[TheChairGuy]

I've never thought of it before...but I can certainly tilt my speakers up a bit on the front - it might help.

Peter Gunn's pricing is similar, a bit less fully modded, to my experience.  I'm not really a wood lover (aside from floors), so I kinda' like my heavily powder coated Mye stands.  If you fill them with sand, upper stanchions and lower legs, the whole shebang probably weighs 80 lbs.  That'll anchor a 20 lb MMG panel pretty good 

I think Jeff Glawocki/Sonic Crafts modification was about $500.00 and it included:

* One way freight back to California
* Re-wiring with Furutech copper wiring
* Disconnection of old crossover assembly (left in there in case I ever wanted to re-hook it back up)
* Removal of fuse
* Outboard crossovers feature Soniccap, 12ga. Alpha-Core Copper Inductor, 6 good rca jacks per crossover unit (I forget what brand) and, of course, the unobtrusive, but handsome, wood box themselves.
* All labor

I didn't re-read Peter's mod list....but I think the Alpha-Core Inductor is a must for a great upgrade.  Did he say he used a Jensen inductor?

So, my total for Mye stands and mods was about $875.00.  I'm dang happy at that 

[Berndt]

I think he used alpha-core 12g.
I know he did on mine. I used sonicaps as well that I got from Danny at GR.
I can't wait to get them back.
I am also hoping to get a new amp this week, wife willing.

[TheChairGuy]

I think he used alpha-core 12g.
I know he did on mine. I used sonicaps as well that I got from Danny at GR.
I can't wait to get them back.
I am also hoping to get a new amp this week, wife willing.

Jeff Glawacki/Sonic Craft said to me that the cap swap was more significant than the inductor...but it's all good 

I forgot to mention that among the best enhancements was weight to the TOP of the panel...Peter Gunn want to build a 'topper' than you can fill with lead or sand to fit on top of the panels.  I've got some inelegant sand bags up top of my MMG's, it looks like crap, but the damping effect on those jouncy panels is excellent.  Bass firms up mighilty with them on top.  Especially on the thin, lightweight,  lower line Maggies like SMG and MMG...this top weight seems to dramatically improve matters.

Somebody over a year ago detailed what he did with his Maggies...and told everyone the same thing I found; damping the top was a HUGE upgrade.  He was a part-time violin maker, so his stands were all wood, too.

As for amp upgrade...you might want to wait on that.  If you remove a lot of the 'klingons' like crap steel wire holders and fuse, you might find you might need less current/wattage than you had thought on them.

[Peter Gunn]

Berndt prodded me enough that I signed on here. 

I used 12 ga alpha core for the very first pair I did (mine) but Mart at the planar asylum said he thought the Jantzens from Denmark are better so I tried them on the next box I did and I agree they are. They cost more but they're worth it.

I also saw your post about adding weight to the top. I've no doubt that would work, and in fact the limit you would have to go to before you reached the "ceiling" would make the damn things the size of a bus, but that's the problem, practicality. I tried to allieviate much of this by my strut design which does not look or work like any others and grabs higher and far more securely.

But to be fair my wife has a very heavy bag you heat in the microwave and put on sore spots. I'll place it on top of one panel and see if it does anything.

[Berndt]

Welcome PG.
 thanks for showing up

[TheChairGuy]

I think you'll find they work nicely, Peter.

I have 5 lb. sand bags on top...and taking them on and off reveals the same effect each time.  It's not magic...the Maggie panels simply respond greatly to weight/damping above (probably the smaller/thinner panels the most).

Welcome to AC, man...I'm glad the persistant  Berndt egged you on

[Peter Gunn]

You guys are nucking futs. 

Sand again has proven to be of no use to me in audio, however I think it did nothing for me because there was nothing to do.

When I look at the picture of your maggies on the first page of this thread, the first thing that comes to mind (after the fact that they look like the things tankers welded to the front of Shermans to cut thru the Bocage in Normandy  ) is you created your own problem, or the stands did rather.

Consider, the problem we are trying to eliminate is vibration, and that this is a thing that gets amplified and becomes harder to control the longer the vibrating item is. You took your small mmg's and un-naturally lengthened them, so it's no wonder they were vibrating more at the top end. (especially given that they're being held up there by just tubes)

While they can be made heavier with sand (again :^ ) they don't have a central mass point which is a critical factor in stability. You have skinny heavy things.... then air.... then more skinny heavy things... more air.. etc.. and right where the "heart" of the units mass should be located there is nothing but air. I consider magnepans to be the most instrument like of all speakers, and like an instrument they need a body made of wood. Because my stand has a critical mass point and because it grabs the speaker solidly on the bottom I can attach my struts a little higher. I also attach them there more solidly than anyone has yet done. Like a harp they become triangles that are very strong, and they're not moving, or vibrating.



