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Can a Magnepan 1.6 be BI AMPED?

Was wondering if anyone who owns the Mag 1.6 speakers knows if the speaker can be BI AMPEDped? I know it can be bi wired, but looking at the rear connection panel has me wondering if both terminals arent hard wired to the top terminal, allowing the two lower terminals to touch internally causing possible issues with bi amping.

Please dont respond the following receiver wont drive them, because I fully know it will. My concern is ONLY on bi amping on the speaker end. Ive bi amped so seriously hard to drive speakers and the Onkyo is more then up to the task. Specially considering I will be crossing the 1.6 over to ease the demands, and I only prefer a sub to do the grunt work. But for reference sake, here is my intentions with the Onkyo:

Im using a Onkyo nr906 right now on a pair off mmg's set to 4ohm, and they sound fantastic with a sub crossed over at 80hz. I have the ability to use the rear channels from the Onkyo in a bi amp configuration to drive a pair of 1.6's in bi amp config in a dual 4 ohm load. Should be 200 watts aprox to top and 200 watts aprox to bottom, and allow me to use the full potential of the nr906 if bi amping works in this speaker.

Thanks to anyone that has knowledge of if the 1.6 accepts bi amp config or just bi wire(which if they in fact touch internally to the top terminal, isnt worth bi wiring anyway, as its one big loop either way).
sthomas12321
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Lightminer...Whoever told you that had never had the X/O apart!

Magfan...I used Hovland capacitors. There is considerable opinion that Solons are not bad at all, and, as you say, any improvement would come at high cost. I didn't know what kind of capacitors were in the MG1.6 when I ordered parts for the project.

My air core inductors are AWG10, so the DCR is lower than stock. The effect on crossover frequency is insignificant. Crossover frequency is somewhat arbitrary anyway.

The bypass capacitor is really there. It is a small ceramic which you probably can't see through the cloth.
hifitime
715 posts
 
Magfan,Thanks for the offer,but I'll pass on the math part.Years ago I used to change the tweeters and crossovers in a lot of speakers.I did a lot of math back then and used to get a good sized headache.Some did turn out a lot better,after I got the crossovers correct,maybe? Thinking about it gives me another headache.A friend had a pair of Apogee Scintilla'a that were the worst pair of speakers to drive that I've ever seen.They cooked one of his power amps.I think some people tie those to other panel speakers.Another friend has a pair of older Maggies that he now drives(just found out last night) with a Conrad Johnson EL34 tube amp with ease he said.Its his two channel music/home-theater system in his bedroom.He said it is sounding great. Best Regards
magfan
1,583 posts
 
HiFi,
Ok, I'll skip the math! Most people don't do numbers well, as you could tell if you could see my checkbook!
However, I DO urge you to google 'Power Factor' and just look at the Wikipedia article. This will give you and others a basic understanding of PF and why phase angle can be an amp killer.
Personally, the 'online calculator' for various things is a lifesaver.
sthomas12321 OP
408 posts
 
The MMG's are good, but not near the performance I'm used to. Ill continue looking for some 1.6's. If the Onkyo cant swing it, I'll try a crown amp on them. Keep in mind this is mostly for home theater and will be crossed over at 80hz all around. This is just a fun system, so Im not investing in expensive amps. The crowns will work if need be. You guys had some great points I didnt think of. A all around 4ohm magnepan system could indeed be a tough drive for the Onkyo.
samhar
1,048 posts
 
It's been awhile but I think the Onkyo/pre/processor and a high current amp for the Maggies were fine for HT. Enjoy
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