Magnepan MC1... Thoughts

[Jbmorrey]

Does anyone own or have a pair of the Magnepan MC1, from what I have read online, seems like they are supposed to be setup as a surround sound system, 2 in the front, 2 in the rear with a center channel. i am looking for something that will disappear in a room, and the idea that these are wall mounted and can be pushed back flat against the wall when not in use, is very appealing, considering I currently have a pair of Normal Labs model 9 which are huge and I am getting pressure from the wife to move the monsters out of the room.
I also understand you need a powered subwoofer added and I could add the subwoofer. I am just trying to determine if these would work well for a stereo setup. I have a Pioneer sx950, which I feel would be enough to power them. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Also, there is a pair available locally so this is why I am inquiring.

Thanks everyone.

James

 

[Ficklistnr]

A quality subwoofer and discreet amp circuitry is a must. The MC1 is not specifically designed nor limited to multichannel systems, though they do work well in that role. The wall-mount feature shouldn't be interpretted to mean theyre meant for rooms that will not accommodate floor standing speakers due to small size, its merely a plus. Wall mounting allows the MC1 to broadcast it's low ability of 80hz
If you prefer or require the wall mount must they are very worthy speakers to consider. If both multichannel formats and strereo program listening options are desired, these can do quite well as mains in both configurations if paired with a quality subwoofer and wired directly to a reciever that features discreet channel amp circuits and has settings options that bypass the decoder board with "3 and 5 speaker stereo" settings. Such as many Denon HT amps and the Yamaha RX-V line of multichannel amps that provide equal output power to both front L&R and rear L&R

I had 4 of the MC1 wall mounted in the narrow ends of a 14 x 20 room with a Pinnacle Baby Boomer subwoofer positioned about 6 feet from the rear wall with the dual bass drivers facing side to side. With spikes engaged. I was not unhappy with 3 speaker stereo listening despite my picky preference for 3 way speakers vs sub/sat setups The 80hz low floor of the Maggie's made the difference for me I think.
In the role of multichannel broadcasts they were as good as I expected them to be. I was using a TC Customs speaker with two 4inch paper cone mids and a Philips soft dome tweeter housed in a cab made from a single piece of sold oak to fill the role of center channel I struggled with delay settings for a while but settled with the least delay possible and it worked out. I was happy with the system in both multi channel theater role and stereo playback though I think I would add another baby boomer towards the mains for stereo listening or a front firing setup with a bass driver that has a large cone area and forward port/chamber such as a Velodyne or JBL 12 inch as it's quite simple to tune a sub with the Maggie's, very little output volume is required to hear the typical sounds of a movie, the larger cone area would make the crash bang boom stuff a bit more real and support stereo playback a little more realistically.