Magnepan mg1b speakers

I actually had a pair of MG 1B's that I bought new back in the 80's from Optimal Enchantment in Santa Monica, CA.

They sounded great as long as they weren't driven too hard.

Magnepan uses lots of ALUMINUM wire. This is what helps the driver be light enough for quickness and is also where the corrosion starts.
2-edged sword.

If you pull the socks and have GREEN, that is corrosion.

One more comment. I believe as mentioned above, the most common failure mode is the glue bonding the plastic and wires deteriorates. There is another issue to consider, however, and that is corrosion. My MG1's required re-build because the high frequency section was not working. It was not due to amp clipping or overpowering them, I was told by Magnepan that the speakers were internally corroded. This is dependant on storage environment, but it is another consideration.

I had MG1s for well over 20 years. And thru a factory rebuild.

If you get them cheap enough and are willing and ABLE to do some DIY, there is no reason they can't serve you well.

Furthermore, even though they are not the most sensitive speaker, they can be made to work with 100/side or less.

Between the original model and the final there were 'a' / 'b' and 'c' revisions. I think they were crossover and cosmetic mods.

White Bear probably no longer supports this speaker. CALL them, since they don't do internet. Also, MUG (Magnepan Users Group) should be on your short list of bookmarks.

I agree with the above responses regarding the repairs - they don't seem worth it since the MMG's are available for such a reasonable price. I had a pair of MG1's that I sent back to Magnepan in the early 90's to have refurbished. They sounded fine, but a few years back, I bought a pair of MMG's and although they were physically smaller in size than the MG1's, I thought the MMG's sounded better. I later traded up to the 1.6's. Good luck.

You made a great purchase with these maggies, i love his wide soundstage. They are not the most efficient speakers, but they are still good.

Thanks for your info it really helps

ditto what Elizabeth says, the wire will fall off.

I had a pair of MG1's twenty five years ago (!) that needed repair to the wire that came unglued.

It is an easy fix (that I did myself) but not worth the bother IMO...

Magnepan Users Group:

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