2. speakers
  3. 1063381435

Maggie 1.6QR vs 3.6R and Room Size

Hi,
I've recently moved house and my new listening space is 60'x32'.
I'm using a small monitor speaker (QLN Signature Splitfield II's) and they do a fair job in this larger room, but not great, which is understandable given their small dimensions.
I'm looking at Maggies as the probable choice for an upgrade, but I'm leaning toward the 1.6QR due to cost. My budget is around $4, so if I went for the 3.6's I wouldn't have much left for amplification (current amp is a CJ CAV 50 integrated).
So the question is this: will the 1.6's work in this size room, or should I wait and get more cash together for the 3.6's?
What kind of results might I expect with the 1.6....is there a possibility of ribbon problems when playing at spl's high enough to charge this size room?
Also, does anyone have experience of using the 1.6's with 50w tubes like the CJ CAV?...if this is too small, can anyone recommend a good tubed partner for the 1.6.

I do not have the opportunity to audition these speakers, so would have to commit and buy a used pair on AG then hope for the best.

Lastly, I have a pair of Apogee Caliper Signature II's that have some ribbon damage on one speaker...does anyone think it might be better going through the hassle of having these repaired?....how do they perform in a large room and how do they compare against the 1.6QR

So many problems, so many questions!!

Many thanks in advance for input and insight from a knowledgable audiophile.

Rooze
rooze

Showing 2 responses by blw

blw
147 posts
 
I haven't compared the 1.6s to the 3.6s directly, but they are generally similar in power consumption, from what I understand. And I do have direct experience with the 3.6s, powered by a CJ MV60. This was definitively NOT enough power to power the 3.6s in a room that was less than a third the volume of your room. (Call it 16 x 24 x 15' high.) The shortcoming was NOT just in the mushy and weak bass. Transients like symbols clipped badly, and I even had trouble with classical trumpet solos.

If the volume was down and nothing stressed the amp, the sound was just about the best I've heard (including a couple of $120K systems). But across my 5 test CDs, I hit the wall on power about a dozen times, without even trying to push the volume.

Based on this experience, I'd be very surprised if you could make either of the Maggies work in that room with just 50 wpc, even though those are really quality watts.
blw
147 posts
 
If you're interested, you definitely should listen to horns. Horns are something that you either love or don't, which is why you get such mixed reviews. The good thing about horns, in your case, is that they typically are so efficient that you can drive them with a flea, let alone your CAV-50.

My direct experience with horns is limited to Klipsch, quite a while ago, and AvantGarde Duos. They aren't my taste at all: they are very, very present and "in your face", and I prefer a generally more distant presentation. And the Duos didn't sound quite as, I guess, transparent as my ML panels. Given that you seem to have the same sort of taste Magnepans as I have, you may not like the Duos either.
More to discover