This is a superb speaker. I had speakers from Thiel to B&W matrix. For the money, nothing comes close.

Absolutely wonderful sound! Stunning! Very fine resolution, detail, tonal purity.

None at this time.(makes you think about buying the 3.6??)

I always wanted a first rate hi-fi system. I did considerable research and review reading, and demo listenening over the years. I purchased some psb stratus bronze speakers which were good. But when I got them home and used them for a few yrears I knew something was missing. The sensation of spectacular sound just wasn't there.

I always wanted some Magneplanars since the late 70's. Well, I finally plunked down the money for the 1.6qr's. I am now in audio heaven. I can't wait to get home from work each day to listen to them. My wife who was happy with her boom box, and didn't care about hifi gear absolutely loves them too!

Their spectral balance, soundstage, tonal qualities are great. This speaker gets it right!!

Very Highly Recommended.

System:
Magneplanar 1.6QR
Audio refinement complete amp
Marantz 67 SE CD
MSB Link III
Kimber 8TC speaker wires
AudioQuest cables
Sumiko Turntable & Cartridge
Rotel Phono preamp.

Similar Products Used:

I traded in my psb stratus for the Magneplanars. The psb was also a fine speaker.

The usual Maggie characteristics

Begs for a subwoofer. Some breakup in the high end

Yes, the 1.6's are great speakers and most of what people are saying is true. I was disappointed in the high end a bit. If you want to learn about the 1.6's weaknesses just ask to audition the 3.6's with true ribbon tweeters. All will be revealed. I made the mistake of listening to the 3.6's and now I'm determined to find the extra cash to buy them.

transparent sound,unbelievable imaging.......impressive size and elegant looks..

none...requires good placement from rear walls..

This is an update from may 01....these speakers are amazing,i have a new out look on music and sound reproduction....i had to trash some of my cd's because the maggies..revealed so much detail.......you seem to close yours eyes and the music seems 30ft away (spacious wise)......i listen with the lights out and when i turn them on again....i forget that my room isnt as large as the sound would percieve.....bottom line great speaker.....beats the hell out of any cone type speaker...the sound alone is snap tight quick.....i wish everyone could experience the sound of these speakers...go hear them A.S.A.P

Similar Products Used:

paradigm,bose

Transparency, soundstage

careful placement is essential, size

Well, i finally (after 2.5 years!) have gotten the chance to weigh in here on the Maggies. I bought mine in December 1998, and am still pleased with my decision to purchase them. Apparently, being one of the "first on the block" has it's benefits--the retail price apparently has shot up a couple hundred bucks. i bought mine on sale at the price listed above.

why write after all of this time? well, i figured i could add something to the reviews i've read (mostly glowing, a few negative). i'll focus on what "new stuff" i can add:

- garbage in, garbage out: these speakers can easily be improved by better upstream equipment. ie, upgrade everything else before upgrading the speaker. i've hooked up better amps that my current one (and heard improvements), better sources also help. last year i upgraded my Parasound CD player to the Arcam Alpha 9--another big leap in sound quality.

- yes, high quality amplification is necessary, but unless you listen at ear splitting volumes, don't judge solely by Watts. case in point: i'm still happily living with my Creek 4240SE integrated amp. i've tried several amps costing a few times the price of this amp and being rated at significantly higher power (60 wpc into 8 ohms versus 200-400+W) and all these amps missed the mark...they may have added a little more bottom end punch, but they muddied up the transparency in the midrange. (amps i tried: Classe, Adcom, Rotel)

- placement is important: even if you have a small room, (like mine which is now only 13x11), give the speakers room from the rear wall (behind them) and listen in the nearer field if you have to. the Maggies need at least 2.5 ft behind them to open up. i haven't found sidewalls to be as much an issue (1.5 ft is fine), but your mileage may vary.

-bass perfomance doesn't plumb the absolute depths but what is there is fast and dynamic. the ultimate bottom of these speakers seems VERY room dependent. my old living room (larger) gave me solid bass (-2 db) to 40 hz. my current one (smaller) that point moves up to 50 hz. if you want the lowest bass, you need to find a high quality subwoofer. after much painstaking work (in Spring 1999), i found the sub that worked: the REL storm...it was the only sub that seemed "fast enough" to not contaminate the effortless, beautiful sound the of the 1.6QR. offerings by Paradigm, Velodyne, Energy, Mirage, and Sunfire all were unsatisfying. if i hadn't found the REL, i would have chosen to not have a subwoofer.

finally, to add to all the other reviews that glow: i agree...these are the best speakers i've ever heard at anywhere near their price (i would say under $4k) with the exception of the 3.6R which has a sweeter top end with the true ribbon speaker. but the 3.6R is way too big for my room (even the 1.6R is but it sounds fabulous while the 3.6R would overwhelm it.). the closest "normal" speaker i've heard to it with as transparent a midrange under $3k would be the Gallo Nucleus. although that hardly could be considered a "normal box speaker." =)

associated equipment:
Creek 4240SE integrated amp (may be upgraded to 5350SE soon)
Arcam Alpha 9 CD player
Transparent speaker cables
Monster interconnect
REL Storm subwoofer (crossed over at 33 hz)

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan, Joseph Audio, Thiel, Proac, B&W.

Articulate midrange. Clean across the band. Natural highs.

Critical room placement.

