Apogee Centaur Major or Magnepan MG-20/20.1 ?

My bet would be on the big dipole Maggies...but then, I like planer dipole bass, better than conventional cone monopole bass.

However, as an Apogee speaker owner (I've owned 3 pair, and still own two)...my understanding from talking to other Apogee owners is that the Centaur Major is a "VERY" good sounding speaker system. I'm told that it has one of the best sounding mr/tw ribbons ever, from Apogee.

One member of the apogee speaker users forum mentioned not long ago, that he liked his Centaur Majors better than his Apogee Diva?....I was very surprised to read this! (he has owned Apogee: Fullrange, Diva, Scintilla, Stage, Centaur Minor, and Major...maybe even a few more?).

I owned the Centaur Minor at one time...same ribbon as the Centaur (and the Apogee Stage)...the Centaur Major uses a much longer and wider ribbon than these three. AFAIK...no other Apogee shared this (Centaur Major) ribbon design?

Dave

Tough one. I've hear Maggies 1.6 (not the 20 or 20.1) and own the Majors. To my ears, the latter is the best sounding speaker I know, except maybe for Apogee Scintilla's. But offcourse I haven't heard all speakers around.
Crossover between the 10" woofer and the 3,3 ft. long ribbon is at 350 Hz. Since Everything above 350 Hz is handled by onde driver, sound is smooth and even, with no phasing-problems. Sensitivity is low but impedance is smooth between 4 and 6 Ohm. It does need some breathing-space and should be positioned at least 3 feet away from the backwall. But I guess the Maggies will need as much space...
Seeing that you live in Holland you might consider listening to my system. I'm located at the center of Holland, very close to Utrecht. Then you can make up your own mind about the virtues and let-downs of the Apogee.

I had a pair of Slant 8's. The Slant 8's were the replacement for the Centaur Majors - both were hybrid ribbons - i.e conventional driver for the bass with a mid/high ribbon.
When I first got them, the bass was muddy and the highs were a little grating on the ears. I upgraded the crossovers (upgraded caps/soldered connections etc) and the difference was dramatic! The mids/highs were so liquid smooth. The previous harshness was completely gone and the bass tightened up a little too. This is what everyone was raving about regarding the mids/highs and they were right on!
BUT, I felt the bass was still way too muddy and they colored the sound more than I liked. Bass heads may like it but I felt it was too much (and I am a headbanger at heart - no jazz (but plenty of orchestral) in this neighborhood, sorry).
For reference, I went back to my Von Schweikert VR4.5's - not as smooth in the highs but the bass was so much more accurate that I felt I could live with them a lot more easily.
All were driven by a Simaudio P5 pre and W5 amp(all solid state) so there was no lack of power. I also swapped in a Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid pre (tube) for comparison but it did not change my opinion at all.
I can't offer any opinion on the Maggies. I can tell you that the person I sold the Slant 8's to was using them in a surround system along with a pair of Apogee Diva's (full range ribbon). Those Diva's were AMAZING! From top to bottom, the Diva's sang a beautiful song. If I could find a pair of Diva's I would get them. It may be better to compare a pair of Diva's to the Maggie 20/20.1's. Price wise, I believe the Diva/Maggies is a much closer comparison too.
HTH

Thx so far guys

The mid/high ribbon for the Slant and the Major is more or less the same, but the woofer isn't: the Slant sports an 8" Vifa woofer, where the Major is fitted with a 10" Peerless woofer. Hard to compare the low-end performance...

Satch,

You are correct about the woofers. Judging just from the reviews, since I have no experience with the Major, the 8" woofer tightened up (improved) the bass. In my mind, it did not do it enough.