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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
jeffkad OP
211 posts
 
Duke, if I diffuse or absorb the backwave, don't I kill the ambiance, depth, palpability, etc of the dipole sound? It seems to me that the bi-directionality (maggie, soundlab) or the omni-directionality (mbl, ohm)or the boxlessness (nola, legacy whisper) is what makes these speakers different (and to me, better) than boxes.

stthomas, am I wrong to assume that the bigger maggies afford better bass, dynamics, etc? If I can afford 10k or more, why would I want to drop down to smaller maggies? As much as i like maggies, i don't think the smaller maggies will compete with far more expensive spkrs, as the things the boxes (or baffle-less) do better will far outweigh what the small mags do well.
sthomas12321
408 posts
 
Yeah, Id get the 3.6's/20.1's if they work well in smaller rooms, and sitting close. I couldnt comment on them, because Ive never heard those in a small room at nearfield or mid distance. My guess is you just need to be far enough that the tweeter and bass panel sound as one. Theres a larger gap of space in the 3.6's tweeter & bass panels, then the 1.6. Just throwing that out there, not sure if it makes a difference.
hazard
55 posts
 
I'm on my 2nd pair of Maggies. I started out with 2.5s and upgraded to the 3.6s around 4 years ago. The one thing I can tell you is that the positioning is everything. Moving them front or back will dramatically alter the sound. I say get them, you'll find a spot that works. I have my Mags approximately 3.5' out from the wall. The inside edges are about 5' 8" apart, their centers each about 13' from my listening position.
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