Sound excellent, like none other, can't beat it for the price.

None so far.

I have had these for less then 2 hours and wow. I have never heard speakers ilke these before! Once I got these I pulled them out of the box and put the stands on and plugged them in with BetterCables.com speaker cables. I was very amused. The sound is like if the person is right there playing it. I use 2 audiosource 5.1 amps these, I was amazed they sound this good on them since they aren't even that powerful or rated that great but they sounded great so I can't complain about them. I played many different songs on them, rock, rap, techno, etc. to see how they would all sound. I find that the bass sounded very clean and still powerful. On rock the guitars sounded like they were right there, I was very amazed. I would reccomend these to anyone who has the right equipment to run them (good cables, amp with atleast 100watts at 4 ohms is what I would reccomend). I don't think I am ever buying another pair of speakers again, unless it was better magneplanar speakers. The sweet spot problem wasn't to bad for me since I have these in a smaller room, but I do notice if you move away they don't sound AS good but they sound good 80-90% of times if you move around a little bit. I give them a 5 star value and overall rating because I think these speakers really do live up to what they say about them. And for $500 there isn't a better pair of speaker you can find.

Similar Products Used:

None, only box speakers.

transparency, bass, only $500 delivered

deep bass... monolith in my room

While saving money for B&W CDM-7SEs, I made the mistake of listening to the Nautilus 805s and learned what the 7SEs lacked: a significant shade of transparency, cleanliness of attack and basically, reality. $2500 w/stands though? Audiophile frustration: the more you hear, the more you want to spend. Then I read Stereophile’s article on the 1.6QRs and thought, “doesn’t Magnepan have a smaller speaker?” which brought me to this site and kept me up late reading all of the Magneplanar raves.

I listened to the 1.6QRs and 12s. The 1.6s sounded like really big headphones. Amazing bass, maybe bigger-than-life sound and a little hard and metallic on the high end. Perhaps it was the small-ish room. Later, I heard them in a larger room and they were great. The 12s were similar, with a little less bass. Since I have a subwoofer, wife and a small room, maybe the MMGs would work better for me? So after the tax man brought good news, I ordered the MMGs.

They came in 2 weeks, and in excellent shape. My system is a Marantz CD-48, Creek OBH-12 (passive pre-amp), NAD 214, and an Audio Pro subwoofer. The MMGs replaced M&K satellites that served well for many years but suffered from simply being small speakers. They could go plenty loud, but once there, they lost something. I listen to a lot of classical music and with most 2-way monitors, the brass tend to overwhelm the sound-stage and make you forget about the other 80 musicians huffing away. On the other side, bigger 3-way or more speakers sound like, “now I’m listening to the tweeter... now I’m listening to the woofer.”

With the MMG’s I can hear it all, and can’t tell where the crossover is. You focus in on one group and you just hear them play (much like a live concert), even with everything else blasting simultaneously. That’s usually an expensive trick! They do compress dynamics a bit (less so than most small 2-ways), but will still play plenty loudly in my room (12’x22’), and this includes pipe organ, orchestral bombast, 1812 etc.

I don’t need to repeat everyone’s raves about the box-less sound and transparency, but the bass and dynamics question must really vary from room to room. I’m constantly blown away by the MMG’s superior bass. These sound more realistically rich than a lot of other speakers I’ve heard that ‘measure’ flat to 40Hz. Running them full-range with my Audio Pro subwoofer (a 10” servo unit that goes to 30Hz), and the setup is stunning, if not booming in the dance-club sense.

A quick setup yielded imaging like many other speakers, but going to work with the tape-measure lifted the MMGs out of their price class. Now the imaging is better and more stable than many speakers I’ve heard in the $1500-2000 category, and I believe there’s room for improvement in a larger room (mine is narrow and placement is 3’ from rear, only 1’ from the sides).

The sweet-spot was a little too hot for me at the start, so I let them lean back, aiming them over my head. That made it nice and smooth, and pushed the image back a little. As time passes though, I’m finding they’re loosing the hard, up-front edge in the sweet-spot so I can angle them down at me without the sound getting overly intense.

One caveat... since I have a passive pre-amp, a few of my recordings suffer from the MMG’s insensitive dB/Watt rating. Certain CDs mastered at a low level can’t quite blast with my volume set at the max. So a regular pre-amp/amp, or a quality integrated might work better.

