Soundstage, detail, midrange magic, joy to listen to, no fatigue factor whatsoever

Not many - perhaps not quite as transparent as true ribbon models

These were an upgrade to my SMGa Maggies. The 1.6's are awesome. I don't think they are that power hungry. They really open up the sound, and just get you all the more hooked on that powerfull drug - music. My SMGa's had the magic as well, but with the 1.6's there is so much more of it. No other speaker can touch the sound at this price range that I know of. My PSB's actually cost more new and just don't compare in any way. I have a good room to set up the 1.6's in, and I am getting excellent overall sound. The bass is very good, but still does drop off in the lower octaves, but I do get quite a bit more than the SMG's. I consider $1600 to be a significan sum of money, but these are worth it in every way.

Similar Products Used:

Maggie SMGa, PSB Silver Stratus

very airy;great soundstage;the vocals are very well reproduced.nice looking too.well built

not apparent yet.not really a weakness,but it requires a lot of power.very inefficent at 4 ohms.need a minimum of a solid 100 watts rms.

excellent buy for the money.this is also a very solidly built product.i wasn't sure this was the case beforehand. i would recommend a good 200 watt amplifier for these babies as they only put out 86db per watt at 1 meter., and at 4 ohms you will need 4 to 5 times the power of a 91 spl speaker.

Similar Products Used:

ar speakers;bose 501

Imaging. Timbral accuracy. Realism. Palpability of vocal images. Outstanding audio value.

???? Large enough to dominate a medium sized room visually, but, I'm not complaining!!!!

I'll never go back to cone loudspeakers!!!! If you want "you are there" realism, look no further than these speakers. Like Earl Manley below, I have to comment on the statements made that these speakers require enormous amounts of power. I was originally driving these with an Adcom GFA 5500 200 watt per channel power amp. I was a bit distressed lately by the fact that I wanted to give tube electronics a try, but was convinced that I would have to give up my Maggies to do it. I was fortunate enough to find a local retailer(Sound Unlimited in Bristol, CT)that allowed me to take a JoLida JD 102 home to audition in my own room and with my own speakers before committing to purchase a JD 302B due to my concerns with the Maggies efficiency(or lack thereof). The JD 102 is rated at 20 watts/channel. My listening room is 12x20. Now, I'm not going to tell you that the 102 was able to rattle the windows with the Maggies, but at low to moderate sound levels in my room, the sound was magnificent!!!!! Details that I had never heard with the Adcom were coming through loud and clear. The solid state "haze" was gone and the music flowed without strain. If I tried sneaking the volume up a bit, the first audible sound of distress from the amp was a compression of dynamics and a slight congestion of complex passages. Based on the results of my in home audition, I ordered a JD 302B rated at 50 watts/channel. I intend to trade up to the JD 1000A(100 watts/channel)within a year. Maybe there is something to the addage that tube watts sound more powerful than solid state watts!!
The point is - these are great speakers by any standard of judgement, and at the price - they are untouchable. If you can live with the size, buy these speakers - you won't regret it. Be advised however, that inferior components upstream will be revealed mercilessly.

System:
JoLida JD-302B
Alpha-Core Goertz MI2 speaker cable(fantastic cable!!!)
Kimber PSB interconnects
Magnepan MMG; Magnepan MG 1.6 QR
Njoe Tjoeb 4000

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan MMG

Sound; (looks?)

None.

I thought that these were about 3 times as good as the MMGs which are now my rear speakers; thus, these are a similar value in my opinion. I thought that the reviews here had understated the differences between the 2. My first impression was the big wall of sound like the previous guy said. This gives more space for better separation of instruments.
Let me be the first here to compare these to the Newforms and prefer the Maggies.
The Newforms were way too bright (unbearable) with a peak somewhere above the 1kHz crossover point. They mellowed as they broke in, but not enough after 240 hours.

Equipment: NAD CD 512, Transparent premium digital cable, Golden Theater GTX1 crossed over at 40Hz, Transparent Music Link ICs, Monarchy SE100 deluxe monoblocks, Nordost Solar Wind speaker cables.
NAD/Mogami/DH Labs on rear channels.

Similar Products Used:

MMGs, Newform R645s.

