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Magnepan SMGa Power requirements

Jbmorrey

Jbmorrey

Active Member
I have been reading up on Magnepan smg speakers and I am trying to see if my current setup can drive a pair of the SMG a speakers properly. I have a Luxman L480 that puts out 70watts into 8ohms, is that enough for the Magnepan? Thanks so much everyone.

James
 
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It depends on how loud you want them to play. If you enjoy moderate volume, it may be plenty.

Dozens of others are lining up to tell you 200+ watts, though. ;)
 
If the Luxman is rated for 4 ohm speakers, it may be enough if your listening room isn't too large. Do you know what condition the SMGa's are in? They would be pretty old these days.
 
sfox52 said:
If the Luxman is rated for 4 ohm speakers, it may be enough if your listening room isn't too large. Do you know what condition the SMGa's are in? They would be pretty old these days.
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The seller says they need new sock and has a set he could sell. He says they have been re bonded with a 3M adhesive directly from Magnepan. He has a few pair and it appears as though he does work on them. He tells me that they need a lot of power. How can I determine what the rating of the luxman will be into 4 ohms? I do not play music loud, I have a listening room that’s about 11x 20 approx.

James
 
Typically manufacturers that don't list a 4 ohm rating are indicating (by omission) that the amp is not intended for 4 ohm use ( it may overheat, distort, trip protection circuitry etc) The only exception I personally know of are Conrad Johnson Solid State amps where the company did not publish 4 ohm ratings yet the amps work more than well enough for 4 ohms and typically are close to doubling power at 4 ohms such as my CJ MF 2300A. If you don't listen too loud your Luxman may work fine with Maggies but if you do try the combination I would recommend you really pay attention to the amp temperature and or any signs of other amp stress ( noise, distortion smoke :eek:
 
Let’s look at it this way: if you need to turn them up past half volume to get satisfactory levels then you will need more amp.

These are not rock the house speakers but they do sound wonderful in their sweet spot.

Make sure you audition them before you buy. They can be a can of worms. A can well worth the work to some but they should be fully functional and to your liking before you buy.

Your luxman should be fine but more amp might help them really shine.

Good luck. Let us know what you think

Eric
 
ejman said:
Typically manufacturers that don't list a 4 ohm rating are indicating (by omission) that the amp is not intended for 4 ohm use ( it may overheat, distort, trip protection circuitry etc) The only exception I personally know of are Conrad Johnson Solid State amps where the company did not publish 4 ohm ratings yet the amps work more than well enough for 4 ohms and typically are close to doubling power at 4 ohms such as my CJ MF 2300A. If you don't listen too loud your Luxman may work fine with Maggies but if you do try the combination I would recommend you really pay attention to the amp temperature and or any signs of other amp stress ( noise, distortion smoke :eek:
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Gotcha, well when you are buying from an individual it’s hard to do more than audition them for 15 minutes or so. Which might be enough to determine how loud they will get, but may not be long enough to determine if the amp winds up getting way too hot or will smoke.... sounds like my amp will not be enough power for them, which is disappointing as I just recently purchased the Luxman and did not intend on moving to another amp anytime soon.
Can an owner of the SMG line of Magnepan confirm that the power of 70wpc into 8 do the job, or at least tell me what you are running the Magnepan with.
 
I have a pair of SMGa’s that I bought new in 1989 and drove them with everything from an early 60’s Sherwood S8000 tube receiver putting out 34w to an Onkyo HT receiver putting out around 100w. Never had an issue driving them as they are almost a purely resistive load. They are a nice introduction to the world of planar magnetic speakers without the size and space needs of the bigger Maggies.
 
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