Musicality, imaging, sound stage

some will want a sub to reach the lowest octave

I had a pair of MG III''s last year and was well pleased with their musicality but when compared with other speakers, they were lacking in detail and transparency. I tried several other speakers but could never achieve the pleasure I received from the Magnepans. I bought a pair of 2.6R''s that were damaged (ctas are the bane of Maggies). I sent them to Magnepan for new drivers, ribbons, underbags and grill cloth. The rebuild cost was $670.00 but well worth the expense. The 2.6''s have the musicality of the earlier MG III''s, but with more detail, transparancy and better imaging. Some of the improvement is due to changes in up front electronics, but these guys are still the best all around I have heard. My equipment is Oracle Delphi MK II w/Origin arm and Grace F9 Ruby, Muse Model 9 CD, BAT VK-3i Preamp, Muse Model 175 Series II monoblocs. Interconects are SIlver Audio Hyacinth, Nordost Red Dawn, Goertz TQ2 and speaker wire is Audioquest Argent+

Similar Products Used:

Other speakers included: Sound Lab Dynastats, Triangle Zays XS and Audio Artistry Dvorak.

Yes, I know these speakers are out of production, but they are worth seeking out on the used market. They are the last in the Maggie 2 series to have the true ribbon tweeter, not a quasi-ribbon. I have had a pair for several years, and no other speaker I've heard is as transparent to the music as these are.
The ribbon tweeters are incredibly smooth, with no trace of harshness. Although the speakers tend to lower-mid warmth, this can be all but eliminated by adjusting the toe-in and the distance to the rear wall. Bass in my room is flat to about 30 Hz, without boom or bloat.

No other speaker I know of lets go of the music like these do. I met designer Jim Whiney at a dealership once and when I told him I had a pair of 2.6/R's he just shook his head and said, "Best damn speaker we make."

If you like the Maggie sound, seek these out. At typical used prices, they are a tremendous bargain. I've never heard the newer 2.7/QR with the quasi-ribbons, and I'm sure they're very good. But there's just something about that true ribbon...

I have to agree totally with Bob. I own the older 2.5/R and picked these up in Aug. 98 as the third owner. The gentleman I bought them from sold them to me after having sent them back to Magnepan for a rebuild (a must if you buy used maggies older than 5 years). I have driven them with 2 amps, the first being an Adcom GFA-545, and my current amp, a Rotel RB-990BX.
The maggie sound is captivating. It just draws you into the performance and keeps you there, thinking of nothing but the music. With the Adcom, the sound was forward and tended toward brightness. Bass sounded tight but reserved, like the bass player was standing several feet behind the rest of the performers. I had considered using an attenuating resistor in line with the tweeter to try to tame some of the brightness. I bought the Rotel before I tried this.

The Rotel is a different beast entirely. The bottom end blossomed and the edge was taken off the top. One other thing you will notice is that the sound you hear is not the Maggies but the components up the line. These are an incredible bargain used if you can find a pair. They are hard to come by, and for good reason...excellent speakers at real-world prices.

I have to agree totally with Bob. I own the older 2.5/R and picked these up in Aug. 98 as the third owner. The gentleman I bought them from sold them to me after having sent them back to Magnepan for a rebuild (a must if you buy used maggies older than 5 years). I have driven them with 2 amps, the first being an Adcom GFA-545, and my current amp, a Rotel RB-990BX.
The maggie sound is captivating. It just draws you into the performance and keeps you there, thinking of nothing but the music. With the Adcom, the sound was forward and tended toward brightness. Bass sounded tight but reserved, like the bass player was standing several feet behind the rest of the performers. I had considered using an attenuating resistor in line with the tweeter to try to tame some of the brightness. I bought the Rotel before I tried this.

The Rotel is a different beast entirely. The bottom end blossomed and the edge was taken off the top. One other thing you will notice is that the sound you hear is not the Maggies but the components up the line. These are an incredible bargain used if you can find a pair. They are hard to come by, and for good reason...excellent speakers at real-world prices.