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Magnepan Full-range ribbon and planar speakers

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  #11  
Old 08-30-2012, 11:09 PM
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Ian Ian is offline
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Originally Posted by mbovaird View Post
Having owned those speakers, I would go with 601's or preferably 1.2kw's. They gobble up power like no other speaker I've ever owned (even more than my current speakers). The Bryston amps are excellent too....but unless your room is small, go for sheer power the 3.7's crave....go for the 1.2kw's. Ivan owns both....maybe he can advise you which is best for the 3.7's.
You run the very real risk of blowing out the ribbons in the 3.7's at high current levels. The aluminum foil ribbons used in Maggies will melt at somewhat lower current densities than equivalent dimensioned copper ribbons (in part because of the higher conductivity of copper). The Maggies are very inefficient because of the low magnetic fields generated across the relatively large air gaps that the ribbons sit in. I measured around 0.1 T (Tesla) across my 20.7 air gap. A good cone speaker can have air gap fields above 1 T. The force (Lorentz force) which moves the ribbon is proportional to this magnetic field and is also proportional to the current flowing in the ribbon (or coil). I have blown ribbon speakers many times over the years by driving them with excessive currents. They are a real pain to repair.
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  #12  
Old 08-31-2012, 12:14 AM
mbovaird mbovaird is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian

You run the very real risk of blowing out the ribbons in the 3.7's at high current levels. The aluminum foil ribbons used in Maggies will melt at somewhat lower current densities than equivalent dimensioned copper ribbons (in part because of the higher conductivity of copper). The Maggies are very inefficient because of the low magnetic fields generated across the relatively large air gaps that the ribbons sit in. I measured around 0.1 T (Tesla) across my 20.7 air gap. A good cone speaker can have air gap fields above 1 T. The force (Lorentz force) which moves the ribbon is proportional to this magnetic field and is also proportional to the current flowing in the ribbon (or coil). I have blown ribbon speakers many times over the years by driving them with excessive currents. They are a real pain to repair.
Just don't turn it up full blast! They require gobs of power to play to their potential IMO. Not loud - but more full if you will.

Maybe this will help.....from the Magnepan website:

How much power do I need?
We are asked this question every single day. We wish that we could be of more help, but individual tastes vary so greatly that a definitive answer is not possible. For example, we are using a 35 watt receiver in the lobby of our factory. Therefore, can we honestly say that 35 watts is all you need? Not really.
You can get a lot of free advice in the chat rooms on the internet. Most of it is of very little value (or misleading). Often, their power recommendations are influenced by their listening habits and room conditions. If they have a strong opinion of what you need for power, take it with a grain of salt.
For each increase of 3 db, the power must be doubled. So, 70 watts, 140 watts, 280 watts, etc. will progressively result in 3 db increases over the receiver we are using in our lobby. Personal tastes are "all over the map". We hear of customers that are perfectly happy with 25 watts and others using 1000 watts. Without the option of listening with you, we have no way to give meaningful advice. The most reliable way to answer this question for your particular needs is by visiting a dealer or arranging to hear a pair of Magneplanars. If you listen to your music at your normal volume, in a room that is approximately the same size as your room, with an amplifier similar to what you plan to use, an accurate power requirement can be determined for your listening habits. These is a lot to ask, but it is the only reliable method of determining the power needs for a specific individual.
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  #13  
Old 08-31-2012, 12:16 AM
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If you already have a McIntosh pre then I would stick with a McIntosh amp......
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  #14  
Old 08-31-2012, 07:48 AM
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the 601's will do a real 800+ watts and burst to a 1000 the Bryston as Ivan has mentioned is a very nice and clean amp too.
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Old 08-31-2012, 02:19 PM
djcxxx djcxxx is offline
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Must be a rather large room a/o very high decibels because I would think that amp should be more than able to drive the 3.7s to reasonable listening levels. I run the 3.7s w/ an ARC VT200/Ref 3 combination and it is more than adequate for driving the 3.7s.
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  #16  
Old 08-31-2012, 02:53 PM
mbovaird mbovaird is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 4N6
I am looking at upgrading the amplification for my 3.7's. I currently use the MC452 and notice that even this mighty amplifier is working hard with these speakers when playing loud or when the music has great dynamic swings. My preamp is the Mac C2300. I was considering the MC601's or the Bryston 28B SST2's. Anyone with experience with these amp/speaker combinations? Other powerful amps that have been found to be good matches? Thanks, my friends!
Why not get some powerful tube amps like the McIntosh 2301's and add some warmth to the sound? There's a nice pair for sale here on AA.
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  #17  
Old 08-31-2012, 05:08 PM
E-Stat E-Stat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mbovaird View Post
Why not get some powerful tube amps like the McIntosh 2301's and add some warmth to the sound?
Ditto. The wonderful sounding pair I heard was driven by a Veloce LS-1 and 2301s. It had plenty of power to these ears.
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  #18  
Old 08-31-2012, 06:56 PM
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The MC601's will be able to drive the maggies 3.7 to insane listening lvl's........i had the maggie 12's hooked up to my 601's in order to break them in for my 2nd system and it was a walk in the park and the specs for the 3.7(86dB/500Hz /2.83v Impedance 4 Ohm) are the same as the Maggies 12's(86dB/500Hz /2.83v
Impedance 4 Ohm)........i also owned the MC452 and i am very very surprised that your looking for more in the wattage/current area...............the 452 can also power the 3.7's to normal to blasting lvl's......
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  #19  
Old 09-01-2012, 08:54 AM
rw@cn rw@cn is offline
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Here are a number of lower power but great sounding and decently priced alternatives:
  • Cary 200.2
  • Ayre V5xe
  • Rogue Medusa
The first two are excellent for listening around 80-90 db levels. I haven't heard the third yet but the reviews are outstanding.
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  #20  
Old 09-09-2012, 08:13 AM
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I had also considered the Ayre MK-R mono amps. Beautiful looking amps with some decent power.

Anyone try their Maggie's with these amps?
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