Magnepan MG-1 Opinions (Worth the Repair?)

Alright, so I've had these MG-1 awaiting repair for a little while now and have kept putting off ordering the repair kit. I seem to see reviews out there that don't put them on the same level as most of the other Magnaplanars out there.

Right now I am running a set of Dynaco A25s, a set of New Large Advents, and some lowly Bose 501s (although, I must say, these are surprisingly decent).

Will the MG-1s beat these sets out? I listen mostly to Progressive rock and Jazz Fusion type stuff. Not too particular on bass below 40hz and value quality over extension.

Here are a few pictures. One of the speakers has two very tiny tears in the tweeter that shouldn't be too big of an issue with tape repair...right? They seem to need new tweeter wire and I'm not entirely sure about the midrange/bass wires. They haven't pulled off of the panel yet but are slightly raised.

RadioGnome said:

Alright, so I've had these MG-1 awaiting repair for a little while now and have kept putting off ordering the repair kit. I seem to see reviews out there that don't put them on the same level as most of the other Magnaplanars out there.

Right now I am running a set of Dynaco A25s, a set of New Large Advents, and some lowly Bose 501s (although, I must say, these are surprisingly decent).

Will the MG-1s beat these sets out? I listen mostly to Progressive rock and Jazz Fusion type stuff. Not too particular on bass below 40hz and value quality over extension.

Here are a few pictures. One of the speakers has two very tiny tears in the tweeter that shouldn't be too big of an issue with tape repair...right? They seem to need new tweeter wire and I'm not entirely sure about the midrange/bass wires. They haven't pulled off of the panel yet but are slightly raised.

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I have done this repair. Peter Gun style. Wanted to get a set under my belt. It was a bear. Takes time, a steady hand and PATIENCE.

As far as if it's worth it...... Can't answer that. Sorry.

Some of my observations.
Cost isn't bad on repair. IMHO they shine with the right type of music and DO NOT with others. I doubt you will not want a sub after some time in front of them. They also require MUCH power if you want to get the true experience. The amount is up to much debate. I was pushing them with 250 a side and had the Sub pushing the lows and they could have still used some more.

They can be very finicky. And very spectacular.

If possible try to source a pair locally to get some ear time in.

I've had my MG-IIas for about a year and a half now and I've needed to order the repair kit, but like you I've put it off. At first because they wouldn't ship the kit in the winter months, then no money, then it was winter again, yadda yadda. I'm really thinking about pulling the trigger before it turns cold again but the thought of stripping those things down to the mylar and starting over really turns me off to the whole thing. Especially when people don't really have the best things to say about these non-ribboned Maggies. Others, however, say they're the best damn speaker you'll ever own--especially if paired with the right subwoofer.

Curious as to whether or not you decide to the take the plunge!

I had a pair of MGI's and found the repair fairly easy. The tweeter wire is so thin that normal day to day humidity causes the wire to corrode and fail. It's even more prevalent in units that were in storage or near the ocean.
Work clean, work organized and in a few hours you will be done.

I HAD a pair because in the end they seemed like very nice midranges and not much else. They need a sub and the high end is fairly limited.

I HAVE a pair of MGIIIa's with the ribbon tweeter. They are a significant improvement. The tweeters are delicate and can be damaged just moving them around. These also need a sub.

The Magnepan sound is best described as putting headphones on your room. They truly disappear when fed enough power and given enough space.

Not sure how long I will hold on to these. I am picking up a pair of Carver Amazing Silvers this weekend, sounds like it's time for a shootout......

I bought a new pair of MG-I's in 1976. I subsequently moved up the Maggie chain to MG-II's and then IIIa's before moving to electrostatics. Those MG-I's spoiled me for anything but planar speakers.

Yeah, I'm starting to think I may as well do the repair. I didn't pay a lot so even if I don't like' em it will probably be good just for the experience in case a better set of maggies come up that need some work.

So, not as good as most other models, I wonder how these would compare to the MMGs considering the size difference vs. technical improvements.

I have a pair of functioning MGIIb and non functioning MGIs. I'll say this: they will reproduce music in a way that is in many respects much more 'real' than what you have now. But they do have some limitations, how much that means to you is going to depend on your room, your amp, the kind of music you like, and your willingness to futz with them.

