I purchased a pair of MMG's someone had listed on audioreview.com for a very good price. I was going to purchase a new pair direct from Magnepan out because of the very reasonable $500 direct offer but the used pair instead. I have owned several different speakers in the past 15 years (and still do) and must say that the MMG's are a steal! I am driving the speakers with a pair of Marantz MA500 mono-blocks and can not believe the sound! My wife and I listened to some CD's the first night that I got them and we were amazed! Everyone's ears are different but I can't believe the great sound that comes out of these little magnepans. Very highly recommended!!!!

I challenge anyone to find a speaker which conveys as much detail and speed for $500. Driving these speakers with an Acurus A150, I was taken aback by how much better they were than my Mirage M290i bookshelf speakers. After living with the MMGs for some time, every other speaker sounds like it is almost shouting at me, even at comparable volume levels. I'll never go back to cone speakers.
Perhaps the most astonishing feature of these speakers is that, coupled with a good subwoofer, there is no real need to go for a bigger set of Maggies. While the larger models will undoubtedly offer a wider and taller soundstage, and probably a bigger sweetspot, the MMGs embody the true essense of dipolar membrane speakers, ie. incredibly quick, detailed, yet non-fatiguing sound. Five big stars!

I have been looking to upgrade my speaker system from the MMG's to something better and having listened to LOTS of speakers from PSB, Snell, Thiel, Martin Logan, and Vandersteen I can ASSURE you, finding a significantly better speaker at anywhere NEAR the price or even 3 to 5 times the price is very difficult. The MMG's are smooth with good detail and (contrary to some people thoughts) very good bass, granted it doesnt go down to 20hz but whats there is tight, fast and with low distortion. The only thing I could wish for is a bit less compression on orchestral climaxes and more detail in the mid/high end. However for what I'd have to pay to get these two improvements, I will be sticking with the MMG's for quite some time, with the most logical upgrade being to the larger 1.6R models. This is one sweet speaker!

Just a quick note to all the baby Magnepan users and prospective buyers. I'm still using my SMGa's that I bought in 1986 for 500$. They are similar in size to the MMG and were equivalent to the MMG in the product line up. They just get better with age. I've always been satified with the bass response when Ive been able to set them up at least 4 feet from any wall. A pain for sure but well worth the results. Putting them against the wall just kills the bass response and muddles the midrange. I would never consider replacing them with anything except a larger Magnepan model. I've been tempted, but when I've auditioned other models, the improvements in sound have never been quite worth ponying up a few extra thou. They will be the best 500$ you will ever spend on audio equipment.

The longer I have these speakers the more I like them. I bought them from a friend locally for 200 dollars new. What a steal! Even for 500 dollars. They do need a sub though at least with my positioning which is about 18 inches from the wall. I work at a large electronics chain and have heard a bunch of speakers (infinity and Polk) at the same price and up to 5 times the retail of the MMG's and these sound better than any of them (in my opinion). I just upgraded my interconnects to wireworld solstice and I heard a huge difference. It is nice to know that you can get a huge bang for your buck, that a guy with a budget like mine can really get good, even "high end" sound.

Well, let's begin by saying that everyone who has posted a review on the MMG's is absolutely correct. FABULOUS!!! I purchased mine about 3 years ago for a whopping $350!!! from an audiophile in San Francisco who received them as a trade for some audio equipment that he had. He had too many speakers so he decided to sell them even after he auditioned them as his bedroom speakers and was quite blown away by their detail and imaging. Afterwards he placed in them their boxes and sold them to me. Without question this will remain the steal of my lifetime.
I have to admit...I am ashamed that my MMG's are the front speakers of my home theater. Someday I will dedicate them soley to a music only system. But even in home theater, these speakers are remarkable. Even though, everyone is correct that the MMG's have ample bass when properly placed, I felt the need to couple them with a 15" sub for home theater...FEEL THE IMPACT. Otherwise no subwoofer is needed. Mine are hooked up to a Onkyo M-504 amp and sometimes I get scared when I see the meters hitting the 200 watt @ 8 ohm level. These are true 5 ohm speakers...you do the math! I'm afraid I'll blow the amp out before the speakers. Even at that level, the sound is effortless. A truly magical speaker. Hold on to these babies for as long as you can!!! Too bad this site doen't have a 10 star rating :(

The best speakers at that price point, period.
Not all the bandwith, but if you want those cervin-vega's that go to 20hz, be my guest. My wife has "given" me permission to spend as much as I want on speakers, so long as they are Magnepans.

