MMG 3.6 ON 13' X 18' ROOM

Well, I'm not sure I agree with everyone. I recently demo'd (quite extensively!) 1.6s compared to 3.6s, and the fact is that the ribbon is everything people say it is (suffice it to say I have the 3.6s). And audio is all about trade-offs, so here is my take:

If you put them along the 18 foot wide wall, you will be closer to them (some say this is how it should be anyway, but if you get them 4 feet from the wall and assuming you don't sit 'in' the wall, then your nose will be about (13 ft - 2 - 4 =) 7 feet from the speakers, and if you get away with 3 feet from the front wall, then 8 feet. I sat 7.5 feet from mine tonight and it creates a sort of Innersound effect - less wall reflections, more direct sound. A bit less fullness and/or width of soundstange, but incredible clarity - possibly unbeatable even up to 20k... You can't turn them up at all, they are almost like headphones like this :) - but in terms of clarity and transparency, it is breathtaking. Note that Mapleshade actually recommends more of this equilateral triangle position versus the more traditional isosceles for those exact reasons. So its about trade-offs. If you have them 3 or 4 feet from the wall they will take up a lot of your room, is that okay? Would family or roomates be okay with that?

If you are putting them along the other wall then I think we have more problems that are less surmountable. They are 2 feet wide. So lets say you want them 2 feet from the side walls, that leaves (13 - 4 - 4 =) 5 feet inbetween them. And 2 feet certainly isn't optimal, many have said they need to be a bit farther from side walls for bad reflections. At 3 feet it gets funny (13 - 4 - 6 =) 3 feet inbetween. That certainly would be odd to say the least.

So, depending on the wall, I think a case could be made for the 3.6s, given certain tradeoffs.

Also, you will move at some point, and these speakers are 20 year or longer type of investments... I'm currently in an 18 X 19 room, and feel that this is a bit tight (but the front half is double high, which helps) and one speaker is in front of a stairway which certainly isn't optimal, but we will move at some point. And I have the ribbons to listen to in the meantime. You can see from my Audiogon virtual system how one speaker is in front of stairs, and the other in front of a short hallway. They still sound quite amazing despite this 'unoptimal' positioning.

Good luck!

If you look at bookshelf speakers (although I'd second the MMG recommendation above before bookshelf speakers) my short list includes: Tetra 120U, Von Schweikert (don't know model number, their site just changed and they may not sell them anymore, but if you can get them, they are great), SoundLabs MiniStat (have never heard these, but would suggest checking them out), or Mark and Daniel Ruby or Topaz - all of these are very 'particular' and interesting speakers.

I agree they may be a bit too big for your room, I don't think they would breath well. The 1.6qr's could be a bit too large for that space as well. But, the MMG could be absolutely perfect. If you want to try Maggies I think this is a pefect way to do it. I would not buy a sub to start, but I would suggest a powerful amp. Something along the lines of an older Parasound (2200) or NAD 218thx, to stick your toe in the water. If you have not had Maggies before you may love them, they have a very open sound that is well documented, and coherence is great.

If you decide you like them, then get a small sub to go with them. I love mine, and started much the same way. I have tried many other fine speakers over the years, and always come back to the Maggies, I just don't like the sound of the box part of traditional speakers. If the Quads could play a little louder I would probably like them better, but they don't for me it's pretty much only Maggies. Good luck.

Hey I just got a pair of 1.6's and I am in a 10x12 room open on 2 sides and they are great. I disagree with the middle of the room idea. As you push the speakers closer to the back wall it will help reinforce the low end and you will not need a sub. Careful placement will help and some soft material ie window treatments will help with the rear energy. The other side of that is that the rear energy helps create a sense of space. I sit 10ft from the speaker and they are 5ft apart like Maggie suggests and could not be happier!

I would say it is too small. Theoretically the best spot for a bipolar radiator is the center of the room [ I never put them there] in order to minimize cancelation from the back wave resulting from wall reflection. I have been using bipolars since the mid 60's , I was a Quad dealer for years. I would want a larger room. BUT, we are talking about maximum performance. If you are willing to place them well out into the room and sit very close you might get by. I have a room 14' by 36' and am not currently using my Apogee Duetta Sig. because I can fit small monitors with subs into it more easily. A friend of mine was once living in a small rented room and was still using his Tannoy GRFs. They took up so much of the room that he had to move one of them to get out the door. But he was happy. Try to hear them sitting close and see what you think, yours is the only opinion that counts.

It will work for nearfield listening but I would be concerned that the larger Maggies might not have enough room to breathe and really shine.

I'd go smaller Maggies like MMG and sub if needed or go with a pair of good monitors and a sub if needed.

Triangle Titus 202s (<$500 used) + a sub would probably match the strengths of the Maggies, fit the room and sound better, and provide a nice bottom end to-boot.

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 is another monitor option I could easily recommend. You might not need a sub with these, depending on your tastes.