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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
raymonda OP
855 posts
 
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.

I'm not in agreement with your assessment on most of these speakers. I have experience with the Klipsch you have listed and they don't come close to the Maggies, nor do the match the PSB's. Sorry but they do not do it for me. I have owned them....modded them and sold them.

Spendor can make a nice speaker but again, I'm not overly impressed and the Tekton's, well I wouldn't buy blind as I have never seen one or heard one.

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.

Well, room is one reason and I really don't like to clutter things up for too long. If I had two rooms that would be different. But for a short period of time, yes, I can manage two.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,500 posts
 
I neglected to say that I find music reproduced via the two basic loudspeaker designs (planars and boxes, or line-source and point-source) to be two very different experiences. That, I understand, is not universal.
shakeydeal
979 posts
 
So you are saying you can only get 1700.00 if you sold both pair? Or you want to sell one and keep the other?

Shakey

Sry you don't agree re Klipsch. In the right room and the right system, the Heritage speakers are hard to beat for 2-3 times their going price. Especially if you mod the xovers.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
I was in a similar situation a couple weeks ago, albeit on a smaller scale. I have a pair of Revel M20s as my mainstay now but am always experimenting with different speakers to spice things up. If I find something that betters the small Revels I would be tempted.
Recently I acquired a pair of Magnepan 1.6s and set them up as a possible contender. Of course the first few days they were sounding wonderful and I was experiencing the planar magic. Huge soundstage (in the sweetspot), great pitch and timbre were my initial impressions. After a about a week I realized the the weaknesses as well, lack of dynamics, a very two dimensional soundstage, and that must be in the sweet spot aspect which I find annoying.
Right now I'm waiting for my grandson to come and pick up his new speakers. He'll blow them up in a couple weeks but as he said to me, "it'll be a good week."
My recommendation is for you to sell the PSBs and find a good used pair of Thiel CS2.3 or 2.4s or a used pair of Vandersteen 2CE signatures as the next contender. I say that having owned the PSB Silvers a few years ago; that tweeter drove me nuts. I've also seen some well priced Revel F30s, but as I've never heard them...
Good luck.
raymonda OP
855 posts
 
Shakes,

I've done all that with klipsch and they are dynamic but extremely colored. I would not go down that path again.

Vanderstieen 3, although ripe sounding have limit high end extension and my Maggie's out class them.

Right now I leaning towards sell whatever sells first and let that be the driving factor......maybe.
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