Magnapan 2.5R's for main 2 channel now. Pic.

Tony M

Since I was needing just a little income to please the better half and space to play with, I relunctantly sold my larger SDA's to a great father son duo. I had these Maggies for a while now and never had them against a wall in their own space. I know they are supposed to be out in the room but that isn't possible and probably never will be. But....they sound pretty good now.

These do sound amazing and since I just added a vintage Klipsch II subwoofer in the chain, the frequency range is complete. The sub gets the signal first though and then passes on the crossed-over upper bass and above frequencies. I'm sure it's affecting the pure signal but...what can I do on this limited budget. Maybe a cross-over device later on or something else might be suggested to help me out.

The sub has an 8" woofer and a 10' passive on the rear.
They really measure 7" and 9" thought. I feel the sub is quick and effective!

I even put these up for sale on craigs list here and only had one call fromm a city 5 hrs. away. Anyway, I love these and will keep these probably for life since they almost equal the SDA-SRS2's now with the added sub.

I was listening yesterday and noticed the midrange is not as forward or bright as my former SDA towers and I turned the treble up a bit also. What I need to do next time out there is to set the adjustable treble control to come down lower toward the midrange, and let it highlight a little lower. It should help the midrange to my liking.

Well here is a photo I took while taking shots for a friend to show her husband the size of my buildings space. I couldn't find a wide angle setting but I did see this cool thing in settings. I just decovered a setting that will stitch 3 shots together. Left to right or right to left. It's soooo cool. It took me a couple of times to see how it works but I got it down.

Here is the 3 shot stitched...Panarama setting I think they're called. Can you find the man's face?
The definitives are temporarily in the way and I had no where else to place my eagles for now. I'll move them behind my couch soon though!
Nooshinjohn, you would've liked these 2.5R's I'm sure. I hope your enjoying the new ones you just bought.

falconcry72

1) Hell yea, Man; Congrats! I love Maggies.:biggrin:

2) You can move them out another 1.5'. It will make a huge difference. Just try it; if I'm wrong them move'em right back and call me a dipsh*it.

3) Does your Preamp have two sets of outputs? If so, you can run one set to the amp and one set to the sub, using the sub's own crossover.

4) Have fun!


Enjoy the Maggies, man; there is no other speaker in the world that sounds like them.:biggrin:

Tony M

falconcry72 wrote: »

1) Hell yea, Man; Congrats! I love Maggies.:biggrin:

2) You can move them out another 1.5'. It will make a huge difference. Just try it; if I'm wrong them move'em right back and call me a dipsh*it.

3) Does your Preamp have two sets of outputs? If so, you can run one set to the speaks and one set to the sub, using the sub's own crossover.

4) Have fun!


Enjoy the Maggies, man; there is no other speaker in the world that sounds like them.:biggrin:

Thanks.
(2) I'll move em out since right now I can move my couch back another foot and a half temporarily. (3)I doubt it does but wouldn't that still send bass signals to my Maggies? I can't play these really loud with bassy music. Since the sub was added I can get as loud as my SDA-SRS2's or 1c's could, well, almost.
(4)These do sound amazing with strings and acoustics. A recorded violin sounds like they are in the room resonating!! Really.:biggrin:

falconcry72

tony millard wrote: »

...wouldn't that still send bass signals to my Maggies? I can't play these really loud with bassy music. ...

Why can't you send bass to the Maggies? Do they buzz or flap or something?

Tony M

falconcry72 wrote: »

Why can't you send bass to the Maggies? Do they buzz or flap or something?

I can and have always sent bass.

Just at loud listening, one speaker will have a bassy pop when the low bass hits hard. I'm not a bass head and do not listen to RAP. I don't listen to grunge either. But I do turn the dial up sometimes.

"Sade" turned up would make the one pop. But my room is 18x21 with 10' walls and an open ceiling.

George Michaels bassy music would do the same.

Normal listening on these doesn't really require a sub. But to feel the bass on the floor under your feet like the SDA-SRS2's create, I had to ad a sub.

Jazz is almost fine but the stand -up bass is lacking that lower room filling pressure that I was used to. If I haven't owned sooo many bass producing speakers, I wouldn't miss it probably.

