The Horror

Do the Jim Smith thing!!!!!   You have a big investment and not getting anywhere near what you should out of it.

I go to shows mainly to hear what is supposed to be the best hifi sound. I always find a couple setups that I determine sound best to me. Yes Fritz and Vandersteen seem to always rank high.

Then I go home to assess what I have versus what I heard. I do a lot of homework and try to make well informed decisions. Experience, reviews, value, specs and measurements all come into play to help make a good buying decision.

Nice thing is I have not felt need to make a change as a result of show sound for several years.

Cost is not the driving factor. I get that sound at home for much less cost than most hi end show systems by doing the homework and learning along the way.

After all, it’s a system and systems must be integrated properly in order to perform best. The room is probably the most important part of the system to get a handle on because that might be tweaked but can’t be changed. That determines your speaker options and you go from there to get the max out of the speakers.  

My goal recently has been to retain that sound while downsizing. I do a lot of homework to try and identify the technical innovations that might help and learn a lot along the way. The latest and greatest Class D amp technology has perhaps Been the biggest game changer, followed closely by wise application of DSP for room correction and other sound tweaks as needed.

Just my few cents….

@tvad Jim Smith’s book is a good recommendation.

Magnepans were the only speakers I bought on the spot when I heard them, which in hindsight was a big mistake. I never had the room needed to set them up right like I heard them when I bought them.

The shop was Audition in Birmingham AL in the late 80s. The owner of that shop which had the reference setup for Magnepans was, drum roll…… Jim Smith himself! The Maggie’s were set up about two thirds of the way into the room well away from side walls and closer to center. Who can do that at home?
 

Also they are very power hungry so not just any amp will do.

@zlone +1.

My suggestion would be a pair of KEF R3 meta on stands. Optionally add matching kef sub tuned in just right for that room and you are in very good shape. 

Maggie’s are very hard sometimes impossible to get set up optimally in most people’s rooms and without that everything else is bottlenecked. I’d focus on that. I had them for years and ended up punting and going with relatively affordable Ohms.

Also learned the lesson throwing money at a problem alone does not solve it.

The best sound comes from good quality and well matched gear that works well for one in their room. Need not cost like a Tesla at all.

If you like to listen to genres including modern pop and more electronic instrument based music, Maggie’s are really not designed to do that well like most good quality designs with more traditional dynamic drivers.