I also have the MMGW/MMGC combination. After I got a OPPO 105 universal player, my speakers came to life. My Denon 3805 AVR was just not able to handle the Maggies. I read on the AVS 105 forum that the best sound can be obtained by using the 105 as a preamp and feeding separate 4 ohm amplifiers. I bridged a NAD 2200 to the MMGC and it souunds like real live people and instraments are in there. I'm feeding the MMGW with a Parasound amp until Klaus of OdysseyAudio completes a modified Stratos for me. He's doing $540 worth of upgrades for me. I plan to get Super MMG's for the FL&FR or maybe 1.7's. Klaus says the amp he is building will be perfect for the 1.7's. There was a mystery $2350 MMG demonstration at the 2014 NAMM show and some speculate that it included the Super MMG with two DWM's, a MMGC and two MMGW's. The pricing works out about right. Has anyone set this up yet?
Magnepan MMGW/MMGC Receiver and Sub settings?
Hello everyone.
Just took delivery of my first baby step into Magnepans with a MMGW left/right and a MMGC center channel for a living room theater set up.
It all started innocently enough with a new Samsung plasma 51" 3D/HDTV with Blu Ray player. Amazed by the picture but annoyed at the sound.
Looked at a series of speaker options and after getting turned off by the sound from Soundbars, decided to go with wall mountable L/R/C configuration after listening to a set of wall mounted Golden Ear Super Cinema 3s at my local HiFi audio shop.
Overall system budget mandated that I keep this as reasonable as possible (<$2k) to keep the wife happy. (I still came in at about $2152 after factoring in cables, hidden wiring, speakers MMGW ($325), MMGC ($299), Yamaha RX-A710 ($599), Channel Master 4228 HD antenna ($130), Plasma Mount, ($85), and then the actual cable routing work as well as plasma mounting($714).
Luckily I didn't have to buy a sub. will be pairing with a REL -R505 12" sub.
Received the MMGW/MMGCs yesterday and opened them up and connected them to the Yamaha (90w x 7) and wasn't very impressed. Swapped the receiver with my Rotel RB-1080 (200w x 2) and this seemed to unleash some more potential.
Initial impressions - amazed at how much power these baby Maggies apparently need after running it against my Rotels. Wonderful sound separation when listening without a sub attached. When connected with my sub it does an excellent job in concert music (Seal, Diana Krall). But where it really seems to excell is as a home theater configuration. All of the little nuances of sound really come out with these MMGW/MMGCs. Incredibles, House of Flying Daggers, The Last Samurai built out such a nuanced soundstage that I'm amazed for not having made the change sooner.
Still not broken in yet so I'll still need to give it some time. Also learned from reading the Yamaha receiver manual last night that if you're running 5 Ohm speakers like the Maggies you need to do a setting change in the Yamaha to change the default 8 Ohm setting to 6 Ohm which according to Yamaha is acceptable if driving speakers down to 4 Ohm loads.
My question is around the recommended configuration for the sub configuration that accompanied my Magnepan center channel.
What Magnepan recommends is that I set my receiver/processor on small speaker for the center channel while setting the receiver to "no subwoofer".
The theory is explained as follows in the MMGC manual:
HOW IT WORKS
"While the above instructions may seem confusing, ask yourself, "Where will the receiver or processor send the cener channel bass information?" There is no choice, the center channel bass must go to the front left/right full range Magneplanars. Since your front L/R full range MGs are reproducing the center channel bass for your smaller center channel speaker, this will give the illusion of a full range Magneplanar for the center channel. This bass routing management is superior sonically to the usual approach of sending the center channel bass information to the subwoofer."
Q: So is this saying that the sound of having center channel bass sent to my L/R speakers will give a better sonic presentation by having the center channel focus more on dialogue?
Question #2: The MMGC manual asks the following:
HOW DO YOU USE A SUBWOOFER IF YOU SET YOUR RECEIVER OR PROCESSOR FOR "NO SUBWOOFER?
According to the MMGC manual:
"The front L/R channels are operating "full range." Using a Y adapter, connect one end of the Y adapter to the left and right preamp outputs of the receiver or processor. Connect one end of the Y adapter to the left (and right) amplifier input. Connect the remaining end of the Y adapter to the subwoofer input..."
