Debating about Magnepan MG IIA

[Thinker]

Hey Everybody,

I have the chance to get a pair of MG IIA's from there original owner for $250 but, it's a bit of a drive and I'm not sure if I'll like them. My current favorite setup is my 4 and 1/2 watt S.E.P. amp with my modded Cornwalls. If I got them I would build a SS Class A amp to power them. What would be the main differences between the two setups?

Thanks for your thoughts

 

[jazzmans]

uh, everything?



horns vs magnetic planers
Tube vs SS
efficient vs not efficient.


The only place the two have similarity is speed. maggies are fast, (such a subjective term itself), like horns.



Maggies are glorious speakers, a pair of mg 2a's are certainly worth 250$.

(shrugs) dunno what else to tell you.

 

[downhiller20]

I'd make sure you get pictures of them with the socks off before you make the drive. It's very likely that they need a rewire.

 

[Thinker]

yeah I was worried about there age, but i don't think they'd be willing to take the socks off since don't you have to take out a bunch of staples? It's not an easy thing to do is it?

What's involved in a rewire?

 

[tomlinmgt]

It's very likely that they need a rewire.

Probably not as likely as wire delamination repair...which is what you might have meant, downhiller. Delamination of the wires is pretty much a given with any Maggie over twenty years old. If it hasn't happened yet, it will soon. Rewires are far less common and are only necessary if the panel wires have corroded and broken. This is generally only found in speakers that have spent their life in a high humidity environment. Ribbons will likely need replacing soon, as well. Not hard to do and cost a few hundred bucks for a pair of new ones from Magnepan. The delamination repair is not difficult but it is time consuming. Lots of step by step instructions on how its done all over the interweb.

As far as differences between the Maggies and the Cornies....like Jaz said, damn near everything. Most people I know who don't care for horns love line source dipoles....but that's certainly not representative of everyone. If you're used to listening to the Cornwalls and have never heard true ribbon Maggies you're going to hear piano, vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, tambourine, clave, mouse farts, etc. like you've never heard them before. BUT...make sure you can set them up properly and this means at least three feet out from the front wall and a few feet or more away from the side walls (with at least six feet between the speakers). If you can't do this then forget about them now or ever.

- Michael

 

[Thinker]

I didn't really like my Cornwalls with my average SS amp I found them Harsh in the top end, though with my nicer SS amp they aren't harsh but I guess you could say clinical, I think with the S.E.P. amp they're more musical.

I keep hearing that the magnepans don't go that low, my tube amp that I use with the cornwalls is only rated down to 40 hz, is that a world of difference from the Maggie's or is that not a large difference?

 

[tomlinmgt]

I didn't really like my Cornwalls with my average SS amp I found them Harsh in the top end, though with my nicer SS amp they aren't harsh but I guess you could say clinical, I think with the S.E.P. amp they're more musical.

I keep hearing that the magnepans don't go that low, my tube amp that I use with the cornwalls is only rated down to 40 hz, is that a world of difference from the Maggie's or is that not a large difference?

I wouldn't imagine the -II's would get much lower than 40 Hz...if at all. My -IIIa's are good down to the mid 30's. It's not molar loosening bass by any measure, but it is full and musical. I use two OB H-frame subs with mine, but I can enjoy them without subs just the same.

- Michael

 

[JoeESP9]

The low frequency extension of your tube amp is a non issue. What matters with Maggies is how much power you have. The more the better. Anything below ~60WPC of any kind of power will probably be inadequate.

I personally find all Klipsch speakers unlistenable because of the over accentuated upper mid range and harsh highs. The one thing that Maggies don't have is a harsh high end. They sound nothing like any product from Klipsch.

 

[Thinker]

I see some Maggies have these crossover boxes before the speaker do all maggies require these? Should the IIa's come with them?

 

[Thinker]

@JoeESP9 I was just saying that I'm happy with my cornwalls and they only go to 40 hz so I was wondering where the Maggies go down to.

 

[JoeESP9]

Some Maggies have external crossovers. IIRC the IIa's do not while the 3A series does.

I just read where you wrote the Klipsch were harsh up top. It's true that this is exacerbated by some amplifiers and minimized by others but IME it's always there. I pointed this out because, if you like that kind of treble energy you will probably think Magneplanars to be dull sounding.