Incredible detail in the midrange. Huge wall of sound.

Can get boomy when too close to the walls. Takes some experiementing to find their optimum in your room.

I'll admit, getting used to planar speakers did take some time. It wasn't a sound or projection that I had ever experienced before. But that took all of 30 minutes and I was hooked.

Setup, although involved, was fun (an excuse to drink beer with friends and listen to music). Tweaking the positions here and there until the soundstage was right and the bass wasn't too boomy took a few nights overall. In my room, the bass tended to get attenuated. Moving the speakers about 40" from the rear walls calmed down the bass and solved the problem. 4-5" of toe in provided decent soundstaging in my listening position. I angled the speakers to focus a point about 3 feet behind my couch.

But when the speakers broke in (2 months?), the smoothness that resulted was very noticeable not only to me, but friends as well. Solid bass (not exceptionally low, but well defined), crystal clear highs and and exceptional midrange have kept me on the edge of the couch on many, many occasions. Some people that hear them end up getting mad. "Thanks for showing me how lousy my own setup is" has been muttered more than twice as they get up to turn the system off. But that's not why I got them.

Accuracy and friends' jealousy aside, these speakers reproduce music wonderfully. Very engaging. Very revealing. Incredibly enjoyable. With the volume down low for background music they still catch your attention. Turned up loud for some impact and realism, they *hold* your attention. Sometimes they reproduce music that captures you in such a way that you feel very relaxed and sometimes sleepy. (Gotta be 2nd order harmonics doing that to me...)

Although I haven't swapped any electronics, power from my B&K ST3030 (200w/ch) is more than adequate; and to my ears, a very harmonious match especially when paired with the Assemblage (Sonic Frontiers) L-1 preamp.

Similar Products Used:

n/a

clear, real sounding voices, near perfect soundstage and transparent as anything I have heard.

Lack of base, not particularly suited to pop music.

What a bargin these speakers are. If you have the room to place them and listen primarily to acoustic (jazz, folk, etc.) or classical music you should get these. They have a clear sound with perfect highs from the ribon tweeter. very lifelike and can work with the right room and placement to produce an open and still accurate soundstage. There are a few caveats. You will need some power, Maggies aren't the mose efficient on the market. You will need a good room where you can place them 3 feet or more from the wall. Maggies do not have a deep punchy base and are not for those who want to listen to NIN at 120db, if you listen to mostly rock/pop/metal/dance you do not want these speakers.
If you want near perfect reproduction of some chamber music or want to hear what Eric Clapton would sound like "Unplugged" and sitting in your living room, then these are for you.
These are perhapse the best bargin in loudspeakers today. You can't come close to this sound for under $5000 from electrostatics.

Similar Products Used:

I have not owned but have auditioned Logans and other electrostatics.

Soundstage, timbre, imaging, mucsical involvement, depth, lightness of sound, musicality and the ability to get out of the was and let the music flow.

None, but bass if you are into music the leans that way

Great overall product and well worth the price. Great improvement over the MMGs. These speakers are very involving and a joy to listen to with any music. The timbre of the instruments is very realistic. The soundstage expanded in comparison to the MMGs and they just flat out handle the dynamic of music quite a bit more convincingly that the MMGs. I thought the MMGs sounded great before I received the 1.6s. The sound is much fuller and realistic compared to the smaller version. Acoustic music, vocal music come alive. There are to many superlative to describe the experience.

I auditioned to many other brands of speaker to name and finaly settled on electrostatics for the lightness and presentation of the sound. Vocals are realistic, subtleties are evident and the sound just makes you feel like you are sitting in the live performance. No other speaker does it for me like the Maggies.

In response to the gentlemen earlier that auditioned these speakers at Houston Audio Concepts, I would say that particular store does not do justice to the speakers. Your listening experience is based on the combination of electronics, room acoustics, interconnects, speaker wire and the speakers themselves.

Related to electronics, Houston Audio Concepts is using an underpowered B&K 70 watt per channel amp to drive the speakers. Most would agree and recommend that the Magnepans require quite a bit of power. In my home environment I am using 200 watts per channel and I have heard other recommend even more power. I think that 200 watts per channel is the minimum that I have heard recommended for these speakers. In addition, I have never cared for the sound of B & K products so that is taking away from your enjoyment of the speakers also. To sum up not enough power and wrong amp brand.