Q: I don't understand these instructions. So connect L/R audio outputs from the receiver to a Y adapter and then connect the single end of the Y adapter to my subwoofer connections (2 RCA connections) and not the receiver's single RCA subwoofer input right?
If so my Rel-R505 actually has a left/right RCA connection vs. a single subwoofer RCA. So basically I don't need a Y adapter and can plug my REL R505 straight into the Yamaha's audio out?
Just took delivery of my first baby step into Magnepans with a MMGW left/right and a MMGC center channel for a living room theater set up.
It all started innocently enough with a new Samsung plasma 51" 3D/HDTV with Blu Ray player. Amazed by the picture but annoyed at the sound.
Looked at a series of speaker options and after getting turned off by the sound from Soundbars, decided to go with wall mountable L/R/C configuration after listening to a set of wall mounted Golden Ear Super Cinema 3s at my local HiFi audio shop.
Overall system budget mandated that I keep this as reasonable as possible (<$2k) to keep the wife happy. (I still came in at about $2152 after factoring in cables, hidden wiring, speakers MMGW ($325), MMGC ($299), Yamaha RX-A710 ($599), Channel Master 4228 HD antenna ($130), Plasma Mount, ($85), and then the actual cable routing work as well as plasma mounting($714).
Luckily I didn't have to buy a sub. will be pairing with a REL -R505 12" sub.
Received the MMGW/MMGCs yesterday and opened them up and connected them to the Yamaha (90w x 7) and wasn't very impressed. Swapped the receiver with my Rotel RB-1080 (200w x 2) and this seemed to unleash some more potential.
Initial impressions - amazed at how much power these baby Maggies apparently need after running it against my Rotels. Wonderful sound separation when listening without a sub attached. When connected with my sub it does an excellent job in concert music (Seal, Diana Krall). But where it really seems to excell is as a home theater configuration. All of the little nuances of sound really come out with these MMGW/MMGCs. Incredibles, House of Flying Daggers, The Last Samurai built out such a nuanced soundstage that I'm amazed for not having made the change sooner.
Still not broken in yet so I'll still need to give it some time. Also learned from reading the Yamaha receiver manual last night that if you're running 5 Ohm speakers like the Maggies you need to do a setting change in the Yamaha to change the default 8 Ohm setting to 6 Ohm which according to Yamaha is acceptable if driving speakers down to 4 Ohm loads.
My question is around the recommended configuration for the sub configuration that accompanied my Magnepan center channel.
What Magnepan recommends is that I set my receiver/processor on small speaker for the center channel while setting the receiver to "no subwoofer".
The theory is explained as follows in the MMGC manual:
HOW IT WORKS
"While the above instructions may seem confusing, ask yourself, "Where will the receiver or processor send the cener channel bass information?" There is no choice, the center channel bass must go to the front left/right full range Magneplanars. Since your front L/R full range MGs are reproducing the center channel bass for your smaller center channel speaker, this will give the illusion of a full range Magneplanar for the center channel. This bass routing management is superior sonically to the usual approach of sending the center channel bass information to the subwoofer."
Q: So is this saying that the sound of having center channel bass sent to my L/R speakers will give a better sonic presentation by having the center channel focus more on dialogue?
Question #2: The MMGC manual asks the following:
HOW DO YOU USE A SUBWOOFER IF YOU SET YOUR RECEIVER OR PROCESSOR FOR "NO SUBWOOFER?
According to the MMGC manual:
"The front L/R channels are operating "full range." Using a Y adapter, connect one end of the Y adapter to the left and right preamp outputs of the receiver or processor. Connect one end of the Y adapter to the left (and right) amplifier input. Connect the remaining end of the Y adapter to the subwoofer input..."
Q: I don't understand these instructions. So connect L/R audio outputs from the receiver to a Y adapter and then connect the single end of the Y adapter to my subwoofer connections (2 RCA connections) and not the receiver's single RCA subwoofer input right?
If so my Rel-R505 actually has a left/right RCA connection vs. a single subwoofer RCA. So basically I don't need a Y adapter and can plug my REL R505 straight into the Yamaha's audio out?