How much room for Magnepan 1.6qr?

I've never heard Maggies but consider trying them for the reason of being bipolar therefore free from peaks and the valleys at different frequencies and listening position (that room acoustic creates by reflecting/bouncing sound).

Are the MMGs more flexible in terms of room placement? I get the idea that they are smaller, but is it still the same problem if they are too close to the back and/or side walls? I don't really think I'd get a subwoofer no matter what speakers I'm running. I listen pretty quietly b/c I'm in an office suite and others are working. Can't have too much bass. Thanks. -Dave

Hi, I had MG12s in my 14 x 13 room and they sounded very good with a couple exceptions. 1. I got more bass than I wanted until I them pulled out from the rear and side walls. That was about 42 inches from the rear wall and 24 inches from the sides. In your room that cold be very difficult because of the size of the panels. I think 36 to 42 inches will take of half of your room and you will be sitting on top of the speakers. And you will have to sit with your back about a foot from the rear wall. 2. You can experience excessive midrange energy because the speaker puts out sound waves forward and backwards. Those two reasons are why I let my Maggies go. But if I had a larger room I would have them right now. Sound wise you can't go wrong but spacewise you will have to choose another path unless you want a huge pair of headphones. In a room the size of yours you will have a problem with any speaker that goes below 40Hz. Especially at loud volumes and deep bass passages.

I have also seen some Magnepan virtual systems on Audiogon with the speakers about 2 feet off the back wall and some of those were rooms larger than both yours an mine.
Even though my MG12s sounded wonderful in my little box room I added two (Dali Suite 1.2 12" ) acoustic suspension subs they blended very well with the MG12s and I didn't get the bass bloat but it took up way too much space. So I opted for a pair of Spica TC 60's and they are doing duty in my system now and I have space and a pretty refined system. It is a lot easier placing a great pair of satelite speakers in a room the size of yours and a decent sub than it is to place a tower speaker that goes to 35Hz or lower. If you choose your speakers wisely you can build an unblelievable system in your 10 x 12 size room. And you can sit 5 feet from the rear wall too.
I think you are concerned with the level of refinement along with dynamic capability are your concerns. I believe a 3 piece system is what you should seek. There are lot's of great small monitors out there but make sure you get a pair of very heavy and sturdy stands for them. There are some tower speakers that sound good in your small room too but the amount of bass you want will determine what you choose. A very good NON BOOMY sub with a versitale crossover and lot's of power will be the Forte in what you are trying to achieve. Look at some of the Hsu subs and there are others that should go with your Energy C6's. You may find heaven is just around the corner.

Super good advice all the way around. Macdad texas might have your answer. That room is a bit small...MMG's with a quality sub, small Velodyne (new series with auto setup calibration and microphone included), that would be sweet.
You'll never get any work done :)

In my home office, which is a little bigger, the best sound I have had in there was with the Maggies and a SET/single driver system. I tried many 2 and 3 way dynamic speakers that cost many times what the Maggies cost and it just didn't work.

I think it's partly because the reverberant field plays such a huge part in a room that small. When you have the sound of multiple drivers made from titanium, kevlar, whatever, bouncing all around, it's just something I didn't care for. That's what led me to single drivers fed from a SET. I actually prefer that sound to the Maggies in that room.

Seeing how you already have the Bryston, I would opt for the Maggies. Maggie + Bryston would make a good combo. Single driver + Bryston,,,,,,not so much.

Your goal is the best sound in "that" room. Even if the Maggies aren't optimal in there and may do much better in a larger space, they may get the job done the best.

I'm less experienced than many posters (i.e. don't have experience with lots of equipment, just Spendors that I traded for MGIIs which I've had for a very long time) but I think you won't be doing the Maggies justice unless you can modify your stated restrictions. The Maggies really do want to be at least 5' from the front wall, so if 2' is your limit (i.e. current are 1' off the wall and you can come in just a little more) I would vote against them. On the other hand, if you can put them 5' out,and move yourself back towards your back wall, you can make them work the way they are meant to. This assumes you have the speakers in front of the narrow wall; if you are working the other way, with the speakers along the 12' wall and only 10' of depth to work with, I personally don't think the 1.6s will work, you just don't have enough real estate to work with.

Maggies have an amazing soundstage, as many have said, and have a truly transparent sound. Vocals are like no other speaker I have EVER heard. The 1.6 in that room won't overpower it, but I don't think it will be optimal either. I think the smaller MMG, with a nice, but not huge sub, crossed over at about 70 - 80 htz would be a fantastic setup.

Good luck.

Thanks for the responses so far. I want to make sure I understand what you all are saying. When you say, "they'll sound fine," are you saying that it won't sound bad, but won't really come close to what these speakers can do, or are you saying that it's just not quite optimal? If this isn't an appropriate application for these speakers, I'm perfectly fine going in another direction. I have Energy C6 in there right now and I'm wanting more, but I'm not restricted to any brand. I've just heard the Magnepan is a great match for my amp, and I'd like a bigger sound stage (since the speakers are so close together), which Magnepans are famous for as well. So, please clarify. This is the wrong direction and I can do better for the money given the space restrictions, or this is a good idea? Thanks. -Dave

they will be fine as Shinytoys mentioned, but the MMG's with a nice sub might be all you need in that room.

I've owned them, now have 3.6's

They will sound fine, but the room is a a bit small and you are practically on top of them.

Try them, you be the judge. They could do with a bit more breathing space.

I like Maggies 5-7 feet from the back wall myself

no kidding