Maggie 1.6QR vs 3.6R and Room Size

Some folk, like me, prefer the quasi ribbon to the true ribbon, and then there are concerns about the reliability of the true ribbon. (But Magnepan does repair at reasonable cost).

I have three MG 1.6, which permits me to play (without strain) just as loud as two MG 3.6.

Magnepan speakers MUST be shipped in the very elaborate packing material provided with new units. Beware if you buy second hand. (The packing material is available for purchase through Magnepan).

I have run my MG 1.6 on two Adcom amps, one rated at 100 watts into 4 ohms, the other rated at 350 watts. No comparison. I even tried them with a QSC prosound amp rated at 450 watts, and it might have surpassed the 350 watt Adcom.

The Mg 3.6s are superior to the 1.6s in every musical category. For your size room it is a "no-brainer". Go for the 3.6s. If you can afford it, the 20.1s would be even better for a large room.

You can buy 3.5s for $1600 if you get lucky, they are supposed to be quite good as well.

I haven't compared the 1.6s to the 3.6s directly, but they are generally similar in power consumption, from what I understand. And I do have direct experience with the 3.6s, powered by a CJ MV60. This was definitively NOT enough power to power the 3.6s in a room that was less than a third the volume of your room. (Call it 16 x 24 x 15' high.) The shortcoming was NOT just in the mushy and weak bass. Transients like symbols clipped badly, and I even had trouble with classical trumpet solos.

If the volume was down and nothing stressed the amp, the sound was just about the best I've heard (including a couple of $120K systems). But across my 5 test CDs, I hit the wall on power about a dozen times, without even trying to push the volume.

Based on this experience, I'd be very surprised if you could make either of the Maggies work in that room with just 50 wpc, even though those are really quality watts.

Thanks for all of the great input!

I was particularly interested to note Phil's comments having used the Maggies with the Innersound ESL...what did you think of that pairing? Does the ESL do everything the manufacturer claims it will do with planars? You apparantly sold your ESL/Maggie pairing, so it must have had some shortcomings?

Anyway, I think I'm going to tread water for a little while and get more cash together for the 3.6's...it seems from the concensus that these are worth the extra over the 1.6's and I really want to make the most of the new room/space that I have.
Incidentally, for anyone not having heard music in a larger listening environment, it is really incredible. Even when the components are not up to the task of filling a larger room, the benefits are still very alluring. I didn't realize exactly how much the room impacts the sound of a hifi system. In my old room (22x12) I had made some basic acoustic treatments to catch rear and sidewall reflections, and figured the sound was reasonably 'treated' and I was hearing the best that my system could reproduce. Now with the same system in a much larger room, without any treatments whatsoever, the sound is amazing. Staging and imaging are perhaps most effected by sidewall reflections in smaller spaces, without a sidewall in close proximity, the sound has just opened up with the illusion of a stage width somewhere around 18' - 22' on some recordings, which puts the performers right there in the room. The main downside is that the stage height is too low, vocals seem to eminate foward at around a 4 feet height, which gives the impression of Hobbit sized performers - Luciano Pavarotti is no Hobbit!!
Bass is also seriously lacking, which is no real surprise.

Anyway, I appreciate the input and will be checking this thread to see if any other Maggie users have ideas and suggestions about how to get the most out of a larger listening space, on a fairly tight budget ($4k). I'm also intrigued by the idea of using a horn speaker, though I've never heard horns before. I've heard such mixed reviews of the Avantgarde speakers, but perhaps there are others that may be more acceptable and affordable.

Many thanks again!