Detail

Bass

I listened to these speakers with different digital sources and tube amps and preamps. Yes it is true that they give detail and a great image. The problem is that the detail makes them sound un-real (in the bad way), and very fatiguing. Even with tubes, it was interresting at first, then nice, then a "I,' ready to turn these off" experience. As you go down to the bass, it is missing and, on 55 wpc tube equipment, they clipped all over the place.
If you like that steril sound where you hear every detail and are amazed by that, these may be your cup of tea. If you like musicality, warmth, and yes, tubes, you may want to look someplace else.

Similar Products Used:

Meadowlark Kestrel, JMLab

Best speaker I have ever heard,A+ to dynamics,clarity,bass,mids,top end,imaging,details,transparency and soundstage

Big! and long wait time when ordering,but well worth the wait

They should be here any day now.It only took me 1 minute to hear the beauty of these gems.I am no audiophile,but I know good sound when I hear it.Everything is just right about these speakers.As for the negative reviews I think its all about the room,components and placement.When I get them and after they are broken in I`ll review again.I`ve auditioned NHT 2.9,PSB golds,B&W 805s,and Paradigm studio 100s,all great speakers especially the NHTs,which I may buy also.But The Maggies really stood out!Good Day!

Similar Products Used:

NHT super ones-great speaker

Soundstage, Imaging, Clarity, Pianos sound remarkable!

Size, must be placed far from rear wall, needs lots of power, Not Rock & Roll Speakers: No Bass "Slam", needs a Sub, some bookshelf speakers have better bass than these 6 footers, synthesized bass sounds terrible!

I bought these speakers exactly one month ago and I just brought them back to the dealer to exchange them for a pair of Dynaudio Audience 72's. Why, you ask? Because they just do not play the kind of music I listen to very well. I wanted so bad for these speakers to work, but they just don't have any deep bass at all. They also require ridiculous amounts of power from ridiculously expensive amps to play loud with decent bass (All this for a $1600 speaker?). I listen to classic rock (Zeppelin, Floyd, Stones), corporate rock (Journey, Styx, Kansas) and prog-rock (Yes, Genesis, Alan Parsons Project) & I must say that these are the wrong speakers for this type of music.

I don't mean to bash these speakers. They are truly wonderful for certain music. I'm just trying to save someone else the hassle I just went through. They are really only good for vocals, jazz & classical music & they seriously need a subwoofer with just about everything else. This is just the opposite of the Dynaudio Audience 72's that I traded them in for, which do not need a sub at all, have incredibly fast bass slam, and have excellent imaging in this price class.
In conclusion, this is not a worthwhile speaker for Rock & Roll Music. However, if vocals & acoustics are your thing, you will not find a better speaker in this class.

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan Aerius, Magnepan MMG, B&W, Paradigm, Dynaudio Audience 72

Subjective Review-----------------
I have been sitting in my listening room entranced for hours. I just brought my Maggies home and plopped them down. I haven't even tried tweaking the placement yet. Maybe I just got lucky. Anyway, the only way I can describe the experience is to say that it has been an epiphany. I feel like I finally know what "hi-fi" neans. Before hearing these speakers from my own couch, I've thought that things like "imaging" and "soundstaging" were terms used by audiophiles to describe fairly subtle effects. Now, they are so easy to hear that I just want to laugh.

I want to laugh at myself for even talking about a consumer product in these terms. I once heard a pair of top of the line Martin Logans driven by a reference grade system in a good room. That was one of the few times I've ever thought "wow, that's amazing." When I auditioned the Maggies, I hought, "well, that's a pretty good sounding speaker for $1,500 and I'm tired of shopping, so let's buy them." Now, I am like "totally wow!!!." I can't help but say these speakers are "awesome" "unbelievable" "amazing" "incredible" and any other superlatives that you care to add. I find this so amusing because I would have
thought I would be about the last person in the world to go on like a moon-struck teenager about a pair of speakers. Anyway, I am indescribably happy and it's been one hell of a long time since anything as simple (or cheap) as a pair of speakers made me feel this way.

I don't exactly have an audiophile's vocabulary, but I will try to describe what I hear. I didn't plug in these speakers and go "hey, listen at that treble" or "gee, what bass." Instead, the impression is of balance. Everything seems prominent when it is supposed to sound prominent, but nothing "sticks out" all the time. Vocals are absolutely amazing. It really sounds like someone is standing there singing. Ditto for acoustic nstruments like the piano, guitar, violin's, etc. They just sound uncannily "real."

