MG 20.1 or Wisdom audio m-75

Hello Shaman,

Cool moniker.

I agree wholeheartedly with Tpsonic and Jbm on the importance of using the same amp for top and bottom when biamping the Wisdoms. The same thing goes for the big Maggies - don't try to mix 'n' match amplifiers.

I've only heard the Wisdoms under show conditions, but have heard them a good half-dozen times. In my experience, they tend to sound kinda lifeless on top unless paired with an excellent amplifier (like the discontinued Gamut 300S). I presume the Parasound JC-1's mentioned by Jbm would also work well; haven't heard the combination, but the JC-1's work well with many difficult speakers (disclaimer - I'm a JC-1 owner and dealer).

Now, my prejudice is in favor of dipole planars instead of monopole ones. I've owned and built both types, often using the same drivers. A monopole is smaller and easier to position in a room, but that utter freedom from boxiness of a good dipole is (to me) worthwhile.

The Wisdoms are more dynamic than the Maggies (given suitable amplification), and will play louder. The Maggies will be more detailed and airy on top; that planar magnetic driver on the Wisdoms that goes down to 200 Hz ballpark has to be very rugged, and unfortunately there seems to be a tradeoff between ruggedness and top-end articulation.

My personal preferances would incline me towards the big Maggies, but for high to very high volume levels in a large room the Wisdoms would outperform the Maggies.

Now pardon me if I slip on my dealer hat for a moment and unfurl the fin on my back, but depending on your listening style a pair of Sound Labs M-1's might be worth including on your short-list. Sound Lab full-range electrostats do some things better than either the big Maggies or the Wisdoms, and vice versa.

Whichever way you go, best of luck to you!

Duke

Duke that last paragraph cracked me up! It really is a shame more dealers aren't like you- and I mean that.

Tireguy. Thats Bullshit the 20.1s are GREAT speakers, and by far better than most at any price!

Shaman, if I had to choose between the two I'd probably pick the Maggies, for several reasons. While they're power hungry and more or less require biamping in order to perform their best, they have a few things going for them. They are dipole planars with ribbon tweeters instead of monopole ribbons with cone woofers in separate cabinets, which in practice enables them to integrate better and reproduce the reverberant sound field. The Wisdom crossover can be tricky to set up, with thousands of possible settings. As Tireguy suggests, there are possible modifications to the Maggies that may improve things, although the scope of what's involved isn't clear. I imagine most 20.1 owners use them in stock form.

With either speaker it's a good idea to use the same amps on top and bottom if feasible. I've heard Wisdoms driven by two pairs of Parasound JC-1s and Maggie 20.1s driven by a single pair of JC-1s...I would probably prefer the Maggies with single JC-1s, and biamping with two pairs would be preferred. That said, the Wisdoms can produce very good bass impact and probably go deeper than the Maggies, as well as being capable of being played louder. And while the Wisdoms are more dynamic sounding than the Maggies, the energy density on the Wisdom's ribbon drivers is much greater than on the Maggie planar magnetics and ribbon tweeters. The result of the higher energy density is increased punch with less detail and air, while listening fatigue may be increased.

All of that said (red flags raised as I put on the scarlet letter "D" as a Sound Lab dealer), it was a treat to come home to listen to big Sound Labs, driven by a single pair of JC-1s (which, surprise, I also sell). Not that either of the other two speakers don't do things the Sound Labs don't, but it's a matter of preference after many years of listening to recorded and live music and occasionally performing. They happen to work well in a variety of room sizes, due at least in part to using full range drivers in a virtual line source arrangement. There are numerous aspects to consider with any of the above, the results of which are easy to determine from listening. You might want to consider Sound Labs as well, depending upon your listening preferences.

Best wishes!

Brian

Shaman Is resell value of any concern to you? The Wisdom's seem not to hold their value well and don't sell very easily here on Audiogon for some reason?