With the sub added and taking the lowest bass away from these, I can play them as loud as I want. I haven't heard a pop since adding the little sub. I crossed the sub at a really low frequency so the Maggies are producing probably 90% of the sound.

falconcry72

tony millard wrote: »

I can and have always sent bass.

Just at loud listening, one speaker will have a bassy pop when the low bass hits hard. I'm not a bass head and do not listen to RAP. I don't listen to grunge either. But I do turn the dial up sometimes.

"Sade" turned up would make the one pop. But my room is 18x21 with 10' walls and an open ceiling.

George Michaels bassy music would do the same.

Normal listening on these doesn't really require a sub. But to feel the bass on the floor under your feet like the SDA-SRS2's create, I had to ad a sub.

Jazz is almost fine but the stand -up bass is lacking that lower room filling pressure that I was used to. If I haven't owned sooo many bass producing speakers, I wouldn't miss it probably.

With the sub added and taking the lowest bass away from these, I can play them as loud as I want. I haven't heard a pop since adding the little sub. I crossed the sub at a really low frequency so the Maggies are producing probably 90% of the sound.

Word. I have always used a sub with my Maggies also.

I was just trying to feel out whether you had a planar panel problem or something like that.

Sounds to me like you're good to go.:biggrin:

Tony M

I've heard nothing but great reviews on those you own.:cool:

I'm going to search more now on your model 3.6's to refreshen my knowlege and to dream a bit.:biggrin:

falconcry72

tony millard wrote: »

I've heard nothing but great reviews on those you own.:cool:

I'm going to search more now on your model 3.6's to refreshen my knowlege and to dream a bit.:biggrin:

I currently live with:

- MG-12's

- 1.6's

- 1.7's

- 3.6's

I love Magnepans, but there's no doubt that they are deficient in some ways.

The 3.6's are a drastic departure from the others I mentioned in that they use the "true ribbon" tweeter. While this attribute is beneficial in many regards, it is not the "end-all-be-all" of Magnepan designs, and I still believe that there are advantages to the smaller Maggies.

I am currently trying to decide which Maggies are right for me. It will either be the 3.6's or 1.7's.

The 1.7's are more versatile. The 3.6's are more articulate.

Either way, a Maggie is a Maggie, and I'm sure your're going to enjoy yours.:biggrin:

Let me know if you need info. I'm no Maggie expert by any means, but I can help to differentiate between the models that I'm familiar with.

Cheers.:biggrin:

Tony M

Yep, you have the best Maggies ever made according to alot of people.:cool:

While reading up in your owners manual, I couldn't find info on my model for some reason, even on their website, I see a midrange fuse might be my problem on the one speaker. It even affects midrange output that owners don't even know aren't working. Just like I just wrote about mine lacking compared to the Polks. The poping might be thermal overload it says too.
Here's a pic I took a few weeks ago of one fuse panel if I can find it.

I'm going to look at my fuses close when I pull them out. I don't think I have a midrange fuse now, just a tweeter fuse. Well I just looked at my pic and it says midrange/tweeter.I have to clean the contacts don't I.. Maybe one is blown but the imaging would surely be one-sided so I guess I just have to look at my other components, wire, etc....Oh well, some things are an easy fix, some not. :-)
Here's the sentances;

In case the MG3.6's do not sound "quite right," especially after high volume levels,
please check the midrange fuse. When it is blown some owners do not realize it, since
a blown midrange fuse is not as apparent as a blown tweeter fuse. Some amplifiers will
distort or go into thermal overload when driving MG3.6's with a blown midrange fuse.

falconcry72

tony millard wrote: »

...Some amplifiers will distort or go into thermal overload when driving MG3.6's with a blown midrange fuse.

What most folks don't realize is that not only will some amplifiers go into thermal overlaod, some will, literally, go into a thermo-nuclear evaporation mode. This mode is rare, but when it happens, 99.999% of humans will be evaporated. I once, myself, dabbled into this ominous territory, and all I can tell you is that the device needed is a non-thermodynamic equilibrium machine that uses electrostatic confinement to accelerate ions into a center where they fuse together.