I don't understand when some people say that the bass is "weak." I really wonder if they have listened to this particular speaker or are just generalizing based on other models (could be room acoustics?). These speakers have plenty of bass and it seems very "accurate." I can actually hear the distinctive tone and voice of tympanni, bass drums, bass guitar, etc. whereas before I would get a kind of muddy sound or an unresoved thud or thump.

I can hear a truly amazing amount of detail. I heard stuff on my CD's that I didn't know was there. I mentioned imaging and soundstaging before. By imaging, I mean I can close my eyes and point to where various instruments are located or where the artist is standing. This is not subtle. I'm not totally clear on what audiophiles mean by soundstaging but what I mean is the width and depth of the image. I can hear sources far to the physical left and right of the speakers and can point to them with confidence. To a lesser degree, I can hear when the vocalist (or instrument) is standing in front of the speakers or in the distance behind the speakers.

In conclusion, these speakers have made such a tremendous difference in my system that they leave me somewhat melancholy, because I know that no matter what I do or how much I spend in the future, I am unlikely to ever hear this level of improvement again.


Objective Review and Test Notes
-------------------------------
I haven't performed any objective tests on the speakers yet, except for sound level. I thought this might be of some interest to others considering purchase of these speakers and wondering about amplification requirements, placement, etc.

My listening room is 16 feet wide and 18 feet long and has an 8 foot ceiling. The speakers are placed asymetrically on the short wall (due to a doorway). The left speaker is 30 inches from the left wall (measured to speaker center). The speakers are 7 feet apart (center to center). They are 3 feet off the back wall. The listening position is 10 feet from each speaker. The speakers are toed in so that they aim directly at the listener. The only anomaly I have noticed (when using a test CD) is that the soundstage is somewhat truncated on the left (presumably due to the asymetric placement). I also suspect that I could get more soundstage depth by moving them around a little. We will see.

My reference listening level is 80-90 db SPL with peaks to 95 db (as measured at the listening position with a Radio Shack SPL meter). This is about as loud as I would ever want to listen to anything for a prolonged period and is supposedly about the loudest prolonged level you want to use to avoid hearing damage.

I am driving the speakers with a Denon AVR 3300 receiver. I was really doubtful of the receiver's ability to drive the Maggies to acceptable volumes and was prepared to run out and buy a Bryston 3BST amp. However, after hearing this setup, I was surprised to hear the Receiver cope with everything I threw at it without strain, so I guess I don't have to spend any more money at this point. However, I think I am probably driving the receiver about as hard as I would want to (0 db volume setting on a scale of -60 to +18db or about 10db higher than my AR box speakers at the same SPL). Therefore, a bigger room or louder listening level would probably require more amplification.

[See my updated review of the Denon AVR3300 in a day or two].

So, the good news for the many people I have seen inquiring about this is, YES, you can drive these speakers adequately with a receiver or modest seperates (in a small to medium sized room).

[Note: These particular speakers had been used by the dealer as floor demos for a month or two and, therefore, were already broken in. Supposedly, Maggies do require a break-in period to achieve full bass extension.]


Equipment Used in Review
------------------------
Magnepan 1.6 QR Loudspeaker
Denon AVR 3300 Receiver
Sony CDP-CX200 CD Player
Speaker Cable - Monster 12Ga
Interconnects - Cheap Monster
Radio Shack SPL meter

Source Material
-----------------------
Beethoven (Symphony # 5)
Bob James & David Sandborn
Eagles
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Maynard Ferguson
Manhattan Transfer
Pachelbel (Cannon in D)
Phil Collins
Pink Floyd
Prokofiev (Piano Concerto # 1)
Rachmaninov (Piano Concerto #2)
Stone Temple Pilots

Stereophile Test CD #3

This is my second review, but I just HAVE to say some more.I've learned a lot in the last few months about being an audiophile. It's not
necessarily a good thing, but that's a complicated subject. Apparently, I am one.
Anyway, about the speakers, I've cut a slit in the front, bypassed the internal
crossovers and soldered connectors inside just because it was open and I've
voided warranty anyway. I'm now driving them with two Bryston 3B-STs and Ashly
XR-1001 electronic crossover. FANTASTIC! No more narrow sweet spot problems!
I can crank it up to unbelievable levels and I cannot feel or hear any distortion.
Basically, EVERYTHING is better. Bass, Mids, Voices, Dynamics, etc. While I don't
recommend people to go rip their speakers apart, I must say, I am disappointed with the low-pass filter they used.

