Maggies for me?

[JeremyG]

So I took my wife to an audio shop the other day, and we listened to some Magnepan 1.7s. They sounded wonderful as expected. Not being in the market for anything new, we walked out. The wife asked how much they were, and I told her we'd have to sell what we have to afford them. She then started jumping up and down and said it would be worth it if we could get rid of the "ugly" center channel. So I think I just got approval to buy new speakers.

So here's the rub: I don't know if I have the room or amp for them. The current system is a 1st gen AppleTV, Sony blu-ray player, Marantz receiver, Emotiva UPA-2, Behringer Feedback Destroyer, Crown XLS 602, Paradigm Monitor 7v4 fronts, Paradigm CC-370v4 center, and a pair of Avalanche 12 subwoofers in a sealed cabinet with a Q of 5ish. The room is 17 feet wide, 15 feet deep, with a 9 foot ceiling. The back of the room open to the kitchen and an eating area. Listening postion is 11 feet back. The front of the Paradigms are 3 feet out from the wall, and they are 78 inches apart. Between them is a low-ish cabinet with the electronics.

The Emotiva site says the UPA-2 is rated at 185 watts into four ohms, and has a 300 volt amp transformer.

Lastly, I do not have the time for DIY.

So, what do you guys think?

[Burke Strickland]

You are fortunate that your wife is excited in a postive way about your speaker choice. I'd say go for it! Assuming you are not expecting stadium rock concert sound levels, your proposed setup should be fine getting started with the Maggie 1.7s, which, by the way are GREAT sounding speakers and and even greater value.

I started out with a 50 watt per channel power amp for my Magnepan 3.6 speakers in a room with similar dimensions as yours. It was a BEL 1001 MK V, which has a very beefy power supply. As long as the power supply in the amp is high current (meaning simplistically that it won't "give up" on high output demands, especially on a 4 ohm load), and the power rating is not overly optimistic (and Emotiva claims to be conservative with their power ratings) you should be OK -- getting started.

The reason I keep saying "getting started" is because, although the setup you propose making use of existing equipment should work perfectly fine, eventually you will want to play the music a little bit louder and will want to hear even more of the detail and get even more of the sensation of air and space around the performers that you know your speakers are capable of producing, and will eventually want to move up to something like Bryston or Audio Research monoblocks. But that can wait (for years) while you are enjoying the heck out of the Maggie 1.7s, and are taking care of other priorities with your financial resources.

By the way, the Maggies will produce a convincing sound field across the front which may mean that you can get by just fine without the center speaker. I have a Magnepan CC3 center speaker which is not really necessary since the 3.6s do such a great job filling the front stage. (A preamp or receiver setting may be necessary to get the center channel information into the L&R channels.) However I suggest you experiment with it first before promising to remove the "ugly" center speaker. :>)

Enjoy!

[Chris D]

I echo most of Burke's comments there--I so go for it! I think you'd love those Maggies in your room. I'd advise still going with a center channel, though. I'm a functional purist when it comes to HT design.

[madmac]

I echo most of Burke's comments there--I so go for it! I think you'd love those Maggies in your room. I'd advise still going with a center channel, though. I'm a functional purist when it comes to HT design.

I agree with Chris here. Dolby digital and DTS do not like it when you have no center channel speaker. It was ok when Pro logic was the norm but with modern digital processors, when you program them to have no center, the results are dubious at best. Also looking at your picture, I would take one of the components out of the rack and put the center channel lower down and put the component on top where the center speaker currently sits. You'll get better, more seamless performance from the center that way.

[JeremyG]

Thanks guys!!!

The typical use of my set up is music, with maybe a movie a month played. Usually that movie isn't turned up due to sleeping kids. I just wonder how much use I actually get out of the center channel. Most of the music DVDs or blu-rays I have (concerts mostly) are played in the two channel format, as well. I haven't tried a movie without a center channel, so maybe that would be a good idea before taking a plunge. I did turn the spl meter on the other day with the music cranked as loud as I get it. It read 95dB. That's left, right and subwoofer channels on. So I would assume that switching to Maggies won't knock the output down too bad, as I don't have it floored much.

I also wondered about the sound transition from a cone center channel to a planar type, and if that would be too apparent.

Dan, the center channel is too big to fit in the cabinet. I have enough of a baffle issue with it sitting on top of the cabinet already. Plus it's noticable to me (alone) that the sound comes from below the screen. I put the TV mount on the wall high enough to support a bigger one if necessary, so the issue is a known design "limitation".

I am going to attempt to either get the 1.7s here to demo in home, or see if I can drag my amp to the shop to test out the setup. Would like to hear if together they can handle my progressive rock/metal habit.

