Magneplanar MG II Speakers

[ViperZ]

Good evening...

Just looking for opinions - what are these speakers and do they sound? Also, how would you repair a tweeter (replace a wire)?

I acquired a pair of these "maggies", which are in very good condition (frames/socks), but need complete tweeter wire replacement (and I'll re-work the crossover as well).

So far, I know only one site, which has some details on repairs: http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/

http://images.craigslist.org/011511010312011613200806012e5801e9a8f36f6a1d009f5a .jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/01010601150101160320080601e9617b4ded8731abd7005fc9 .jpg

[xsmi]

I had a pair of MMG-B's, smaller pair than yours. They image very very well, but I had to part with them. If I were you, I would contact Magnepan directly about fixing the ribbon as it is proprietary technology.

http://www.magnepan.com/contact

[Terrax]

As it stands, this turned out to be a worthless post..... deleted.

[ViperZ]

I'm sorry, but I definitely don't see it being practical sending those speakers to the factory for repair. For that repair cost you can buy a much better pair of speakers.
The repair kit itself is only $50+shipping.

[xsmi]

does the repair kit have the tweeter ribbon in it? If so I agree.

[ViperZ]

My MG-II's use aluminum wire for tweeters, so apparently the kit includes new wire and 3M glue. They also include (if you ask) silver solder to attach wires to the terminals.

Just ordered the kit from Magnepan (great customer support there). It's $50+shipping ($12 for Canada, $10 for USA), they'll ship today (same day). The kit includes enough wire to repair tweeters in both speakers, glue, adhesive, all new screws, solder and some other parts.

I guess, one day I'll have a 2.1 setup with these speakers and Velodyne ULD-15 I am currently working on.

[disneyjoe7]

Interesting repair here, please keep us up on your progress.

[dorokusai]

Those are too old to spend the money to have them refurbed at homebase. The cost vs the eventual resale, which you WILL do, is simply not worth it.

ViperZ is dead-on, get the kit and leave it at that. It's as good as they will sound for the most part. I'm not a huge fan of that series so take that for what its worth.

[StephenEC]

ViperZ ,

I have a pair of MGII's . Since I bought these used , I pulled the socks off , and low and behold , the corrosion had attacked the tweeter wires ( thin as a hair IMO ) .

I called Magnepan , and decided to send them in to be rebuilt completely. I know, there are those of You out there thinking " What a Fool " or worse. Think what You want ( You Will ;-) ) .

I contacted Peter Gunn over at MUG about getting some info from him , about modding these MGII's . I rewired the the speakers , so that the panels act as a Cohesive Unit . SMGA crossover wiring schematic.

The crossovers where replaced with new components . I
used one Alpha core 12 gauge inductor .78mh , one 6uf Dynamicap ( speaker cap ) and two Obbligato 22uf premium
film oil caps. The wire used to connect the components is DH
Labs 14 gauge silver plated copper wire.

The crossovers were placed in wooden boxes that sit behind the MGIIs. I placed 1/4 thick rubber conveyor belting
material on the bottoms of the boxes , mounted the Alpha
core inductor to the floor of the boxes utilizing rubber bushings top and bottom.

The Obbligatos and the Dynamicap were mounted to the floor of the boxes using a specialized wire tire that alows me to keep the caps off the floor 3/4 of an inch. This a tie that's used on Kenworth Trucks from the factory.

I'm still in the break-in period with the new crossovers. I
am about 100 hours , and I was told they could take up to 300
hours to achieve full break-in.

I am powering the MGIIs with a pair of M200 Outlaw Mono Block amplifiers I bought here on the Polk Classified Forum.
The mono blocks work Great for Me.

The Sound from the MGIIs continues to Amaze Me. Each and Every Source ( SACD ,DVD-A , VINYL , CD , Wav Files ) that I send through them sounds more and more Realistic and Musical .

A friend of mine heard the MGII's before their rebuild (sometime in Sept of 07 ) , and before the up-graded crossover . . . his opinion of them , was that they Lacked High End and didn't do the bottom end very well either.

Fast forward to last week ( June 08 ) , I told him to bring over Music or DVDs that He wanted to listen to. He brought over a Allman Bros concert , and a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.

I know for critical listening , these choices might not be the normal choice of most. He was Blown Away at the natural sound coming from the speakers. The Cymbal strikes sounded like You were there on stage with the drum kit. The Mid's are Full and Natural . The Bass has more extension than before the
rebuild and crossover upgrade.

