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Replacement for Maggie's?

So I have been thrilled with my magnepan 1.6's to the point that I have upgraded every component to the point that even the power conditioner costs more than the speakers. My question as the headline suggests is that where do I go from here for speakers? I love the Maggie sound for its wonderful depth, life like size, and soundstage. Dislike its lack of bass. The rest of my gear consists of Ayre C5xeMP, Ayre K5xe soon to be MP, Pass Labs X250, APC S15, Grover Huffman XLR's, Signal Cable bi wired speaker cables. Thanks
harri009

Showing 7 responses by brownsfan

brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Guys, I think the op is having some WAF issues. That is one reason he didn't want to go with the Maggie 3.7's. More planar suggestions may not be what he is after.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
I hear you bro! The problem is that those of us who really like the Maggie sound find it extremely difficult to find something else we can live with. I suggest you listen to the 3.7's (with a sub)and then listen to other speakers in the same price range. Let me know if you find something else you can live with. I couldn't for less than $17K.
You can get useful output with the 3.7's in the right room down to about 35-37. In the wrong room, or too close to the back wall, forget it.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Harri, When I was auditioning speakers I found 2 other speakers I thought I could live with. Those were Wilson Sophia III's (16K) and Magico V2s. My wife hated the look of the Wilsons, but was ok with the maggies. Maybe you should give the Magicos a listen.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Harri, When I was auditioning speakers another dynamic speaker I thought had a lot going for it was the Dali Helicion 400 II. There is a Dali MS4 for sale now in your price range. Its a step up from the Helicon. You won't get the big sound of planars, but they are gorgeous looking, and I thought they were good with respect to timbre. Very nice reproduction of vocals. If you have a dealer close by, they may be worth a listen. If your wife objects to the looks of those I don't know what to tell you.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Mapman, good comments, although I take a different view in some respects. You are absolutely correct in pointing out that music preference plays a huge role in deciding how to go. However, I chose maggies precisely because of the fact that I listen to a lot of large scale orchestral works. While the Maggies may struggle a bit at 105 dB peaks, I could not find a dynamic speaker for under 30K that could through a big enough sound stage to work.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Harri, sounds like all is ending well. My wife thinks Maggies look cool. No one told her she is supposed to hate them, I guess.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Harri, So glad to hear this all ended well for you, though of course this never really ends. Now, when you decide to go with the 3.7's, you can begin negotiations with, "Honey, they are the same size as the 3.7's."

Enjoy!
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