[I.Greyhound Fan]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I was just curious as to whether ther are many Magnepan owners here as I own a pair of QR1.6's and MMG's and may be soon upgrading to the 3.6's.  I'm considering buying the FV550 amp and SS DAC and was wondering how these sound with the Maggies at loud volumes.

Thanks,
Larry

[Crimson]

Hi,

Yes, I have 3.6s and MMGs but am not familiar with the electronics you mentioned. Loud volumes, as you're probably aware, require hefty amps. Good luck!

[Niteshade]

I have been considering purchasing a pair of MMG's for high power amp demonstrations. What do you like/dislike about the MMG's?

[MAC - SteveH]

I've got 1.6QR's with a Rogue 88 Magnum
Real nice combination

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I was referring to the Fet Valve 550 and and the VA solid state DAC.

As far as the mmg's are concerned,  they lack way in bass and are good for smaller to medium sized rooms.  There is a world of difference between the MMG's and even the next step up to the MG12's.  The sound stage, bass and overall sound of the MMG's is much smaller compared to its larger brothers.  They would be out of place in a high end system.

[dorokusai]

The MMG is the ****tease of the Magnepan lineup. They give you just enough flavor that will either turn you on, or turn you off of planars. I love that model for what it does but I would start with the 1.5QR or 1.6QR for reference. I've owned a bunch up thru the 3.5R and after about 30 other manufacturers of speakers.....pretty much know that the 3.6R is my endgame. I been saving my MYE stands for 3 years due to that fact

The soundstage being smaller, in comparison to the MG12, is kind of a no brainer. You're right, they really throw a better soundstage the bigger they get....LOVE that! I have a pair of Tympani 1D under my pool table if you're interested There's not much a 6'x4' speaker can't do for you aside from being bass shy on the lower octave.

Mark

[Parnelli777]

I have the 1.6s and love them enormously, but I wouldn't hesitate to move up to the 3.6. Since our living room is not on the gigantic side, the 3.6 may be a bit large however.

Wright WLA12A pre and a Smart Devices 2X150VT hybrid amp juice my 1.6 very well.

[Rashiki]

I have a pair of MMGs that have been modified with custom external crossovers and Mye stands. I also have a pair of older SMGs with modified custom crossovers and custom frames. I'm currently using the MMGs with a pair of powered subwoofers (X-Sub from AV123) powered by an Emotiva RPA-1 and a Mapletree preamp. I find the combination very pleasant. The modified MMGs when paired with the subs easily match most under $2K speakers I've heard.

 -Rob

[kmmd]

Hi Larry,

I have Maggies all around, 3.6R's, 1.6QR surrounds, CC3 and 10's (not hooked up anymore but cables are under carpet and ready).  Although I haven't heard the combo you're inquiring about (FV550 and 1.6QR), I believe that they will match nicely.  I'm not sure how loud you're referring to, but Maggies sound great with Bryston, Odyssey and VTL amps IMO and IME.  Here is another resource where you may want to ask your question: http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/bbs.html which is the Planar Speaker forum on Audio Asylum.  I don't believe that I've seen the combination of amp/speaker there, but I could be wrong.

Happy listening! 

My system is in the link below if you're curious.  Pics are about 5 years old though...haven't contributed in a while. 

[I.Greyhound Fan]

It must be nice using the 1.6's as your rear channels.  You must have a huge room. 

My Brothers father inlaw has the MG20's with 500watt monoblocks.

[steve k]

Hi Larry,
Not familiar with that amp/DAC combo but you can never have too much power with Maggies. They play well with lesser power but sing their best when you have enough power to really grip the bass panels. Being of the tube persuasion, I'm biamping an old pair of heavily modified IIIA's with a pair of VTL MB-125's on the mids and highs and a pair of VTL Deluxe 300's on the bottom. So that's 425 wpc of tube power and their are really sweet. Just upgraded to a VTL 5.5 preamp and the whole system jumped up several steps to a new level of dynamics, clarity and a black noise floor. Mye stands are also a big help in stiffening the panels and tightening up the focus and snap of the bass. Ditto what KMMD said, the PLanar Asylum is a great source of equipment matches and mods for maggies.
Enjoy!
steve

[kmmd]

It's very nice having the 1.6's as my surrounds and better than the 10's only because of the bass panel.  The 10's are almost the same height as the 1.6's but extremely coherent.  They are highly praised on the Asylum, and they rarely come up for sale on eBay or Audiogon.   

