One thought would be to check out the Mye Stands for them - way better than the stock stands. Grant is great to work with. Well worth the money IMO. A friend of mine replaced a tweeter ribbon for me in a 20.1. I was not present but it came damaged to me in care of him (I was out of the country). As I recall he did it without problems but cautioned me against over-tightening the screws to avoid stripping the screw holes. Also, I THINK the magnetic strip that protects the ribbon was already on the ribbons and should not be removed until the job is finished. Be sure to put on and remove that magnetic strip slowly and carefully to avoid having it snap back in place and cause internal damage or create undue pressure on the ribbon itself. Remember that the ribbon is not even as thick as a human hair.
Good luck - you should get great enjoyment out of those speakers! |
Not to invite jealousy, but it would be interesting to hear more about your good deal.
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Before doing anything, go to the source--Call Wendell Diller at Magnepan and ask him your very reasonable and appropriate questions. He will be 'mid-western helpful', which is to say, short and to the point--but helpful.
Advice from anyone other than Magnepan is generally just well intentioned 'talk'.
Good Luck, and congratulations on getting to really fine pairs of Loudspeakers.
Larry |
The ribbon tweeters require special handling or they can be destroyed by air movement. So get the ribbon tweeter replacement instructions from Magnepan before unpacking anything. You'll find them very helpful.
If the tweeters turn out to be blown, you can get replacements from Magnepan. Also, if you hear any buzzing on either pair of speakers you may have delamination. This can be repaired, either by you with a kit they send or at the factory for a larger fee. The 20's are definitely worth restoring, if that proves necessary.
If you like the 1.4's, you will love the 20's. They are world class, and a much better speaker than the 1.4. So it's definitely the 1.4's you'll want to sell, unless you choose to keep them for use as surround speakers. Or you could sell them both and get a used pair of 20.1's. :-) |
Ditto on the Mye stands. I have a friend with 20"s who got these stands and we were both stunned at the difference that they made. I think they were approx $700. do a search on these stands and read Teajay"s comments. Bob |
I talked to the people at Magnepan today - very helpful. I also checked the website for Mye stands and sounds like owners are very happy with them. As I need to determine if I am a big fan of the Magnepans before I spend the money on these I will first get them up and running, then try to make some sort of stands to do the evaluation or purchase a replacement set from Magnepan. If I decide to keep them with the factory stands or whatever make do I can manufacture, by all I am reading I will be pleased the the upgrade in sound that the Mye stands would provide. As the cost of factory stands for the MG 1.4 set is rather inexpensive, I will order these first and install on this set. My question is this: Are the Maggies supposed to sit straight up (vertical) or are they tilted somewhat when the stands are used? And if tilted, what is the approximate angle they rest at? And lastly, if tilted will the stands on the MG 1.4 be representative of the angle I should replicate should I decide to make my own stands for the MG 20 set? Thanks. |
Vertical, although some people prefer a tilt of a few degrees forward or back. |
Whyland,
CR Lowdon was politely asking what you paid. I was wondering the same thing so, I'll ask more directly. If, for any reason, you prefer not to share, we'll all just have to write you off as a tease.
Marty |
You will have to experiment a little with any new panels.
Vertical? I like 'em that way, but the tilt back / forward is also an option.
As for the 1.4s? I think Magnepan still intended you to listen to the pole piece side at the time these were made. Try rotating the panels and listen to the 'wrong' side. You may have a preference there, TOO.
Current Magnepan below the 20 series is configured to listen to the Mylar side..
You can keep track of sides by the speaker plate. Peek thru the grill cloth. If you see vertical wire and some shine, that is the Mylar. The side where you can't see much is the pole piece side.
As a long-time panel owner, I have my 1.6s rotated in place and listen the 'old' way, to the pole piece.
20 series is push/pull and the same on both sides.
The OTHER choice? Tweeters in or out.
Happy experiments. |
Thanks for all the advise. I will order the factory stands for the 1.4 and attempt to manufacture stands similar to the Mye stands (based on my observation) I should say I will have my brother manufacture these as he has a complete metal fabrication shop. Know they won't be the same, but maybe close. Unless there is something very unusual about their construction that I cannot see, I'm hoping they are within his considerable talents. The web site for these states they can be filled with shot or sand and I am not sure how to rig this.
I don't mind sharing my "buy" story - just hard to place a value on each piece - was a lot purchase - all untested at time of purchase - of Bryston 4B-NRB power amp, Rotel preamp/tuner, Denon CD player, pair of Maggie 1.4 in box, pair of Maggie 20.1 in box, audio alchemy DAC, box full of Music Link interconnects, pair of Music Link terminated 8' speaker wires. All worked well (have not yet tested the MG 20 as tweeters were boxed seperately and need to be installed - as I mention earlier - don't want to rush this and have been in contact with the company for their advise ) Price paid for the lot: $1,000
Let me know if anyone has any suggestions about making the stands. Thanks, Jon. |
You might be able to find a 20R owner who bought the Mye stands and would be willing to part with the original stands from Magnepan that he no longer uses. Or at least lend (rent?) them to you so you can audition your great find to make sure that they are working. Just a thought... |
That is a great idea - anybody out there with a pair of stands for this speaker that would like to part with them? The stands are still currently available from Magnepan for $82 plus $20 shipping but if I could find a pair for a price that would save me a bit of money, I would be interested. I'm fairly confident now I can test the speakers to make sure they work. I have to install the tweeters, which were in a shipping tube and box from factory, but after talking to service department at Magnepan, all appears to be here. Just need to take my time and reinstall. If there is anyone out there willing to sell their stands for this speaker, let me know - and thanks for the idea of asking. |
