I'm a little stumped


My base system (power & speakers) is a McIntosh MA6100 integrated amp running a pair of Klipsch Chorus II's.

I'm been thinking real hard about upgrading both the power & speakers. After a fair bit of research and remembering a friend's MG1's from many moons ago I pretty much decided to go with a pair of Magnepan 1.6qr's. I auditioned a pair today and pretty much drew a blank. I expected to be amazed (I would have brought a pair home) and was left with sort of a "no comment". The audio shop ran the 1.6's with a Bryston 2B (180W @4 ohms). Overall they sounded a little thin & quite bright without much bottom end. The bottom end can always be cured with a sub, but the brightness?? I'm sure they could have used more power, but I thought there would be a hint of greatness I could draw on. I also listened to a pair of B&W 704s & Theil 2.4's. Basically they all paled in comparison to my little MA6100/Chorus combo. I was looking forward to maggie nirvana, but didn't see it...any ideas what happened? Bad room, bad setup, not enough power??
fishboat

Showing 1 response by sean

These speakers are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum in almost every respect. It is no wonder that you prefer what you have to the polar opposite. You are accustomed to a very specific type of presentation from the speakers that you currently own and have been using for years.

I can understand how one would think that Maggie's would be a step backwards, but in all reality, they would be a step sideways. One would simply end up trading one set of variables for a completely different set of variables based on personal preferences. The truth of the matter is that we all want / need something that takes the best features / sonic attributes of each of these designs and combines them into one.

Unfortunately, that isn't easily done, so we have to pick and choose what we like and want as individuals. Luckily, there are a lot of different products out there. The problem is finding one that does everything you want at a price you can afford.

Stick with what you've got until you find something that you think is better. Nothing wrong with being happy or satisfied and it is a helluva lot cheaper : ) Sean
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