If you are working with a room this size and can accommodate them, add a pair of 2 x 4 foot GIK 242 panels about 2 feet in front of the speakers. In my smaller room, the speakers ended up about six feet apart with very slight toe-in, and located about three feet from the rear wall for the best sound. If you have electronics at this level and always wanted to sample the Magnepan sound, the MMGs will make for a good show they certainly have enough resolution. The combination is 20 times the cost of the MMGs yet truly showed what the little speakers could do given superior source components. Tubes yes low power, no.ДЇinally, to probe what the MMGs were capable of delivering, I tried the Simaudio 600i and 750D CD player/DAC. This has always been my experience with Magnepans. I did not have such luck with any of my lower-powered tube amps. While only 50 watts per channel, the robustly constructed Rega Brio-R integrated did a splendid job driving these speakers. A number of other great power amplifiers that can be had for under $1,000 will also mate well with the MMGs, which respond as well to quality as quantity of watts. The latter is a solid-state design, again with Nelson PassвЂ™ STASIS topology, and can be procured for about $700 on the used market. The next group featured the recently reviewed Croft Micro 35 preamplifier and a vintage Nakamichi PA-7 power amplifier. The Nakamichi TA-2A, featuring an amplifier section designed by Nelson Pass, proved the exception. At best, I kept going to Radio Shack for fuses in one instance, I looked for my fire extinguisher. The Pioneer SX-626, Marantz 2235, and a few other vintage 70s receivers I had on hand would not drive these speakers to any kind of realistic volume level without issue. The first utilized speakers with budget receivers that can be purchased used for under $100. Once the MMGs had about 200 hours of play, I broke up listening sessions into three distinct categories. They are available in off-white, grey, or black with natural, black, or oak trim. Yes, imaging will suffers somewhat, but even against the walls, the MMGs can still be used for background music. At only 1.25 inches thick, the 14.5 x 48-inch panels weigh about 15 pounds each, so you can move them back up against the walls when not doing critical listening and bring them back out to proper position for serious sessions. Their light weight and small size makes them easy to experiment with different listening positions. I initially used the MMGs in my small living room (11 x 17 feet, 8 foot ceiling) with excellent results. Properly installed, and matched to room and amplifier with care, the MMGs give you the best swig of champagne on a beer budget that youвЂ™re likely to encounter in high-end audio. What the MMGs offer-quite possibly better than any product (save the new Rega Brio-R integrated amplifier) weвЂ™ve reviewed with a budget price tag-is a serious helping of genuine high-end sound. They usually end up in a second system or passed on to a family member.вЂќ Product manager Wendell Diller points out, вЂњWe actually donвЂ™t get many pairs back. Equally generous, Magnepan allows for a very liberal trade-in during the first year (full purchase price in most cases) should you move up the ladder to one of its larger speakers. In the past, MagnepanвЂ™s entry-level speaker was only available direct from the factory, keeping costs to the bone and dealer markup out of the picture, but now they will be on your dealers showroom floor. These days, $600 dollars will buy you a pair of speakers that are more than likely built in China and resemble toys that belong in a Happy Meal rather than your living room. While we shy away from audiophile clichГ©s, the Magnepan MMGs are truly one of the best values in hi-fi.

Magnepan mgcc3 specs