Magnepan MG-1

[niklnikl]

Hi All,
I'm the original owner of my MG-1s. After having them in storage for years, I finally brought them out to enjoy.
Sadly one of them just gives a loud hum and nothing else.
Are they repairable?
Nik in Alabama

 

[DonH50]

If by "hum" you mean a buzzing sound, that is usually because the wires have separated (delaminated) from the panel. Magnepan used to refurbish them, and has also provided do-it-yourself kits over the years, but I do not know if they will still work on original MG-Is. Call them and ask. There are various online guides and videos for repairing them as well.

But usually delamination alone will not end all sound from the speakers so it sounds like something else is going on. If the hum really is a hum, like a 50/60/100/120 Hz signal, that sounds more like an amp problem than a speaker problem. It is also possible the crossover has gone bad in the speakers.

If you swap speaker connections to the amp, does the buzz stay with the same speaker, or stay with the same amplifier output? If the latter, the amp is the culprit, and needs servicing. If the hum stays with the speaker then contact Magnepan.

HTH - Don

 

[niklnikl]

Hi Don,
Thank you for your reply. I have narrowed the hum down to the speaker. I swapped out the amp and also tried with a different speaker. The hum only comes in when the Maggy is connected.
I took your advice and have contacted the service dept. at Magnepan. I'm awaiting a reply from them.
In the meantime I'll scan the web for repair videos.
Kind Regards.

 

[Djcxxx]

Try Planar Asylum in Audio Asylum forums. My first "high end" speakers were MG1s back in late '70s. Great speaker and incredible value. Agree with delamination as most likely cause for buzzing or vibration.

 

[DonH50]

You can start here -- scroll down to the Repair section: http://integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/tweaks/index.html

Here is a link to the main site: http://integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/

 

[thedudeabides]

With new Mag tech and reasonable prices for their entry level models, is it worthwile to have the speaker repaired or just replace with newer, equivalent model?

 

[DonH50]

Hard to say... The LRS is $995 and the lowest-priced model since the MMG was discontinued. Be interesting to see what Magnepan has to say; they may offer an upgrade or rebuild to the current design. I had to repair my old MG-Is several times during the years I owned them, but not everyone has the skills and tools to diagnose and repair them. They used to be pretty generous along those lines but times are hard...