Speakers better than the MMGs?

I own SMG's, got them used on CL. I also have a pair of DCM TimeWindow 1's. Awesome speakers for the money. The widest soundfield I've ever heard. Better bass, and high end than the SMG's, and more efficient.

It depends what you are looking for in a speaker.

Big bass and dynamics? Then yes. Pinpoint imaging? Yes. Natural vocals and strings? Probably not.

All speakers represent a compromise.

-Rob

07-29-08: Robr45
All speakers represent a compromise.

-Rob

Especially $500-600 speakers.

Doubt it. You need to raise your speaker budget or spend the money on better front end equipment and continue to enjoy your MMGs sounding even better.

Yeah, 1.6's. yeah, they cost more, but you are only going to find better speakers if you pay more than the MMG maggies. I have MMG's, listened to them for 7 years and love them. I've been all over, listening to lots of things, and like others above have stated, it depends on what you like in your music/speakers. IF you are a maggie person, it is extremely difficult to find anything that compares at twice the price. I tried. I bought a used pair of Magnepan 1.6's for $1100. WELL Worth it! I WANT 3.6's, but will only buy them when I find a pair locally, close enough to drive to.

MMG's are wonderful midrange speakers. You have to sit exactly on axis with them, and they give you a small but clear picture to what is going on...no lows, no highs, no big crescendos, no this and no that. If you appreciate what it does do, they are great speakers...but bear in mind that they only do what they do.

The complaints listed in the last post can be largely eliminated with crossover mods, or better yet- the full fledged Magnestand mod. I've just bought a set of Peter Gunn's MMG's to upgrade from the modded SMGa's I've been using. Lows more defined and to 45hz, highs are better than the old speakers. Dynamics imaging, depth, all greatly improved!
The only fault I can name is they reveal the weaknesses of the upstream hardware!

Went to 1.6's from original MG-1's of about 25 years.
Won't look back.
Better front end with plenty of power....and the usual-for-Magnepan wisdom of doubling into 4 ohms.

I sold my MMG's after my wife bought me a pair of Infinity Beta-50's (she said they looked "sweet"). If you can handle using a "mainstream" speaker in the midst of audiophilia, they're a good choice.

Triangle Titus 202s cost me $500 new several years back and were the first box design speakers I owned that convinced me I might be able to live without the larger (than mmg) Magnepan 1.3cs I also owned at the time.

Fast, clear and highly detailed with accurate imaging, big, transparent sound stage, easy to place, sound absolutely top notch with good amplification at both the lowest and highest volumes.

Add a sub and you can compete with the big full range boys out there as well with about any kind of music save perhaps for large scale classical pieces at realistic listening volumes, but they ain't no slouches either with this most challenging category of music.