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No sound from Magnepan MG III-B bass panel

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Posted on May 13, 2015 at 00:46:21
Alan0514
Audiophile

Posts: 3
Joined: May 13, 2015
 Greetings,
It'd be great if you can direct me to the right direction for this problem.
I picked up a pair of Magnepan MG III-B in fair condition. Upon connecting them to a receiver, the sound was totally muffled. I checked then replaced the fuse, the mid-tweeter panel came alive with sweet sounds. However, the left bass panel lost its functionality. Any comment or assistance on how to troubleshoot this issue would greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your time and help.

Beast Regards,
Alan

 

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RE: No sound from Magnepan MG III-B bass panel, posted on May 13, 2015 at 06:16:54
Satie
Audiophile

Posts: 5426
Joined: July 6, 2002
 Check continuity and resistance of the bass wires at the bass panel binding posts/terminals if you don't have about 4 ohms or no continuity then you are facing a likely broken wire on the panel and will have to replace the wiring. You can do it on your own with a kit from magnepan or send it to magnepan for a professional repair.

If the problem is not there, then check the crossover box for the bass section continuity on + in to + bass out and the same on the negative leg. Note that the mid/tweeter panels' crossover section has a capacitor in it and will not produce a continuity beep since a capacitor is a disconnect in DC.

It is unlikely that you will be able to drive the speakers to satisfying volumes with your receiver alone.

Consider getting a high current power amp to drive the whole speaker or to drive the bass section in a biamp setup (which can be done with the original passive crossover).

 

RE: No sound from Magnepan MG III-B bass panel, posted on May 13, 2015 at 08:10:35
Alan0514
Audiophile

Posts: 3
Joined: May 13, 2015
 Thank you Satie.
I can return the speaker to the previous owner or keep them. I paid $100 for the pair and probably will keep and fix the panel. From your excellent description, it doesn't sound too difficult.
I'm aware of the receiver's shortcomings. I haven't had the chance to own a pair of larger Maggie until now and will begin to get the right hardware for them.
Lastly, although I understand the basic electronic principle and know my way around electrical current and resistance, is there a document or webpage describing the basic troubleshooting steps?
Again, your help is much appreciated.

Regards,
Alan

 

RE: No sound from Magnepan MG III-B bass panel, posted on May 13, 2015 at 09:13:26
Alan0514
Audiophile

Posts: 3
Joined: May 13, 2015
 Being a total newbie and knuckle head, I mislabeled the speaker as MG III instead of the correct model, which is MG II-B.
I apology for the confusion.

Satie, is your instruction appliable to tje MG II-B?

Thanks,
Alan

 

RE: No sound from Magnepan MG III-B bass panel, posted on May 13, 2015 at 09:30:54
Roger Gustavsson
Audiophile

Posts: 2058
Location: Huskvarna
Joined: February 12, 2010
 Well, the MG IIB are old and you should be prepared to do a complete rewiring, http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/tweaks/tony2v/mg2b_repair.htm
You can a repair set from Magnepan.

I think you can keep your receiver. I have not had any problem running any of my three sets of Magnepan with a receiver.

 

RE: No sound from Magnepan MG III-B bass panel, posted on May 13, 2015 at 09:31:57
Satie
Audiophile

Posts: 5426
Joined: July 6, 2002
 The crossover of the MGII models is internal IIRC. but you can get the bass panels' impedance (along with that of the coil) by measuring across the terminals. But I don't know the correct figure for sure, I would guess 4-6 ohms.

Since you essentially got the speaker for free, I would not hesitate to send the speaker to be repaired at magnepan if the problem is indeed a disconnect in the wires. If you can't afford to do that then order the repair kit with foil conductors instead of wire for both panels and that will update them to modern QR (quasi ribbon) performance. Later you can get the tweeter wires redone. But this is not that easy a project. Very time consuming and lots of pain staking work. .

 

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