Planar Speaker Asylum

Model:	MMG with Magnestand Mods (Peter Gunn)
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1,395 + Shipping for full mod
Description:	Full wooden frame, stand and strut ensemble and upgraded crossover
Manufacturer URL:	Magnestand
Model Picture:	View

Review by HarlemAirShaft on March 21, 2008 at 00:47:14 IP Address: 75.48.76.59

Add Your Review for the MMG with Magnestand Mods (Peter Gunn)

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How do I properly describe the improvements this complete speaker modification makes?

The aesthetic difference is off the charts. I posted pictures online a few days ago, so you all can judge for yourselves. WAF is much higher than before.

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=mug&n=124576&highlight=harlemairshaft&r=&session=

To appreciate the audible differences you must be familiar with the sound of Magnepan speakers in stock form, and usually that means you have lived with them for some time. I had owned SMGa’s before and heard many different models at the homes of friends over the years. I bought these MMG’s specifically to be modded by PG, and had them long enough to listen to many different pieces (and types) of music and compared them to my old Klipsch speakers before sending them to be transformed.

Upon return four months ago, there was an immediate difference in the bass on certain recordings. One that stands out is my Mobile Fidelity LP of the 1962 Fritz Reiner “Also Sprach Zarathustra”. The opening “drone” heard just before the familiar theme kicks in is heard and felt on the Klipsch (rated to 38 hz) but mostly inaudible and unfelt on the stock MMG’s (rated to 50 hz). After the mods, however, the Magnestand speakers are the equal of the Klipsch on this recording. The speakers perform better at lower frequencies than before.

Many other recordings sounded a bit fuller in the bass once modded. If you thought the stock MMG’s were a little lacking at the lower end of the audio spectrum before, you are going to be pleasantly surprised, if not outright shocked by the change once modded. However, if you used a subwoofer before, especially for electric bass (Jaco Pastorius and John Entwistle come to mind), then you are probably still going to be looking for a sub after the mod is completed. But if chamber music, strings, combo jazz, or other acoustic music is all you desire, you probably will be happy without a sub.

But the lower frequencies are only part of the story. The new crossover has passed the 300 hour mark and the speakers have opened up at the top end, revealing a clarity, sweetness, and accuracy which were undeniably absent before, without losing any of the soundstage and midrange qualities that makes so many people fans of Magnepan speakers.

As for the other characteristics of the speakers, all I can say is that once I found the right placement in my room (took much longer than expected) and stopped listening to just the test songs and the soundstage characteristics and just started listening to LP’s and CD’s like a normal person, I was being blown away daily by one recording or another. Just this past week I rediscovered The Vaughan Brothers “Family Style” and Clifford Brown in Paris, sounding SO much better than before. The speakers sing on all types of material, and they have a cohesiveness that stands out like never before. Oh, I can hear the individual instruments and can concentrate on them should I choose, but the recordings are now whole, as opposed to a sum of certain parts.

Other recordings used for before and after comparisons: Eva Cassidy “Songbird” on LP, Bill Evans Trio “Waltz For Debby” on SACD, Kevyn Lettau “The Color Of Love” on CD, Jaco Pastorius “The Birthday Concert” on CD, Art Pepper “Plus Eleven” on LP, Pink Floyd “DSOTM” on SACD, Oliver Nelson “Blues And The Abstract Truth” on LP, and Duke Ellington “And His Mother Called Him Bill” on LP.

The speakers, mods and shipping cost me roughly $2000. They are the audio bargain of my lifetime. They are not perfect, but at this price they cannot be beaten. Bravo, PG!

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Product Weakness:	Once modded, these speakers will ruthlessly reveal system weakness and poor recordings
Product Strengths:	Gorgeous custom wood frames, high WAF, better bass response, improved sweetness and accuracy in the upper frequencies, and amazing value

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Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier:	Tube Audio Design TAD-1000 monoblocks
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Mapletree Audio Design Ultra 4A SE
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Teres Audio Model 150 turntable, modded Denon 2900 CD/SACD/DVD-A player
Speakers:	Magnestand MMG's, Martin Logan Grotto subwoofer
Cables/Interconnects:	Clarity Labs and DIY White Lightning cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	see review
Room Size (LxWxH):	18.5 x 13.5 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	none
Time Period/Length of Audition:	four months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

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Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

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