MMGs

Have them gunned. You will not be sorry. When you pay for the best you only cry once. John will take good care of you, tell him his favorite russian sent you.

http://www.indiespinzone.com/magnestand.html

Trust me and metman, kythyn. I smile every time I am about to power my amp on, because what awaits is a pure sonic bliss. John made it very clear several times that he will be retiring sooner than later, so don’t wait if you want to have this done. Amps will come and go, and so will cables and other things, but he’s the only one who does this in the world. Your speakers will come back looking like supermodels, finished in gorgeous wood of your choice and they will sound like nothing else. Yes, it’ll cost you around three grand to have it done, but it will be worth it. I had my 12 QRs gunned last year and I still cry like a kid every time I put Adele’s "Someone like you" on. She’s in the f***g room, man!  Email him, get in line, go drive for Uber for a few months, get this done.  If you don't like the result you can cuss me out up and down and left to right.

kythyn - I am in the same boat with you, I am saving up for a better amp and currently powering them with a make do 250 wpc amp. They sound good, but one can clearly tell they could use more power. As far as upgrading goes - John recommends three models - MMG, 12 and 1.6. He has a detailed write-up on his website in regard with choosing a model. I don’t see why a year old MMGs would be a problem, according to John a lot of people prefer MMGs. I chose 12s because I wanted a tad more bass, but 1.6s probably would be a bit much for my room. I picked up those 12s used for a song, they barely had 200 hours on them. If you have the room, I’d say 1.6s would be ideal. I am uber happy with my 12s.  Read the following pages carefully, that way if you decide to do it you will have a better understanding as far as what's involved.  If you need further info - email John. 

http://www.indiespinzone.com/mag/mag16.html

http://www.indiespinzone.com/mag/mag14.html

http://www.indiespinzone.com/mag/mag4.html

Forget about the pictures and pointing at pic A and saying "I want mine to look like that".  John does not operate that way, like any custom product each pair is made to exact specifications of the customer and no two look exactly alike.  Pictures are there to serve as a general guide to selecting wood and style of frame.  Also, from time to time he ca be a bit ...hmmm... like John, I'll just leave it at that.  As any artist one should expect certain amount of eccentricity from such person.  Enzo Ferrari once famously said - "The customer is not always right".

randy-11 - Stock Magnepan frames are made from MDF, which does not soak up vibrations at all. Instead, it bounces vibrations back into the magneplanar panel, causing distortion. Wood is able to soak up vibrations much better, resulting in cleaner sound, better defined soundstage and overall smoother presentation. I lived with 12s stock for about a year, then I had them gunned - what a difference! New crossover is a major contributor to sound quality, as well as a 6db gain in efficiency. Stock Maggies are very tipsy/flimsy on their iron feet. John’s frames are very solid, nevermind gorgeous. The only thing left from the stock speaker after the modification is the driver panel. Everything else is supplied new, including crossovers. In regard with your comment about dipoles - if anything, the dipole effect is greater after the mod, and with careful placement one will hear a positive difference right away.

I don't know if I would venture into 3.3 territory, Maggies that old are bound to have delamination issues.  Just as an FYI - John does not recommend any .7 Maggies, at least not if the long term goal is to have them modded.  He explains in detail on his website why.  I am not going to agree or disagree, I have not listen to .7 or 1.7. 

randy-11 - MDF will absorb a little bit of vibration, but nowhere near enough.  I used to built sub boxes for car audio for years out of various types of MDF, so I am familiar with the material.  Take a stock Maggie, say a 12, turn it up to fairly loud level, and feel the frame.  You'll feel very little vibration, it will feel disproportional to the volume.  Try the same with a gunned Maggie, and you'll feel quite a bit more vibration on the wooden frame.  Natural wood dissipates vibrations far better.