garyjac Posted October 6 Posted October 6 (edited) What is the general opinion here about reliability and maintenence on the Magnepan range? Longevity in general? Regards, Gary Jacobson Edited October 6 by garyjac
andyr Posted October 6 Posted October 6 (edited) 15 minutes ago, garyjac said: What is the general opinion here about reliability and maintenance on the Magnepan range? Longevity in general? Older Maggies suffered from 'delam' - the wires became unstuck from the mylar (from damp & UV degradation) ... leading to 'buzzing'. Magnepan changed glues by at least 2000 - so models which are newer than that ... don't have this problem. Older ones showing delam ... need to have the wire stripped off and replaced. The Oz distributor (Bill McLean, in Gosford) can do this for you. (You can also do it yourself - but it's a difficult task. ) The only other issue I know of, in terms of "longevity" - involves the bigger, 'true-ribbon ' models (3.X series, 20.X series and 30.X). The ribbons are fragile and can easily be blown by: clipping - from an underpowered amp or a wind gust - through an open window or door. What model are you thinking of? This site gives you a history of Maggie models - just not the latest ones: http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/articles/speakers.html Edited October 6 by andyr 1
garyjac Posted October 6 Author Posted October 6 GDay Andy, Considering just a quick toe in the water with a new pair of 1.7i Opinion of these? Regards, Gary
andyr Posted October 6 Posted October 6 16 minutes ago, garyjac said: GDay Andy, Considering just a quick toe in the water with a new pair of 1.7i Opinion of these? Regards, Gary OK * NP with 1.7is - as: they are new (so the glue is OK), and they don't have a true-ribbon - IOW, they will be robust. * but you will need a good amp to make them sound their best - as they are current-hungry. What amp do you have?
garyjac Posted October 6 Author Posted October 6 GDay Andy, I am a true believer when it comes to delivering current to load. My 3 "favourites" in power amp alley in the room right now are an ME 850, a pair of Manley Snappers and a PS Audio BHK250. These are all competent amps, but are they overpowered for these speakers? Regards, Gary
andyr Posted October 6 Posted October 6 1 hour ago, garyjac said: GDay Andy, I am a true believer when it comes to delivering current to load. My 3 "favourites" in power amp alley in the room right now are an ME 850, a pair of Manley Snappers and a PS Audio BHK250. These are all competent amps, but are they overpowered for these speakers? Regards, Gary Great, Gary! I have heard an ME850 driving a pair of 3.7s. That was a great sound ... so your 1.7s should sound magnificent! PS Audio BHK250 should also sound excellent ... though my money would be on the ME850! Manley Snappers ... mmm - maybe! A pair of NEO-CLASSIC 250s - definitely! No, I don't think the ME850 or the BHK250 are "over-powered" for MG-1.7is ... although they should certainly also be up to the task if you then decided to move up to 3.7is! 1
garyjac Posted October 6 Author Posted October 6 I have seen at least 2 pairs of 3.6Rs advertised used. These would possibly be borderline production with respect to glue and ribbons. One claims that Bill McLean refurbished them, so I guess I should ask him? Mr McLean knows this brand very well, I assume? Regards, Gary
andyr Posted October 6 Posted October 6 15 minutes ago, garyjac said: I have seen at least 2 pairs of 3.6Rs advertised used. These would possibly be borderline production with respect to glue and ribbons. One claims that Bill McLean refurbished them, so I guess I should ask him? Mr McLean knows this brand very well, I assume? 3.6Rs should be fine, in terms of glue/delamming. Yes, Bill does know a lot about Maggies - although I find it hard to see what he might've done, to 'refurb' a pair of 3.6s?
garyjac Posted October 6 Author Posted October 6 That "refurb" bit is just somebody's ad script, as usual. If new 1.7s and properly working 3.6Rs were both around the same price, give or take $1000 which would you buy?
