Placement of Magnepan 1.6's or 3.6's


I'm rearranging my living room which is 18.5' X 11.5'. I'm getting ready to buy new Maggies, (I've had Tympani 1D's for 20 years.) I planned to get 1.6's and have them facing the short width of the room. A friend suggested that I might have them face the longer length, in which case I could fit the 3.6's. I didn't consider that before because I have a Steinway B grand piano that is 7' long and will sit across the short width of the room. If the speakers are basically a couple of feet from the corners of the room, the body of the piano will partially obstruct the listening V between the speakers and the listener. Is that a problem? Does that listening space need to be completely unobstructed? The Magnepan brochure has them pictured in a corner directly against the wall with a couch a couple of feet out. What do you think? It would be great if they could fit and sound at their best facing the large length of the room. If the piano is not a problem, would the 1.6's be enough or do I need to get the 3'6's?
Thanks.
Tony
tconny

Showing 2 responses by eldartford

Of course you should audition both the 1.6 and the 3.6. Not everyone prefers the ribbon tweeter. I picked the 1.6 over the 3.6, and price was not the reason.
Krazyaudio...IMHO the best place to put your Maggies is near (not exactly) halfway into the room. If your room is 40 feet long, put the speakers at 15 feet from the front wall, and listen from 10 feet from the back wall. All this is, alas, totally impractical in the home setting. I have heard demos done this way, with a cathedral ceiling to boot, and the Maggies suspended from the ceiling. Someday...