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In Reply to: RE: Am I damaging my Mini Maggies? posted by Ellen1910 on August 24, 2016 at 07:21:03
Congratulations on your Mini Maggies! You paid about one-fourth of the new purchase price!
First, the DWM bass panel is NOT a subwoofer. It is simply a woofer. This means it does not go down as far as a subwoofer; down to 20 or 30 Hz, for example. It also means it plays much higher than subwoofers; up to 5KHz according to the Absolute Sound review of these speakers. While Magnepan doesn't say what the crossover point is (a state secret!), it's almost certainly much higher than the 125Hz you are using in your setup.
In other words, there is a lot of overlap between the satellites and the bass panel. You are almost certainly altering that overlap in your set-up, even as it allows you to boost the bass response.
Check and see if the two bass attenuation jumpers have been replaced by resistors. If so, the resistors are attenuating the bass. Replace them with the original jumpers or a short piece of speaker wire. (On the back of the bass panel the jumper connections are labeled "BASS ATTEN.")
Or perhaps there are no jumpers at all, in which case only part of the speaker is working (I think), which would explain the weak bass. Again, join the connectors with a short piece of speaker wire. If the tightening screws are missing you will have to get those from Magnepan.
I doubt whether you are damaging your Mini Maggies with your set-up, but perhaps somebody with more electrical knowledge can chime in.
The important thing is to get them to work as intended before going to a more complex set-up.
If none of what I discussed applies, let us know. Good luck and happy listening!
Follow Ups:
Thanks for your suggestions. The bass attenuators (2) are the original steel ones. I, too, would like to use the system per its design. But I'm not prepared to send it back to White Bear Lake to figure out what's wrong, if anything.
Crossover frequency. I, also, originally thought the frequency should be much higher than where I have it set, now -- that is, at 125Hz. I can't recall what I had it set for originally, but when I spoke with Wendell, he was adamant that my setting was much, much too high. He didn't answer my question re what did Magnapan set it at. But I got the distinct impression that it was in the 100s.
I must say 125Hz sounds very good. That may be because the mid range panel isn't putting much out below some higher number, anyway. So, then, it might not be an issue in my set up.
Ellen1910, I'm also considering biamping the mini maggies. Would you inform me the slope of your active crossover setting?
@gracky (A)
My jury-rigged system has an awful lot of variables -- frequency but also, volume. From the preamp the identical volume (xxV RMS) is sent to one amp (75W) and to the Rane MX 22 active crossover.
That amp drives the bass panel. I presume that the passive crossover in that panel cuts the higher frequencies off.
I've set the Rane active crossover to accept whatever volume the preamp is generating. I only use the high level side of the crossover. To balance the bass panel and the satellites I use the crossover's high frequency volume control -- cut way back. I'm at 2 on a scale of 10 (Nigel Tufnel would surely be dissatisfied). That reduced volume is sent to a 50W amp which drives the satellites.
I've set the Rane crossover's LOW/HIGH FREQUENCY at 200Hz. I like it there but I'm not sure the exact setting is critical for the reason that I'm not using the active crossover to send the bass signal on. I have no idea at what frequency the mid-level panels in the satellites begin to contribute. It may be a good deal higher than 200Hz.
As to slope. The published slope of the MX 22 is "24 dB per Octave." But for my setup the crossover's roll-off is probably not just irrelevant but at 200Hz probably unheard.
You are probably going to be fine with the high pass at anything over 100 hz since the slope is very steep. Feel free to experiment with other settings.
How does the sound through the Rane come off in the mids and treble vs without or via the crossover in the DWM?
@ Satie (A)
Since I can't A/B the two setups (Magnepan/Ellen), it's hard to answer the question.
I can say that I don't think the Rane adds any color, and I am confident it isn't distorting the sound. I don't think satellites connected via the bass panel were any smoother than via the Rane, and to my ear hi-hats' shimmer is just as clean, smooth, and airy.
My Rane sounded very transparent and just a tad thin. But better resolving than stock speaker level parts. You just need to take the HP as low as it can go to keep the phasey part of the XO transition out of the critical portion of the spectrum. Hopefully below 150hz
It's good that you ruled out the bass attenuators as the culprit. And, if you spoke to Wendell, you have Magnepan's official advice. It's interesting that he would not tell you what the crossover frequency is. It's a state secret!
My guess is that there is something wrong with the set you got and that is perhaps why they were so inexpensive. If you are happy with the way they sound in the setup you've devised for them, that's what counts. Happy listening!
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