Addicted to music Posted October 6 Posted October 6 6 hours ago, garyjac said: That "refurb" bit is just somebody's ad script, as usual. If new 1.7s and properly working 3.6Rs were both around the same price, give or take $1000 which would you buy? if you want value, stick with the 1.7. Best bang for buck in The Maggie world. I’ve auditioned the 1.7 and the 3.7. I’ve also heard a .7 drive. My a nc400. Some of the best imaging and accurate voices I’ve ever experienced out of a transducer. Bill usually takes the 1.7 with him on tour or shows.
andyr Posted October 6 Posted October 6 9 hours ago, garyjac said: If new 1.7s and properly working 3.6Rs were both around the same price, give or take $1000 which would you buy? With the amps you have - and provided your room size is such that you can position the panels (at least) 1.5m off the front wall with at least a metre from the outside edge of the panels to the side walls - I would go for the 3/6s ... with their true-ribbon tweeters. If your room size doesn't allow such generous placing ... go for the 1.7is.
aechmea Posted October 6 Posted October 6 (edited) The 3.6R can be actively bi-amped. The silver XO box on the back unscrews easily to give access to the drivers via banana plugs. Even the owner manual suggests that it is a very valid way to go. That may or may not be an advantage for you over say the 1.7i. [I had bi-amped 3.6Rs before the current 20.7s.] The further you go up the Maggie range, the larger the bass producing panel, the lower the bass freqs. The overall "richness" increases as a result. I always buy new because the history of a second hand device is unknown and uncertain. But that's just me. I would buy a new 1.7 even though the 3.6R may sound a bit nicer. Again, just me. Edited October 6 by aechmea
garyjac Posted October 6 Author Posted October 6 A perfectly valid view. I don't buy second hand much either. As this is an "expeditionary exercise" I may well stick to the 1.7i as it seems a very good value and should give an idea of the maggie sound. I am used to large electrostatics.
aechmea Posted October 6 Posted October 6 I had Acoustat III (full range electrostatics) for 25 years before the Maggies so we seem to be on the same course!
Herbyj Posted October 7 Posted October 7 Hi I have the 1.7i and am very happy with them. I am driving them with a high quality 150 watt valve amplifier in a medium sized room. They can be improved, a lot, by changing the fuses and jumpers and more importantly good quality stands. The stands make a huge difference especially if they support the speaker panels over their full area to stop the panels vibrating, not just the bottom of the panels. Hope this helps. Herby
aechmea Posted October 7 Posted October 7 1 hour ago, garyjac said: Was the change a violent one or easy and pleasant? Haha. Easy. Bill is a great bloke to deal with. Speakers and amps were all 25 years old and the CD player was 15years, so I just decided to start again with a new everything. Bill McLean was the only place that had stuff in my ball-park of interest within a couple of hours drive. A local HiFi shop person said something like "I think that there's a place somewhere on the Central Coast that does panels" and so started the journey. On Herby's comments .... I didn't get anything much from different fuses and jumpers, but robust rigid stands are a definite must for me. I have a triangular buttress structure coupled with spikes to the concrete floor thru the carpet. No wobbles any more. My father in law made them out of tubular steel (not tubular bells), welded, sand filled etc An old photo of the bi-amped 3.6Rs The 20.7s with essentially the same stands. 2
LP Record Posted October 7 Posted October 7 I'll second using better stands and spiking them to the floor, i did this with my 3.7i and the improvement is well worth it. 3
garyjac Posted October 7 Author Posted October 7 OK. So, what is the observed ribbon failure/malfunction rate? Cause of same?
andyr Posted October 7 Posted October 7 30 minutes ago, garyjac said: OK. So, what is the observed ribbon failure/malfunction rate? Cause of same? The true-ribbon gives you a far more extended HF response than what the wire/ribbon-stuck-to-mylar-tweeter can deliver. As to failure/malfunction rate: with your amps ... blowing them through amp clipping will not be an issue (apart from, perhaps, the Snappers ). so malfunction will only occur through physical issues: moving the panels around without their metal strip ribbon-protectors on or a breeze through the room from an open window or exterior door or, of course ... a small child's fingers!
garyjac Posted October 7 Author Posted October 7 Almost sounds as those protectors need to be in place when not listening, just as a precaution.
andyr Posted October 7 Posted October 7 6 minutes ago, garyjac said: Almost sounds as if those protectors need to be in place when not listening, just as a precaution. Yes - absoloootely!
aechmea Posted October 7 Posted October 7 I am a lot less careful than Andy. I haven't used the protective strips since day zero but then there are no pokey fingers here. I would use the strips if I moved the speakers a reasonable distance ie had to be carried, but that has never been needed.
garyjac Posted October 8 Author Posted October 8 (edited) I think I will use those protective strip's!! I decided to come down on the side of the 3.7i as it is the best fit for my room size. Sometime next week I will find out what you poor, deluded souls have been listening to all these years Edited October 8 by garyjac
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