Magnepan Speakers can not be
shipped into another dealers territory. If you have a local dealer you
should support them; they are probably good people that have a passion
for great sound. If you have no local dealer we will be glad to assist
you. To check for a local dealer click this Magnepan Dealer Locator Link.
This multi-channel, planar speaker is designed to be attached to or
placed next to a wall or cabinet. These speakers will normally be used
in conjunction with one of the Magneplanar model Woofers or a
self-powered subwoofer in a serious music or home theater system ... or
both.
The MMG W can be attached to a wall or cabinet and folded
out of the way when not in use. It is the perfect solution for rooms
which cannot accommodate floor standing models.
The MMG W's small
size and low frequency response to 100 Hz is made possible by attaching
the speaker to a wall or to the side of a cabinet, which enhances the
lower frequencies ... from 100Hz up, the MMG W is pure Magneplanar. The
midbass to midrange and high frequencies have the amazing speed and
definition of all Magneplanars... The speakers are small, but the sound
is big.
Although home theater is an obvious application for these
speakers, they really show their stuff when used in a system that is
demanding for both home theater and serious music listening. Generally,
home theater sound has not been as demanding (in the purist sense) as
dedicated music systems. Listen to music through the typical home
theater system and you will hear what we mean. The MMG W works very well
for both and enables your system to be ready for all levels of future
technology for all types of listening... 2-channel Stereo, multi-channel
surround music, and the best of home theater.
No place for a
center channel speaker?
The photo below is of a demonstration in a
hotel during a Consumer Electronic Show. The on-wall models immediately
flanking the on-wall video monitor provide a dual center channel array
which can outperform a single center channel speaker.
A pair of
our on-wall speakers achieves a center channel image in the same manner
as a stereo system achieves a center image. By angling the speakers
approximately 30 degrees to the wall, the center channel speaker on the
left of the video monitor is on-axis with the viewer off to the right---
and consequently is louder than the center channel speaker on the right
of the monitor (which is closer to the viewer). This "pulls" the audio
image to the left and keeps the dialog centered on the screen better
than point source speakers.
And there is a bonus for those
willing to install this unorthodox concept. In blind-fold testing,
listeners found that center channel dialog and information was easier to
understand with a "Maggie" dual center than with a conventional single
center channel speaker. Extensive research on speech intelligibility is
available on the internet.
A Tradition of Innovation and Advanced Technology
Have you ever
noticed that instruments
projected from small boxes sitting on the floor sound like they are
coming out of boxes on the floor? This problem can be partially
corrected by placing the box speakers on tall speaker stands. However,
the sound still seems to be coming out of a box, because that's
precisely what it is doing.The patented Magneplanar principle
eliminates these problems by a fundamentally different approach to sound
propagation. The Magneplanar projects sound from top to bottom, giving
the sound height as well as stereo width and depth. In the concert hall,
instruments project in all directions. Instead of projecting sound out
of a box, Magneplanars project in all directions, which closely
duplicates the original performance.
With your eyes closed the Magneplanar will allow you to
"see" the original performance suspended in space. The full height,
width and depth of the concert hall can be heard.
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Theoretically, loudspeakers should use
massless drivers suspended in space with no box, magnet structure, or
framework around the drivers. Most conventional box speakers are far
from this ideal. The mass of the driver is high and the rear wave is
contained within the box or magnet structure. While the frequency
response can be smoothed out in a box speaker, the character of the
sound is inevitably affected. The music sounds like it is coming out of a
box-constricted and unnatural. The Magneplanar diaphragm comes
closer to the ideal driver. The mass is low and the diaphragm is not
contained. The sound is permitted to radiate freely into space. With the
box removed, Magneplanars sound more like you are there.
Uniform Drive
The power from an ampilifer causes the
conventional cone speaker to react as if it had received a sharp blow at
the voice coil. Since the outer portions of the cone cannot respond
instantly, the cone will flex. The resulting cone breakup gives music a
"fuzzy", "blurred" quality. The Magneplanar eliminates cone
breakup by driving the Magneplanar diaphragm over its entire area. The
force from the amplifer is distributed over the entire diaphragm so that
it all moves at the same time. Cone or diaphragm breakup is
dramatically reduced and the integrity of the music is preserved.
Mass
The effect of mass on a loudspeaker can be
illustrated by the comparison of a balloon and a beach ball. In the case
of the balloon a nominal force such as a puff of wind will cause the
balloon to accelerate quickly. When the force ceases, the balloon
decelerates quickly. The same force will move the beach ball, however,
the ball is slower to start and slower to stop. High mass is one of the
main causes of sonic degraduation in conventional speakers. Magneplanars
use ultra low mass components. For example, the Magneplanar ribbon
element is so thin, that on edge, it is invisible to the naked eye. It
is so light that when a piece of it is dropped from a height of 6 feet
it takes and average of 5 seconds for it to reach the floor.
Conventional speaker designs prohibit such low mass-the force from the
driving amplifier would crush conventional speakers made of such light
materials. Only by driving the transducer over its entire area can you
use materials of such low mass.