They sound so completely different very few listeners like the sound of both brands.

 

[tomlinmgt]

Please keep it front of mind to get the Maggie "magic" (and this can be said for pretty much all of them...not just the -IIs) you have to satisfy a few things. First is the room and placement. I touched on placement already, but the room needs to be at least medium in size....I'd say no less than 12'x14' or so. Second is electronics. Magnetic planar panels like clean, high current power. And they will really show off the quality of your front end and preamp....so the better equipped you are in those areas the bigger the reward from the Maggies. I prefer tube preamps and high current SS amps with no less than 300 wpc at 4 ohms with my -IIIa's. A Soundcraftsmen MA5002 sounded great with the -IIIa's, but an Aragon 8008 (higher current) sounded better. And a modded SS Hafler 110 sounded great with the -IIIa's, but an AMC 1030 tube pre was much nicer. I have a pair of modded Threshold S/300's and a Dared SL2000a tube pre now and once the Maggies go back into rotation this will be the set-up they'll get hitched to. I'm expecting great things to happen. Things I've never heard a set of Cornwalls capable of doing. :yes:

However, though I've heard Corwalls with push-pull tube power, I've never heard them with SET's. This might be what makes them deliver their "magic" and might leave me as equally impressed as a properly set up pair of Maggies. I need a good SET/horn experience to see what all the fuss is about. I have Altec 19's and with an ST-70 wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be. I actually preferred those with the SS Aragon and a tube preamp.

- Michael

 

[MrZero63]

I've read that Maggies sound exquisite with an SS amp and tube preamp (the setup I have) but the tube amps I also have are on the low end of power (McIntosh MC225 - 25 watts/ch and an EM7 SET amp at 2.5 watts/ch) and show no justice to my MGIIc pair. My Audire Forte makes them sing (220w @ 4 ohms). Build your SS amp and I'm sure you'll love the Maggies.

I brought over a new friend and let him audition the Klipschorns and Heresy IIs with my tube amps and he was blown away by their clarity and soundstage. I then played "Miss You" off of the Stones' Some Girls LP and he was astounded. I then played it again on the Maggies using the Forte amp and he was immensely underwhelmed. I did this on purpose, of course. After that limitation, I played Ryuichi Sakamoto (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence) through the Maggies and his jaw dropped. It was quite a moment of discovery for my friend, but I already visited that experience myself and will not soon let go of my Maggies again! (I had MMGs and SMGas but eventually graduated to MGIIcs.) Their soundstage is unmatched (in my opinion) and their ability to realistically reproduce acoustic music is almost unreal. With the right amount of power, the Maggies will sing. Of course they may not play all music well (low low bass is not their strong suit), but they may forever change the way you listen to music.

As Michael previously stated, you must have the room to set them up properly or you should probably pass on the purchase. You may need a few days or even weeks to properly place them or to acoustically treat your room, but the work really pays off. $250 is a steal, even if you have to fix the possible delamination. Just look up Peter Gunn in any search engine and read/see how he fixes Maggies. It's more of a time-consuming thing but the payoff is immense. The Spring is also when Magnepan ships their rewire kits...

Get them!!! You can always turn around and resell them for the same price (probably more) if you don't like them. Just my two cents...

 

[Thinker]

Well i really should wait and see if my aristocrats sell and then buy the IIa's with that money my spending can go a little crazy if I'm not careful, I'm currently rebuilding my pas 2 and just finished my motorola amp clone, and there's a marantz 7 preamp in the works

 

[Thinker]

Well I told my Parents that I was thinking about getting them and they heard where they are (Red Hook Brooklyn) and they flipped out, apparently I could get shot, or robbed so it's out of the question so if anybody out there is in that area maybe you could get them the seller lowered their asking price to $195 on Epay

 

[tomlinmgt]

Well I told my Parents that I was thinking about getting them and they heard where they are (Red Hook Brooklyn) and they flipped out, apparently I could get shot, or robbed so it's out of the question so if anybody out there is in that area maybe you could get them the seller lowered their asking price to $195 on Epay

Oh yeah, no conceal and carry in New York. Bummer. :thumbsdn: