Frequently Asked Questions

If you do not find the answer to your questions and need to call us, please be patient. For many years, we have had a reputation of excellent technical and consumer support. We regret to say that we are currently understaffed and are not able to live up to that reputation. A veteran employee that has been answering your inquiries for 35 years has retired and we are feeling the loss. However, we will do our best to help you.

What ancillary products work best with Magneplanars? [top]

The staff at Magnepan have their hands full trying to keep up with our back orders, research and development, and all the demands associated with trying to stay at the forefront of our business. We understand the fundamentals of amplifiers and other ancillary products, but we simply can't do our jobs and keep up with ever-changing products and models. It may come as a surprise, but many of our customers have auditioned more amplifiers than we have.

Unfortunately, there is no definitive source to answer these questions. We know many of the reviewers personally and they all have their own preferences. The Internet is full of free advice, but very little consensus.

That's the bad news. The good news -- while you could make it your career to find the ultimate amplifier for your money you want to spend, the top choice from any one of our dealers will be a winner. There are so many products available to the dealers that they can pick and choose what they want to sell. We don't know of any Magnepan dealers selling substandard amplifiers with Magneplanars. Part of the dealer's motivation to go into the business is the enjoyment of the art. If you believe they are strongly promoting a specific brand just for the money, we strongly disagree. They enjoy what they are doing; and if there is any criticism, it could be that in their exuberance, they may recommend better products than you are willing to buy.

There are a few general design recommendations we can offer:

  • Subwoofers - The subwoofers that move a lot of air and are impressive in a home theater demonstration are usually "sloppy" and become tiresome during extended music listening. Integrating a "musical" woofer is both expensive and tricky, but, it can be done. Here is where your Maggie dealer will prove to be most helpful.
  • 4 Ohm capacity is important in amplifier design (more on that later).
  • Speaker Cables - As with other ancillary equipment, we can't keep up. But we can offer this advice: a system's total performance is dependent upon on a balanced approach. Sometimes spending less in one area and more in another will result in a total performance improvement. This applies to cables and speaker wire as well as ancillary equipment.

Will my receiver or amplifier drive Magneplanars? [top]

There are 2 features on a receiver or amplifier that will enhance your music or home theater experience-- High current power supplies (ability to drive 4 ohm loads) and adjustable crossover points in the bass management menu for home theater.

We get more questions about amplifiers than any other product. The power supply is "what separates the men from the boys." A receiver is very efficient and cost-effective way to get is all in one package, but there are "issues". Unfortunately, consumers want all the "bells and whistles" without understanding the importance of power supply. Many manufacturers offer the "bells and whistles", but, compromise the power supply to be price competitive. There are a few manufacturers that are the exception.

Everyone understands they need plenty of power, but the role of power supply is not understood. There is one important concept you need to remember when shopping for an amplifier or receiver: in an ideal amplifier, the power should double (or nearly double) at 4 ohms. This concept is important even if you are buying an 8 ohm speaker. If the amplifier is rated at 80 watts at 8 ohms, it should (ideally) produce 160 watts at 4 ohms (or close to it). None of the receivers will do that. However, this is the benchmark of a good amplifier design. A 10 watt amplifier that produces 20 watts at 4 ohms "speaks volumes" about the PHILOSOPHY of the designer. (But, of course, it does not tell you if a 10 watt amplifier is enough for your room.)

A good receiver might produce 30-40% more power at 4 ohms. Most receiver manufacturers don't want to talk about 4 ohm ratings because they have cut the "guts" out of their products to keep the cost down. Some receivers produce the same power at 4 ohms as the 8 ohm ratings. Or they use a switch on the back for 4 ohms to reduce the power and to prevent the receiver from self destructing. Others warn against 4 ohm speakers. Regardless of what speaker you buy, we don't recommend any of these receivers. There are a few manufacturers making receivers with good 4 ohm capability. But, we can't keep up with who's doing what. All you have to remember is to ask-- "What is the 4 ohm power rating?" If the 4 ohm rating isn't available, find another model or brand. It may take some digging to find the 4 ohm rating, but there are a number of receivers on the market that are rated for 4 ohms. For example, the THX rating requires that the amplifier section must be able to drive 4 ohms continuously. Even an inexpensive receiver like the 50 watt NAD C725 BEE (suggested retail of $799) is advertised to be stable with impedances down to 1 ohm and has peak power of 200 watts. So, don't be fooled by pretty front panels. Its what is on the inside that counts.