[wkhanna]

IMHO......

GET the MaGGIES!

It is just one milestone in your audio journey.
Since the vast majority of your listening is music I would not concern myself with HT center-channel issues.
Like you, I may watch maybe 1 movie a month & never had a ctr ch spkr.
I get by just fine, thanks.

If your musical preference is toward hard rock, metal or other of the more boisterous genre, you may find the MG's a bit lacking.
For most others, there is not much out there that can compete with the mid's & high's from ribbons.
These should have & hold good value, too.

I would also recommend you have them demoed in home, as your room effect will influence the overall sound.
Whereas a demo in the shop with your amp will not represent what you will hear at home.

http://www.magnepan.com/

[JeremyG]

Agreed. Though I like the "fullness" of rock concert sound, not so much the "loudness". Always thought line arrays sounded the best to me personally in that regard. The concert that I liked the best was at the SDSU Open Air Theater, when I saw King Crimson open for Tool. It was not loud by any stretch, but the sound was amazing, and "big" would be the word I can think of to explain it.

[wkhanna]

Just how 'big' the soundstage created by MG's is will be depends on panel placement & the ability of your source to provide good signal to them.

The good news is your regional commander's willingness to accept the new hardware.

The question remaining is just how accepting said commander will be of the placement & real-estate required to extract the ultimate potential from the new hardware.

The front baffle of my 'boxes' is 4 feet from the wall.
My guess is you will need at least that much for the panels to perform their magic.
But that is just a guess.

Worst scenario is you must move the panels during listening sessions, then return them to 'pre-determined' location afterward.

[JeremyG]

Doubly agreed. If she can handle those big honkin' things in the living room (the speakers, that is:W) then I can handle moving them to accommodate serious listening. There's probably another 18-24 inches in either location for temporary room. My first concern was the subwoofer cabinet behind the left main. That location is the best for "in room subwoofer response". With a dipole left main that may get tricky. Moving the speakers out and back hadn't occured to me. Thanks!!!

As far as the upstream source, I guess there's nothing like a big speaker upgrade to kick off a multitude of others. That Marantz SR7001 is nice, but I wonder what a proper DAC would sound like, or a bigger amp, or a Mac Mini with Fidelia as a transport, or.......

[Hdale85]

And then you just have to talk her into some bass/mid-bass bins that double as speaker stands/mounts

[JeremyG]

Funny you should mention that, Dougie. My first plan was to buy a pair of MMGs and break my existing subwoofer down and build dual bass bins that the MMGs could stand on. That's what lead us to listen to the 1.7s. Well played, Magnepan.

[JonMarsh]

Get the Maggie's- I bet you'll love the 1.7's, just be sure to give them some room to breathe- the farther out you place them from the wall, the better they will sound.

Just one critical piece of advice- don't, repeat, DON'T ever go audition 3.7's. I used to sell Maggie's in an audio shop I was a partner in, back in the 70's, and Maggies have come a long way since then, especially the 1.7's and 3.7's. if I wasn't building my own crazy systems, I'd own 3.7's. 'Nuff said. You need a fairly high end electronics setup to know what the 3.7's can really do; for example, cheapest DAC I'd pair with them is an NAD M51. Power, something like an 8008 Aragon used, preferably a BB, even better, the Palladium mono blocks. (I'm speaking from experience, and demoing some of my gear at a friend's who bought 3.7's but didn't pony up on the electronics. World of difference.)

Hope you get these- you'll enjoy them a lot, I'll bet!

[JeremyG]

Went to the store today and spent an hour with the demo pair. Played MY music through them, and tilted, toed and moved them all around. Had them switch to a small-ish NAD amp to try to compare power levels with my amp at home. Man, the 1.7s can play rock alot better than what the interwebs give them credit for :E!!! So..... I put a down payment on a pair . They'll be custom made and delivered in a few weeks. The waiting begins..............

[wkhanna]

Great!
Do keep us posted.
Photos of the unpacking ceremony are mandatory.

[Burke Strickland]

Congratulations -- that's great! You have rightly observed that the Maggies are a lot more capable than many people give them credit for. But of course deciding that they are "right for me" requires an individual assessment/decision and you did that the best way -- actually listening to them with your own familiar music using equipment as close as possible to your own rather than just accepting a dealer's quickie demo or opinions and advice of people who post on the internet. (Those are good ways to help narrow down the choices / validate direction headed, but I'm referring to making the final "buy" decision.)

Enjoy!

[Chris D]

Yay! :banana:

Custom made? Really? How so?

