[Slapshot]

I'm putting together a system for my office/den, which sees a great deal of use (about six hours a day 5-6 days a week) and have always wanted an opportunity to own a pair of Maggies. While audio shopping with a friend recently, I was amazed by the sound of the .7's in a small listening room at a brick and mortar. I have an ideal amp for them, and am wondering if these could possibly work for my situation. I do have an amp that can more than easily drive them. They would used in a 10x10 room, at close quarters due to other things filling the room. Listening distance would be about 5 feet, and the speakers would be almost four feet apart. This may be the tricky part, the ,7's could only be placed  4-5 inches from the permanently installed bookshelf behind them.

Any assistance, expertise or input would be greatly appreciated. I would truly love to be able to make this work. Thanks.

JC

[Slapshot]

Apologies about the title. I do know how to spell "expertise" but the "e" must not have made the cutoff for length!

JC

[dB Cooper]

https://www.magnepan.com/model_mini_maggie

[timind]

A few years back I used a pair of MG12qr speakers in a 12x12 room with good results. My room was dedicated to the stereo so I could place them where needed. The MG12qr is the predecessor to the .7.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I have a friend who uses his 1.7's in a near field set up.  His room is small, probaby 10x12 or something similar.  He sits about 4-5 feet from the speakers.  His system sound fabulous.  He even uses dual rhythmik subs but does use some room treatments.

His gear also sounds great at low volumes, meaning it stays musical and keeps its dynamics.

[Slapshot]

I have a friend who uses his 1.7's in a near field set up.  His room is small, probaby 10x12 or something similar.  He sits about 4-5 feet from the speakers.  His system sound fabulous.  He even uses dual rhythmik subs but does use some room treatments.

His gear also sounds great at low volumes, meaning it stays musical and keeps its dynamics.

Thanks. If the 1,7's worked in that space, it would seem I would be fine with the .7's. Anyone else want to weigh in? Any input is welcomed.

JC

[Kurtamus]

I have 1.7s in a 12x14 room, with some room treatments.  The 1.7s are 4 feet off the back wall, 2 feet off the sidewalls, and I sit about 6 feet from speakers.  I sure would love to have a better room, but I don't, so I have done what I can in the small room and it actually sounds pretty good.  The front wall now has the absorber horizontally in between the the two center diffusors, I was still tweaking when the pics were taken.

Maggies can be enveloping in nearfield listening, but nothing like they can sound when they have room to breathe.  I am living with nearfield for now. 

The .7 panels will not work only 4-5 inches from the front wall, you will have no sound stage.  I am agreeing with db cooper's post on the mini-maggies if you really want planars, assuming they could be paced with some space behind them.

p.s. please excuse the crappy cell phone pics...

[mcgsxr]

I’m wondering about the proposed 4-5 inches to the bookshelves behind the panels.

Has anyone worked with that restriction?

I have had bookshelves close adjacent to MMG’s and DIY panels but always at least 20-24 inches behind the speakers. 

[SteveFord]

You want the Mini Maggies.
With a decent sub they can sound tremendous.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

You will be fine with the 0.7's as long as you can pull them at least 20" from the from wall (and that goes for the LRS's too).  The further the better however.  You can sit 5' away from the speakers with them toe'd in.  Play around with positioning and floor tape.  Even a 1" difference can make a huge difference

The LRS's are great as SF said but if you ever get a bigger room, you will appreciate the 0.7's more.  A great budget sub to pair with them is the SVS sealed PS 2000 or a used Martin Logan Original Dynamo or Dynamo 700.  I run dual original Dynamo's with my 1.6's.
They integrate seamlessly.

Larry

[Slapshot]

The 4-5 inches from the front of the bookshelves to the back of the speakers is, unfortunately, not possible to change. It seems as though that limitation has ended my hopes for owning and listening to Maggies. I appreciate the recommendations of the Mini Maggies, but I just can't go there. This whole process started for me, a couple of years ago, when I originally auditioned extensively, fell in love with and was set to buy to buy some 3.7i's . However, the much larger space I then had available for my listening room was determined to be just a little too small for them, in the end. That was determined to a significant degree from comments by people here, who evaluated that scenario at my request, and finally by the local Maggie dealer who came out and took a look and said it just would never allow the 3,7i's to perform optimally.

