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Saw this auction on ebay by a person who use to be VERY active in posting here for a while.Also thought it odd that the ad stresses the updated crossover, yet shows the stock crossover parts. Someone had no clue.
Follow Ups:
$1700...ouch! Yeah the upgrade is nice but not that nice, and $250 shipping! I'm selling my 1.6's to get some Innersound Eros's. They have upgraded crossovers and binding posts. Details at:
one day/650 views; that's gotta be a Audiogon record! That was a helluva deal too!
My guess is they never got to hear their stock unit optimized (in terms of placement, component matching, interconnects,and cables). And, therefore, didn't give themselves a chance to know the Magnepan sound at its best before trying to improve them. I believe they were trying to make improvements on sub-optimized Magnepan sound which may lead to imperfect sound after modification. My belief is that you should probably work at optimizing stock units for about 1.5 years before attempting any of these upgrades. Plus, If I going to buy a Maggie used, I would prefer that the speaker has not been modified. I'm still skeptical of all these upgrades. I don't even like all that stiffening of the frame. I kinda think what makes the Maggie sound so open and alive is the freedom of the frame to sway with the music to some degree.
I agree living with maggies at least a year before radical adjustments are considered ie: XO's, fuse by-pass. You simply will not appreciate the effects otherwise.I also agree with Ken's assesment of maggies frame rigidity and support feet. I've alway felt this to be Magnepan's achillie's heel (no pun). In fact I'm convinced if they could get around an issue of oblique packaging, you'd probally see a combined support system consisting of the frame and legs and feet.
Having said that; I respectfully disagree with Ken's assesment of a good set of stands being good if not better than a XO upgrade. IMHO there is no comparison. I agree a good set of stands can substantially enhance maggies exsisting sonical attributes; but only a XO upgrade can ultimately change (for the better) maggies overall muscial landscape. Not withstanding, in my personal experience I consider the most important and proportionally significant enhancement to Maggie's (1.6QR) overall qualities is the fuse bypass. Bar none. A total jaw dropping, eye tearing epiphany (well at least it was for me).
Of course, no matter how good a XO can truly be, they WILL let you know what's pushing her upstream. In fact I've already got that nagging feeling of necessary upstream-upgrading ahead of me.
Another theory is most folks don't allow adequate burn-in of new XO's. I had second thoughts after I first heard mine. I thought: "what the hell have I done?!" Classic nails on chaulkboard. Now it's sweet magic after some odd 50 hours burn-in. Just on chance I swapped out the new Hovland caps and put the original maggie caps back in to get a down and dirty comparion. The maggie (solen) caps as good as they are sounded thin and ordianary in comparison. With a XO upgrade/fuse bypass we're talking a whole 'nother level. Hey maybe NOT as good as a 3 series but damn close on their heels!
just my take-
"Hey maybe NOT as good as a 3 series but damn close on their heels!"but hten the 3-series has fuses and crappy crossovers, too - waiting to be updated - and I'm sure you wouldn't wait a year to get those 3.n fuses out of the way...
I've blown too many fuses in my first 3 months with the speakers (none since I went to ceramics) that I am still far from getting those out of the signal path. I also am a bit concerned about return to stock configuration of the speakers if I ever should get tempted to get some 20.1's or whatever else will tempt me.
I'm going the active crossover route next - there's not much difference in cost and I always wanted more amplifiers to brag about :) Maybe after a few months of fuse-failure-free operation will I dare to look at that tweak...
Peter
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Alan, While not in the D.C. area I am within a day's drive. If you have a couple of free days for a road trip you would be more than welcome for an evaluation. I know where you are coming from, the changes are big steps and it's tough to make a leap of faith concerning the $$$ and the modification of your speakers. You have an open invitation.
I agree that Maggie owners should listen to the stock speaker for at least a year before attempting upgrades.That being said, I've been on this board long enough to have watched several inmates go through various upgrades only to realize they just don't like the Magnepan sound.
IMHO, the MG1.6 is a superb speaker with a voicing that's midway between fashionable and honest. Speaker voicing is a matter of taste, and not everyone can be expected to like it. Furthermore, the voicing can only be changed through redesign!
I realize you guys are tired of hearing about my mid-boost mod, but I believe that if some of the former MG1.6 owners had tried it and heard what the MG1.6 is capable of sounding like, they would still be MG1.6 owners today.
Ed
do you have a link or info on the mod?
Here's the link.The article gets an average of 5 hits per day; I assumed everyone had read it.
Ed
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Be-Bop and Mahler
Good comments in general. Your rule could apply to virtually every product in the system. It takes time to fully optimise any product, especially speakers.I do however, disagree with your comments on frame rigidity. This is the weakest link for the Magnepan. The frame design is function of cost/production/performance consideration. Any speaker, including a Magnepan, will be improved by greater frame/cabinet rigidity.
Most designs are a compromise between economics vs. performance. Magnepan has done an excellent job with a rather lack-luster, but affordable, frame design. Improving the rigidity of this frame approach will probably yield as great an improvement, if not more, than crossover part upgrades.
I totally agree with your recommendation that it takes 1 to 2 years for new Magnepan owners to optimize equipment and placement. I have owned 1.6's for 3 years and through curiosity usually inspired by postings on this forum continually discover new ways to make these speakers better performers. I upgraded x-overs and stands at about 2 years and I can't stress the significance of these upgrades enough. They truly put the speakers into another class of performance. Still, after the upgrades the Magnepans teach me on a continuing basis how much can be achieved through minor adjustments. The latest being a post by S.Hum and his experience with Symposium Rollerblock Jrs. that are due to delivery on Friday. I have owned MANY loudspeakers and components as have most of the readers here but the 1.6's are one member of my system that I cannot imagine ever wanting to replace. Too much ramblling, thanks for reading.
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There have been many review posted that convey the essence of the improvements better than I am able to do. I agree with each of their observations. Check out:
http://www.precisioncomputer.com/ocean/MagUp/Reviews.htm
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/messages/20765.htmlThe last link references S.Hum's evaluation. I have personally tried the AudioCap Theta Caps and the Jensen aluminum P/O. I found the Jensen's superior in all respects. They are musical to the extreme! I found the addition of the Mye Stands to be a "must have" for the 1.6's. I was using a REL Strata subwoofer prior to adding the stands. After adding them I sold the Rel and havn't missed it for a day. This is a bold statement but you can take it to the bank. Subjectively, stock 1.6's are about 40-50% of modified 1.6's IMO.
Thanks VERY much for the compliments!! I have placed a link to this post on my website if this is OK with you.
That XO shown is actually from the tweaks section.His maggies with the upgraded XO are quite legit however because I was once interested in obtaining them.
Since we're on the topic of Maggies and ebay:
good listening- GL
I didn't mean to imply that the speakers didn't have the upgraded crossover, only that I thought it odd that he would show the old, stock crossover.Sort of like advertising a used car with an expensive new paint job, then showing a picture of it with the old paint.
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