that they do not have a loud & dynamic sound and the bass is very shy. The last negative is that it takes a great deal of fiddling around to correctly place/locate them in a room. That is a long list of negatives. However, they have a wonderful mid-range (actually it can be quite remarkable if they are positioned correctly) and the imaging/sound stage is astounding (again this requires proper placement). It is in this regard, they differ the most from the Klipsch/Heritage-sound (along with the bass). They are nice to have as a back up system if your home allows for that. Beware when you buy this used however, they do get tears in the mylar (usually fixable). Good luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 I had a pair of Magnepan MGLR1 planars (just above the entry-level MMGs), that had an 85dB sensitivity rating at 4 ohms, and needed every bit of power from my Carver TFM-35x (and later a McIntosh MC7200) to bring my favorite pipe organ recordings to near-live levels. Oh, what a glorious sound! Imaging was impeccable, dynamics and detail were the best I've ever heard in a $900 pr. loudspeakers! But as much as I loved my power-hungry Maggies, they just didn't have the sheer presence that my Cornwalls have, plus I could never use my li'l 8 watt 300B SET amp with 'em. If money (and space) was no object, I'd have two seperate systems...my present low-power SET/Loth-X (Cornwall) setup, and a balls-to-the-wall setup consisting of megapower PP or SS power amps driving the biggest pair of Maggies they make! They'd both be a totally different sounds, but who says you have to be loyal to only one type of loudspeaker design? Why not have your cake and eat it too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 Could say the same thing about horns: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Big ole horns are fun to listen to. Because of their size, you can find them very reasonably priced. They are tricky to drive however. The impedance is high and the sensitivity is incredible! The other negatives are that they do not sound best with conventional equipment, in fact most conventional rules do not apply when matching horns with amplifiers. For loudspeakers so large, the deep bass is a lot less than expected. The last negative is that they need to be out 3-4 from the front and side walls, but their imaging is excellent. That is a long list of negatives. However, they have a wonderful mid-range (actually it can be quite remarkable if they are positioned correctly) and the imaging/sound stage is astounding (again this requires proper placement). It is in this regard, big ole horns differ the most from conventional cone sound (along with the bass).[6] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 Colin, that was bad! I don't know what possessed you! Yes, you could say the same things about horns, but then YOU'D BE WRONG! Horns don't usually end up in the middle of the room like planars (unless they are owned by an idiot). Horns feature a more consistent impedance to the amplifier which is why tube amps tend to mate with them so well. Horns are highly efficient so they take less wattage per output SPL and are easier to drive because of the reduced reactance experienced by the amplifier. However, bass horns tend to be large, the lower in frequency they go, the larger they are. Large size means large shipping prices, usually reducing the potential used-horn market to local pickup. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 Unless they are classic Klipsch corner Khorns, even horns should end up in the middle of the room like other loudspeakers away from wall reflections, in order to maximize 3D sonic holographI dont know that horn impedance is more consistent impedance than other spkrs (that is the problem with a nominal impedance rating it barley means anything on a spkr with a wild or low impedance curve). <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> But they are so far more incredibly efficient and low distortion that low power and odd-order tube amplifiers DO mate with them very well.I dont know about reduced reactance by amplifier with big ole horns However, all Klipsch big ole horns are larger than typical spkr; large size means no living room space and low WAF, reducing potential horn market.[H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 I don't disagree that horns are not necessarily an easy speaker to postion and drive. The difficulties are different with a panel speaker. I have had more difficulty with driving an inefficient sepaker with a low impedance compared to a "wild" impedance of a Horn. Regarding placement: all speakers probably have their difficulties. However, with panels speakers the difficulties are huge. I will confess however, I love my K-Horns. But the midrange and and imaging on a panel speaker can be out of this world. I have yet to achieve that with my K-Horns. This is not a controversial statement and it is not baiting. Believe me, I love the K-Horns. There are certain things that they do very, very well. But they are not strong in every area (no speaker is ...). Panel spaekers can be fun to listen to ... Good luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 I had a pair of SMGc...they were very nice sounding speakers. some maggie rules; 1.forget about them unless you have a BIG amp, you need a minimum of 100-200 watts to make them jump. 2. they need a sub woofer to get decent response below 80hz. (SMGs at least) 3. they are tremendously sensitive to room placment and acoustics, much more so than heritage speakers. when dialed in right maggies sound great, they are my second favorite speaker.... regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 However, all Klipsch big ole horns are larger than typical spkr; large size means no living room space and low WAF, reducing potential horn market. Can't argue there... DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 ..."when dialed in right maggies sound great, they are my second favorite speaker." regards, tony Ditto...if I had unlimited funds (and another audio system), I'd also own Maggies again.[H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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