Transparency, detail, accurate bass.

Size, slight edge to the treble if not set up properly.

As an audiophile I believe that it is important to share the merits of revolutionary products with our brethren. The latest crop of Maggies truely fit this description. To call them an "audio bargain" is an understatement. They offer us the opportunity to get closer to the live experience if we can leave our paradigm that box speakers are accurate reproducers of music. I have discovered that, in relation to the 1.6 and 3.6, all box speakers colour the sound of bass. There is just no way to avoid some cabinet resonance. Even John Dunlavy's designs can't do it. I compared the 1.6 directly against Aerial's 7B that is more than 3 times the cost and found that what I had convinced myself to be accurate bass was not. Midrange was more detailed and transparent on the Maggies. The only frequency range that allowed comparison was the treble. After listening to, and purchasing, the Maggie 1.6 I now know that even my Genesis 8300F cover music with a veil. Do yourself a favour - search out and audition these speakers (with your eyes closed so you don't let their size and shape influence your decision). You will be amazed like an old "box" guy like me was. They do offer a reasonable WAF as they can be left against the rear wall as decorations and then easily lifted into position for your serious listening (light weight and no spikes!) The 3.6 is significantly better than the 1.6 in all of the frequency ranges - especially the treble (true ribbon vs. quasi ribbons like my Genesis have). I just couldn't bear the 90 day wait it would take to get them from Magnepan who have been swamped by demand and can't keep up even running 2 shifts. The dealer's full value trade-up policy within 12 months will have me in 3.6 heaven for Christmas 2000. Good luck in your own pursuit of accurate music reproduction. 4.5 rating only because the 3.6 is a 5 out of 5.

I have just spent the last 2 months traveling all over the south to audition speakers and finally, my search is over for the best speakers my money can buy. I first auditioned the ML line of speakers after reading some rave reviews about this line of speakers. I listened to the Aeirus i & SL3 and found them to be less spectacular than many of the reviews I had read. I obvioulsy liked the SL3 a bit more, but I felt that the panel and the cone lacked coherence. I also heard a brightness in the upper register that was unappealing, and I felt that they were upfront in their presentation. Next I auditioned the Theil 1.5 & 2.3 and enjoyed them enough to put them on my list to consider. Next came the SF Concertos & the Grand Pianos that were also up for further consideration. I then listened to some Von Sweikert? Gen II, PSB Golds, NHT 3.3, and a few B&W models that all sounded nice. Before I go any further let me say that all of these speakers sounded good enough for me to be SATISFIED with, but non of them got me excited to listen to music. Finally after almost pulling the trigger on the Theil 2.3 one day, and on the Sonus Faber Pianos another day, I went to a dealer that carried Magnepans. I had read about them before, but I had never listened to a pair. I first listened to the 3.5 then to the 1.6 and was absolutely blown away by both. They made me excited to listen to music. They sounded so smooth and life-like that I was suprised that I was listening to reproduced music. When listening to these speakers I did not have to consciously try imagine anything, everything was so obviously 'there' that I could stop critiquing and begin listening. I purchased the 1.6QR that day because I did not want to wait for the 3.6s, and frankly, I could not imagine them being 2x as good as the 1.6s. The 1.6 are, without question, the best speakers that I auditioned and when the dealer told me that they were $1500 I laughed. I was fully prepared for them to cost $3000, and honestly, I was ready to pay it.

All the raving is true

Speaker placement. Large, fabric panel is attractive "climbing wall" for cats. Not ideal PC speakers.

I've had mine for 2 months. I like them, what else can I say! My entire system is "mid-fi" (mostly old Carver equip.) I am only pushing 60 watt/ch. into the 1.6's.
I subscribe to the theory that the speakers are the most important part of a system. So I have spent the most (proportionally) there. Speakers of this quality should be kept for many years. IN my case, perhaps some day I'll have a better room they can perform at their best in.