Along the same lines, the VTL is probably not the best pre-amp to combine with these speakers. I have had some dealers say that the Maggies do not work well with tube equipment. I think that is a matter of taste, but I have had Audio Concepts A & B the VTL with a solid state pre-amp. The VTL had the tube bloom and was very warm, but not great sounding. I felt the VTL obscured the experience far too much.

Some people like solid state and others like tubes. I think another tube pre-amp would have done a better job. Sterophile recommends a few that are not quite as overbearing with the tube bloom of the VTL. The solid state did not sound as full, but was more believable. The sound with the solid state was move alive, lighter and moved around the wrong with a certain freedom. The VTL makes the sound seem slow, distant and uninvolving and murky but warm. The sound seemed stuck to the speakers. I agree with your assessment that in the store there is no bass extension, but in my home I am really considering if I really need a subwoofer. The bass is that good. CDs that lack bass in the store have it at home. It could be Audio Concepts room acoustics. Related to tube pre-amps, there are others that might be a better candidate to go with the Maggies.

Lastly, the speaker wire prefered by that store is Tara Labs which I do not find very pleasant. I have found that Analysis Plus and Kimber Kable are good matches with the Maggies. Both of these brands are known for getting out of the way of the music.

Overall, I agree with your assessment of the speakers in the environment you auditioned them, but I would urge you to see if they will let you auditioned them at home. I hate the way they sound in that store, but love them in my home with different electronics, interconnects, and speaker cable.

The point of my rambling is that you listened to the speakers in an environment that does not favor their qualities. My MMGs sounded far better in my home than the 1.6s in the store. I recently purchased the 1.6s and they are far better than the MMGs. The 1.6 present a larger soundstage, they are more involving and the sound seems more natural. Basically, the 1.6s get out of the way and let you enjoy the music. The speakers are great although you listening experience did not prove this out.

Similar Products Used:

B & W, Magnepan MMG, Magnepan MG 12, NHT, Polk, Paradigm, Energy, Boston Acoustic, Martin Logan, Vandersteen, Klipsch

Very clear, transparent, and open.
Sound good at all volume levels.
Great midrange and treble.
Female vocals and instruments sound especially good.
Excellent value!!!

Revealing so use good components and adequate power.
In a small room, produce a small listening area.
Wish I could afford the 3.6s. They sound even better!

Current Components:

McIntosh C-38 System Control Center/Preamp
McIntosh MC162 Power Amp
McIntosh MR7084 Tuner
Audiomeca Keops as CD Transport
Perpetual Technologies P-3A DAC
Perpetual Technologies P-1A DSP
Pioneer SL-D2 Turntable w/Grade Preference Gold
Kimber Silverstreak Balanced Interconnects
Kimber 4TC Speaker Cables
Magneplanar MG1.6/QR Speakers

After years of living with my old system from my college days, it was time to construct a reasonably priced but great sounding hi-fi system. I anticipated spending around $2000-2500 per component. For months, I read every review I could get my hands on. I listened to an endless selection of hi-fi equipment...speaker after speaker, amp after amp. You get the picture. For my musical tastes, I constructed the system listed above. The components were chosen to suit my layed back, eccentric, and discriminating taste. The sytem was constructed with both new and used equipment. Some of the components were not the best that money could buy (if I had deep pockets, I'd bought the Nearfields I heard) but the best I could afford with the intent to be replaced in the future after some competing standards settled and new techonolgies introduced.

So, my search for speakers led me the Magnepan MG1.6/QRs. Why? I just could not find a better sounding speaker in my price range. The maggies sounded better than some speakers costing twice or more. They were the first component of my new system to arrive. Subsequently, new components arrived over the next few weeks or months. I moved from one component to another spending several weeks per component for reviews and demos.

