magnepan mmgs-buy zero autoformers or stands 1st?

I understand, but that speaker has severe limitations in the bottom end.

Don't kid yourself.

The stands, (at least good ones) do more than raise the Maggies... They firmly lock them in place, ie...no sway allowed. This results in a more "clear" sound, as the soundwave launching is now from a firmly "locked in place" source.

Some other thoughts:

KT-88 or 6550...better bass than EL34

Room placement...did you try the CARDIS planer setup guide?

Subwoofer (s)...Maggies crossed over at 80hz

Dave

Good suggestions above from Eldartford and Dave...particularly the KT88/6550 amp and room placement ideas.

ok, thought that that's what this forum was for tho. to get opinions. i'm getting great bass with the el34's.. it's only on certain recording where it is boomy. i will live with that if i have to. cardas set-up is almost 6 feet from front wall- not an option. who has 6 feet from front wall? not many i would think. my decision is to let them break in and see what happens. stands are a must anyway, so i will be getting them. then see how it is. i'm just wondering if any of the naysayers have even listened to a 40 push pull el34 tube amp with the mmg's. probably not...

i'm just wondering if any of the naysayers have even listened to a 40 push pull el34 tube amp with the mmg's. probably not...
Cooch (Threads | Answers)

KT88/6550 tubes are known for having better bass control than EL34 tubes. So, while your question is understandable and valid, one can extrapolate the qualities of a KT88 amplifier to get an idea of how using one would perform on Maggies in comparison to an EL34 amplifier. Some EL34 amps allow for using KT88 tubes as an alternative. If yours is one of these, this is something you could try for a relatively small investment.

As an alternative to the Cardas method, you can also take your front-to-back room dimension and divide it by odd numbers (11, 9, 5...). Take the numbers that result and use them as distances to place the front of your driver plane from the front wall. Try a couple of the measurements. Also, be certain the distance from the front wall to the speaker plane and the distance from the side walls to the center of each diver is a different distance. An equal distance will reinforce bass and contribute to boominess.

Also, since you experience boomy bass with only some recordings, perhaps it is inherent with the recordings and not a problem with your system.