My listening room (a bedroom/office) is far from ideal. Working at my desk makes I sit almost between the speakers. Even so, the sound is good. When I sit at my futon in a closer to normal arrangement, the sound stage is much better. I get particularly good spatial effects with some electronic or new age, although it seems nearly any music sounds wonderful.

4 starts because I can't afford the best (Maggies, etc).

Similar Products Used:

Other speakers, Infinity, Bose.

Soundstaging, imaging, details, etc.

Bass.

Ordinarily I don't respond to these surveys, but occasionally I become irked by distorted reviews that misrepresent a true understanding of a product. In this case I refer to GG's accounting of his experience with the 1.6's. In all liklihood it is his dealer that is at fault, in that any review of this speaker addresses the importance of starting with at least 100 good quality wpc. GG uses a 55 wpc tube amp, states that the speaker clips, when indeed it can only be expected that this is insufficient. I do use tube amps, and get sounds that can only be described as glorious. The whole premise of setting these speakers up correctly requires that all components be high quality, as any weakness degrades the sound. Also stated is a perceived "unreal sound." I would suggest, as have reviewer's of various magazines, that it is the 1.6's that sound like real music, and that while many so called audiophile grade speakers put out sound that is enjoyable, they do not necessarily sound that is as musical.

While I have enjoyed these speakers immensely, I am awaiting a pair of Magnepan 3.6's, which compare favorably, if not outperform, a variety of speakers that range in price up to ten thousand dollars. As has been stated by many people, the quality of a system is highly dependent on understanding the full interaction of all the components, and in this reguard I strongly urge that you pick a dealer that understands the pieces well. The Audio Connection in Verona, N.J. is the dealer I have enjoyed using, and I whole heartedly recommend them to others, including GG, who might return a different impression if he asks them for an audition.

Associated equiptment:
Quicksilver V4 monoblocks
Audible illusions M3
Basis 2000 with morch arm and Benz Glider
Vandersteen subwoofer (fantastic with these speakers)
Wadia 830 CD
Assorted Kimber and Cardas cables

Similar Products Used:

Proac's (currently owned) and many others demoed.

sweet timbre, focussed soundstage with great depth, clarity and resolution, easy to tweak

large and visually imposing

After 4 months of auditioning box speakers, it took less than 3 minutes for me to be convinced that I had to get Maggies. I had a hard time deciding between 3.6's and 1.6's but finally chose 1.6's. I will not repeat the sonic virtues of the 1.6 which have been well reported here.

A further advantage of the 1.6 is that they are easily upgradeable and tweakable. The 1.6's have been built to an amazingly low price point for their sonic quality. This means that they can be quite easily and significantly improved by substituting the economical stock components with more expensive state of the art replacements.

Access to the crossover is not difficult, requiring cutting the rear fabric at the bottom of the speaker

When the Solen tweeter capacitors are replaced with Hovland Musicaps (as used by Von Schweikart, Merlin and many other top flight speaker manufacturers) and the steel cored woofer inductor is replaced with an Alpha Core air cored foil inductor, the improvemnts are stunning.

Timbre becomes even sweeter. Vocals and Guitars are to die for. Resolution and clarity take a big jump. Reverberation and sound decay time is significantly prolonged. The transverse size of the soundstage expands beyond the borders of the panels. Somewhat surprisingly, the bass sounds much stronger even though the sound pressure levels stay the same. The perception that the bass is stronger comes from the enhanced resolution of the high frequency audio cues which are associated with the bass notes.

The improvement that less than $400 dollars of caps and inductors made to my system was much greater than considerable improvemnt that my PS Audio P 300 Power Plant made to my system.

There is a Maggie Users Group at http://www.sonic.net/~howl/MUG/ where many Maggie owner's share their experiences and information

Details of a number of 1.6 owners planning to make a bulk discount Hovland cap purchase can be found at http://www.sonic.net/~howl/MUG/bbs/messages/769.html

Photos of the 1.6 crossover can be seen at http://www.sonic.net/~howl/MUG/pix/index.html

My System

JVC 1050TZN CDP
TPC UJB-1
TPC DAC 2.5
Silver Audio Silver Bullet 4.0
Adcom GFP 750
AQ Ruby XLR
Ayre V-3
Analysis Plus Oval 12 bi-wire
Maggie 1.6 with Hovland caps and Alpha Core foil inductor
PS Audio Power Plant

Similar Products Used:

Thiel CS 2