The results are not pretty. Anyone remember WW0.31415? Yea, didn't think so.

drumminman

tony millard wrote: »

Yep, you have the best Maggies ever made according to alot of people.:cool:

While reading up in your owners manual, I couldn't find info on my model for some reason, even on their website, I see a midrange fuse might be my problem on the one speaker. It even affects midrange output that owners don't even know aren't working. Just like I just wrote about mine lacking compared to the Polks. The poping might be thermal overload it says too.
Here's a pic I took a few weeks ago of one fuse panel if I can find it.

I'm going to look at my fuses close when I pull them out. I don't think I have a midrange fuse now, just a tweeter fuse. Well I just looked at my pic and it says midrange/tweeter.I have to clean the contacts don't I.. Maybe one is blown but the imaging would surely be one-sided so I guess I just have to look at my other components, wire, etc....Oh well, some things are an easy fix, some not. :-)
Here's the sentances;

In case the MG3.6's do not sound "quite right," especially after high volume levels,
please check the midrange fuse. When it is blown some owners do not realize it, since
a blown midrange fuse is not as apparent as a blown tweeter fuse. Some amplifiers will
distort or go into thermal overload when driving MG3.6's with a blown midrange fuse.

Fuses can deteriorate and not blow. IOW they'll still pass a signal, but with poor quality. You might want to buy new fuses to hear if there's a difference. And cleaning the contacts in the fuse holder would probably help too.

Also, I've read that alot of people have had good success upgrading sound quality using the expensive specialty fuses like Isoclean, Furutech, etc. Never tried 'em myself, but I'll probably get around to it one day.

scottyboy76

Would love to have that sound in my living room.

considering some new mmgs,probably all i can afford, just not sure if they are even close to the real maggie experience.

And btw when i took pics of my landscaping clients yards for before and afters, i used my little plastic film cameras panorama mode to do the same thing as you.

Tony M

I hear you about fuses. That fuse in my close-up photo does show what looks like a weakened filiment in there. Great camera! Great advice..Thank you.

I will try and clean those contacts too.. asap.

I can't afford the Isoclean fuses at the moment and I truely have to much clutter to warrent their use anytime soon. I doubt I'd hear the fine details they are supposed to reveal.

audiocr381ve

All this talk about Maggie's makes me think I should give them another shot. If a pair of MMG's pop up locally, I might just go for em'.

falconcry72

scottyboy76 wrote: »

considering some new mmgs,probably all i can afford, just not sure if they are even close to the real maggie experience.

I have not heard the MMG's, but I've owned the MG-12's, which are similar.

One very important consideration with any Magnepan, but especially the smaller models, is to make sure that your head is below the top of the speaker. Maggies spread sound out pretty well to the right and left, but not up or down

The difference between having your head above or below the top of the speaker is dramatic. The closer you can get your head to the center of the speaker, vertically speaking, the better. This harder to do with the shorter models, but it can be done, for sure.

You'll probably want a sub with the MMG's, but they'll sound damn good. They've got the same stuff in'em as the MG-12's and 1.6's, just less of it. In certain sized rooms the smaller models can sound better, just like with SDA's.

Everyone should listen to Maggies at some point, especially if you're into acoustic music, ie. all strings, woodwinds, brass, drums, voices etc.

falconcry72

audiocr381ve wrote: »

All this talk about Maggie's makes me think I should give them another shot. If a pair of MMG's pop up locally, I might just go for em'.

I think 1.6's on the used market have got to be one of the best deals in audio.

Now that the 1.7's are out, you can find 1.6's for like 800 bucks.

The 1.6 is a ridiculous amount of speaker at that price, and it will do some things better than speakers costing 10 times as much.:cool:


Edit: plus, Magnepan is American-made (Minnesota), and they have excellent customer service.

When I got my MG-12's, the guy had lost the bolts that connect the stands to the speakers. I called Magnepan, and they sent me a new set of bolts free of charge. I didn't even have to pay shipping, and they knew that I was not the original owner.

They made a lifer outta me.