As for my room, it is what they call a great room.  It is 26 x 26 x 9 with one end facing a fireplace and the other opening up into the kitchen.  For those asking about a quiet fridge, I have a built-in KitchenAid Architect series stainless steel one and highly recommend it.  Anyway, my system is in a 15 x 15 section with 3.6's about 3.5 feet from the wall and 6 feet apart with slight toe in.  I have a 60-inch plasma screen in between.  This is definitely not ideal, but the system doubles as my HT system.

Steve, very nice VTL system.  I wanted to reiterate your findings as the pre and source are extremely important as Maggies are so revealing.  I love the tubed pre/source and SS amp combo.  I just got the 7B SST's and have been eyeing the VTL MB450's.  However, I'm keeping my word and waiting for Dan Wright's new amp.  I'll most likely move the 7B's to perform bass duties on the 3.6's and put Dan's amp on the mids and highs. I think that I'll most likely downsize my amp collection at that time.  I have 6 monoblock chassis currently, and Dan's amp will make 7.  So for those wanting some Odyssey monoblocks/dual mono, please feel free to shoot me a PM  I hope that I won't be making a mistake by letting them go.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Kmmd,  Sounds like a very nice set up.  How do you like the CC3?  My room is 17x17x9.  I use only a 3.1 set up. HT is not that important to me.  Currently I'm using a B&W center speaker from a prior set up with B&W bookshelfs.  I've been thinking of buying a Maggie center speaker.  (By the way, how do you like the Bryston,  I had a chance to buy a used 4B SST).

Currently I've been looking at new power amps in the $2k range.  (I'd like to spend more but $16K per year tuition for my daughters college is killing me) I like the Parasound Halo A21 and Franks Fet Valve Ultra 550.  The parasound has 400wpc at 4ohms and 100,000uF's cap.  It should pair well with the Maggies.  I'm leaning to the 550 because of its hybrid design and warmer sound. 

I'm also looking at Franks SS DAC which I would pair with the 550 or the Parasound.  For the time being I would use the preamp out on zone 2 of my Adcom GFR 700 AVR receiver. (the Adcom drives the 1.6's well,  its 260wpc x 2ch and 145x5ch with good dynamics but has a slightly sterile sound) This way I can use a Niles Audio amp selector and use the Adcoms amp for HT use and switch to the 2ch amp for music.  Eventually I would like to buy one of Franks Pre-amps.

I'd love to have a pair of the 3.6's but I'm not so sure my room can handle them.  I would also like to find a pair of Apogee's. 

[kmmd]

Thank you very much.  I like the CC3 as it mates nicely with both the 1.6's and 3.6's.  It goes down to 80Hz which is much better than my first Maggie center channel, the MGCC1, which only went down to 160Hz and was enclosed.    The CC3 is quite expensive though ($950?).  I've read that some owners use a single MMG,  MG12 or even one asylum member with a 3.6R center channel.  They end up selling the other speaker to someone else who'll use it as a center speaker for their HT system.  If memory serves, Grant Vandermye built a stand for someone to hold a 3.6R horizontally to for use as a center.  I highly recommend his stands by the way.

I think that your 2 amp choices would work well with Magnepans.  I agree that Frank's amp will be great with a Maggie with QR tweeters.

[sfox50]

I have a pair of MMG's that have been modded by "Peter Gunn", the frames are made of Sapele, an African hardwood. They are more efficient & have better high end and bass response that the SMGa's they replaced. I have a GB150D amp by Greg Ball, 150 WPC optimised for 4 ohms. They're plenty for the 13 X 20 room I have them in.

[Wally King]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I was just curious as to whether ther are many Magnepan owners here as I own a pair of QR1.6's and MMG's and may be soon upgrading to the 3.6's.  I'm considering buying the FV550 amp and SS DAC and was wondering how these sound with the Maggies at loud volumes.

Thanks,
Larry

Larry,

I have the AVA 550 EXR amp, and used it for awhile with the Maggie 1.6s before I replaced the Maggies in my main system with a pair of Salk HT3s.  I still have the 550, now driving the Salks.

I can assure you that the AVA 550 does a wonderful job on the Maggies - it is clean, dynamic, effortless; never a hint of strain on the 550s, even playing music as loud as I could tolerate.  The currently available 550 Ultra is reportedly a step up from the 550 EXR, though I haven't felt the need to upgrade, at least not yet.


 

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Thanks for the info WK!

[crossroadazn]

Against all odds ? MG10/QR and MC202 (predecessor of the MC402) what image and soundstage.