comparation between Magnepan & KEF ref. series

I have a set of three MG1.6. The big question relates to Planar vs Cones. That is something you must decide for yourself. You must also come to terms with the visual impact. If the Planar spatial characteristics are to your liking, Maggies are an excellent choice, and, from the cost point of view, unmatched. Within the Magnepan product line, the MG1.6 is (most people think) the best bang for the buck.

The Maggie is very critical of components upstream from them, especially the power amp which needs a lot of current to drive them properly. Also I think they work best in a larger room, bigger than my 13 x 22 x 8 room I used mine in as the QR midrange driver has considerable output and can glare if everything is not just right. Given these considerations they are truly a brilliant speaker with amazing midrange and I found them easy to set up and get great sound.

FWIW I found Jonathon Valin's review of them in FI magazine to be spot on.

Yep ..I agree with the Magnepan Gurus. Accept on the power.I listened to the 1.6QR on a 400 wpc amplifier with digital a display of wattage output at a buddys home. The amplifier fluctuated between 79.5 wpc on the bass notes and 19 wpc during the rest of the music.The sound pressure levels were near 100 db.This is also when the panels started to flap on the bass notes.
The wattage is great to a certain point but a amplifier with a decent slew rate is even better! You should be able to drive the hell out of these speakers with a 100 wpc amplifier with a high slew rate.

Gmood1...You are accurate in the observation that power levels are never even close to the ratings of the amps that people use. But, my experience is always that higher power amps sound better. This was most clearly illustrated when I changed between two Adcom amps having identical specs except for power...100wpc vs 350 wpc into 4 ohms. There is some other characteristic which goes along with high power capability that does the magic.

That said, Maggies sound very good even with low powered amps. It's just that they sound even better with high power.
This is true of all speakers, but more so with Maggies.

If you are a Kef fan, check out the newest Referance 201 through 207. I own a pair of 205s and I plan to keep them.