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Maggies a waste if only 3' from backwall?

All maggie owners, please chime in. I've been considering the maggie 3.6 or 20.1. My basement room is 15x20x7, thin carpet on slab floor, drywall over foundation. It is very unlikely I will be able to have them out farther than 3 feet from backwall, unless i had them on some kind of rolling/sliding platform. I have read repeatedly that maggies must be at least 4-5 feet from backwall. So, is 3 ft just not enough? Will the magic disappear and render them pedestrian?

While I'm at it, one more question: I understand there is a narrow sweetspot for maximum enjoyment, but how bad is out-of-sweetspot/off-axis listening? What aspect of SQ is actually lost? I ask this because I've read several posts where people thought they heard a real drummer or piano in next room only to find it was music played through a maggie (ie, "Best Speakers.." thread).

Thanks much for the replies. I really am considering joining the maggie family, but don't want to make a mistake based on room and one-person sweet spot.

Jeff
jeffkad

Showing 3 responses by james63

james63
534 posts
 
I would just buy them and give them ago. Really many many brands of speakers should be placed more than 3 feet off the back wall.....

I demoed the 3.6s and 20.1s a few weeks ago in a 14X20X10 foot room with Mcintosh. I thought the sweet spot on the 3.6s and 20.1 was average. It was MUCH wider than Martin Logan's Summit/Spire. But no worse than some box speakers out there such as B&Ws that always put my head in a vise. Off-axis was much better than I expected but not great. I walked around the room to test I heard no hot spots, bass nodes, and the vocals remained clear. The image was not near as sharp as the sweet spot but it was not totally gone either. All of these things will be set up critical of corse.

Some long time uses might be able to give you an idea of how many feet (or inches) wide the sweet spot will be in a room your size.

Best of luck,
James.
james63
534 posts
 
I don't think I would pad the wall behind the speakers. The problem is you can only catch some of the frequencies and will most likely change the tonal balance of the speaker (making them seem dull, and bassy). But you could also try diffusors behind the speakers instead of a bare wall and bass traps in the corners. The diffusion may make the time delay longer (a good thing, in moderation) from the direct sound of the speakers and reflected sound off the front wall (behind the speakers) longer.

Does any one know what Magnepan recommends (if anything) behind the speakers?
james63
534 posts
 
Right from Magnepan "A large Magneplanar in a small room is mostly an aesthetic issue and a question of proper bass reproduction", "Buy as much Magneplanar resolution as your budget will allow. However, the objection from family members of a larger Magneplanar in a small room is one we can't help."

Frequently Asked Questions

I demoed the 20.1 in a room about the size of yours (14X20X9ish) and they did not seem too large for the room, tonal balance/sound-stage was just right. They were about 4.5 feet off the back wall, 6 feet apart and I sat about 8 feet back (Mcintosh MC1.2KW amps). It was not too much system for the room. I also heard the Klipsch P-38F in the same room (different amps) and they loaded the room with too much bass. So to me it seems that Magnepans in general do not need as large a volume of room as is commonly believed on this site. But they seem to need some space behind them in order to gain bass definition.

But again we all have different tastes but if it were my money I would start with the 3.6Rs and go from there.
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