I've never heard Grace Jones sound quite so much like she was actually in my living room as when I played 'Inspiration' on the Magnepans.

I had my MG-I's sitting on my Advent U3. I used the U3's as subs so i could get somewhat below the 40hz bottom of the Maggies. Also sitting them on top of the U3 (sitting on their sides) elevated the 60" tall MG-I's to my 6' 3" height. Maggie's are notorious for not having vertical dispersion.

Well I traded my MG-I's for an integrated tube amp after I replaced them with a pair of Wharfedale W-70s.

Mine came in fairly good condition, and I never opened them up and inspected them. I'm not much of a DIYer so I probably would never have gotten around to rehabbing them had it been necessary.

Well, my main receiver (Yamaha RX V870) is 80wpc. I am thinking I may have to get another amp though as it is rated for 6 Ohms and the MG-1s are 5 Ohms. Why the odd rating? Is one Ohm going to be too much for my amp?

As for room...three of the ones in my house have a hifi system in them. One is 10x30, one is 30x30, and one is 10x10 (obviously too small) One of these should be fine right?

I was using a Yammie RX-2700 which is rated at 110 wpc at 6 ohms. No problem. That one ohm difference isn't gonna make any difference. And if you dont listen to music at ear=splitting levels that 80 wpc isn't gonna matter much either.

I listen to mostly jazz and "acoustic" music. I found the MG-Is to be very musical. My big problem with them was the narrow sweet spot.

RadioGnome said:

Alright, so I've had these MG-1 awaiting repair for a little while now and have kept putting off ordering the repair kit. I seem to see reviews out there that don't put them on the same level as most of the other Magnaplanars out there.

Right now I am running a set of Dynaco A25s, a set of New Large Advents, and some lowly Bose 501s (although, I must say, these are surprisingly decent).

Will the MG-1s beat these sets out? I listen mostly to Progressive rock and Jazz Fusion type stuff. Not too particular on bass below 40hz and value quality over extension.

Here are a few pictures. One of the speakers has two very tiny tears in the tweeter that shouldn't be too big of an issue with tape repair...right? They seem to need new tweeter wire and I'm not entirely sure about the midrange/bass wires. They haven't pulled off of the panel yet but are slightly raised.

View attachment 537449View attachment 537450View attachment 537451View attachment 537452View attachment 537453

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IMO the repair is not difficult, but is time consuming. I'd rather repair Maggies than, say, refoam a close tolerance driver. MGIs sound great once repaired, but will never have the so-called slam of dynamic drivers and the highs are indeed rolled off. That said, I love mine and still rotate them into my system every few weeks. I've powered them with everything from a 40wpc HK integrated to a heat generating Krell. Obviously, they are better with greater power, but were still enjoyable with the HK's meager output. The downside is that you may become a planar fan and want bigger Maggies or ESLs.

Another point, often missed, is that Maggies do rather well in apartments and condos. If you're not a heavy metal or rap fan, then Maggies are hard to beat at their price point. I even consider the small sweet spot an advantage, but then I don't really listen to music with other people.

Unlike other speakers, the Maggie's impedance is a constant resistance .

"Normal" speakers impedance varies with frequency, that's why it's listed as nominal impedance.

It is the variation that is toughest on amps , being a constant resistance the Maggie's may actually be easier on your amp than many other speakers

Maybe this will help

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=598195

Thanks for the helpful posts.
I'll be ordering the kit as soon as I can. I've done around 30 re-foams at this point so this will be a refreshing repair.

One last thing, do the old socks make a noticeable change to the speaker's sound? I like how they look and mine are in good shape aside from dust.

The socks have no.significant affect on the sound.

I cleaned mine in the kitchen sink with some Willits and a couple tablespoons of bleach. Let them soak/swish them around/rinse hang on line. Placing them in the dryer may cause them to shrink. Allowing them to spin in the washer may stretch or snag them.

Be careful with the wood decorator strips. Pry too hard and they will snap. They have no.affect on the sound and many people leave them off.