First off, I was surprised by the bass. This is an area where this speaker is often critiqued. I had no problems. The bass was deep enough for 99% of most music. While lacking some of the slam of live music or a Khorn, it gets the bass response 75% right. In fact it sounded superior to what I've heard from Martin Logans dynamic/electrostat combo. What it lacks in slam, it makes up for in articulation.
The midrange is also clear and articulate with excellent transients. There is just the tiniest bit of coloration at what I believe is at the crossover. When I say tiny, I'm being picky because I listened super critically and perhaps the coloration I heard was due to room effects.
The highs are absolutely natural with violins sounding real instead of steely sounding. Cymbals had that natural shimmer and extension.
Finally, I am using a HK 3470 receiver which puts 95 wpc into 4 ohms. Not only am able to play the speakers to loud levels but I have played the 1812 overture with cannon shots to reasonable levels. What I'm saying is, it is the quality of power that drives these speakers that's important, not just quantity of power.

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan 3.6, Martin Logans.

The sound quality for the price and the realism of the music that came from the speakers.

They are large, it's impossible to hide them, it kind of reminds me of 2001 space oddessy.

When I initially thought about purchasing these speakers I was worried that if I didn't have at least 200 watts they would suck. I don't know why all this misleading information gets circulated but I found that in my living room that measures 23'x 13' they sound great with a 60 watt audio refinement. What sweetened the sound even more was to switch from Monster bi-wire to Analysis Plus oval 9's(great cables) which are also bi-wired. I'm sure with more wattage you would gain more but for the apartment dweller there is no reason to pass up these great speakers. The sound seems to be much more alive, likes it's taking place in the other room. I am very happy I purchased these speakers and to not feel tempted to look for the next new best thing. In the future I will probably audition a bigger amp, just to see if it's worth the expense but for now I'll save the neighbors.

Similar Products Used:

Theil .5 and auditioed 1.5 Theil and B&W CDMT not sure exact model number.

versatility, musicality

size

I chose 'audio enthusiast' above because I like to tinker and build my own equipment. I enjoy many types of music, from medieval right through symphonic to folk, blues, world and rock. Very few speakers are kind to all of these sources.

For years I have been looking for a set of speakers to use as a reference (and a source of musical pleasure) while I tinker with my own designs: a speaker that was clear, detailed and excellent in imaging, but would show some forgiveness to non-audiophile sources. The Maggies seduced my wife and me with the first cut we heard at the dealer's (Custer Larue's soprano on Dorian's On the Banks of Helicon). I recommend bringing your partner along if you're auditioning these: mine fell in love with the sound and decided the size was an acceptable price to pay. They just kept passing test after test on a range of recordings, with solid imaging, believable balance and pure sensual sumptuousness.

So we went home and listened to some of the same sources with the 'stats. The difference was that the esls were more detailed, but also more capable of irritation with bright or harsh (or just plain awful) recordings. Also, the esls have a much more restricted sweet spot.

Back to the dealer after Christmas with a truly horrendous Wilson Pickett transer, some Dire Straits, and some good CDs (the Dorian Helicon and the MoFi Muddy Waters Folk Singer). In all cases, the Maggies put out as much information (even suggesting surround sound with Muddy) as the ESLs, but didn't thrust it at you quite so emphatically. And in all cases, voices sounded more like voices, less like speakers.
So we bought the demos, popped them in the living room in the spot where speakers usually sound best and have been lovin' them continually since. I have no complaints about the bass in this room (although it is very different in quality from the bass from a dynamic speaker) or the treble dispersion, and have heard no mid-range or treble roughness whatsoever. Moreover, they are the best speakers I have owned for suggesting the size and numbers of choral and orchestral works. They are easy to live with, if you have room for them.

The room itself is longish (27') and narrow (11') with hardwood floors and a mix of hard and soft surfaces. The speakers stand at approximately 12' from the back wall and about 2' from the side walls, where they function as room dividers between LR and DR (a good place for dipole designs).
Associated equipment:
Micromega Stage 1 CD player
Assemblage (Sonic Frontiers) pre-amp
Velleman 4040 tube amp kit (~90W per side and very adequate)
(I have a couple of other affordable amps around, but haven't auditioned them yet: the present combination sounds so good)

I give the Maggies a 4 in performance, because it may be possible to add a bit of slam and impact without increasing fussiness or irritation (or is the slam we miss an artifact of the transducers?) In time, perceptions of these things change. I will update after the honeymoon, if my opinion changes drastically.

Similar Products Used:

home-brew esl hybrids (similar to InnerSound panels)

Clarity,speed,detail,soundstaging and price

Bass extention is limited,somewhat placement dependant,not the most decor friendly design

How do they do it? This is just the best speaker I have ever heard anywhere near it's price range.Because of what it is capable of at this price,any negatives are of little cosequence.

Similar Products Used:

ML Aeriusi,Audio Physic Tempo

Classical music

Dynamic ability

These speakers are _magical_ in their ability to reproduce certain types of music. I was blown away by Chopin's Polonaise, Tchaikovsky's Le Sacre du Printemps, and Beethoven's 5th. They sounded extremely good on various cuts from Hendrix Blues, especially the electric bass and guitar from cut 2. Then I put in the remastered Zeppelin. They were underwhelming to say the least. The snare drums had little pop, and Plant's voice sounded muffled. The same lack of dynamics were apparent in the Police, and a Stevie Ray Vaughn CD they had at the store (the only one I listened to that I didn't bring). I wonder if a quality sub would help some here. Due to this, I also wonder about their ability for reference level HT applications

So, IMHO, for natural music, i.e. Symphonic, Vocal, Piano, some type of Jazz these speakers are a dream come true. For rock music, and other types that require more dynamic (some would even say artificial) ability, wise well look to B&W, Paradigm, PSB, etc... But be forewarned, if you listen to them you may start seriously considering 2 pairs of mains, Maggies for certain types of music and something else for HT/rock.