Planar Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Magnepan Magneplanar MMG Speakers by raindances

Model:	Magneplanar MMG
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$500
Description:	Planar Magnetic Loudspeaker
Manufacturer URL:	Magnepan
Model Picture:	View

Review by raindances ( A ) on December 01, 2003 at 11:53:34
IP Address: 38.136.14.150

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for the Magneplanar MMG

This is my 3rd pair of MMG's. One of the new pairs I purchased had channel balance issues (9dB difference between left & right) and the other had a driver panel "popped out" of the frame and boomed like crazy.
These (used) speakers worked great out of the box. It has taken some time to figure out optimum placement for them, but I now have them set up 8' from the listening position, 1' from the side walls and 7.5' from the rear wall of the room. The room is 25' long by 9.5' wide. I use 2" thick acoustic foam at the primary reflection point of each speaker along the side wall. The speakers are slightly toed in with tweeters on the outside.
I have two amplification sources: An ODL HT-2 power amp (260 watts RMS per channel into 4 ohms) driven by an AMC CVT-1030s tube preamp; and a Cayin TA-30 tube amp (35 watts per side). I found that having tubes in the audio chain really improved the sound a lot - the added warmth helps the apparent bass response and smooths the extreme high frequencies.
These speakers sound real. The mid and upper bass is wonderful. The low bass rolls off very fast. Midrange is excellent, especially on vocals and percussion. The treble is fairly extended, but very very clean (NOT harsh). I do not use the resistors to attenuate treble. The overall sound is warm and smooth. Bad recordings sound bright, but not harsh. Good recordings are not bright.
The Cayin amp does the best job of delivering a sweet, focussed sound with nice bass, but I find myself wanting another 6dB of volume. With the other setup, I get more volume than I need, but the sound is less musical.
I found that the poor imaging some people refer to (image wandering from side to side) was cured in my setup by adding a good DAC (Adcom GDA-600) to my CD player (Denon DCM370) and treating the side walls. The DAC made the largest improvement.
One caveat: If you achieve sonic "perfection" using these in a relatively small room, DON'T get the bug to upgrade to larger Maggies unless you have a larger room to play with. Even MG-12's are too much for my room - the sound becomes very forward and bright with the larger tweeter panels. I would even say that the MMG's are the only speakers in the Maggie line that are suitable for near field listening (listener 7'-8' from speakers). Also, the MMG's need to be far from rear walls to tame brightness.
Overall, a great buy. If you have the balance issue with these speakers, return them and get a replacement pair.
Spend a lot of time experimenting with room placement. You will be rewarded.
Cat tip: get the black on black ones. Cats don't like black things!

Product Weakness: Crossover design gives a slight "smiley face" response (frequency response hump at 100Hz and slight dip in the mid band) - almost like having a loudness compensation circuit engaged. This can be a major problem in some (small) rooms where the bass resonance excites the room too much. Changing this would, however, rob the speakers of their warm character. Not childproof.
Product Strengths: Excellent imaging. Realistic sound. Warm tonal balance. No box resonance.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	see review
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	see review
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Denon DCM-370
Speakers:	See review
Cables/Interconnects:	yes
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, vocal jazz, progressive rock
Room Size (LxWxH):	25 x 9.5 x 8
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 years
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Crossover design gives a slight "smiley face" response (frequency response hump at 100Hz and slight dip in the mid band) - almost like having a loudness compensation circuit engaged. This can be a major problem in some (small) rooms where the bass resonance excites the room too much. Changing this would, however, rob the speakers of their warm character. Not childproof.
Product Strengths:	Excellent imaging. Realistic sound. Warm tonal balance. No box resonance.