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Looking for speaker choice advice.....

I'm looking for some direction/help in selecting some new speaks for my recently completed dedicated listening room. The room itself is built over my garage and measures 16' wide x 30' long. Side walls are 4' tall where the rafter slope occurs with the main flat ceiling about 8' wide at 8'-4" high running the length of the room.

My existing components include a 250/wpc Threshold S500 controlled by a Conrad Johnson PV11. I was previously running B&W CDM7s but this room was a little too large for those so I sold them to finance an upgrade. I'm looking for a very musical speaker w/good bass extension, natural mids and an accurate high end.

My musical taste center around progressive rock (60%) , (think Yes, Genesis and some newer stuff along the same lines), modern jazz guitar (10%) and classical strings (30%). I'm looking for a full range floor stander to cover all the bases. Size isn't an issue since the room is all mine and right now I'm setting my max budget at $3.5k.

Unfortunately, I'm in a somewhat audio depraved location and there isn't a lot of places to demo gear although I may take a trip to NY in the spring just to do some demos if I can't decide but I don't mind "buy to try" if I can turn them around w/o loss. I was originally thinking of sticking w/B&Ws, going with M802S3s or N803s but have recently found interest in the Coincident Super Eclipse, Soliloquy 6.3, and Maggie 1.6 and 3.3s.

So... Any comments or suggestions? I'm dying to get some nice speakers in this room since I sold my B&Ws my interims have been old DCM TF600s (which still sound pretty good considering their age and $75 price tag).
b2sc
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Some complain of Maggies having narrow sweet spots,little bass,and poor dynamics...and despite some or all of these limitations(they are very room dependent)...they still can sound amazing...and give many more pricier hi-end speakers some serious competition...for jazz and strings...they would be ideal...i find they also work well with Pink Floyd,etc...they are unforgiving to poor recordings however...good luck...

For a warmer, more forgiving, "full bodied" midrange speaker, Vandersteen 2ces would spring to mind...phase correct boxless design...not a "rocker" speaker by any stretch of the imagination...but this isnt what you are looking for...decent bass considering price point...all in all...both these and the Mags are very transparent and musical...and both of these companies offer what many consider the best value in hi-end speakers...not to mention companies who have been in the business since the 70s
aram
98 posts
 
Every guy's dream is to have a dedicated music room..so you have one..you are lucky at that sense..Also it is a big room..Your budget is 3,5 K..If I were you I would buy a used VMPS RM40..these speakers are big but as size is not an issue you can go for them(they are 260 lbs and 168 cm tall)..the bass goes down to 24 hz and I think that is enough for music..the ribbon midrange is the real point with these speakers..very nice midrange..the best midrange for that price..I mean I see no reason why not to buy these speakers for that price..
jayctoy's avatar
jayctoy
4,078 posts
 
If I have that room Ill try maybe The Avantgarde dou.
Prodigy Martin logan, Maggie are good too.I just
bought Andra dont forget to audition them, I bought
them because they are perfect size in my room 16wx 19.
Good luck..
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,375 posts
 
I would get the Maggie 3.6, I have a friend who has the 1.6s with a Bryston amp and they are awesome, the bass is very good to. It doesn't get all the way down there, but what you do hear is very good. Another friend has Vandersteens, and while musical and good sounding they don't hold a candle to the 1.6s in my opinion If you have the freedom to set the Maggies up (as you do) they are just fantastic.
fatparrot
1,314 posts
 
Some comments are always forth coming about the Maggies "lack of bass". I owned a pair of 1.6's, so my comments are limited to this particular model. The 1.6's require OODLES OF POWER to open up the bass!!! I was pushing 500 wpc, (yes, 1 kilowatt both channels driven at the 4 ohm inpedence of the 1.6's!) If people complain about lack of bass, it's cause they just ain't got enough juice, Jack! Another trick is to make some kind of anchor, rod, or bracket and secure the top corners (please use some type of clamp and don't drill a hole in the frames!!!) firmly to the back wall. W.A.F won't be a problem, because she'll probably leave you when she discovers this latest tweak! Maggies are wonderful speakers that have a history of getting it right for about 30(?) years now!
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