I've had my 1.6's for a few years now and they still never fall short of amazing me. When I first got them there were certain recordings and types of music that sounded absolutely stunning, while other recordings sounded just OK to a little disappointing. Through the years I have made a series of changed to the speakers that have brought them to a level that everything I listen to sounds either very good or nothing short of outstanding.
If you own a pair of Magnepans and have never modded them you owe it to yourself to try some mods and bring out the true potential of these speakers.
There are a couple of ways to go about the transformation. You can do it yourself or Google the word Magestand. If you have not heard of Peter Gunn he completely revamps your existing speakers into a beautiful looking and sounding piece of equipment.
If you would like to do it yourself like I did there is plenty of information on the WEB to assist you through the proses. The first and most simple mod is to bypass the fuse. This gets rid of some of the distortion and muddiness you here in some recordings and increases the dynamic range. If you own a good amp and do not overdrive it there is little concern of doing damage to the speakers without using the fuse protecting.
The next step is to rebuild the cross overs. This truly opens up the speakers- vastly improving the dynamics, eliminates any sibilance of distortion and gives the them a more 3D presentation.
The final step is to either get frame stands or make hardwood frames for your speakers. If you are looking to make your own frames make sure you have the right equipment and have knowledge of woodworking. I made my own and although it was very rewarding it was also much more involved than I thought it would be.
After making all of the above changes I would have to spend a LOT of money to get the same or better sound out of any other speaker.
Now everything I listen too sounds simply amazing. Even minor upstream system changes are easier to identify plus my wife appreciates the way they look now.
If you own a pair of Magnepans and have never modded them you owe it to yourself to try some mods and bring out the true potential of these speakers.
There are a couple of ways to go about the transformation. You can do it yourself or Google the word Magestand. If you have not heard of Peter Gunn he completely revamps your existing speakers into a beautiful looking and sounding piece of equipment.
If you would like to do it yourself like I did there is plenty of information on the WEB to assist you through the proses. The first and most simple mod is to bypass the fuse. This gets rid of some of the distortion and muddiness you here in some recordings and increases the dynamic range. If you own a good amp and do not overdrive it there is little concern of doing damage to the speakers without using the fuse protecting.
The next step is to rebuild the cross overs. This truly opens up the speakers- vastly improving the dynamics, eliminates any sibilance of distortion and gives the them a more 3D presentation.
The final step is to either get frame stands or make hardwood frames for your speakers. If you are looking to make your own frames make sure you have the right equipment and have knowledge of woodworking. I made my own and although it was very rewarding it was also much more involved than I thought it would be.
After making all of the above changes I would have to spend a LOT of money to get the same or better sound out of any other speaker.
Now everything I listen too sounds simply amazing. Even minor upstream system changes are easier to identify plus my wife appreciates the way they look now.