I have a Velodyne DLS sub , and while the sub has a PUNCH
to it that the MGIIs dont , the bass that is coming from the MGIIs is still felt , it's a fuller , and faster feel . if that makes since.

I plan to make cd with specific tones on it to see how low the Maggies will go . All in All , I am Happy with what I have done so far. In the future , I am planning to place the drivers in hardwood frames . . . I do not see Myself getting rid of these
speakers any time soon. ( still have my Polk Model 10 Monitors bought new in 1978 LOL )

Sorry for the length of this reply, and for the fact , that it's hard for me to put into words , what My Ear's Hear. ;-)

Stephen

PS . . . Whether they are worth sinking money into , to me it depends on how long You plan on keeping them IMO . Until You hear the MGII's with upgraded crossovers and
the smga wiring , it's almost night and day . . . again Just My Opinion. :-)

[dorokusai]

Great post Stephen, glad you are rockin' out.

[stereo_luver]

what the hell was that?

Chuck

[ViperZ]

I got the new parts kit on Friday last week (yes, it takes that long via snail mail from California to Ontario). Will hopefully start working on these speakers next week.

My Velodyne ULD-15 speaker is in pieces right now, and I really want to finish it first. Need to rewire a broken coil :(

[StephenEC]

ViperZ ,

I hope all goes well with the Velodyne and the Maggies.

Have You given any consideration to modifying the cross-overs on Your

Maggies ? If You do , and need assistance in any way , Please ask . . .

I Look forward to You getting the MGII's done. I think You'll be Pleasantly

Surprised .

Stephen

[ViperZ]

Thank you, Stephen! I'll definitely let you know as soon as I'll get to these speakers. :cool:

[marlap]

I may be performing the same work on my Magnepan SMG's. Any update on your overhaul ViperZ?

[ViperZ]

Sorry, not yet. I finally got a replacement ULD-15 driver for my subwoofer project. So now up to rebuilding and veneering that box :(.

[StephenEC]

ViperZ,

Here are a couple of photos of the MGII's I modified , along with a photo of the X-Over Box . I only have one speaker in the new frame , I am http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322778.oOTP6oq6.XOVERWBRASS.jpg
http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322791.QT3C1egx.FRAME1DONE.jpg
http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322783.nMQqlGwI.TRIOOFMAGGIES.jpg

A / B ing Them . The modified X-Overs bring out the Bass .

[ViperZ]

Can't see the photos (?).

Which parts in the crossover have you changed, and what have you used as a replacement? Thanks!

[StephenEC]

ViperZ,

I replaced all the components in the X-Over . I used the following :

1 - Alpha Core 12 gauge inductor - 1.6 mh ( qty 1 per speaker )
2 - Dynamicap 7 uf speakercap ( qty 1 per speaker )
3 - Obliggato 22 uf film oil cap ( qty 2 per speaker )


For all my wiring , I used DH labs 14 Gauge Silver Plated Copper
wire .

Here's what my External X-Over box looks like .



http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322778.oOTP6oq6.XOVERWBRASS.jpg

http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322822.AtBtpYVD.XOVERWBRASSPROFILE.jpg

I also Re-Framed the Speakers , I used Red Oak , here's a photo
of One of them .

http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322791.QT3C1egx.FRAME1DONE.jpg

[Shannon W.]

The Red-X is Sexy! LoL
No pictures... :D
Shannon

[Shannon W.]

http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322778.oOTP6oq6.XOVERWBRASS.jpg

Test
Shannon

[StephenEC]

OK . . . The photos show up for me , when I open this thread up . So what am I doing wrong ? ( this is frustrating ;-( )

[ViperZ]

Stephen, which server are you using to upload your photos to? Try uploading your photos to sites like fotki, flickr or similar ones, and just post links/thumbnails of those photos.

[mmadden28]

OK . . . The photos show up for me , when I open this thread up . So what am I doing wrong ? ( this is frustrating ;-( )

Maybe you're linking to a site that only you have rights to. Post the actual link-we'll try it.

Otherwise try Photobucket or something like that.

[mmadden28]

Ya know , that's wierd-I copied the path to the pic and pasted directly into the browser and it opened fine.

http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322778.oOTP6oq6.XOVERWBRASS.jpg

http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322778.oOTP6oq6.XOVERWBRASS.jpg

Ha and it shows up when I posted it. Does anbody else see the pic in this post?
If so then maybe its just the way you're linking to it, Stephen.

[mmadden28]

Wait a minute, now everytime that pic shows up-all the previous instances of it show up now. Hmm-somethings very odd here.