I’m tempted to say, “These are THE BEST speakers you can buy for less than $3000!” but I’m sure I haven’t heard Everything in this range. What I can say is, of the brands accessible to me in L.A. they sound better to me than most speakers up to $2000 and I would guess you could do worse for over $3000. The MMGs are as high-fidelity as I can appreciate (for now), and embarrassingly inexpensive - both to other speaker makers, and myself... do I want all my friends owning these too? I’m going to have to find a new way to feel special :o)

Similar Products Used:

NHT, PSB, Paradigm Studio models (really liked the Active 20), B&W CDM-1SE, CDM-7SE, Nautilus 805 & 804

Phenomenal soundstage, accuracy, detail, timbral accuracy

None I.M.H.O

For about $500 U.S., these speakers are an absolute STEAL! In fact, I would go as far in saying that they are 'the audio BUY OF THE CENTURY! I don't believe you can find true high-level audiophile quality sound from any other speakers at the $500 price point where these babies sit. The most astonishing quality of these speakers are their timbral accuracy and awesome detail. EVERYTHING sounds true to form natural on these, and with good placement, room acoustics, and electronics, they sound great all the way down to the bass frequencies. In my case, I don't need a sub, since my acoustical treatments are top notch. Highly recommended! The best $500 you'll ever spend.

Equipment:
MMG's
Nu-Vista 300 amplifier
Audible Illusions preamp
M.F. X-ray CD source
Monster 1.2s speaker cable
Straightwire Maestro II interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio, Ohm, Hales, Thiel, KEF

Fantastic image size, great sound stage, realistic sound reproduction

Require space (2-3' from walls) and listening distance.

Are there any speakers on the market with a better price/sound quality ratio, a 60 day buy back guarantee, an upgrade guarantee, etc. If it were possible to objectively measure "speaker audio satisfaction", the mmg's would undoubtedly give speakers of an additional $1,000 final price a real run for their money....

I was very nervous about driving the mmg's with a newly acquired Denon AVR-3300 receiver. Not any more !! The power hungry maggies perform smoothly and beautifully, so much so that I wonder if larger maggies could be driven as successfully by the 3300. If you have experience in this regard E-Mail me (johntek@cgo.wave.ca).

Another major challence was finding an appropriate center channel speaker. We tried a good number of them... including the US $750 Magnepan (not bad at all, but not less satisfactory in our setup as the "fast" and oustanding Montior Audio Silver 10 Center.

Our M&K sub performs beautifully in this arrangement, and is ESSENTIAL. mmg's do not deliver much bass, certainly not much below 80 Hz.

We are still using Dahlquist DQ-10's as rear speakers (marvellous units that have proven their value), but they really do not suit our HT set up. The DQ-10's are too directional for their very close placement to our listening area (no more space). If we could place them at least 8-10' behind our listening chairs, the set up would be ideal. We are now considering the newest HT brain child of Magnepan, namely their new HT rear speakers (to be available in North America around November/December).

The combination of the mmg's with the Silver 10 center, M&K sub and Denon AVR-3300 is a killer for the money. It is still incredible that the Denon 3300 receiver (which became an enormous hit after we bought it) does such a marvelous job (we bought it from an international mail order firm in New York at around $750 - a real steal !!).

In short: The mmg's (much like the Denon) represent the best audio value that we have seen in years! We give these speakers 5 stars for value/performance/satisfaction as the highest rating, and only because 10 stars (= 5 stars per speaker) can not be posted here.

Similar Products Used:

A great variety of speakers over the years.

