What speakers can make a convert of Maggie lovers?


After living with Magneplanars for many years (1.6qr's at present,) I'm wondering what other speakers Magneplanar owners have fallen for. I'm sure this topic must have covered before, but this site's search engine leaves a lot to be desired. There are many things that I like about Maggies, the expansive soundstage, well integrated drivers, and value for the money among their many virtues. Ideally, I'd like speakers that would have better low level detail and palpability, be less picky about amplification, and have better percusive/ dynamic qualities. The need for augmentation with a subwoofer would ok. My listening room is about 15x20' with a 12' ceiling height. I don't favor any one type of music, my tastes are musically omnivorous. Price of contenders would have to be no more than $5-6,000 new. Of course, something less expensive like the Gallos would be fine too, it's good to have money left over to buy more music. I know everyone says "go listen at your dealers." I've done that, but I find dealer's rooms sound so cruddy compared to my acoustically treated room that I can't make really meaningful comparisons.
photon46
as a former maggie and electrostatic owner hieff horns did it for me and after hearing hieff I havnt been able to go back though I tried with a 3.6 ,cool loudspeaker but hieff horns sound so real if set up right something the maggies just cant do YMMV
maggies have three short commings-
lack of low level resolution
diffuse imaging
need for power
So you need a high efficency, low level resolving, point source.
a good example-proac 3.5
>lack of low level resolution
diffuse imaging
need for power<

Only your third point is correct. The first two are absurd.

Oz
Absurd ? No need for name calling. Anyone who has lived with large panel speakers (I have a 30 year old pair of maggies and have lived the m/l cls off and on since '85)has a fairly good sense of the sound of panel speakers. The fact that maggies have to be played loud to resolve properly is so well documented that I don't neeed to waste time arguing the point. Because panel speakers have such a large radiating area they tend to present images that are larger than life. This has prompted comments like "the singers mouth was ten feet wide". These are areas in which a point source excells.
These are all shortcomings I am willing to live with. If you are not then follow the suggestions above.
Low level resolution not a problem with Maggies? News to me...I have to agree with Greg.