Now, uncontrollable circumstances and setbacks have limited me to the very small room that I described for this scenario. And even then, I had already had to accept that my original wish for the 1.7's, had to be given up,  because I realized they weren't possible in this room. I the end, I was able to accept the .7's after listening to them for a lengthy period, at my friends demo. They are truly amazing given their size, price and performance. It's easy to see why they have won the awards and even "Speaker  of the Year" in one case. All of that led me to understand that I could be suitably happy with the .7's. I even specifically purchased equipment that excelled in driving them as well as could be asked. At the last minute, I decided to just verify that all would go well and created this discussion. 

Given all of the above, and more, I just cannot take the mini Maggies seriously for a full blown music system. If I wanted desktop speakers for my PC, sure, and they are quite outstanding at what they do, and are intended for. But otherwise, it's just far too big a drop off from what I hoped for. And I simply cannot imagine using a superb, $6000.00 integrated amp with the mini maggies. That would border on the ludicrous. Thanks to everyone for their input, and enjoy your Maggies. I dearly wish I could have joined you as an owner.

JC

[SteveFord]

Have you ever heard the Mini Maggies as full speaker system for a small room?
If not, don't dismiss them.
They were Holy Sh*t good and it was just a laptop, a Cambridge integrated amp and a small REL sub.

When they were first introduced at a show (that what's behind the curtain bit) people were expecting it to a big a very LARGE speaker system so they'll fill up a room with sound.  I believe they were being driven with a gazillion watts from Bryston amps.

[Slapshot]

Have you ever heard the Mini Maggies as full speaker system for a small room?
If not, don't dismiss them.
They were Holy Sh*t good and it was just a laptop, a Cambridge integrated amp and a small REL sub.

When they were first introduced at a show (that what's behind the curtain bit) people were expecting it to a big a very LARGE speaker system so they'll fill up a room with sound.  I believe they were being driven with a gazillion watts from Bryston amps.

Steve, thanks very much for your thoughts on this. Please understand that I have great respect for your thoughts and opinion, and have seen your experience and knowledge of planar speakers displayed here in the forum routinely over the years. However, as noted above, I went from originally planning to buy 3.7i's (when I had the larger room available) to, when having to deal with the smaller room, eventually making peace and being excited about the 1.7i's, to the realization they wouldnt work. Then, the process restarted and through an extensive demo I experienced with a friend, I was able to accept that I could truly enjoy a pair of .7's. Those are some very major tradeoffs, but ones I was, in the end, that I was able to make. And could have been happy with.

I'm sure you are right about the Mini Maggies, in a context, but defaulting to those, given what I had been aspiring to own, as noted above, seems very much like having wanted a Ford Mustang GT350R, and eventually having to purchase a Ford Fiesta ST. For people who go into that expecting and knowing that the Fiesta will work for them, it's not an issue. For someone who was originally going to buy the GT350R, having to settle for a Fiesta ST (as effective and enjoyable as it is within it's "class"), there would never be a day you wouldn't live with regret and feeling short changed.

JC   

[Slapshot]

Just out of curiosity, I did look at the set up guide that Magnepan uses for the mini maggies. Sadly, even if I could accept the idea of trying them (which I very seriously doubt I can) it appears that my room will not even accommodate these tiny desktop speakers due to how the Magneplanar technology works. From the setup guide:



"Set-Up Guidelines:

"Note, though, that the system generally works better in rectangular than in square rooms." (my room is square)

and the real deal breaker:

"After considerable trial-and-error experimentation, I’ve come up with several recommended set-up guidelines for using the Mini Maggie system in small rooms.

•Place the Mini Maggie satellites on stand at ear level for a seated listener, and locate the satellites well away from nearby walls. Leave plenty of open air space behind the satellites." (the most open air I could manage, with the speakers on stands, as required, is six inches, from the bookshelf to the back of the mini maggies.)

I do currently have a pair of speakers which can work quite well in the space I now have, a pair of floor standing, single driver/coaxial speakers. They were originally in my office system (when I still had an office). I will simply have to settle for using them. They are fine. But given that I am relegated to this small room for my audio system, which is extremely important to me, and I had already accepted the painful need to downsize my system, "well" and "fine" simply fall far short of what I wanted. And, in addition, I truly desired that magic which only Maggies bring. Oh well, sometimes things simply remain beyond our grasp, despite best efforts.