I want the 3.7's sooo bad... they combine what I like about the 1.7's and 3.6's. So who's goona loan me 5 grand?:redface::biggrin:

scottyboy76

Allowed myself to be burned when meeting cl seller for the maggies i just got.

I know better about listening to gear before buying, doubly so when its speakers with covers that cant be removed.

The main thing is more the corrosion on wires rather than delaminating of wires.

Welcome any advice from experienced owners and used buyers.

I cant tell you what these old busted speakers did to me, even with distant vocals from damaged wires and lack of bass.

I admit im a sucker for big soundstage type speakers, dcm etc., but this is a different ballgame with these guys.

audiocr381ve

falconcry72 wrote: »

I think 1.6's on the used market have got to be one of the best deals in audio.

Now that the 1.7's are out, you can find 1.6's for like 800 bucks.

The 1.6 is a ridiculous amount of speaker at that price, and it will do some things better than speakers costing 10 times as much.:cool:


Edit: plus, Magnepan is American-made (Minnesota), and they have excellent customer service.

When I got my MG-12's, the guy had lost the bolts that connect the stands to the speakers. I called Magnepan, and they sent me a new set of bolts free of charge. I didn't even have to pay shipping, and they knew that I was not the original owner.

They made a lifer outta me.

I want the 3.7's sooo bad... they combine what I like about the 1.7's and 3.6's. So who's goona loan me 5 grand?:redface::biggrin:

Dude, you're rolling in the dough apparently! Save for a few months a pick those S.O.B's up!

dee1949

...Luv my Maggies. MG I's that have been totally rebuilt. The ESS AMT Monitors are gone. The ESS were amazing, but at my age I don't need the volume of sound they produce. Maggies are just the right compromise.

Tony M

dee1949 wrote: »

...Luv my Maggies. MG I's that have been totally rebuilt. The ESS AMT Monitors are gone. The ESS were amazing, but at my age I don't need the volume of sound they produce. Maggies are just the right compromise.

My wife has laid claim to my pair of ESS AMT 1D's or 1B's. If she goes, they go...:frown:
The speakers are collecting dust in my spare bedroom for years now. I was going to get the ESS's out to my building later this year since I have some more space now but.....

Today was a great day for finding speakers. I was leaving goodwill and I was about to pull out onto the highway and I see an SUV pulling an open trailer behind it. Laid on a 45* angle were what I thought to be BIG hartley speakers. Now I'm 150' away watching this trailer go by.:eek:

I told my wife, hold on...I hope he's going to turn around to come donate them. Sure enough, he put's on his turn signal and I start backing up to head him off at the donation door if he turns in and in fact is going to donate them.
Sure enough, he turns into the side street to get to the donation door....he passes me and puts it in reverse....I jump out to intercept him but he doesn't see me or does'nt pay attention to me much. I get up to his window as he's backing up and I'm about to knock on his window when he stops and rolls down his window.
I told him I collect speakers and is he going to donate Hartleys. He smiles and says that's amazing and puts his vehicle in park. We're 50' from the donation door and we start talking Hartley speakers and quality. He said he didn't want to take them to the dump, they're to nice for that he said. I agreed.
I told hime I'd like to pay him for them and he said great, he'd like to see them go to somebody who knows what they are worth. I paid him fairly and we were both happy. He can go out to eat with his wife and I NEED to see if these still work ok. He said they shoud be fine but ....

Tomorrow will be a.....Maybe tonight around midnight, I'll find out. These have two woofers and a tweeter in a 4' tall column. 90 lbs. each I think. I was tired later today and rested some and then went grocery shopping big time and then ate dinner and watched a little TV and then Joe Bonnamassa comes on and here I sit instead of hooking those speakers up.
The mystery of performance can wait.. just a little more.

I make space and it gets filled right back up...:rolleyes:

Got side tracked, sorry, I also love the Heil Transformer's sound ALOT too!.:cool:

TNHNDYMAN

Dee -
Did you already sell the rock monitors or are planning to? Grew up w/ a pair of ESS AMT1A's and love them.

