Spongeworthy Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I have always heard great things about Magnepan speakers, so I decided to pull a deal on the cheap for a pair of SMGs. Fun to try out new toys. Since I have my attic, no bitching about more speakers, amps, projectors, etc. I am looking forward to trying something new although I always come back to tubes and horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Great Keith.....you need more equipment[] I am baby sitting a pair of Dalquist DQ-10s with subwoofer, active crossover, and a Carver amp that someone on AK asked me to pick up for him from a craigslist ad here in town. Not a bad purchase for $150! Give us a report on the maggies. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthfreek Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Those newer Maggies that list for $595?! are getting nothing but great reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Up until a few months ago I had some SMGa Maggies. They are a fun speaker to listen to. However, they are quite a bit different than Klipsch Heritage. If I may: these can be a tough load for an amp. They are inefficient and will present a low impedance to the amp. A big & high current amp will improve the sound. It need not be expensive however, I had luck with an Adcom GFA555. They are bass shy and a big amp will help but not completely solve the problem The other issue is that the speakers are quite sensitive to room placement. Certainly spend some time on this and try many different locations. Let me warn you that fine-tuning the placement can drive you crazy. Good Luck and I will be interested in your opinions, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Great Keith.....you need more equipment I am baby sitting a pair of Dalquist DQ-10s with subwoofer, active crossover, and a Carver amp that someone on AK asked me to pick up for him from a craigslist add here in town. Not a bad purchase for $150! Give us a report on the maggies. Chuck Hey Chuck! Definitely not a necessity but more of a curiosity. Better even, take off a week from Thursday or Friday and make a roadie with Don to watch some hoops and listen to some tunes. Sounding pretty sweet up here and I have gobs of new music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 What amplifier do you plan on using to drive your Maggies? Years ago my first high-end loudspeakers were an inexpensive pair of MGLR1 planars (slighty bigger than today's MMGs), and they sounded spectacular! Being only 86dB efficient, though, they did require loads of high-current power, first from a Carver TFM-35x (350Wpc @ 4 ohms), and a mint McIntosh MC7200 (300Wpc @ 4 ohms). At over 95dB SPL, the Maggies sucked up nearly every bit of juice from both amps, so if you like to play your music loud at times, you will need a powerful amp to really make 'em sing. If my budget wasn't so tight, I'd love to own a second audio system with another pair of Magneplanars... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Mark, I'm not sure of the exact dimensions, but they are about this big: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Thanks for the invitation Keith.....sounds like a lot of fun. Bluesboy tells me your system sounds mighty sweet and he is very taken with those Rogue amps. Think he was suggesting I sell the Horn Monos for some Rogue equipment[*-)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Jim/Tom: I'll be driving these with a pair of Rogue M-120s which are 120 WPC, 6550 based monoblocks. The room isn't huge so I think they will be a decent match. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Great room and the maggies look minty! How is that for an edit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshnich Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I have heard Maggies that have been fitted with a ribbon tweeter - just tacked to the outside rim. Really improved the overall presentation. If youre loking to get them to sound ad cool as they can give this a go! Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Nice! Enjoy the change and have fun. I, myself, just picked up a pair of Supravox field coil full range drivers that I will be experimenting with over the coming weeks. It's not Klipsch, but it is fun to try something new... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpines Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 What's the difference between the SMG and MMG? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 SMG was replaced by the MMG -- beginning of their lineup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 2-Way Quasi-Ribbon Planar-Magnetic midtreble : 58in midbass : 370in (discontinued) | 50Hz-16kHz +/-4dB | 6dB/octave @ 2400Hz | 20-100Wrms @8Ohms | 90dB/2.83v/m @500Hz | 4Ohms Wow, the older SMGs have a pretty decent spec sheet. And they're more efficient than most Maggies (from about 82 to 88dB or thereabouts). Impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Keith, since you'll be driving your SMGs with a Rogue tube power amp, it got me thinking (which is a bad thing)...what do Maggies sound like with tube amplification? With my current 6.5Wpc 300B SET stereo amp I used to drive my 91dB efficient 4 ohm Triangle Zephyr 2-way towers sufficiently. The sound was phenomenal to say the least with SET power/SRPP tube linestage, but I had to keep the gain control at bay or the Triangles could easily distort (at over 90dB SPL), which is why I replaced them with Klipsch RB-75s. Since SMG and SMG-a planars are both 90dB efficient at 4 ohms, I wonder how crazy it would be to try driving them with my present 300B SET amp? I know I should consider a more powerful amp at a minimum of 20Wpc (according to Magnepan specs), and there are plenty of 20 watt PP tube amps available. When I owned my MGLR1s, I never heard 'em thru vacuum tubes (used Carver and McIntosh SS amps with a Carver C-4000 pre), so I can only imagine how splendid Maggies would sound with tubes. It's a foolish notion, I know. Plus I'm on a fixed income right now, so I can't afford being in the market for both a pair of SMGs and another more powerful tube amp too. If only my current SET amp was 10 watts or more, I'd really consider finding another pair of Maggies (I do miss the MGLR1s)...[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 You need to be careful when looking at that spec sheet. The 90 dB "spec" would be appropriate for an 8 ohm speaker (it would be 1 watt). The Maggie has a lower impedance. That is also a nominal value. I recall there are some regions where the impedance is even lower. The other issue is that this is a dipole so half the energy is reflected to the rear. Again, this is really not captured by the spec sheet. As far as the amp question, they really do require sufficient power and the ability to drive a low impedance. If you use tubes, I suspect there will be an "exaggerated tube sound". The speakers are already weak in the bass and the extra wattage will help (but not fully cure) the problem. In spite of that, they are fun speakers to listen to, but you may be disappointed with a smallish tube amp. Incidentally, one of the strengths of panel speakers is the "open" soundstage. You may get a very nice effect with that open floor plan that is pictured. I suspect (and hope) that it will mimic "sound" rather than "sound coming from two boxes" Good Luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Thanks for the reply, Tom; I figured as much (knowing what it was like with the MGLR1s and my massive SS amps). It was a pipedream, I know...maybe someday I'll be in a better financial position to reconsider Maggies and a more suitable amp to drive them for a second system. I'd still be interested in using tubes with Magnepans, even if only a tube preamp to control a SS amp (or a bigger PP tube amp). I'll definately be interested in Keith's observations when his SMGs arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Keith....got those bad boys hooked up yet? Waiting on the initial impression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Well, I spoke too soon I believe. I made an offer that was accepted and I haven't heard from the seller since Friday at 3PM. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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