My one additional concern now is that the very good integrated amplifier that I just bought specifically for the .7's, may not pair well with the existing speakers. There is some reason to believe that is true, unfortunately. I even spent significantly more than I normally would on specific speaker cables that were optimal for the integrated amp, and which would have also been ideal for the .7's. But again, sometimes you can only do what you can, and live what what is possible. I just wish the impact on my music system was not so great. It is my one real form of solace and relaxation at the end of a long day. I know you can all appreciate that. Best of luck to all of you in music and audio.

JC

[SteveFord]

Sounds like you'll need a different type of speaker after all.
I know all about having a room that's not sized quite right.  My living room is a bit too big for 3.7s, way too small for 20.7s.

The Minis I heard were at The Listening Room quite a few years ago and now that I think about the set up, they were on a desk which was a good 6' out from the wall.  The desk was sitting out in the room.
Set up didn't look like much of anything, just two little speakers on a desk, the DMW under neath the desk (it was more like a table) and then an REL sub in the rear left corner.

All these years later I'm STILL impressed.   
Those little weasels sounded great but he did have them out in the open.

While I think of it, I'm told that the Mini Maggies need a LOT of power to really sing but when I heard them they were being driven by an inexpensive integrated amp.  It was nothing fantastic, just a Cambridge Audio Azur with a built in DAC.
I would have strapped that system onto a motorcycle and ridden home with it and been perfectly happy.

I am lucky, though, as the upstairs is just perfect for 1.7s.
If there is a next house I'll make sure there's a 20.7 sized room!

[Slapshot]

I am lucky, though, as the upstairs is just perfect for 1.7s.
If there is a next house I'll make sure there's a 20.7 sized room!

Steve, I think that a room optimal for 20.7's should be the absolute FIRST priority in choosing a new home for you, or, possibly even a reason to buy one!

JC

[Slapshot]

There "could" be some hope for me and being able to use the .7's!!! An old friend is currently visiting overnight with my significant other and I. He and I were just discussing my immense disappointment about not being able to make .7's work in my small room. While he has no real interest in audio, he did just had an interesting thought about my situation. it turns out that the bookshelf that is causing the critical issue with distance limitations behind the speakers could possibly be overcome. Turns out that what appeared to be a built in bookshelf is actually a type he is familiar with. It can all be disassembled (and removed) except the panel that makes up the back of it which is attached to the wall. Even that could be removed, but it would require the wall being repaired in a major way, which is not something I would undertake.

If I did follow through and eliminate the bookshelf, I believe it would could create enough space for the .7's.

Here is how it would spec out:

distance to listening position just about six feet

distance from back wall to the rear of the .7's = 20 inches

distance from the inside edge of each speaker to the other 40 inches (distance between speakers)

My only concern is some comments on Maggies in general, and I believe the .7's possibly needing space to the sides. The left speaker would be right next to a large piece of furniture which is six feet tall. The side facing the speaker consists of 12 inch deep, open shelves containing collected items from around the world sitting in different places  on the shelves.

Given all the above, please tell me that the .7's will now work for me!

Now, I just have to try to identify what I would do with the roughly 300 vinyl LP's (unused for over 30 years) and books that are currently on the bookshelf. Hmmmm.....maybe I could hide all the books under the bed.........

JC

[I.Greyhound Fan]

You will be fine with the side wall.  It won't be optimal but it will still sound good.  You will get a little more bass from that speaker.  You could always place some bass traps in the corner and behind the speaker.

I have my MMG's in my basement in an area where each speaker is about 12-15" from the side walls and they sound very good.  The extra bass is appreciated and it does not sound boomy.

My 1.6's have about 3-4' to the side walls but my right speaker has the 6' tall stereo rack about 10'' from its side and there are no issues with the sound.

[SteveFord]

Sides don't matter like I.Greyhound Fan said.
It sounds like you've found your solution and as for the retirement home, I couldn't agree more!

I just want a big box to live in.
Upstairs one monster room to live in, small kitchen and bathroom.
Downstairs motorcycles and reptile quarters.

Maybe a small house for the wife, she can bop over for a conjugal visit on occasion.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Sides don't matter like I.Greyhound Fan said.
It sounds like you've found your solution and as for the retirement home, I couldn't agree more!

I just want a big box to live in.
Upstairs one monster room to live in, small kitchen and bathroom.
Downstairs motorcycles and reptile quarters.

Maybe a small house for the wife, she can bop over for a conjugal visit on occasion.

I like your thinking