APPEAL WELL TO THE ME TOO CROWD

N0 MID BASS/UPPER MIDRANGE NEED NEW CROSS-OVER. SORRY BUT,THE IRON BAR CORE COIL USED IS NOT HIGH END

EXCELLENT SOUND MAY BE OBTAINED BY TAKING OUT THE CHEEP IRON BAR COIL AND THE SOLEN BRAND CAP.(NOT BAD IN ITSELF) USED IN THE SALLOW 6dB.(WHAT!) CROSSOVER. MAGNAPAN HAS THE WOOFER PANEL GOING UP TO ABOUT 500hZ. AND THE OTHER PANEL COMMING IN @ ABOUT 3.5k. BIG WHOLE? YOU BET! I NOW HAVE THESE BY-WIRED WITH ABOUT 400 WATTS RMS (@ 8 OHMS) EACH PANEL(EXACTLY WHAT THE DON'T WANT YOU TO DO) WITH AN ELECTRONIC CROSS-OVER + A SUB. MAN! WHAT A BIG DIFFERENCE!! THEY NOW SOUND AS GOOD AS THE 12"S. I GUESS IF MAGNAPAN USED A QUALITY 12 dB. X-OVER, NO ONE WOULD NEED TO UPGRADE. OHERWISWE I THINK MOST HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO BOSE FOR TOO LONG!

Similar Products Used:

THE ONE STAR IS FOR MAGNAPAN'S POOR MARKETING SCHEME. REVAMPED THEY GET A 4.0

Recently purchased a pair of Maggie MMG's and was amazed at what I've been missing. I used to own a pair of NHT 2.3's and VT-1 (which are still fine speakers in their league) and never heard detail like this. I have to admit that I did not know I was missing this detail but when I hooked up the MMG's I was blown away. They definitely sound different from the traditional speaker I've come to know. I had to use the 2 ohm resistor to "tone-down" the highs on most music and movie soundtracks. I plan on adding a subwoofer to help these mini-mags breathe during home theater applications but the bass provided from these speakers on audio is moe than ample. For $500.00 bucks, you can't go wrong! Now I just hope UPS doesn't screw-up my second set I ordered (we've all seen Ace Ventura and the delivery scene... that's what happened to my first pair).

Everything

None i can think of

My name is Mitchell and I am only 14 but I consider myself a hardcore audio listener. My father owns a pair of Magnepan speakers and I like the sound so when the time came I wanted to get a pair for myself. Then one Christmas to my surprise I got a pair of MMGs. When I got the MMGs and hooked them up it was the best thing I've ever heard in my life except the thousand and ten thousand dollar speakers at Gramaphone. I first played Ray Lynch and it sounded just as wonderful as my father's Maggies. The bass was definitely better in the MMGs and everything else sounded just as good. Next I played some of the things I like and I was impressed with the sound quality of these speakers. There was a dynamic sound stage, and inner detail I've only heard on my dads speakers. These speakers are terrific. I strongly rate these a 5 star, I would rate them higher but 5 stars is the highest rating allowed.

Equipment used:

Sony A/V ES Reciever STR-DA30ES
Sony mega storage CD player CDP-CX300
Magnepan MMGs as my front listening speakers
Dynaco A-25 as my vidio game and other purpose speakers
Audio Source self powered 50 WPC subwoofer SW8
Monster Cable digital optical interconnection cable
Stranded 0 guage speaker cable
____________________________________________________________
I'm Mitchell's dad Rich. I've been an audiophile for about 30 years and got bit by the bug like my son. I became an electronics service engineer due to my experimentation with high end audio at an early age. I've owned the Magnaplaner 1D's for about 25 years. My system is quad amped with the Magnaplaners driven full range with a Janis subwoofer and RTR Electrostatic tweeters for the top end. More specs in the associated equipment listed at the end of this review. My listening room is approximately 25 feet square. The Magnaplaner 1D's are three panel speakers, each side is approximately 6 foot by 4 foot tri-folded. Since I'm used to the Maggie sound this review will concentrate on the return for the investment of Mitch's speakers (the MMGs). The MMGs are in a room approximately 11 by 13 feet. These are without a doubt the best sounding $500 speakers I've ever heard. The sound stage is great and the different frequencies are well articulated. From past experience placement of the Maggies can be a big factor in the type of sound you get from these speakers. Experimentation is critical with room placement, etc. If you have a subwoofer it will not go to waste but the Maggies allow you to cross your sub from 60 Hz on down. The level of the sub may also need to be turned down for the polite blending of the sound field. These reviews are based on listening to CD's only. The vinyl sound is also great from my experience on my system even with the volume level differences from vinyl to the CD format. I am hard pressed to tell much difference between my system and Mitchell's system. I believe this is more due to matching the systems to the room size and the power requirements to the room size. The Maggie sound has not been a fad for me and I still feel after 20 years of listening to Magneplaner speakers of various configurations that this is the way sound is meant to be. All in all the MMGs are the best $500 speaker I've ever heard.