Scratch that, when I refresh the page they disappear again. WTF? Try Photobucket.

[StephenEC]

I am using Pbase . . . Sorry Guys ! This is frustrating urrrrgh .

[StephenEC]

I'll try again , using a different approach . I Do APPRECIATE Your PATIENCE . :-)

X-Over Box
http://i.pbase.com/o6/38/696738/1/102322778.oOTP6oq6.XOVERWBRASS.jpg

If the photo isn't seen , here's a link to the gallery . Sorry again for my ineptness . ;-)

http://www.pbase.com/stephenec/modded_magnepan_mgiis

Please just use the link above . . . again I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong . . . Thanks for Your Understanding ! Stephen

[mmadden28]

:confused: I don't know all the pics are showing up now-even the ones that were'nt before (at least for me they are) :confused:

[StephenEC]

If a Mod could Please Delete the Posts that I have showing the same Photo (if Possible ? ) I Apologize for the multiple photos . . . deep sigh . . . sigh

[mmadden28]

If a Mod could Please Delete the Posts that I have showing the same Photo (if Possible ? ) I Apologize for the multiple photos . . . deep sigh . . . sigh

I'm sure its not hurting anything, no need to clean the posts up-just an odd event.

[ViperZ]

Still cannot see any of your photos. Pbase requires a sign-in/account to see the photos (and probably some permissions).

[mmadden28]

I can't see them again--:eek: :confused:
I don't have a pbase account and I was able to see them--before.
Too odd, time to find another site like Photobucket, etc.

[ViperZ]

Spent most of the day re-wiring tweeters in these Maggies. Hooked them up to Carver TFM-24 for a short test. At this point, I have no clue if I like the sound or not. Time to wash the socks...

[marlap]

same with me, I just see the placeholders where the picture should be.

[ViperZ]

Does anybody have a user manual for these speakers?

I'd like to see the specs and suggestions for proper placement.

[dorokusai]

http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/

[ViperZ]

I spent quite a bit of time on the MAG website trying to figure out on how to upgrade this pair of speakers. Still not sure if it's worth upgrading.

Magnepan people were very kind and sent me a copy of MG-II user manual. This is awesome.

In the meantime, I'll refinish the ugly walnut frames and will try to figure out where and how to make new black socks.

[StephenEC]

ViperZ ,

I'm sorry about the photos not showing up , I'm doing something wrong . . . not the first time :p

I'm VERY HAPPY with my MGII's now that I have both of them in
their new oak frames . I had allready completed the X-Over upgrade .

I have had two of my friends over to listen , and both of them were blown away with the sound of these old maggies . . . the couldn't believe the bass that was present , and the quality of the bass.

The mid range and the tweeter range both shine too . The Sound is as Natural as I've heard . . . JMO .

Doing the X-Over upgrade really opened up the sound , plus when I wired them , I used a SMGa wiring schematic , when wired this way , the speaker panel becomes " ONE " voice .

I just sent You an email , I hope this all helps .

Regards , Stephen

[StephenEC]

ViperZ ,

As far as the socks are concerned , from what I have seen on my MGII's and a pair of MGI's , the socks ( newer style from Magnepan )
are a piece of double knit material that is twice as long of the height of the MGIIs , and the material is maybe an inch or two wider that the MGIIs .

Laying out the fabric on the floor , You would have a piece that is something along the lines of 140 ( give of take ) inches long , and 24 inches wide . You would then fold the fabric in half so that the length would now be 70 inches long by 24 inches wide . . . You would then SEW a seam the length on each side ( the 70 inch sides )
leaving the one end open ( the 24 inch end ) , reverse the fabric after
sewing both long side s, You now slip the sewed sock over the frame work of the MGII . Simple Huh lolol

Good Luck , Stephen

[ViperZ]

Thanks for the advice and pictures, Stephen :).

I ordered Solen polypropylene capacitors for the crossovers and new grill cloth from parts-express. Also, started to strip the frames... will re-finish them in mahogany.

Hopefully, at the end of the day they will look (and sound) better than originals.

Is there anything I can do to the original black bases? Strip and repaint? Just repaint? I don't want to build the new ones though :p

Any advice on what I should use to drive them? Is Carver TFM-24/25 good enough? Is there a specific amp people prefer to drive the maggies?

I am thinking of the following:

* Hafler DH-101 (modded) preamp
* Carver TFM-24 amp
* Magneplanar MG-II speakers.

Don't have the source yet.

[puska]

Get yourself a dissent tube amplifier and use fat speaker cables.