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Tossed between the horns Maggie 3A/PSB Gold I

I have been a long time Maggie fanboy, having bought my first pair back in 1982. For the past 12 years I have been using a pair of MG 3A's with a pair of M&K subs. I have continued to keep these in great operational shape and over the past winter I upgrade the caps in the cross-overs, replaced the tired ribbons, rewired the speakers with silver/cooper/teflon wire and remoloxied the diaphragms. I also put new socks on them. Needless to say they sound and look great. I also have Sound Anchor stands; so for all intents and purposes, these speakers have been taken almost as far as they can go.

Recently, I have taken in a pair of PSB Gold I. Generally, I get a second pair of speakers to listen to and play with from time to time. After a short period of time I usually sell off the second pair because they do not provide me with the same sonic enjoyment as the Maggies. However, the PSB are proving to be a bit of a different story.

They are a bit more upfront sounding and have great dynamics at low/medium to low volumes. They throw a good sound stage and when bi-amped and used with subs they have a well defined and deep low end.

My Maggies, on the other hand, have a better high end. The ribbon tweeter can't be bested, in this regard. They also have a more organic sound and throw a larger sound stage. However, you do have to be sitting in the sweet spot to enjoy it. Off axis and everything collapses. The mids are more laid back, which is great for some recordings.

So, that is the good and the not so good about each speaker. I can keep both but would eventually need to sell off one due to limited room and it makes a mess of my listening space.

After another week or so I'm going to throw the Maggies back into use and make my choice, however, I know it is not going to be an easy one.

Ultimately, I am going to use my ears, as I always do, to decide but my question to you, the reader is, "which would you choose?" Please no responses that include it is up to me and let my ears decide. Of course, this is what I am going to do. I want to entertain your thoughts specific to these two choices.

Thanks!!!!
raymonda
shakeydeal
979 posts
 
I had 3.5s once upon a time and heavily modded 1.6s before that. I got the itch for the dynamics and slam of a box speaker and bought a pair of Aerial 7Bs on a whim. It took about thirty minutes of listening before I knew I made a mistake. I sold the Aerials in less than two days.

I have since moved on to several "cones in a box" type speakers that I feel outclass those 3.5s, but they were much pricier too. If after two weeks you are still smitten, it just tells you that it's time to start seriously looking at other alternatives. I just don't think the PSB will be "the one".....

Shakey
raymonda OP
855 posts
 
Shakey,

You might be right but that would only leave me around $1,700 for an alternative speaker and I don't think I can get more at that price point.
shakeydeal
979 posts
 
Here are two examples of more right here on Agon:

Tekton Pendragons 1500.00

Spendor S9 1200.00

Or keep an eye on your local Clist for Klipsch Fortes or Cornwalls. Both usually under 1K.

All of the above will be better than the Maggies or the PSBs.

Shakey
alpha_gt
155 posts
 
Exactly why cant you keep both? Speakers aren't like wives, you can have several and they don't get jealous. Think of the advantages of being able to swap back and forth at will. Depending on your mood, whether you want slam or air.

So, if you get rid of the PSB's, you'll only have $1,700 to look for better box speakers? Just keep them until which time in the future you do have enough to get what you want. No need to be in a hurry when you've got gear like that! One life lesson I learned many years ago, the more time you invest in a decision, the more apt you are to make the right one.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,504 posts
 
Loudspeakers are the most personal of all the links in the Hi-Fi chain, and change the sound of music in the most profound way, IMO. My first great speaker was the original Tympani I-U (I've never learned what the U designated, other than to differentiate it from the VERY original T-I), but was seduced away from it by the Fulton J, a loudspeaker with more and better bass (a cone in a transmission line-loaded enclosure) and the State-of-the-Art RTR ESL-6 tweeter, with the legendary Fulton Model 80 between them. It didn't take long for me to regret the substitution. Yes, taken section by section, the Fulton J bested the I-U, but those qualities proved to be less important to me than what the Tympani did that the Fulton didn't. Essentially nothing has changed in the following 40-45 years; either what large line-source loudspeakers do that point-source loudspeakers don't is of paramount importance to you in the reproduction of music, or it isn't.
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