Tony M

tony millard wrote: »

My wife has laid claim to my pair of ESS AMT 1D's or 1B's. If she goes, they go...:frown:
The speakers are collecting dust in my spare bedroom for years now. I was going to get the ESS's out to my building later this year since I have some more space now but.....

Today was a great day for finding speakers. I was leaving goodwill and I was about to pull out onto the highway and I see an SUV pulling an open trailer behind it. Laid on a 45* angle were what I thought to be BIG hartley speakers. Now I'm 150' away watching this trailer go by.:eek:

I told my wife, hold on...I hope he's going to turn around to come donate them. Sure enough, he put's on his turn signal and I start backing up to head him off at the donation door if he turns in and in fact is going to donate them.
Sure enough, he turns into the side street to get to the donation door....he passes me and puts it in reverse....I jump out to intercept him but he doesn't see me or does'nt pay attention to me much. I get up to his window as he's backing up and I'm about to knock on his window when he stops and rolls down his window.
I told him I collect speakers and is he going to donate Hartleys. He smiles and says that's amazing and puts his vehicle in park. We're 50' from the donation door and we start talking Hartley speakers and quality. He said he didn't want to take them to the dump, they're to nice for that he said. I agreed.
I told hime I'd like to pay him for them and he said great, he'd like to see them go to somebody who knows what they are worth. I paid him fairly and we were both happy. He can go out to eat with his wife and I NEED to see if these still work ok. He said they shoud be fine but ....

Tomorrow will be a.....Maybe tonight around midnight, I'll find out. These have two woofers and a tweeter in a 4' tall column. 90 lbs. each I think. I was tired later today and rested some and then went grocery shopping big time and then ate dinner and watched a little TV and then Joe Bonnamassa comes on and here I sit instead of hooking those speakers up.
The mystery of performance can wait.. just a little more.

I make space and it gets filled right back up...:rolleyes:

Got side tracked, sorry, I also love the Heil Transformer's sound ALOT too!.:cool:

I quoted myself to comment on the speakers I unbelievably aquired Sat..

Hooked them up at half time today and almost didn't want to come back in.:biggrin:


They are as clear as Klipsh Heresy's and have a touch more bass. There's some siblince(sp) in the highs that I have to tame somehow. They were designed for jazz and clasical but my other pair was to , but these seem overly clear and bright. They are mirror image and I might have to reverse them to put the tweeters on the inside stage setting.

Their grill cloths needs replacing and the tops and bottom 1" veneered caps should be replaced too. Picks of them are below. After posting these pics just now, I went to see how they looked on this site and I believe these have 2 tweeters or a tweeter and a midrange up top. I thought there was only 1 tweeter and 2 10" or 12" below it and 1 little port. I think I see 2 ports now too. I can see why they're so clear and bright now!

Otherwise, money WELL spent.:cool:

Tony M

Looking around I found this, I think mine are the H-200's with 2 10" woofers along with the other 2 mid and tweeter.
http://cgim.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/bb.pl?hartley&zzh200&showmodl&zzh200&H-200


I also found a person who has a connection to the man who makes Hartleys now or is an employee or even the owner. The $$$$$ this person has invested in this is mind boggling!

I know these woofers sound awsome and are world renowned, so this room might have the best bass and upper bass in the world.:eek:

Also those tweeters...

Mac tubes to power it all too..:eek:

Check it out.

His/her set-up room is like mine kind-of...LOL, he/she might even be related...I wish!

http://cgim.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/vs.pl?vevol&1176439296&viewitem&o3

dorokusai

You can rock Tool on Magnepan speakers, not a problem, they just don't have chest thumping type bass....it's difffernt and something you have to experience. I've had 3.5R and 3.6 are the biggest modern ones I owned with Tympani IV being the physically largest I've owned. Absolutely love those speakers.

Tony M

My Maggies can get loud and have some bass to and I just might keep them for a long time. But I need a sub for my total enjoyment of them.

I played "The Best of Jazz" cd today on the Hartleys and they seemed a match made in heaven. The sibilence(sp) seemed to not be there anymore and the performers sounded LIVE. Snare drums were amazingly live sounding today as was Ella Fitzgerald's and Louie Armstrong's voices.
These might just be keepers too.!:cool: