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conundrum

Hello,

I just went to my stereo dealer - ready to purchase the B&W 802d or the Maggie 20.1 (close to same in price).

I've been a Maggie fan all my life - but need to try new things.

And I found the B&W's sounded really great, I was surprised.
And I was also surprised the Maggie's sounded just terrible.
They were at once muffled and too brilliant (hard to get all that wrong).

So I went home and listened to my old Maggies (3.5) and thought they sounded really good, too. And I know in my heart that my moderately priced Maggies cannot really sound better than the big ones.

My electronics are inferior (although not bad) to what I heard in the store (though my room is a lot larger).

So what gives?
Does Magnepan make a great speaker through the 3 series and then they don't know what they're doing?
There was something about the B&W's that didn't thrill me - although they are fine speakers and I can't define what that is.

Why should the 20.1 sound so horrible?

I'd planned to purchase the big Maggies and even had my new amps picked out - but I was horrified with what I heard.

Maybe I'm going crazy. Maybe there is too much stress in my life.
nottop
4est
507 posts
 
It was probably just the room, set up or amplification. If you liked the 3s at home, you will most likely like the 20s.
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
As always, the only way to determine if any speakers 'work' for you is to have them in your room, connected to your gear. If a dealer will not accommodate that, move on, and consider all the comments Elizabeth made.
lrsky
1,118 posts
 
Answer:

In home audition for 3 days. The first day will be bad to ok, second, better, third reflective of what you can expect long term. (Generalizing)
Don't spend any money until you hear them in your room, with your electronics, cables etc.
My dislike of the 'house sound' of B&W makes me very suspicious of them being able to sound anything like as good as the big Maggies.
Maggies are more neutral, and more musical, faster--better in virtually every way...IMHO.

Good luck.

Larry
bobbyapalkovic
729 posts
 
n, did the salesman play both speakers with the same wires and electronics? amps and wires that would make the b&w sound good would make the maggies sound wrong. they have a very different chacter.
listening to both at home on your system would be more indicative if you still have the maggies at home. your present system is a given on maggies.
best, b
steveaudio
331 posts
 
*There was something about the B&W's that didn't thrill me - although they are fine speakers and I can't define what that is.*

I've owned a 1/2 dozen diff. B&W's over many years. I liked some of them, for awhile, but always gave up in frustration & sold them. And went on to Totems, or Spendors, or Merlins, & liked them much better.

I know Maggies only from reading about them. By all accounts they are very serious speakers. And even the best B&W's are still mass-market speakers.......
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