Papaya. I actually have lived the scenario you are inquiring about.
I had Maxx 2's. They were good but never really meshed with my room. Could never get the bass correct or close to correct. I have a very challenging room and through many efforts of moving them.... throwing more power at them (went from VTL 450's to McIntosh 501's to Siegfried's) we could not get them to lock into the room.
Had an opportunity to upgrade to the Maxx 3's. I understood that the speaker was a marked improvement over the 2's so a promise of hope..... maybe this pair would be the answer. Well..... 3 months later the 3's arrived. Placed in the room, almost where the 2's were. Sound was a marked improvement indeed. Highs were so much smoother, mids were killer but....... as you can guess, bass didn't seem right. Figured I'd have to give it some time to break in. Months later the sound improved. Highs and Mids setled in but the bass still remained a challenge.
During this time I had acquired the Playback Designs CD/SACD player from Jonathan Tinn. We discussed my issues with the Maxx's and he suggested that I listen to the MM2's. I of course thought..... I have a lack of bass foundation, I should really be looking at the MM3's. Based on my room dimensions he said that the 2's would be plenty sufficient and if I ever wanted to upgrade to the 3's it was as easy as adding the top woofer modules.
I was able to setup an audition of the MM2's. Almost immediately I liked what I was hearing. Full presentation from top to bottom and also from side to side. The speakers just blew me away. I'm sure you're thinking what I was thinking.... this room was probably more speaker friendly and that the Maxx's would have probably been a top notch performer as well. Will the MM2's sing in my problematic room? The question was posed to Jonathan and he assured me that based on the adjustablility of the crossovers and outputs that it could be dialed right in.
I then was lucky enough to make it over to Mike Lavigne's in Washington. He has MM3's with quite a remarkable room to boot. The 3's were just stunning. At Mike's the speakers revealed all of the nuances of everything he played. I didn't want to leave! Just amazing!
So.... what do I do now? I have a brand new set of Maxx 3's at home. Do I move from the speaker that everyone has highly reviewed? Do I hold on to them and hope that some day I move and find a room that they would finally mesh with? What if that never happend? My decision? Sell the Maxx's and order up the MM2's.
When the MM2's arrived I placed them right where the Maxx's were. Fired up a very familiar tune. A tune that sounded great at my dealer's and at most every other location but not at mine. It took maybe 1 minute or 2 before I could breathe a sigh of relief.... I made the right choice! The 2's were not even fine tuned yet but provided the sound I had been chasing for at least 4 years! A full bodied presentation..... solid bass foundation, smooth yet revealing mids and highs. Soundstaging that was layered and impressive.
As the speakers progressively broke in, the sound kept getting better and better. The bass tightened up, mids and highs settled in..... the best sound my room has ever produced.
You owe yourself the opportunity to listen to both. Is the Maxx 3's a great speaker? Absolutely!!! But.... not for me. Is the MM2 or 3 a great speaker? No doubt! The best part is that is was and still is a great speaker for ME.
Really, at the end of the day it's about what pleases you.
For me, it's the MM2's. Those who know me think I'm crazy because I've changed components and speakers to keep chasing my nirvana sound. I can safely promise.... these MM2's aren't going anywhere!
Sorry for the long post. I hope that I've been able to shed a bit of light on your original question. Please feel free to email me if you need any more info!
Happy Listening!
Ed
I had Maxx 2's. They were good but never really meshed with my room. Could never get the bass correct or close to correct. I have a very challenging room and through many efforts of moving them.... throwing more power at them (went from VTL 450's to McIntosh 501's to Siegfried's) we could not get them to lock into the room.
Had an opportunity to upgrade to the Maxx 3's. I understood that the speaker was a marked improvement over the 2's so a promise of hope..... maybe this pair would be the answer. Well..... 3 months later the 3's arrived. Placed in the room, almost where the 2's were. Sound was a marked improvement indeed. Highs were so much smoother, mids were killer but....... as you can guess, bass didn't seem right. Figured I'd have to give it some time to break in. Months later the sound improved. Highs and Mids setled in but the bass still remained a challenge.
During this time I had acquired the Playback Designs CD/SACD player from Jonathan Tinn. We discussed my issues with the Maxx's and he suggested that I listen to the MM2's. I of course thought..... I have a lack of bass foundation, I should really be looking at the MM3's. Based on my room dimensions he said that the 2's would be plenty sufficient and if I ever wanted to upgrade to the 3's it was as easy as adding the top woofer modules.
I was able to setup an audition of the MM2's. Almost immediately I liked what I was hearing. Full presentation from top to bottom and also from side to side. The speakers just blew me away. I'm sure you're thinking what I was thinking.... this room was probably more speaker friendly and that the Maxx's would have probably been a top notch performer as well. Will the MM2's sing in my problematic room? The question was posed to Jonathan and he assured me that based on the adjustablility of the crossovers and outputs that it could be dialed right in.
I then was lucky enough to make it over to Mike Lavigne's in Washington. He has MM3's with quite a remarkable room to boot. The 3's were just stunning. At Mike's the speakers revealed all of the nuances of everything he played. I didn't want to leave! Just amazing!
So.... what do I do now? I have a brand new set of Maxx 3's at home. Do I move from the speaker that everyone has highly reviewed? Do I hold on to them and hope that some day I move and find a room that they would finally mesh with? What if that never happend? My decision? Sell the Maxx's and order up the MM2's.
When the MM2's arrived I placed them right where the Maxx's were. Fired up a very familiar tune. A tune that sounded great at my dealer's and at most every other location but not at mine. It took maybe 1 minute or 2 before I could breathe a sigh of relief.... I made the right choice! The 2's were not even fine tuned yet but provided the sound I had been chasing for at least 4 years! A full bodied presentation..... solid bass foundation, smooth yet revealing mids and highs. Soundstaging that was layered and impressive.
As the speakers progressively broke in, the sound kept getting better and better. The bass tightened up, mids and highs settled in..... the best sound my room has ever produced.
You owe yourself the opportunity to listen to both. Is the Maxx 3's a great speaker? Absolutely!!! But.... not for me. Is the MM2 or 3 a great speaker? No doubt! The best part is that is was and still is a great speaker for ME.
Really, at the end of the day it's about what pleases you.
For me, it's the MM2's. Those who know me think I'm crazy because I've changed components and speakers to keep chasing my nirvana sound. I can safely promise.... these MM2's aren't going anywhere!
Sorry for the long post. I hope that I've been able to shed a bit of light on your original question. Please feel free to email me if you need any more info!
Happy Listening!
Ed