[J-Pak]

I'm thinking about auditioning either (or both) in about two weeks. How do you think they'll fare in a 16x16 room with normal height ceilings? Just looking for general feedback (not necessarily about my room, but really anything about the speakers, powering, sound, etc). Thanks.

 

[milkpowder]

I had quite a nice experience auditioning the 3.6 They've got terrific soundstaging and clarity, but really need a powerful amp to drive them. I listened using a Mark Levinson No.383 integrated and it sounded a bit strained when I played some loud Beethoven symphony through them.

If set up correctly, the soundstage goes beyond the width of the planars and the height of the soundstage is also reproduced because of the physical dimensions of the planars.

I can't remember them being bass deficient either and the highs were pretty stunning. An audition is highly recommended

 

[J-Pak]

Looking back on the power requirements I'll more than likely be shooting for the 1.6QR since I'd probably like to integrate a sub.

 

[terrymx]

I have the cheaper model, but here is what I know.

For something like the 3.6 make sure you have a very powerful psu going to 4ohms, they are very power hungry.

They are not hard to setup as some people think. The models in the old days were bad with positioning, but its not bad with these. I use similar technique as box speakers. Too far or too close to the wall is not so good though. It is mentioned that they have a very small and specific sweet spot for listening. I don't find it to be a problem myself, but it will take some patience experimenting with positioning. One of the interesting thing is the 'tweeter' section is side by side with the bass section, which means can you switch the speakers and let the tweeters be in the inside or the outside. People like them apart from each other for larger sound stage, for a 16x16 room that sound ideal, although I find its better to be inward if you're sitting close to them to take in all the details.

The sound remind me of akg headphones. Very transparent, very clean, with very real midrange. The bass don't go very low, but I find it very realistic as well. It might lack the impactful bass kick and rumbles delivered by box speaker. They are known for extremely large soundstage, but also extremely fast response.

Also magnepan are very revealing and unforgiving sometimes. It will expose the weeknesses in the system chain, a source with strong output is desired. It tend to expose all the faults of a recording.

Which ever magne you're going to get I think you will be in for some amazing listening experience. They are pleasent and not forceful to the ears so it be can listen to for the whole day without fatigue.

 

[milkpowder]

When I was auditioning, I did ask the salesman whether he thought a subwoofer was worth it. For some reason or another, he was against adding a subwoofer stating difficult to balance the sound and crossover frequency choice as some of the drawbacks. As the dealer also had Aerial Acoustics, Halcro and Meridian gear on show (plus some other stuff which I couldn't recognise), he pointed me towards them instead, ie dynamic full-range floorstanders. I honestly didn't think they lacked bass, but my session probably wasn't comprehensive enough.

 

[J-Pak]

Thanks for the feedback terrymx. If they're anything like my AKGs or Joe Grados it will probably be really hard not to buy them on the spot.

I'm definitely more interested in the 1.6QR since they should be a bit more forgiving with amps. I think my source is up to the task, in my opinion it's not quite world class, but getting there.

My primary concern is the sweet spot, I'd like it to be at least wide enough for two people to listen to (my girlfriend and I listen to a lot of the same music, and it would be great if we could enjoy it together) so if I could use our loveseat as a listening chair that would be ideal.

 

[Dash]

I have the Maggie 1.6s and I love them. They are extremely placement dependent for bass reproduction. They are very power hungry. I tried several subs before I gave up. The Maggies are so quick and transient that the bass from the sub always feels disconnected. Good Luck.

 

[Ham Radio Nut]

I'm running a pair of smaller Magnepan MG12/QR speakers in a 22' x 20' room with a 'cathedral ceiling', being fed by a McIntosh MC162 amp, and the sound pressure level, soundstaging, detail, imaging, and 'air' around the instruments is superb! I have a feeling though, that I 'lucked out' regarding the room's sonic characteristics, given the stone tile and wooden floors, with well placed 'curtains' by the front picture window, really seem to 'fine tune' the sound to my liking. You may want to pay as much attention to the room's features, and adding or removing curtains, carpeting, furniture, etc., as you do to which speaker you ultimately choose to go with. Either way, you can't go wrong with 'Maggies'. They are incredible when set up right.

 

[Jon L]

The biggest problem with Maggies is their amplification requirement. They simply are not going to sound great without world-class amplification; you can "get away" with lesser amps, but you really don't want to.

Luckily, good high-power amps have come a long way and are much cheaper these days. For some reason, big old Levinsons always had great synergy with Maggies; so start looking for some old Levinson 23.5, 20.6 monoblocks, etc.

 

[phon-o-phile]

You won't have problem creating a 2 person sweet spot with the Maggies - as long as you are sitting next to each other. If you have separate chairs with a table in between, placement will be a little more difficult. The 1.6 will fill a 16 x 16 room, but remember, planar bass is different. Not lacking or deficient, just different. You have to listen for a while to understand what that means. Other Maggies owner or electostat owners know what that difference is. If you can adjust to the bass, the clarity and detail you will get from the rest of the speaker can be remarkable. Take your time to optimize placement, it is critically inportant. Also interconnect swapping may be important depending on you front end and amps.

 

[donunus]

any nice integrateds in the $500 ballpark that especially mate well with maggies like the mmg, 12, and the 1.6?

 

[wavoman]

It takes a lot of work, but adding in and balancing a sub (I have SVS) to the maggies can improve SQ -- especially the smaller maggies (I have MMGs + MMC). I ended up with two SVSs, and what everyone says about amping, placement, and room fabrics is absolutely correct!

Placement of all 5 speakers was critical. Especially the angle of the MMGs. I had no choice of the placement of the MMC, that was fixed (I use a Meridian sound processor in trifield mode for the center channel). Everything else was tricky.

I use big SS power amps that can drive the 5 ohm load. And fabric (absorbing) acoustic panels that stick on / hang on the wall -- very key to have these behind my head, and behind each maggie (all three). I used cheap ugly ones (off Amazon) to start, now upgrading to designer fabric (GIK Acoustics) for WAF.