My equipment for comparison:

Magneplaner Tympani 1D's
Janis W2 subwoofer with 200 WPC crossover amp
RTR 15 Electrostatic tweeters
Pioneer Spec 2 250 WPC stero amp (for Maggies, bottom end)
Modified Dynaco Stero 70 tube amp for the RTR 15's
Peterson Klaus Mosfet 60 watt amp (for the Maggies, top end)
Modified Dynaco PAS 3X tube pre-amp

Similar Products Used:

My fathers Magnepan Tympani 1-D

transparent, best speaker value for the $, good range, with a clean, active sound dynamic.

require good quality amp, don't handle bass well below. Placement is important

I bought these for my son's system. He has put together a home theater in the basement. I have a wonderful system with almost $5k Martin Logan Quest electrostatic speakers. If you pair these speakers with good equipment and a good quality subwoofer for the low end below 70Hz, you have an effective speaker system for less than $900 as good as or better than just about any speakers at 2 or 3 times the price.

Magneplanars do require a little more effective power. Don't get sucked in by amps with decent watts per channel and low voltage. Dynamic headroom of 3db is important. Check amp ratings for 4 and 2 ohm loads, too. Good companies, even in lower wattages, have great dynamics. Use them. If you do, then these Maggies will sing.

You buy these direct from the company, and they will take these back in for a trade up to the other models. My son is a 16 year old budding audiophile, and was dubious about the claims made about these speakers. I talked him into it, telling him about the money back guarantee fromn the company, or heck, I'd buy them from him. Now that he's heard them, he's hooked. If you value great sound at an unbelievable price, these speakers are for you. Definitely best in category by a long shot.

He's using:

Audioquest cables
Denon AVR3300 home theater amp
Magnepan MMG speakers
B&W ASW500 subwoofer
Monitor Audio Silver Center 10 center channel speaker
B&W DM302 surrounds
RCA cd carousel cd player (he knows he has to upgrade)
off brand DVD player (another upgrade item)

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan, Boston Acoustics, B&W, Polk, DCM

Clear as a bell and balanced

power hungry

I have to say that my experience with high dollar equipment does not exist, so I can only give an opinion. I love these speakers. I have been a musician for 18yrs so I feel that I have a very good knowledge of timbres, soundstage, and imaging. While I have never heard the "perfect" sound, these maggies to a couple things real good. First reproduction of the human voice and second the acoustic instrument. The thing I feel that makes these good speakers is that the sound radiates from a 48"x14.5" surface. When you have a speaker that uses an 8" woofer and a 2.5" tweeter how do you expect to get a room filling sound that is balanced and controlled?

I feel that with the offer that Magneplanar is doing, it's worth checking out. See for yourself.

I will address some of the gripes others have had. The low end first of all. The low end on this speaker is fine. You will need a high power amp to pull it out but it's there. Also placement is everything as is the room they go in. If you are looking for low end in the 40hz and below range then don't get these speakers. I think that these speakers will produce 40hz but the roll off would be so quick that you would not notice it had made that low of a note. POWER. These things need a lot of power. I don't care what anyone says. To really hear what these speakers can do you need to drive them with a minimum of 50-75 watts of CLEAN power. I ran mine trough a Nakamichi and it sounded GREAT because of the high current power stage. The problem is I'm a tube man and my Dynaco ST-70 had a much much warmer sound. The problem with the Dynaco is that it barely provides enough power to get the panel moving. I will have to get another Stereo 70 and run them as monoblocs. Solid State sucks.

All in all get them try them. If your not tone deaf I'm sure you'll love them. As others have said once you go planer you’ll never go back to the boxes.

Similar Products Used:

Magneplanar SMG

Lush sound quality. (compared to NHT Super Zeros) Excellent detail. (and they look way cool too!)

Directionality, SPL. (but I knew & expected this, and am O.K. with it)

(after 6 months) I can't imagine anything better for the money. If you know of something, email me! Realistically, I give them a 4 1/2, (for the money, and there's always room for improvement) but the ratings here don't allow for that & I didn't want to short them with just a 4.

Similar Products Used:

Listened to a friends Eminent Tech LFT-VIII's (which do bass better) and liked them but they're 3 times the price. I already had 2 subs so bass is not an issue.