It was interesting to hear the effect a new component introduced into the system. To my surprise, the Maggies sounded good even with my mid-level consumer receiver from my college days. Sure they lacked bass punch but they weren't broken in and did not have adequate power. Then I received my McIntosh equipment. What a difference a day this equipment arrived makes. I got the much needed power, transparency, and quality these speakers deserve. Once I completed the system by adding the CD transport, DAC, and DSP, I was absolutely amazed at the sound!!! After a month or so, I got a new surprise when I realized that there seemed to be some new found bass punch. Yes, the speakers do need some break in time. Sure, the maggies don't have a deep, low, earth shattering bass but I don't think a subwoofer is necessary. The Tannoy S10 or Joseph Audio RM22si speakers are good all around performers for the buck if you listen to all kinds of music and want more bass. The Martin Logans have similar performance but a much higher price tag. B&W 805s couldn't compare with the Maggies. The B&W 803s sounded wonderful but cost three times as much as the Maggies.

These speaker are truly amazing for the price!!! Living in Nashville I am fortunate to hear all kinds of fantastic live music (jazz, blues, folk, rock, pop, symphony, fusion, etc.). I can not believe how close the Maggies sound to live music. They envelope you in music and show you how the artist intended you to hear them. Through the Maggies, every CD or album will produce sounds you never knew existed. Of course it helps to have other components that are quality. The Maggies like good gear to accompany them.

Words of advise. If you demo a pair, listen to a pair that has been used often. Right out of the box, the speakers are a little tinny and lack bass punch. After break in, the speakers are so transparent that they will reveal any weaknesses in your system. You'll wish you could upgrade all your components. Fortunately for me, it was my intent all along.

It wasn't easy for me to let go of $12,000+ for my new system. I have found myself going back to listen to some of the components I did not choose only to reconfirm that I made a wise choice, especially the Maggies. Don't get me wrong, I'd gladly purchase any of the other speakers listed in the "Similar Products Used" on merit alone, but I just wouldn't be getting the best bang for my buck.

Well, I've now been enjoying my maggies for almost a year. During the time I've owned them, I have experimented with some modest tweaks like biwiring (seems to have added even more clarity; recommended) and jumpering the fuse (eliminated some noise; not recommended if some kind of protection is not included in your power amp or power conditioner). In addition, I added a PS Audio P300 Multiwave which added another dimension. My equipment keeps responding to every additional tweak. The soundstage in the maggies keeps opening, the clarity is amazing, and more punch has been added. Have I heard better speakers in the year I've owned my maggies. Absolutely, but I'm still convinced it was money well spent.

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan MG 3.6R, Martin Logan SL3, B&W Nautilus 803 & 805, Spendor SP-1/2, Joseph Audio RM22si, Tannoy S10, Nearfields

Musical, True, Vicious sound-stage, Excellent imaging

None

These are the best speakers that I have owned. I bi-amp them with 2 B&K2140s. They sound quite real. Excellent synergy through-out frequency range. Impressive depth and width of sound-stage. Precise imaging. I have them connected with MAS cable. My source is Linn Genki through a Linn Wakonda. All interconnects are MAS Gray. Also have added MAS Reference power cords to Linn gear. It took me 5 weeks to place them properly, but it was worth effort. I read that some folks find these to lack in the bass area. In my environment the bass sounds much more natural than I think any boxed speaker can, and that is down to the 36 range. Some folks might think that I am crazy, but I used to think that the Wilson Watt Puppy ($20,000) was the best speaker made, now they sound as limited as any other box speaker to me. I am going to up-grade the cross-overs in these, but would be quite satisfied for a long time with no changes. i believe that my present system synergy and environment may contribute to my high regard for these speakers, but if you are looking, these should be on your list. Thank-you

Similar Products Used:

In the past 18 months I have owned Infinity RS3,RS8,RS7.1mk2, Klipsch KSF8.5,RF3,KLF10, Linn Tukan,Keosa,Ninka, Sonus Concertino, and a few other forgetables

Cannot be beat for the money...no way, no how !!!!

large size..besides that ...NONE !!!

These are the best buy in loudspeakers bar none. Detail and imaging are top rate. Source material plays a big part with these speakers, dont expect to get the most out of these babies running them on cheap cd-player. If you purchase these speakers expect to shell out some $$$ to upgrade your current setup.

Similar Products Used:

Classic SRS polk loudspeaker. back when they made a quality loudspeaker