Surrounds to blend with Maggies (1 Viewer)

[Dean_M]

I've been working on my 7.1 HT system and I've run into some speaker placement issues. I currently have MC1 fronts and the CC3 center, and I'm trying to figure out what I can use for surrounds. The folks at Magnepan recommended that I use two more pairs of MC1s for the sides and rears, but even if I mount them horizontally from the ceiling as Magnepan suggested (there aren't any walls to mount them), there isn't sufficient room for good placement because of the size of the MC1s, and ceiling fans, A/C vents, room partitions, etc.. Does anyone have any suggestions for smaller surround speakers that will blend well with the Maggies that could be mounted from or in the ceiling in about the same price range as the MC1s ($750 - $800/pair)?

 

[Alan M]

Howdy Dean,
I just ordered and set up a Maggie 5.1 setup.I'm using the MMG's as fronts and ordered a pair of the MMGW's as rears.They seem to blend very well and still have that Maggie sound we love so much.

While the MMGW's are smaller then the MC1's,you would still have to mount them as you would the MC1's( to the ceiling).Another option is to build DIY stands for the MC1's or MMGW's.The MUG site has a lot of pictures of different DIY stands that are easy and cheap to make(making a pair myself for my MMG's to stand up straight).
My MMGW's box was 18 pounds so I'm guessing the MMGW's weigh 9 pounds each.Not a heavy speaker but not exactly small either(about 3 feet tall).

Hope this helps.

 

[Alan M]

As a side note,

Just checked the maggie site.Your MC1's are 46" tall,the MMGW is 38" tall.

 

[Eric:F]

this question comes up from time to time. it might be worth it to run a search. planars are a difficult timber match. you need more planars or ribbon tweeters.
one good surround speaker choice is the Optimus PRO-LX5.
the Lineum dipole ribbon tweeters have that transparent "airy" quality similar to planars.
they are small and easy to mount and work great as surrounds. i have 8 (as surrounds) in our 7.1 system. i have ribbon fronts (Salk HTS) and i needed a similar soundfield.
they come up all the time on ebay. expect to pay about $80/pair.
give them a try, i think you'll be impressed.
best,
eric

 

[stephen shadow]

Curious what you think of the woofer on the Optimus. I have read its pretty bad and does not blend well with the ribbon. Also do you wall mount them and if so how?

 

[Eric:F]

the woofer on the LX5 is not so hot. there are several xover mods on the web to help with the bass. i experimented with a couple and settled on this mod:
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?f...+5&r=&session=
it's cheap (

 

[Dean_M]

Howdy back at you, Alan.
This is my first experience with the Maggies (that I can remember - being a "child of the '60s ), and I do love them so far. I upgraded from Infinity Interlude system and I wasn't expecting a drastic change, but the wife and I were very surprised at the difference.
Unfortunately, I bought a house with a very odd livingroom. The room is 21' 8" by 16' 8" by 8', but because of a fireplace, bay window, ceiling fans, etc., the usable space for HT is actually 21' 8" by 11' 8", with the HT along the narrow wall. This leaves me with little to no room for floor/wall mounted surrounds, so I really need to mount them to/in the ceiling. I don't think that I have enough ceiling space to properly place Maggie surrounds. I've already completely remodeled the livingroom to better accommodate the front Maggies and SVS PB12-Plus/2, so other than buying a new house, I think that finding some compact speakers that will blend reasonably well may be my only option as I refuse to give up my Maggies.