I think there have been threads. If not, try Google, I know there have been threads on other forums. General imressions seem to be --
- Amazing on the desktop - They can be used in a smallish room but they're near-field monitors and aren't a replacement for the full-sized models in a big one - Dealer demos aren't a reliable guide to their sound because few dealers have the right environment to demo them, they tend to get stuck on a shelf. But Magnepan has a "dealer direct" program now where you can try them yourself for 30 days at home
have only heard these speakers at a local hifi shop. They were hooked up with a 60 Watt Rotel integraded and a Rotel CD player wired with transparent.
First listening impression was the massive soundstage and realistic imaging that these speakers are capable of. Also impressive bass for a small panel design. The major downside I saw to these was the fact that only one person could listen to the set up at a time due to a very small sweet spot. Overall they surpassed my expectations, and in a very small room, I am sure they would excel over other maggie lines. A rep from maggie was there and he told me that in larger rooms the 1.7 and 3.7 would outperform them, but for a little office, its the best panel solution yet.
Do you think this system would sound correct if the floorstanding woofer were placed at the same height as the 2 small panels or does the woofer have to be on the floor? I can only put these in my office on a very long bookshelf (36" tall). I was told on another forum that the woofer has to be placed between the 2 small panels.
I have a pair of unused Bryston PowerPak 300's sitting in my office closet that would be fun to pair with these Mini Maggies.
They haven't given a specific figure, last this was being discussed (a while back) they were still waiting for reports from the field on where they might work outside the near field. You could try calling them and asking whether they think it will work.
Yyz--I do not know the answer to your question about the hight of the bass panel. My logic does tell me that it must be between the speakers for best performance since I can imagine it would have a high crossover frequency.
Maplegrovemusic--I am sure you will be fine, as long as you are listening near field. The room I auditioned them in was larger than yours.
Maplegrovemusic, Magnepan didn't demo the Minimags at a desk; they had them in a generous sized room with about ten people listening at a time. The speakers were maybe 15 feet from the listeners. So, in my mind there's a discontinuity between calling them desk/small space speakers and demoing them in a mid-size room. They sounded wonderful behind the mystical veil they had put up, but I was able to localize them and tell they weren't the larger panels. Still, they capture a lot of the greatness of panel sound.
You wouldn't have any problem imo with them in your room. What you would want to experiment with is the height they are placed prior to securing a permanent stand for them. Take a look at what I can put into a 13x23 room (but note, it's a custom room)! You wouldn't even begin to be pushing the envelope on size with minimags.
The only drawback is if you expected them to pressurize a room like a bigger monitor or small tower. You won't get that from them.
I think it should be emphasized that the CES demo was just that, a demo. They used every trick they knew to overcome their limitations and get them to work in a large demo space. (They were using a 2 kW Bryston on them, BTW, and double DWM-1 woofers.) Unfortunately, it worked a bit too well and people got the impression that they could be used as far field speakers in large spaces. But they have limited power response, the tweeter beams vertically and they don't sound as good as the full-sized models in a larger room. Also, people don't always set them up right, on a desktop they're turnkey but in a large room you have to make sure that the woofer and mid/tweeters are in phase at the crossover point.
Anway, just wanted to warn you that all I've heard from Wendell Diller at Magnepan is concern that people will try to use them in circumstances for which they aren't appropriate, or set them up wrong. Naturally, he doesn't want disappointed customers. It isn't that he's opposed to experimentation, in fact, he's asked for reports on what sized room you can use them in successfully, but he doesn't want people to try it with the expectation that this is guaranteed to work. You're using them in a situation for which, as near field monitors, they weren't designed.
One thing you might consider trying if your setup allows is using them as near-field monitors in a larger space, e.g., on stands close to you as if you were sitting at a desk. Even on a desk, they're apparently best used with the desk out from the walls, for the same reason as with any speaker, to keep the first reflections from room surfaces at least 10 ms out (5 feet from a surface) so they provide a sense of depth and space rather than shifting the image.
I don't know because last I heard, Magnepan themselves didn't know and was asking people who tried it for feedback. Maybe you should call Wendell . . . he may know more now about what's likely to work than he did when they were first released.
Maplegrovemusic, here's a new review that goes into use of the Minis in a larger room. He gives some figures on maximum recommended room size and general setup guidelines.
Anymore I think this is really the best way to listen to hi end audio. Desktop speakers. Its really hard fitting 7 speakers in a room for movies, and it takes pretty big floor standers for larger rooms IMO. I think nice bookshelves, maybe some mmg's (a strecth) or these mini monitors next to or on your computer desk is the way to go. Keeps the rooms clean and to be honest nearfield can sound really really good. I may pick up some of these mini maggies for a desktop setup and get away from the large audio setup Ive used for years.
Another possibility that audiophiles don't usually consider, perhaps because they think they're only for home theater, would be the Magnepan on-walls. They're apparently comparable to the 1.7 when paired with the DWM woofers.
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