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In Reply to: The Most Musical Magnepans ??? posted by ka7niq on October 4, 2006 at 00:20:13:
Hi ka7niq, ma man ...I don't know I would necessarily say the SMGs are the "most musical" Maggies but I heard some for the first time a few days ago and was mightily impressed!! :-))
Now I must say that I think my highly tweaked, 3-way active IIIAs don't exhibit the brightness and "different cloth" sonics that you heard with your IIIAs but I think the magic of the SMGs is due to the fact that they're 2-way, with 1st order crossovers.
However, they ARE small ... maybe a "bigger" Maggie model (if it exists!!) which is also 2-way but with bigger area drivers AND STILL 1st order crossovers would go deeper and sound better? :-))
Regards,
Follow Ups:
Owned a set of these(my first Maggies) but they didn't cut it for the music I listen to. My Tympani 4a's make me happy now.
Mmmm ... from the "Specs" page, the IVa is a similar age to my IIIa with, I suspect the same ribbon and mid-range but twice the area of bass panel! Wow!! :-))You have 3 panels a side, don't you? How are the drivers arranged within these 3 panels?
Regards,
I too have a pair of Tympani IVa's, that have been highly modded including the crossovers, binding posts, etc. I previously owned a pair of Tympani IV's.The driver arrangement is ribbon tweeter and midrange in one panel, with the two bass panels are hinged together. It has the best bass I have ever heard from a planer speaker. As far as bass goes, size does matter, and the Tympani series has the surface area needed to produce it.
These are the best sounding Maggies I have ever heard, and in some areas beat big speakers like the Wilson MAXX 2 hands down.
Pitbull: I see where you do not accept emails. Can you contact me at martylemons@yahoo.com on your modifications to your IVa's?
Hi pitbull,Thanks for your post - I'm envious (although I think if I bought some home, my long-suffering wife would probably divorce me! :-(( ).
I'd certainly love to hear some but I suspect there ain't a pair anywhere in Oz! So d'ya think they would best 20.1s?
Please tell me what you did to modify your xovers (best to email me direct). From my work with my own IIIAs, I suspect it would be possible to considerably flatten the overall frequency response of your IVAs to good effect (using lspCAD) and I could help you with this, if you're interested.
Regards,
It will have to be all Magnepan drivers, no true of quasi ribbons for me.I am sorry,, but the aluminum in the ribbon tweeter, and the Mylar have a different sound.
At least on my old MG 3A's.The SMG A is cut from one sonic cloth, I think that is why I like it so much ?
Umm ..."bigger" Maggie model (if it exists!!) which is also 2-way but with bigger area drivers AND STILL 1st order crossovers????
On 2.6Rs, a 'large' 2 way model.
First owned the MG-1i and it was as you say a very musical speaker but rolled off on the highs and bass was limited.
Auditioned the 3.6's and the 2.6's and liked the 2 way 2.6's better-
more transparent in the mids ,more dynamic in the mids ,more immediate in the mids.
In a medium sized room the bass is very good and the 2.6's are easier to drive and were cheaper to buy.
Now that I am driving them with tubes,can't imagine a better more musical speaker.
Imagine a push pull ribbon for the midrange frequencies and there you have the 2.6.
Would love to go active but am enjoying the music so much there is little motivation..
Scott 2.6/R,
Can you tell us what was our source and amplification when you compared them?
Maybe the 3.6 showed the weakness of the other components of the system.
I can tell you that there is a big difference between the 2.6 and the 3.6.....and it's not the 2.6 that wins in my tests.
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