A new type of amplifier (Class D) has become more popular because it is a "green" design and uses less power plus it is smaller in size compared to conventional amplifier designs. We have heard reports of Class D amplifiers shutting down when driving 4 ohm loads or sound quality that is less-than-desirable. Your Magneplanar dealer has tested Class D amplifiers with Maggies and is well qualified to advise you if this type of amplifier appeals to you.

Adjustable crossover points- If you are shopping for a receiver or processor, you will want a model with adjustable crossover points for "small" speakers in the bass management menu. This is very important to the design of a Magneplanar center channel speaker. Adjustable crossover points up to 250 Hz are desirable.

Most ribbon or electrostatic center channel speakers incorporate a dynamic midbass driver since the rather small ribbon or electrostatic elements can not produce midbass. This seems like a mistake to us. The center channel speaker does approximately 60% of the "heavy lifting" for movies. Why compromise such a critical ribbon speaker with a dynamic woofer?

Magneplanar center channel speakers are also small (relative to our full range models) and cannot produce adequate midbass-- by themselves. Our strategy is to utilize the front left/right Magneplanars (or one of the new Magneplanar Woofers) to produce the center channel midbass/bass. When optimally setup, the illusion is of a big Maggie in the middle. However, it requires one of several solutions for getting center channel midbass/bass. Adjustable crossover points in the bass management menu is one of the easiest solutions. If your receiver or processor only has an 80 Hz crossover point for "small" center channel, there are other options. Please call us and we will be happy to discuss your installation requirements.

How much power do I need? [top]

We are asked this question every day. But, individual tastes vary so greatly that a definitive answer is impossible. We are using a 35 watt receiver in the lobby to our factory. Therefore, can we honestly say that 35 watts is all you need? For each increase of 3 db, the power must be doubled. So, 70 watts, 140 watts, 280 watts, etc. will progressively result in 3 db increases over the receiver we are using in our lobby. Personal tastes are "all over the map". We hear of customers that are perfectly happy with 25 watts and others using 1000 watts.(And there is no lack of opinions about power in chat rooms on the internet.) Without the option of listening with you, we have no way to give meaningful advice. The most reliable way to answer this question for your particular needs is by visiting a dealer. If you listen to your music at your normal volume, in a room that is approximately the same size as your room, with an amplifier similar to what you plan to use, an accurate power requirement can be determined for your listening habits. The amplifier used in this test should have a similar 4 ohm rating as the amplifier you plan to use at home, but it is not necessary for it to be identical to your amplifier. Anyone that has a definite answer to this question (without having met you) is probably telling you their personal preference.

What is the best Magneplanar for my room? [top]

To answer that question requires some background information. You may have noticed similar specifications for the least-to-most expensive Magneplanars are very similar. There is nothing in the specifications to justify the cost difference. More than any other performance parameter, what you are buying as you move up in the Magneplanar line is RESOLUTION (or definition). However, unlike video, there are no specifications in loudspeakers for resolution. You can hear it, but it is not easily defined.

If Magnepan sold only the portion of the MG 3.6 or MG 20.1 that operated from about 200 Hz and up, the question of speaker size/room size would never come up. An ideal ribbon line source driver is very narrow and would go from floor to ceiling. Most of the area of a Magneplanar is needed for bass reproduction. A large Magneplanar in a small room is mostly an aesthetic issue and and a question of proper bass reproduction.

Buy as much Magneplanar resolution as your budget will allow. However, the objection from family members of a larger Magneplanar in a small room is one we can't help. "Plan B" might be our soon-to-be-released, motorized, on-wall model-- the MMC 2.

Where is the best position in my room for Magneplanars? [top]

The optimum placement of a speaker in a room would provide a minimum of a 10 millisecond delay for the first reflection off of walls. And then there is the issue of optimizing placement to achieve smooth bass response. Few of us have the room or the freedom to place speakers where they sound the best. Much of life involves compromise.

Magneplanars will sound their best very close to whatever position is the best compromise for conventional speaker placement in your room. Without being there, we have no means of improving on what you have discovered by trial and error.

Are Magneplanars good for home theater? [top]

See our home theater section for a complete answer. In short, high resolution sound in home theater is not appreciated in a 5-10 minute demonstration. The typical home theater demonstration is short and full of crashes, explosions and other dramatic scenes. What Magneplanars can do for home theater will take at least 20 minutes or more into a movie. The process is subtle. High resolution sound does not call attention to itself. You become more immersed in the movie and don't realize until later that Magneplanars have a seductive quality on home theater that will increase over time.