So I've spent $1300 on a pair of MMG's and a M&K 125 sub. I can live with that, until I can afford the 20's. I can't live with those B&W 803's that every dealer tried shoving in my face. A wonderbox is a wonderbox is a wonderbox, give me sound that is open, airy,.....real.

I will never buy another brand of speaker.

5 stars.

In my opinion the sound emanating>from these MMG speakers is phenomenal. The imaging is outstanding and truly
>lifelike (as if the performers are in the room). Vocals, treble and midrange is superb. Although I was able to drive these speakers with an old low end 20 w per channel receiver I had, a high current amp is recommended. Many reviews I read claim
>that the Maggies lack bass. I think that it could use some help in the
>lower bass regions (below 45 Hz) but the bass it has is certainly tight and
>sufficient for most types of music. I may opt to augment them with a Hsu Research
>sub in the future.

Components in my setup:

Parasound HCA-1000A Amp
Dynaco PAS-4 Vacuum Tube Preamp
Pioneer DV-525 DVD Player

I've listened to speakers costing thousands more which don't provide the soundstage that the MMG's do. Definately 5 Stars!
>

Clarity, detail, soundstage, way cool looks

size, directional sound, placement, impedance requiring resilient amplifier

For the money - can't beat it. I won't spend too much time repeating all the good stuff said by others - all the goos stuff's true:

As for the bad stuff said by them , here are my reviews of the reviewers:
1) "Funny connectors" - Yes, banana plugs are more convenient if you are constantly changing speakers, but these connections are solid; and if you need to keep the speakers on the edge of your room but often move them out from the wall for serious listening a solid connection is important. As for the reviewer who worried about losing the little "funny" Allen wrench -- hey, go into your local hardware store and say the words "allen wrench" -- you'll hear in response: "what size? 79 cents please".
2) As for the "maven" who complains about the brand of capacitors in the cross-over: LISTEN with your ears instead of your mouth and you will learn something. You are just plain wrong about the "gap" in frequency response. And while we're at it, a 6db per octave crossover is better than 12db (if the drivers will handle it) as there is less phase shift at 6db and vastly better imaging as a result (hence the realistic soundstage).
3) For the person who says they "don't rock": Get a Boom Box.
4) As for "power hungry": Yes these speakers are demanding on amplifiers and you MUST have an amp that will play at 4 Ohms (or less). However, I'm using a Proton AM-300 integrated amp rated at 30 watts per channel (at 8 ohms, and 6db dynamic headroom - which is 4 times rated power). This amp has a circuit that includes a front panel indicator that lights up when dynamic power is being drawn, and at LOUD levels that indicator does not light. My listening room is 20x30 feet, so I have to beleive those people who complain about loudness limits have already lost a good part of their hearing.

Bottom line: If you have the right amp (rated for 2 and 4 ohm use) GET THESE SPEAKERS. For $500 you won't do better (unless you need to add the cost of new electronics to the equation). Otherwise, get Sonus Faber Concertinas at about $1,000 or other more efficient speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan, Dahlquist DQ10, Sonus Faber Concertina

$ Value/Imaging

Difficult to place properly in room.

This speakers are great!!I have lived with them for almost a year and still enjoy them.They do require room to breathe.So make sure you have adequate room to place them.I believe 3'from all walls is adequate.More however in this case is better.So if they can be placed farther away all the better.Do yourself a favor and check these speakers out on the Magnepan web site you wont be dissappointed.