[JeremyG]

Apparently there's not a whole lot of stock, so Magnepan makes them as they're ordered. Buyers can pick the color and the edge trim. Black cloth, with a black extruded aluminum frame were my choices. The only downfall is the wait. I was told it may be a couple of weeks. The dealer is supposed to contact me by Wednesday with a WAG on it.

[wkhanna]

In many ways, this is one of the best parts of our audio obsession.
The anticipation......
The little kid on Christmas morning effect....
The Oh my gawd, did I really do this jitters......

The older you get the less often such wonders occur.
Enjoy every second.

Trust me.

[JonMarsh]

In many ways, this is one of the best parts of our audio obsession.
The anticipation......
The little kid on Christmas morning effect....
The Oh my gawd, did I really do this jitters......

The older you get the less often such wonders occur.
Enjoy every second.

Trust me.

+1

The only thing worse is building it yourself and taking a year or more to complete!

Been there, done and doing that, own the movie rights cable distribution licenses...

[wkhanna]

:wink:

[JeremyG]

One week down... Waiting....

[John Holmes]

Almost there!

[JeremyG]

Two weeks down... Waiting...

I talked to the dealer, and was told that the WAG was closer to three to four weeks, PLUS up to week shipping to the store. Soooo... there could be another three weeks to go. So I'm coming up with some review material for them, to put in either this thread or an honest review thread if the mods agree. I usually only see reviews with super high end gear, so one with a more modest set up would maybe be a nice change.

[wkhanna]

I'm coming up with some review material for them, to put in either this thread or an honest review thread if the mods agree........

The mods most certainly agree.
A review of your new speakers would be most welcome & could be posted in both this thread & the ‘Articles’ section. The choice is yours.

[Chris D]

But of course we do!

[Alaric]

We are fortunate in that our mods are just as susceptible as the rest of us when it comes to vicarious audio romance. LOL. I shall now fidget for X amount of weeks waiting for the unpacking ceremony and honeymoon with Maggie!

[JeremyG]

Three weeks down...

[JeremyG]

Well, well, well....... Lookie what we have here....

Kinda heavy.

Perhaps someone is compensating?



Ahhh, that's it!!!


I just threw them up in the spots the old Paradigms were in. Haven't moved them since. The sweet spot seems to be across the whole couch, with a hint of higher frequencies in the center seat, but really only slightly noticable. My head will not have to be in a vice, that's for sure. Both channels needed a ~6dB boost in gain through Marantz to set 75dB as my zero. I'm thinking I will need to turn my sub down to balance. Or off, because these things get up and go. Off axis (ie moving around the room) the response is still very balanced. So here's my question: People have bought Maggies and NOT liked them??? Seriously??? With no break in or OCD positioning, the imaging and, for lack of a better term "smootheness" of these are so far above the Paradigms that I don't know where to think they need to be adjusted. Resolution is amazing. I have been listening to Queensryche's "Empire" album for 22 some years, and only tonight heard the reverb on the vocals in the song "Anybody Listening". That has been my go to demo song. It's been played on everything I've gotten my hands on, from Cerwin Vega to Klipsch to McIntosh. So I'll spend a while listening and then do a review.

[mjb]

Nice clean socks, lol!
I like the flat pack pics - my 802's arrived on a truck and a fork lift!

Congrats Jeremy, they look pretty sweet. Enjoy! I'm looking forward to your review.

[Chris D]

Oh, baby...

That's definitely banana worthy. :banana:

[wkhanna]

+1 on the bannana....

Actually, make it two....:dancenana: :dancenana:

I will wager that after some break-in hours, they will get even better :W
Enjoy!

[Chris D]

And Jeremy, I love the way the speakers look with your furniture!

[Lex]

cool! now you can use one of the magnepan speakers to mark your little boy's growth over the years. heh.

[aud19]

Nice, congrats on the new audio toys :T

[JonMarsh]

Great stuff, Jeremy- enjoy the new tunes- every song will seem new with this kind of upgrade.

Oh, and sometime, try pulling them out another 18-24" just as a temporary experiment- particularly on some acoustic natural music. You might like what you hear...

[JeremyG]

Just posted a review in this same section.

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?40993-Magnepan-1-7-Review

Thanks to everyone for your help and ideas. I'm extremely happy with how these have turned out.

[brownchiro]

Just posted a review in this same section.

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?40993-Magnepan-1-7-Review

Thanks to everyone for your help and ideas. I'm extremely happy with how these have turned out.

You have had these over a year. Checking to see how you still like them. I have had Magnepans for years, and currently running IIIa in front and III in back. I have been thinking of upgrading to 1.7. Thanks