Maggies to Tekton?


Hey Audiogon-ers.  I've only posted a few times, as I mostly enjoy reading the threads and comments.  I've been a 20+ year Maggie owner, and I currently have the 1.7s in my "new" (post divorce) house.  I'm a big Maggie fan, but lately I've been craving something different...something with oomph and excitement - a dynamic speaker that will get my mojo going on jazz and modern rock.  The Tekton line-up piques my interest, especially the affordable models - Mini Lore  and Lore Ref.  I mean, damn, for under a grand I can take the plunge.  Plus, they have a  60 day return policy!  My amp is the McIntosh MA 252, and I have a Sony HAP player for digital and Music Hall 'table for LPs. My questions:  For the extra money, is the Tekton Lore Reference the way to go?  Is there another affordable, high efficiency brand that I should consider?  Is there anyone out there who has gone from Maggie to another (dynamic) brand and hasn't regretted the move?  Thanks! 
jrod68
I have the Maggie 1.7's in a large room.  Unclear if I have really optimized their placement.  Often I am enthralled by the soundstage and precision/definition I hear but other recordings just don't seem to be that engaging which may be the lack of that "dynamic" quality you are mentioning.  I will say the Maggie's sounded a lot better with something like the Crown XLS 2502 which really brings out a sense of fullness and presence or the PS Audio Stellar S300's which are very precise and open but a little sterile than they did with a 45 watt tube amplifier.  If you want to give your Maggies a different sound cheaply I would suggest buying the Crown XLS 1502 or 2502 on Amazon and seeing how they sound.  If you don't like them it is an easy and often free return.  I think the Crown's sound amazing but the soundstage is quite a bit smaller than the S300's.

OK, that was all an aside.  I have a pair of Moab Short speakers (62" version) being delivered tomorrow.  I've listened to the Moab's in two different setups.  I am hopefully they will provide all the positive qualities of the Maggies and then some.  One guy that let me hear his Moab's also had a set of Lore's set up in a different room and I got to listen to them also.  They sounded detailed and musical but also just sounded small compared to the Moab's.  I would not have been happy trading the 1.7's for them and I don't think you would be either.  A lot of the excitement/magic around the Tekton's comes from that 7 tweeter array that handles the midrange and high end.  I'm not sure you will get what you want from a Tekton that doesn't include that tweeter array.  So my suggestion would be to move up a bit in the Tekton product line and maybe buy used if your budget is strict.

And Zu Audio is having their  OMEN DIRTY WEEKEND [MK.II] sale starting this Thursday where a special edition of the MK II's is marked down to $999. I've never heard them but a lot of people love them. Final idea for a small room is to pick up a used pair of the KEF LS50's. I think somebody else mentioned them.  All the reviews are great but I've never heard them either.
I'm not really a Maggie fan, but I just wanted to comment on the demo I had a few months ago at my dealer of a current Maggie. I don't know what model it was, but it absolutely had bass slam and I was surprised. But it did have trouble with image focus. Just my $.02.
@pure_dave, bass in my set-up is next to nothing unless I crank the bass control on my McIntosh. Even then, I wouldn’t call it powerful or dynamic. I’m talking about the Maggies without the powered subs, so maybe it’s a moot point.  My old 250 wpc Musical Fidelity integrated definitely had the HP to control the low end on my 1.6s. Forgot to mention that...my old Maggies, in the large room, were 1.6s. Maybe I’m comparing apples and oranges? I wouldn’t think the 1.7s would sound much different than the 1.6s. 
@pinwa, Like you, I’m not sure I’ve optimized the placement, but I just don’t have a lot of room to play with. Also, on some recordings, the Maggie magic is there, on others it’s missing. I suppose one could say that about any loudspeaker. Maggies have their “lane”, and when they drift out of that lane, the results can be underwhelming. I still love them though. : ) 
Hey, thanks again everyone for your advice, comments, etc. Much appreciated. Here’s a photo of my listening/living room. Very soon, I’ll have a finished basement to equipment with audio gear. I have stuff laying around, so no sweat at all. 😀 ~ Jerry 

https://1drv.ms/u/s!An_54gE357_Hgz7DOHj7tWsOVwsX