Am I correct that you're going over to Berndts to see his maggies when they get back, and that you said prefer tubing over wood?

I'll save a spot near the top in the order queue for you then...   

[TheChairGuy]

Peter,

I see a lot of good design points, and differentiation versus my current Mye stands....I really like the look, too (as you made a full, 3 sided frame to match the wood of the stands themselves).  I think your stands look far better than mine overall...even tho my taste typically runs to stone, ceramic and painted wood in decor.  My hat's off to ya'....your stands both look good and have some good design ideas behind them. If you can do it consistently (and not have to file for food stamps) at $625.00...there should be lots of takers

Berndt emailed me some pics of them...they look great and I love the integrated crossover units.  Goes to prove, until you see or experience something.......one's views are mostly nonsense 

In fact, this is what I replied to Berndt's email with the pics....

REALLY nice...WAAAY nicer looking than my Mye stands/MMG's.

Peter does great work.  If they sound half as good as they look, you will be stylin'!
 
I love that he actually made new matching side rails, too, that's the kicker to it.  Very elegant.

Nonetheless, do try some kind of weighting on top of your speakers....despite your description why I may need them/and you don't.....until you see or experience something.......one's views are mostly nonsense 

[BrassEar]

Hey ChairGuy:

I have heavily modded 1.6QRs but I used to own the MMGs (as well as the 2.5R, 2, SMGa, Tympani, etc.) I think I have heard every Maggie ever made and owned most of them. Anyway, not to take anything away from Jeff at Sonicraft but I don't think I ever liked the QR until I heard them with a good PIO cap in series with that driver (ditto the true ribbon). Plastic caps IMHO always sound bright to me. Auricaps are the best plastics I have ever heard but VitaminQ, Jensen, and Obbligato PIO caps are incredible with Maggies. Currently using the Obbligato and have never looked back.  All FWIW and IMHO. 

I once had a friend with Maggie 2.6Rs (he now has Thiels but that's another story). Anyway, he built custom wood stands/braces and BOLTED them directly to his wood floors in a room over his garage. A single guy BTW.  The improvement was staggering to put it mildly.

[Peter Gunn]

I wasn't trying to "dis" your stands, as I'm generally pretty self effacing but Berndt has been telling me I need to "go get em"     so I was just expressing some of the concerns I have always had about them. I made mine the way I did not only because I'm a woodworker, but I really feel it's the best way to go. I've been tweaking with the design for over a year now to get it where it is today.

I think for the money mye stands are useful tweaks, but I always felt they can sometimes prompt as many problems as they solve. Mine is designed to be a permanent modification, not a tweak.

The price is probably going up but will stay under $700, and will include Obliggato caps (which I agree with brass ear are the best) Jantzen inductors and Edison Price binding posts. Whether the mod flies or not with the public remains to be seen.....but kitty hawk is only one month away.

In any case doing this beats the crap out of trying to make furniture for yentas that don't know what the hell they want     I'm sick of doing that.  At least I know what maggie owners want. (At least I hope I do)

And for the record I did put sandbags on top of both of my speakers, left them there a half and hour and it didn't do anything. Sounded the same when they were on, and came off. I consider that verification that no such problem exists in my design, so for that, Thanks!

[TheChairGuy]

Cool Peter...I'm so keen on your designs visually that I'd think of selling my Mye stands and buying yours one day (sans outboard crossovers).

One day I'll get to Berndt's place to hear and see his and make further evaluation.  I gotta' be better/easier to please than any friggin' Yenta, no matter what 

Many thanks for your input!

John / TCG

[Berndt]

I just today unpacked my magnastand smgas.
I had already done the defuse mod and redid the xos with sonicaps and foil inductors.
Each of these mod steps provided a good bang for the buck coefficient.
The stands PG built for me change the whole equation.
There is a band playing in my living room now. The off axis imaging is very unmaggielike.
My amp gain is reduced as well.
Just a prelim will start a new review thread after living with them for a while.
Bill

[TheChairGuy]

S-aaaaaaaaa-weeeeeeeeet, Bill